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of his Fall: And thefe are all his Pofterity, except the Man Chrift: 1 Cor. v. 22. In Adam

• all die.'

Chrift as Man did indeed defcend from Adam: Luke iii. 23. And Jefus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was fuppofed) the fon of Jofeph. Compared with Verfe laft, " Which. was the fon of Adam.' But he did not defcend from him by ordinary, but extraordinary Generation. That which was extraordinary in Chrift's Generation, was, that he was born of a Virgin Matth. i. 18. Now the birth of Jefus 'Chrift was on this wife When as his mother Mary was efpoufed to Jofeph, before they came together, fhe was found with child of the Holy 'Ghoft.'

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All the reft of Adam's Pofterity fell with him: They fell with him, from the State of Holiness and Happinefs; both which they had in hand, and which they had in hope from the Promifs of the Covenant of Works: And they fo fell by his firft Tranfgreffion, Rom. v. 18. 19. Lay the offence of one judgment came upon all men to con demnation. By one man's difobedience many were made finners.' His firft Tranfgreffion was his eating of the forbidden Fruit. His eating of that Fruit, is called his firft Tranfgreffion; becaule. by it his Sin and Apoftafy begun in his Heart, was completed, Gen. iii. 6. forecited. Now, that Tranfgreffion caft him and them down from thefe States of Holiness and Happiness, inafmuch as by it the Covenant of Works was broken: Gen. ii. 17. Compared with Chap, iii. 10. 11. 12. forecited. The Reafon why they fell with him by that Tranfgreffion, was, that in it they finned in

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him: So that Sin, whereby the Covenant was broken, was our Sin, as well as his, Rom. v. 1 2. 'By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned. For by one man's dif' obedience many were made finners.'

19.

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It came to be our Sin, because he was our Covenant Head and Reprefentative in the Covenant of Works; that is to fay, The Covenant was made with him, not only for himself, but for his Pofterity: I Cor. xv. And fo it is written, The firft man Adam was made a living foul.' The Man Chrift was not included in that Reprefentation which Adam made as Head of the Covenant of Works, 1 Cor. xv. 22. 45. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. verf. 45. 'The first man Adam was made a living foul, the laft Adam was made a quickening fpirit;' and that becaufe Chrift came, not in virtue of the Bleffing of Fruitfulness given while the Covenant of Works ftood entire, but in virtue of a fpecial Promise made after it was broken: Gen. i. 28. And God blessed them, and God faid unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and fubdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.' And Chap. iii. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed: it fhall bruife thy head, and thon falt bruife his heel.' Adam's Sin, then, could not be imputed to the Man Chrift, fince Adam did not reprefent him in the Covenant. But Adam reprefented all the reft of Mankind in it: Rom. v. 12. forecited. It is true,

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true, we did not chufe him for our Reprefentative, but God chofe him for us: And he was the most fit Choice for that End: Ecclef. iii. 14. ‘I 'know that whatsoever God doth, it fhall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing

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taken from it and God doth it, that men fhould 'fear before him.' And this he was, in regard he was the natural Head of Mankind, endowed with fufficient Ability: Acts xvii. 26. God hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, &c. Ecclef. vii. 29. 'God hath made man upright.'

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Now, Man did not become free from the Covenant of Works, upon his breaking of it: For his breaking of it could never free him; and the Honour of the Law barred his Discharge, till the Breach of it fhould be made up: .xlii. 21. The 'Lord is well pleafed for his righteoufnefs fake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.' Matth. v. 18. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle fhall in no wife pafs from 'the law, till all be fulfilled.' And Man himself was utterly unable to make up that Breach: Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet without ftrength, ' in due time Chrift died for the ungodly.' All Men then by Nature are under the broken Cove. nant of Works: Rom. iii. 19. Now we know 'that what things foever the law faith, it faith to ' them who are under the law; that every mouth ' may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.'

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Queft. 17. Into what Eftate did the Fall bring Mankind?

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Anf

Anf The Fall brought Mankind into an Estate of Sin and Misery.

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EXPLICATION.

The natural State of Mankind now, under the Covenant of Works, is a State of Sin and Mifery: And we were brought into it by the Fall: Rom. v. 12. By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned.' We were all born or conceived in that State: Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was fhapen in iniquity and in fin did my mother conceive me.' Eph. ii. 3. We were by nature

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the children of wrath, even as others.' There is no true Holiness attainable in that our natural State; for it is a State of Sin. There is no Salvation from Wrath attainable in it; for it is a State of Mifery. The State we must be brought into, out of our natural State under the Covenant of Works, if we would be faved, is the State of Grace in the Covenant of Grace: Rom. vi. 14. For fin fhall

not have dominion over you: for ye are not un

der the law, but under grace.' Those that are brought out of their natural State, from under the Covenant of Works, into the State of Grace, are all that are in Chrift, converted Perfons: Rom. viii. 1.There is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' Thofe that are ftill in their natural State, under the Covenant of Works, are all that are out of Chrift, unconverted: Eph. ii. 12. At that time ye were without "Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers from the covenants of pro

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mife, having no hope, and without God in the 'world.' The Power that the Covenant of Works hath over fuch Perfons, is a commanding, curfing, and condemning Power. It commands them perfect Obedience under Pain of the Curle: It curfeth and condemneth them for every the leaft Failure: Gal. iii. 10. For as many as are of the 'works of the law, are under the curfe: for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.' Rom. iii. 19. forecited.

Queft. 18. Wherein confifts the Sinfulness of that Eftate whereinto Man fell? Anf The Sinfulness of that Eftate whereinto Man fell, confifts in the Guilt of Adam's firft Sin, the Want of original Righteousness, and the Corruption of his whole Nature, which is commonly called original Sin, together with all actual Tranfgreffions which proceed from it.

EXPLICATION.

The State whereinto Man fell, is our natural State: And that is both a finful and a miferable State. Our natural State is a finful State, in refpect of original Sin, and in refpect of actual Tranf greffions.

Original Sin, in its full Extent, is the Guilt of Adam's firft Sin, the Want of original Righteoufnefs, and the Corruption of the whole Nature. All

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and

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