Obe Mar =erein upod but id 00 of his Fall: And these are all his Posterity, ex- fon of Chrift as Man did indeed defcend from Adam: 1 All the rest of Adam's Posterity fell with him: They fell with him, from the State of Holiness and Happiness; both which they had in hand, and which they had in hope from the Promife of the Covenant of Works: And they so fell buy his first Tranfgreffion, Rom. v. 18. 19. Ly the offence one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. By one man's disobedience many were made finners. His first Tranfgreffion was his eating of the forbidden Fruit. His eating of that Fruit, is called his first Tranfgreffion; becaufe by it his Sin and Apostasy begun in his Heart, was completed, Gen. iii. 6. forecited. Now, that Tranfgreffion cast him and them down from these States of Holiness and Happiness, inasmuch as by it the Covenant of Works was broken: Gen. ii. 17. Compared with Chap, iii. 10. 11. 12. forecited. The Reason why they fell with him by that Tranfgreffion, was, that in it they finned in 'of him: ، him: So that Sin, whereby the Covenant was broken, was our Sin, as well as his, Rom. V. 12. 19. By one man fin entered into the world, and • death by fin; and so death passed upon all men, ' for that all have finned. For by one man's dif' obedience many were made sinners.' It came to be our Sin, because he was our Covenant Head and Representative in the Covenant of Works; that is to say, The Covenant was made with him, not only for himself, but for his Pofterity: 1 Cor. xv. 'And so it is written, The ' first man Adam was made a living foul.' The Man Christ was not included in that Representation which Adam made as Head of the Covenant of Works, 1 Cor. xv. 22. 45. ' For as in Adam 'all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. verf. 45. 'The first man Adam was made a living foul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit;' and that because Christ came, not in virtue of the Bleffing of Fruitfulness given while the Covenant of Works stood entire, but in virtue of a special 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 subdue 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 shall bruise thy head, and thon halt bruise his heel.' Adam's Sin, then, could not be imputed to the Man Christ, since Adam did not represent him in the Covenant. But Adam represented all the rest of Mankind in it: Rom. v. 12. forecited. It is true, V. 12 mer 37 ، true, we did not chuse him for our Representa, and tive, but God chose him for us: And he was the moft fit Choice for that End: Ecclef. iii. 14. I know that whatsoever God doth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing Ctaken from it: and God doth it, that men should '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 The 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." The 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 should be made up: 1. xlii. 21. 'The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; 'he will magnify the law, and make it honourable? Matth. v. 18. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all Was utterly unable to make up that Breach: Rom. v. 6. 'For when we were yet without strength, 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.' be fulfilled.' And Man himself 1 Quest. 17. Into what Estate did the C3 ১ Ans. 3 Anf. The Fall brought Mankind into an Estate of Sin and Misery. 6 EXPLICATION. The natural State of Mankind now, under the Covenant of Works, is a State of Sin and Misery: And we were brought into it by the Fall: Rom. v. 12. By one man sin entered into the world, and ' death by fin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have finned.' We were all born or conceived in that State: Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity: and in fin did my mother 'conceive me.' Eph. ii. 3. 'We were by nature '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 Misery. The State we must be brought into, out of our natural State under the Covenant of Works, if we would be saved, is the State of Grace in the Covenant of Grace: Rom. vi. 14. For fin shall 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 Christ, converted Persons: Rom. viii. 1. There is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' Those that are still 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 6 Ifrael, and strangers from the covenants of pro' mife, ht mise, having no hope, and without God in the Queft. 18. Wherein confifts the Sinfulness of that Estate whereinto Man fell? Ans. The Sinfulness of that Estate whereinto Man fell, confifts in the Guilt of Adam's first 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 respect of original Sin, and in respect of actual Tranf gressions. Adam's first Sin, the Want of original Righteouf Original Sin, in its full Extent, is the Guilt of ness, and the Corruption of the whole Nature. All |