Pspeaks much to the same effect-"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners ;beso by the obedience of one shall many be made d righteous."

Here we ought to be cautious, and carefully notice,that the apostle confines his observations to two points; 1st. as to original sin, as we generally term it. 2dly. To justification from that sin. We think it is evident from the whole scope of the apostles reasonings in this, as well as his other Epistles, that the apostle did not wish us to understand him to speak of regeneration and sanctification, but simply of justification from original guilt.

One point more in this chapter, deserves our attention, viz. the declaration of the apostle in the 16th verse-" And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift,for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification of life." It will here be remarked, by the attentive reader, that the apostle informs us, that the offence and the justification, did not run parallel in all cases; for instance, the offence was by one i. e. Adam, and consequently condemnation came upon all beings in his loins. "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift ;" the apostle says, and proceeds to show us wherein the difference consists; "the free gift is of many offences unto justification of life," that is, we are justified from actual transgressions, by the righteousness and blood of Jesus Christ, as well as from original sin.

This point is acknowledged by the assembly of divines, as well as the English Church. The assembly express it in these words; "justification

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is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardon eth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only, for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, and received by faith alone."The English church say, "Christ was crucified, &c. to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also, for actual sins of men."

We shall do well to give an attentive consideration to the observations made by the Bishop, just quoted, on the two important points, respecting the blood and righteousness of Christ. He appears to reason conclusively upon the nature of sin, for he has very plainly shown, that if there is nothing included under the divine law but the humanity of our Lord, it could be nothing but a human righteousness, to repair the injury done to that original law given to man in paradise; and how much less would it answer for our offences? How inadequate the reparation unless "Christ offered up himself through the eternal Spirit?" We may safely conclude, that this blood and righteousness, on the principle of its being merely human in its nature, must come infinitely short of purchasing eternal inheritance for all men.

And not only so, but as we have before remarked, all created beings must, in the nature of things, be dependent on their Creator, for existence, power, faculties and talents they possess, and must of consequence owe their best performance to their Creator, and therefore cannot render to God works of supererogation, or works over and above the obligations they are naturally and continually under to God.

The Bishop, further asserts, "that it is the uniform doctrine of the old and new testament, that

the Lord Jesus Christ hath ransomed our lives by laying down his own. The Son of man, came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a ransom for many. He gave his life a ransom for all; he died for our sins; according to scriptures, he died for all, when all were dead. Tasted death for every man; the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all; he bore our sins in his own body on the tree; was wounded for our transgressions; bruised for our iniquities; and bore the chastisement of our peace; was made sin (a sin-offering) for us, though he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God, in Him, or might be justified through him. Hence we are said to be redeemed, not with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, Peter i, 18. To be "bought with a price," I Cor. vi. 20, therefore not to be our own, and to have redemption through his blood, the forgive, ness of sins."

Says the Bishop, "if Jesus Christ, whose life is thus represented to be laid down as the price of man's redemption from everlasting death and destruction, to everlasting life and salvation-if Jesus Christ be a mere man, it is certain his life must be of incomparable less value, than this eternal salvation of all mankind, thus said to be procured by it. For, however holy and excellent, we may suppose him to be, yet his life could not be worth the lives of all men; especially his temporal life, could not be worth the eternal lives of all men. His parting with a short, uncertain, and afflicted life, and coming under the power of death, with regard to his body merely, and that only for two or three days; (his soul in the

mean time, neither dying nor suffering the loss, either of its holiness or happiness) and doing this in sure and certain hope of being raised again, and receiving in exchange, after that short space of time, an eternal and most blessed life;-this surely was no such great thing, as that it could be any proper consideration, or redemption price, on account of which, divine and infinite justice, should deliver an infinite multitude of rational and immortal beings, of exactly the same nature with this man, thus dying for them: not only from temporal, but also from eternal death; and should put them in possession of glory and felicity, greater beyond conception than that which they had forfeited, and lasting without end.

"According to the declaration of the apostle, one principal end of the death of Christ, was to demonstrate God's righteousness. That is the purity of his nature, implying his infinite hatred to sin, the authority of his law, which denounces vengeance against the sinner, and the equity of his government, or in one word, his justice. But if satisfaction can be made for the injury done to the glory of God, by all the sins of all mankind, and their salvation from eternal destruction, into everlasting life and happiness; can be rendered consistent with the divine attributes, in consequence of their repentance upon such easy terms, as the giving up one mere man, to temporal death for two or three days, and then rewarding him with supreme dominion and glory, at God's right hand; whatever inference the intelligent creation of God may draw from hence, in favour of his love and mercy, they can draw noue in favour of his righteousness or justice. They cannot learn from these principles, to form

more exalted views of God's holiness, justitie, or truth; but on the contrary, they will find their ideas of it contracted. And will be inclined to suppose that sin is no very great evil, and that God is not much displeased with it; inasmuch as he forgives the complicated, and aggravated guilt, of so many myriads of sinners, forbears to execute upon them the vengeance threatened in his holy and divine law, and even raises them to glory, and felicity inconceivable, and eternal, merely because one mere man, like themselves, died for them. Surely, to talk of God's righteousness being demonstrated by such a scheme as this, and say all this was done to save the honour of his justice, that he might be, (and appear to be) just, while he is the merciful justifier of him, which believeth in Jesus, would be highly absurd and ridiculous.”

The above quoted remarks, were advanced, not only against the Socinian doctrine, but also to show the propriety of the expression made use of, by their church in the 2d article on the Trinity, which is, speaking of the human and divine nature being united in the womb of the virgin, as they say, "whereof is one Christ." We have advanced in this work, that this is one of the deciding points, between the Trinitarian and Socinian; viz.-Whether the Son of God could be united to human nature, so as to make but one person? And if this cannot be made to appear, we are under the necessity of acknowledging, that we have nothing but a human righteousness to plead, or human blood to atone for the remission of sins, and acceptance with God.

Let us extol Christ ever so high; even, let us imagine that he is the eternal Father, it does not