have born the image of the earthly, we must also bear the image of the beavenly,--- for we shall not all fleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, for the trumpet fball found, and the dead fhall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. -Thus as he elsewhere writes to the churches: All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come, all are yours; and ye are CHRIST'S. But the carnal mind would needs apply univerfally to all men what is spoken of and promised to God's chofen only; and hence they take to themselves, and give to others alfo the bleffings and privileges of God's children, whereby they both corrupt the word of GOD †, and deceive many - St. Paul wrote, preached, and endured all things for the elect's fake, and for them only; that they might be made manifeft by obeying the gospel; and obtain the falvation which is in CHRIST JESUS with eternal glory, because for them only is it prepared. I have dwelt the longer on this point, because of the many learned and vulgar errors concerning it; which perhaps would be less rife amongst us, if it were believed, and remembered that CHRIST never fent or commanded his apoftles to write epiftles to 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. 2 Cor. iv. 2. † 2 Tim. ii. 10. the the world; but to the elett among men, even the church which he bath purchased with his own blood to whom they are all inscribed, and directed.-- THUS by the many in our text is to be understood the whole church of GoD which he hath chofen out of the world, for whom Chrift died; and if they by nature are children of wrath, without all dispute the reft of mankind are equally loft and undone finners, although they acknowledge it not, of which the apostle plainly speaks, when he faith, we were by nature children of wrath even as others. *----which leads me, THIRDLY, to fhew how these came to be so affected by another's trangreffion as to be made finners thereby.---The reason of Adam's fin having this influence upon his children is, 1. BECAUSE he reprefented his future offspring and stood engaged for them all: he was a public perfon, a Federal head; in whofe obedience or difobedience his pofterity yet unborn, were as nearly concerned as himfelf. He could not ftand without their ftanding, nor fall without their falling. As he was fubftituted in the room of all men; his behaviour determined the ftate of all men; whether of fin unto death, or of obedience unto life; no after Eph. ii. 3. after act, or deed of theirs could make any alteration in their state towards GOD.-Adam's conduct hath decided the condition of all men by nature; in whom all bave finned; he was their covenant head, and reprefentative, therefore what he did was entailed upon them; had he not finned they would have been born righteous, and heirs of glory: but as he tranfgreffed the covenant of his God, they alfo are born finners and heirs of wrath: hence it comes to pass that by one man's disobedience many were made finners. 2. His perfonal offence is imputed unto all men ; as others were represented by him, so his tranfgreffion is reckoned to them, whom he reprefented. -They are conceived in fin; and by nature children of wrath, because they being Adam's offspring have his offence imputed to them; we are not made finners by actually tranfgreffing as he did, but by hav ing his fin imputed to us; thus because his offence is counted ours; we are therefore born finners, by nature corrupt, and guilty before God. YET all of Adam's fins are not imputed to us; but that one offence only of eating the forbidden fruit, whereby he tranfgreffed the covenant, forfeited eternal life, and became fubject to death and the wrath to come; his after tranfgreffions terminated Pfalm li. 5. nated on his own perfon and affected himself only nor is it his perfonal act that cleaves to us, but the fault or guilt of it; the act was proper to himself and can be no other man's, fave by imputation only; all men but himself were then unborn; but its guilt cleaves to all his children, therefore his fin is imputed to us. BUT had he kept the law of GOD and received the reward of eternal life; they also would have had as great a right to the heavenly inheritance as Adam himself, although he only had merited it for them by his own personal righteousness, whilft they in their own perfons had done nothing to deserve it; but whereas he hath forfeited the reward and incurred the penalty, they are equally loofers, brought in guilty and condemned as he was. Neither was this any act or will of Adam's that made him the Federal head, and father of all men; but the fovereign will and deed of the most high, who created him for it, and established him in it. Therefore all have finned and come fhort of the glory of God. THUS GOD doth actually impute Adam's perfonal offence unto all men, which is abundantly manifeft, by inflicting the punishment of his offence on them that have never actually finned. By imputation, CHRIST alfo was made fin, but without any of the corruption of man's nature; for for in him was no fin*: CHRIST was miraculonfly begotten by the HOLY GHOST; hence he was born a just and holy perfon, feparate from finners, and therefore alfo called the Son of GOD +-but all mankind who naturally defcend from the first Adam, are wholly corrupt and finful as he was; our natures are univerfally depraved, and prone to evil. It is notorious that of ourselves we by nature are inclined to fin, and to evil continually; fhewing forth alfo and approving of Adam's disobedience, by actually finning after the fimilitude of bis tranfgreffion.Thus among men the faults and debts of parents are entailed upon their children a TRAYTOR forfeits all for his pofterity as well as himfelf The reafon of Adam's being thus appointed a covenant bead to all his feed having all their rights and privileges in his hands, feems to be this; because it had pleased God to fet up, and establish CHRIST to be head of all things, that he might have the glory of all things, and be LORD of all things; and particularly, he gave him for a covenant of the people ; to be head over all things to the church §; who alone by his own personal fuffer ings and obedience, faves his people from their fins, and brings them nigh unto God: of whom the firft Adam was a living type and picture: For it pleafed • 2 Cor. v. 21. + Luke i. 35. § Eph. i. 22. |