* were all to come from him; but to be our bead reprefentatively he for ever ceafed by that tranfgreffion; having violated the covenant God had entered into with him as our head.

23d, Some in infifting on the doctrine of original fin, have folved it wholly into inherent defilement, denying any thing of imputation; while others in oppofing them, would allow it to confift in nothing else but imputed guilt; and herein, both have erred, and deviating on each hand, from the middle path of truth, have fallen on the oppofite errors of the extremes; or rather, have treated those effects separate and apart, which connectedly flow from the fame caufe.

But others have more judiciously treated this weighty affair, fhewing that guilt is neceffarily derived to us from Adam as our federal bead, and defilement, as he was our natural bead. That the former, is the meritorious cause of the latter, our inherent corruption; and that the latter, is the penal effect of the former. That learned and judicious divine Beza, has these words, "There

are three things which conftitute a man guilty "before God, ist, Culpa, or blame derived from "the Protoplaftus, or firft man, in whom we all "have finned, Rom. v. 12. 2d, Corruption, "which is the punishment of that culpa, impofed "both on Adam, and his posterity. 3d, The "fins which men commit when adult, or actual tranfgreffions." Chamierus has thefe words, we deny that a perfon can be deemed unjuft, by inherent defilement derived from one man; "if the unrighteousness of that man be not first imputed to him.” Meftrezatius fays, "the righteousness of God could not impute Adam's

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fin to us, if we had not been confidered as in his loins, and he our head." And again, "there "is certainly corruption derived to us from A"dam; but the imputation of his disobedience

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preceded this corruption; therefore defilement " is transmitted to us by generation, because we "had finned in him as our head and reprefenta"tive. Also that learned divine John Calvin, delivers his judgment in this affair in words like these, "All the corruption and vitiofity we labour un"der, flows from this fountain Adam, the com"mon parent of mankind, who by his rebellion

alienated himself from God, forfook the foun"tain of life and happiness, and rendered him"felf obnoxious to all mifery; from whence it comes to pass, that every man born into the world is infected with original fin, and from; "the womb of his mother, is under the wrath,

and curfe of God, not only for another's crime, "but also by reafon of his inward defilement.” And again, the fame writer, "for the offence of one man, all are accounted worthy of death, one finned, all are held obnoxious to fuffer." I might adduce almoft numberlefs authorities of the above kind, men, whom learning and piety have rendered amiable and useful, in the feveral ages and places, where the church of Chrift has been bleft with their labours; but thefe for the prefent fhall fuffice, whofe names, and fentiments I have briefly inferted, in order to fhew that the doctrine here infifted on, is fo far from being upftart, and novel, that it has been received in the church as a fcripture doctrine, ever fince the reformation, and has the fuffrage of men of no mean character to fupport it. I have been the more

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large and particular on this first imputation, because it almost undeniably infers the third; for, if the imputation of Adam's fin to his pofterity be proved, the imputation of Chrift's righteoufnefs to believers can scarcely be difproved.

24th, And now reader left thou and I fhould read and write to no profit, let us recapitulate the preceeding things; let us take the fubftance of what has been faid, and try to make it useful. If thou art perfuaded of the truth of this doctrine, thou must needs confider thyself as a miracle of mercy; what, guilty, and defiled, yet not in hell? 'Tis wonder all. Perhaps thou art yet an unbeliever, in an unregenerate ftate, in the fame condition in which thou wert born; and if this is indeed thy cafe, it is moft wretched and deplorable, there is but one step betwixt thy foul, and eternal death. Thy defilement and pollution, O my fellow finner, unfits thee for heaven, for no unclean thing can enter there, Rev. xxi. 27. and thy guilt, the guilt derived from Adam, together with the guilt of thy manifold actual tranfgreffions, have justly rendered thee obnoxious to the wrathful indignation of thy offended maker; who though he fuffer long, yet will one day whet his fword, and take vengeance on all the fons of disobedience, And I exhort thee, think, dear reader think, how awful that day muft be, when God will rain fnares, fire and brimstone, storm, and tempeft, upon all ungodly and impenitent finners, and the cup of his fierce wrath fhall be their deadly portion to drink for ever and ever. Is it poffible, O my brother in tranfgreffion, and guiltinefs, that any of the gilded toys of time fhould divert our minds from attending to this our miferable condition by na

ture?

ture? If so, it is an additional proof of the hardness of our hearts, the blindnefs of our minds, and the truly wretched ftate that fin has brought our fouls into, which becomes the more deplora ble, by how much the more we are infenfible of it, and unconcerned about it.

But that I may not close this chapter, without opening fome avenue, by which the rays of gofpel light may fhine upon the reader; let me inform thee O my friend, whoever thou art that readeft, and conceiveft of thyfelf as a fallen finner, there is opened in this valley of Achor a comfortable door of hope. Are we finners? We cannot deny the charge, if we should dare to do it, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, 1 John i. 18. bleffed be God, there is a faviour, Jefus Christ the righteous, who is faith the beloved difciple, the propitiation for our fins, and not for ours only who are jews by birth, and have believed in Chrift, but for the fins of the whole world, even gentiles alfo to the ends of the earth, chap. ii. 2. Did condemnation and death, come by the first Adam? Juftification and life are by the fecond Adam. Does the guilt of the former imputed, conftitute us heirs of wrath? The obedience and righteoufnefs of the latter imputed, constitutes us heirs of grace and favour. If the image of God was loft to us in Adam, by fin and disobedience; we are reftored in Chrift, and renewed by his fpirit after the image of him that created us.

In a word, our condition is deplorable, but not desperate; we are fallen, but help is laid on one mighty, and thofe comfortable words, may at all times chear the drooping mind, of the confcious, and coming finner; whofoever comes to me, I will in no wife caft out, John vi. 37. CHAP.

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REAT we in this chapter of the fecond imputation, mentioned, chap 1. fect. 3. which refpects Chrift as the finner's furety, bearing their fins on his own body on the tree, and fuffering in their stead, the demerit of their offences. In the preceding chapter, we have investigated the fource of human forrow, and fuffering; not af figning the caufe to the opening of the feigned Pandora's box; but to the fin and disobedience of Adam in paradife; who truly had received gifts not from many gods, but from the one Alahim, God in covenant; pan-dora, all neceffary gifts, power and abilities to conftitute him happy, with all that fhould come from him, had they been rightly improved. And now having difcovered and laid open the cause, our work in this chapter will be to point out the cure prepared, and preached to us finners in the bleffed gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift. But, who bath be ieved the report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? If. liii. 1.

Perfons labouring under some disease of body, are for the most part easily prevailed on (and that fometimes to a fault) to make ufe of any probable means for their recovery, and restoration, though prescribed by mere mountebanks, or empiricks; hence the woman mentioned in the gofpel, who had an issue of blood, applied to many physicians, and spent her fubflance in procuring medicines as