quell the motions of sin in the members, and to obey the law of God as well as to love it.

Now this propensity to evil, which rendered the Law ineffectual as a means of sanctification, he describes as a principle; as something, I mean, inherent in the breast of the unregenerate man, moving and actuating him in his life and conversation. He calls it "the flesh;" (VIII. 1.)* “the carnal mind;" (VIII. 6.) “ the body of sin ;" (VI. 6.) "the sin dwelling in me;" i. e. in the unregenerate man, (vII. 17.) "the law of sin in the members;" (vII. 23.) "the law of sin and of death," (VIII. 2.)

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He describes it, moreover, as fatally powerful in its operation; constantly conflicting with, and eventually mastering, the law of the mind, or the conscience; insomuch that the state of the man, labouring under the influence of this principle, deserved to be set forth in these remarkable terms:-"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin: for that which I do, I allow not; for what I would, that

See Note (C).

do I not; but what I hate, that do I. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (VII. 14, 15. 18, 19. 21–24.)

Bur what appears to me the most terrible feature of the malignity of this evil principle, remains yet to be mentioned, and is this; that the Apostle describes it as irritated and inflamed, and put into life and motion, as it were, by the righteous prohibitions of the law: " for when we were in the flesh, he says, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death." (vII. 5.) And again, Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, (viz. that particular commandment of which he

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is there speaking,

"Thou shalt not covet;")

wrought in me all manner of concupiscence; for without the law sin was dead." (vII. 8. comp. Ver. 11.) These appear to me to be traits of a truly rebel mind; kicking against the law, and coveting the forbidden thing because forbidden. And in fact, the Apostle does in terms pronounce of it, that it is "Enmity against God:" "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (VIII. 7.)

WHENCE then, we ask, can a principle such as this, so malignant in its nature, so fatal in its effects; and which the Apostle must be conceived to speak of as common to the whole race; (for what he says, in this respect, of the unregenerate Jew, must needs apply equally to every man in his natural, unregenerate state;) from whence, I ask, can such a principle as this be supposed to proceed?-It cannot be attributed to the effect of evil habit*, example, or education; for the Apostle describes it as inbred and in-dwelling; it is opovnμа τng σаρкоs, the

* See Note (D.)

mind, or affection, of the flesh; it is ǹ ouksσa ev eμol åμapria, the sin dwelling in me: it cannot be supposed to have been mixed by the Creator, in the original composition of Human Nature; such a supposition would not be short of blasphemy :but a propensity to evil, not originally implanted, nor yet introduced by the contagion of habit or example, must necessarily be ascribed to a corruption of nature: and seeing that it is common to the whole race, the corruption must necessarily be traced up to the head of the race, i. e. to Adam.

THUS, then, the state of the unregenerate man, described by St. Paul, in the 7th Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans; consisting in a slavery to sin, arising from the reigning influence of this law of sin in his members; establishes the second part of the doctrine of Original Sin; which is, The corruption of nature derived from Adam to all his posterity.

UPON these two passages of Scripture, therefore, as upon two immoveable pillars, we rest the doctrine of Original Sin; firmly believing, that the more they are examined, (if it be only

with a single and impartial eye) the sounder and stronger this foundation will be found.

BUT the doctrine, thus established, may be further illustrated, from St. Paul's general doctrine of Christian Justification and Sanctification, in this Epistle.

II. 1. FIRST, then, the state of guilt and condemnation may be illustrated from St. Paul's doctrine of Justification:

ACCORDING to St. Paul's sense, in the Epistle to the Romans, Justification is, the clearing from guilt, and freeing from condemnation in order that the person so cleared, and fully absolved, may be translated from under the frown of God's wrath, and placed as a righteous person in his sight; and thus may be rendered capable of God's favour, and of the riches of his mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord. Likewise, according to St. Paul's sense, this justification is received on our first taking upon us the faith of Christ, i. e. generally in baptism; and is the necessary qualification, and requisite title of admission, to all the succeeding graces and benefits of the Gospel.

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