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NOTES

TO THE

Sermon

ON

ORIGINAL SIN.

NOTE (A) p. 167.

Being a more particular interpretation of the Comparison instituted in Ch. v. 12-21, betwixt Adam and Christ.

Ver. 12. dia TBTо. "Wherefore."

The comparison betwixt Adam and Christ is instituted in the way of inference, from what has been already proved; thus: We see that by the performances of Christ, righteousness and life are restored to all mankind: this naturally leads our thoughts to a comparison betwixt Adam and Christ: As by one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, and death by sin: So, &c.

Ver. 12. ἡ ἁμαρτία εις τον κόσμον εισήλθε.

"He (Adam) begun transgression." Taylor.

But this destroys all the force of those Emphatic words, di ¿vos av≈ρwπ8. For what wonder that one man begun transgression? Some one must begin it.—The true sense is, By one man sin entered into the world, and took possession, and reigned; so that the guilt of that one man's sin attached to all mankind.

Ver. 12. εφ' ᾧ παντες ἡμαρτον.

"For that all Adam's posterity thereby became mortal;" so Mr. Locke paraphrases. Taylor thus; "As far as which all men are sufferers through his disobedience."

But this is to confound the cause with the consequence. "Sin entered into the world," says the Apostle;-here is the cause: "and death by sin;" here is the consequence :-" and so death passed upon all men;" here is another effect; where is the cause?-Clearly in what immediately follows, e' raνтes пμaρтov, "because all sinned," viz. in Adam.

Mr. Locke says, "Have sinned," I have rendered "became mortal," following the rule I think very necessary for the understanding St. Paul's Epistles, viz. the making him as much as is possible his own interpreter: 1 Cor. xv. 22., cannot be denied to be parallel to this place."

The two places, being comparisons of Adam and Christ, are parallel, if the same terms enter into both. 1 Cor. xv. 22. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made

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alive;" compares the first and second Adam, with respect to the death and resurrection of all men. Is this then all that enters into the present comparison? By no means: besides the terms, death and resurrection, here are two others, which come before these, viz. sin or condemnation, and justification. The two places, therefore, are not parallel: and it required no small force of prejudice to make them appear so.

Ver. 12. εφ' ᾧ παντες ἡμαρτον : "because all sinned." In whom? In Adam? or in their own persons? Beyond question, in Adam: for it was Adam's sin which brought death to all his race: Ver. 15. "through the offence of one many be dead :" Ver. 17. "by one man's offence death reigned by one:" 1 Cor. xv. 21. "by man (i. e. by Adam) came death:" and Ver. 22. "in Adam all die."

Ver. 13 & 14. He interrupts the comparison, in order to establish, in these two Verses, the truth of what he had just affirmed, That death came upon all men, for that all sinned in Adam. For whereas in the period from Adam to Moses, although Law, as a promulged code, was not in being; yet there was the law of conscience, written in the hearts of all mankind; and so it might be objected that men died, not for the sin of Adam, but for their own personal transgressions :-in opposition to this he observes, that "sin is not imputed when there is no law." The meaning of which is, that sin is not imputed unto temporal death, so as to cause men to be cut off by God's judgment in this world: for that sin would be imputed unto death in the next world, was known from natural conscience; see L. 32.-Seeing therefore, that during the period before-mentioned, death did actually reign "even over them that had not sinned after the similitude

of Adam's transgression;" i. e. in the face of a law holding out the punishment of death for sin; (we may add, and over those also who did not sin at all, viz. Infants) it certainly follows, that from Adam to Moses, men died not for their own, but for Adam's sin.

But Dr. S. Clarke, (Sermons, Vol. V. Sermon 8. p. 157.) turns this quite another

way:

"The Apostle lays it down as a maxim, that the cause of the dominion of death, is sin; and because it might be objected, that since sin is not imputed where there is no law, therefore those who lived between Adam and Moses, without any express revealed law, should seem not to be concluded under the sentence of death; he adds, that even in that time men had some discovery of the will of God: So that before the delivery of Moses' Law sin was in the world; and therefore death did reign from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression; that is, who had not indeed like Adam sinned against a positive and immediate revelation of the will of God, with an express threatening of death annexed; but yet had sinned against such a law, as they had sufficient reason to be assured was a discovery of the will of God."

Dr. Clarke's purpose, in the above passage, is to shew that death passed upon all men, because all sinned personally. Now this is so plain a contradiction to what the Apostle affirms, both here, and 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22, that death passed upon all men for the sin of Adam; that I think nothing more need be said, to shew that Dr. Clarke's interpretation, of the two Verses in question, is inadmissible.

Ver. 14. ός εςι τυπος τε μελλοντός.

Who (Adam) is a type, or figure, of Christ. In what respect?-In that which he has been proving in these two Verses; viz. of deriving the effects of his performances upon the whole race, upon all connected with him as their Head.

Ver. 15. all ex ŵs то πаρаπтwμa. "But not as the offence, &c."

Looking forward again to the arodorus of his comparison, he perceives that there will be two advantageous differences on the side of Christ, considered as a Head of mankind, over Adam. The first of these is set down in this 15th Verse, and the advantage on Christ's side is denoted by the words oλų padλov; signifying a reason more strongly conclusive, or concluding a fortiori:-thus; Although Adam be like Christ, as a Head of Mankind; yet is he not equal in efficacy as such: for if Adam, by his offence, transmitted sin and death to all his race; much more, on account of the surpassing dignity and merit of his person, shall Christ by his obedience restore righteousness and life to all that by faith derive from him.

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I think it impossible also, that the strength of the reason in Ver. 15. πody paλλov, may lie partly in the known greatness of the Divine Mercy: for though he be a Jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children; yet is this only unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him: whereas he shews mercy unto thousands in them that love him, and keep his commandments.

This then is the first advantageous difference on the side of

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