creatures, it is in vain to attempt to fhift the charge of being finful creatures, the former neceffarily implies the latter, and the decree which has appointed us to be born mortal, declares by fuch appointment, that we are born finful, for the judge of all the earth, will certainly do right, Gen. xviii. 25. But how we become finners by Adam's tranfgreffion, fo as to be obnoxious to fuffer, is what we are next to enquire into. Original fin, is confidered as twofold, imputed, and inherent; the former refpects that one tranf greffion wherein Adam finned by eating the forbidden-fruit, which as he was the reprefentative, and covenant head of his pofterity, the guilt thereof is imputed to them alfo: the latter refpects that inward defilement, and pollution of nature, which is derived, from him as the natural head, to all his defcendants by ordinary generation. The inherent effects of Adam's fin, viz. defilement and pollution, may rather be confidered as a fault than a crime, macula, non reatus; a difqualification for heaven, rather than that which deferves hell; and feems rather tó be the refult and effect of disobedience, than that difobedience itself. Various fcripture paffages may be produced to prove that the pofterity of Adam are greatly injured by his fin; for every effect has fome caufe producing it, and where the one is vifible, the other cannot be denied; but forrow and fuffering are the effect of fin, and these faften upon those not perfonally guilty, therefore must be the confequence of another's fin. 15th, As Adam began to beget in his own likenefs when fallen, fo we are a little after prefented with an awful account of overspreading wick ednefs, १ * edness, for all flesh bad corrupted his way. Gen. vi, 12, and these various ftreams of iniquity, wherewith God was fo much difpleafed, all iffued from the corrupt fountain of a depraved heart, for God faw that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil, continually, ver. 5th, from his infancy. chap. viii. 21, Job's interrogation carries in it the force of a negative answer, who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Job xiv. 4, and doubtless has respect unto the common and corrupted parent of us all. David alfo in bewailing and confeffing his actual fins, traces the stream backward to the fountain head, and fays, bebold I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did + my mother conceive me. § Pf. li. 5. There can be no foundation for fuppofing what fome have infinuated, that David herein accufed his parents of fome crime in his conception, or that he was illegitimately born; but herein he acknowledges the wickednefs of his life, to proceed from the corruption of his heart. Again, the neceffity of regeneration may be urged as a flagrant proof of the defilement of our nature; for if we must ne ceffarily * Infancy, (nahharim) is used elsewhere, Lam. iii. 27. Ezek. iv. 14. 16. 22. &c. The Socinians would have this to be understood by a hyperbole, and to fignify that a great part was corrupt, &c. But this cannot be allowed without ftronger proof than can be deduced from this paffage Nam verbum (hholalti) conceptus fum, referri non poteft ad actionem gignendi parentum, fed ad corporis geniti formationem in utero; et (jehhematni) non fignificat gignere, aut concipere, quod parentum eft, fed califieri, et foveri quod fpectat ad fœtum jam formatum et in peccato çalefactum. Turret. in loc. non. ceffarily be born again, in order to enter into the kingdom of God, it is manifeft that our inherent pollution and defilement unfits us for fo holy an ha bitation. Again, Again, we are faid to be children of wrath by nature, Eph. ii. 3, which state of wrath, we are fubjected to, either as we are efteemed guilty, or defiled, or both. This pollution, and defilement of nature, together with that darkness of understanding, stubbornnefs of will, and vitiofity of affection, &c. are rather to be confidered as the effects of fome caufe, or a punishment inflicted for some crime, than that crime itself, or the cause of other penal effects. 16th, All the children of Adam, by the righteous judgment of God, are included with their parent in the guilt of that one tranfgreffion, whereby he fell from his primitive rectitude; not only as they may be faid to have finned, in him as Levi is Jaid to have paid tithes in Abraham, being then in his loins; but as the guilt of that one fin is imputed to them, fo that they are accounted finners, and treated as fuch. Many who use the term, original fin, yet differ widely in their opinions of it's effects upon Adam's offspring; and they who feem to favour the doctrine moft in other refpects, and engage in the defence of it; yet in order to exclude the imputation of the righteousness of Chrift, deny alfo the imputation of Adam's fin. It were to be wished that the oppofers of the imputation of Adam's fin to his offspring, and of the righteoufness of Chrift to believers, would feriously confider whether the arguments ufed by them, to invalidate and overthrow thefe, do not as forcibly militate against the imputation of our fins to Chrift; and and if they would ot ftrengthen the hands of antichriftians, and destroy the foundation of their own hope, they would open their minds to conviction, and admit truths that muft rife fuperior to all oppofition, untill the heavens be no more. 17th, When we fpeak of the imputation of Adam's fin, we have refpect only to his first, not any of his after tranfgreffions; nor do we regard any habitual depravity, but that actual violation of the covenant, his beneficent creator had been pleafed to admit him into. Nor is it to be fuppofed that guilt was imputed to Adam's offspring because they were now defiled; but rather, that defilement, &c. is to be confidered as a punishment inflicted on them, as previoufly guilty, as above. When that is imputed to one or more perfons which properly, and perfonally belongs to another, it is owing to fome relation fubfifting as common betwixt the parties; which relation may be rft, natural, fuch is that between a father and his children. 2d, Moral, and political, fuch as fubfifts between a king and his fubjects. 3d, Voluntary, fuch as between or among friends, or a principal, and his furety. Hence, there is a twofold foundation of imputation between Christ and his people, by which our fins are imputed to him, and his righteoufnefs, is imputed to us. 2 Cor. v. 21. But in the imputation now treated of, we have chiefly to do with the two former; in which the relation, 1ft, Is natural, Adam being a father, we fons. 2d, Political, Adam ftanding as a prince, and reprefentative of all mankind. The ground of imputation therefore fubfifting between Adam and us, is not only natural, for fo fo all his other fins might with equal right have been imputed to us; but efpecially moral, and federal, fo that the covenant God made with Adam," was as the head and reprefentative of his pofterity; fo that Adam acted not in this bufinefs, in the capacity of a private, but a public perfon, reprefenting all his pofterity, whence the demerit of his mifcarriage juftly appertains to them all. As the capacity in which Adam acted, was by the just appointment of God, it was not neceffary that we his offspring fhould be feverally confulted in the affair; feeing it was the will of God that Adam fhould be looked upon, as the root and head of mankind, who therefore not for himself only, but for all his feed, fhould fecure or forfeit all that happiness ftipulated in the covenant; feeing all men were confidered in that one, not by a fpecific, or numerical union, but partly by an union of origination, because all are of one blood, and partly by an union of representation, because this one man, by a divine appointment represented all. * 18th, That fuch was the covenant God made with Adam is manifeft, ift, Because, if the coyenant made with Adam was not public and general, it behoved that God must enter into covenant with individuals, or there is no covenant fubfifting between God and us, and the calamities we fuffer must be the effect of caufes different from those of our common parent. 2d, Adam received not the image of God in his creation, as a perfonal good, and peculiar to himself, but as a com mon Quicunque ex illo uno multi in feipfis futuri erunt, in illo uno, unus homo erant, August, ep. 106. |