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sinners in the sight of God. But sin is not imputed, where there is no law :' none can be sinners in the sight of God, if they are not transgressors of some law, for the transgressing of which they are reputed guilty. Nevertheless death reigned' all the time from Adam to Moses,' over all mankind. Now if none is liable to death, but for sin: if 'sin is not imputed where there is no law;' and if notwithstanding this, all mankind in all ages have died; infants themselves, who cannot actually sin, not excepted: it is undeniable, that guilt is imputed to all for the sin of Adam. Why else are they liable to that which is inflicted on none but for sin?

"This is the purport of the apostle's arguing, ver. 12, 13, 14, which having led him to mention Adam as a figure of Christ, he then draws a parallel between them. The substance of it is this; as through the offence of Adam many are dead,' as 'by the disobedience' of him 'many are made sinners;' so through the righteousness or ‘obedience of Christ, many are made righteous.' But how are many dead, or made sinners through the disobedience of Adam? His first sin so far affects all his descendants as to constitute them guilty, or liable to all that death which was contained in the original threatening. (p. 72.)

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"But Dr. Taylor avers, 'To be made sinners means only 'to be subjected to temporal death.'

"I answer, 1. Whatever it means, the disobedience of Adam had a proper, causal influence upon it; just as the obedience of Christ has upon our being made righteous.

"2. What to be made sinners means, must be learned from the opposite to it, in the latter part of the verse. Now allowing the apostle to be his own interpreter, being made righteous is the same with justification, (ver. 16.) Of this he had treated largely before. And through the whole of his discourse, to be justified, is, to be acquitted from guilt, and accepted of God as righteous. Consequently, to be made sinners is to be condemned of God, or to be children of wrath, and that on account of Adam's sin. (p. 73.)

"1 Cor. xv. 21, 22, By man came death: in Adam all

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die.' Let the reader please to bear in mind the whole of the two verses and the context. By man in the 21st verse is meant Adam. The all spoken of are all his natural descendants. These all die; that is, as his descendants, are liable to death, yea, to death everlasting. That this is the meaning, appears hence: that the being made alive, to which this dying stands opposed, is not a mere recovery of life, but a blessed resurrection to a glorious immortality. Hence I observe, 1. Man was originally immortal as well as rightIn his primitive state he was not liable to death. 2. Death is constantly ascribed to sin, as the sole and proper cause of it. As it was threatened only for sin, so the sentence was not pronounced till after man had sinned. 3. All men are mortal from their birth. As soon as they begin to live they are liable to death, the punishment denounced against sin, and sin only. 4. This is the genuine effect of the first sin of our first father. The apostle does not attribute it to the devil; neither does he say, in Adam and Eve all die. But here also he mentions Adam singly. Him he speaks of as a figure of Christ, ver. 45, 47, 48. And here as the sole author of death to all his natural descendants. In Adam, or on account of his fall, all of mankind, in every age, die. Consequently, in him all sinned. With him all fell in his first transgression. That they are all born liable to the legal punishment of sin, proves him the federal as well as natural head of mankind: whose sin is so far imputed to all men, that they are born children of wrath,' and liable to death. (p. 74-76.)

"Thus have I considered a large number of texts, which testify of original sin, imputed and inherent. Some are more express than others; of which kind are Job xiv. 4, Psalm li. 5, lvi. 3; Rom. v. 12, &c. 1 Cor. xv. 22, Eph. ii. S. That in Ephesians presents us with a direct proof of the entire doctrine. Those in Romans and Corinthians relate directly to original sin imputed, and are but consequential proofs of original corruption. The rest refer particularly to this, and are but consequential proofs of original sin imputed.

"And as this doctrine stands impregnable on the basis of Scripture, so it is perfectly agreeable to sound reason; as may appear from a few plain arguments which confirm this Scripture doctrine. (p. 79.).

"1. If the first man was by God's appointment, as has been shewn, the federal head of all his descendants; it follows, that when Adam sinned and fell, they all sinned in him and fell with him. And if they did, they must come into the world both guilty and unclean.

"But we had no hand in Adam's sin, and therefore can"not be guilty on account of it.”

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"This, We had no hand in it, is ambiguous. It means either, 'We did not actually join therein:' which no one denies: or, We were wholly unconcerned in it:' the contrary to which has been fully proved.

"2. Since Adam's posterity are born liable to death, which is the due wages of sin, it follows, that they are born sinners. No art can set aside the consequence.

"3. Either Christ is the Saviour of infants, or he is not. If he he is not, how is he 'the Saviour of all men?' But if he is, then infants are sinners. For he suffered death for sinners only. He came to seek and save only that which was lost;' to 'save his people from their sins.' It follows that infants are sinners; that they are lost, and without Christ are undone for ever.

"4. The consequences of the contrary opinion are shockingly absurd.

"(1.) If original sin is not, either death is not the wages of sin, or there is punishment without guilt: God punishes innocent, guiltless creatures. To suppose which is to impute iniquity to the Most Holy. (p. 84.)

“(2.) If we are not sinners by nature, there are sinful actions without a principle, fruit growing without a root. 'No: men contract sinful habits by degrees, and then commence sinners.' But whence is it that they contract those habits so easily and speedily? Whence is it, that as soon as ever we discover reason we discover sinful dispositions ? The early discoveries of reason, prove a principle of reason VOL. XIV.

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planted in our nature. In like manner the early discoveries of sinful dispositions, prove those dispositions planted therein. (p. 85.)

"(3.) If we were not ruined by the first Adam, neither are we recovered by the second. If the sin of Adam was not imputed to us, neither is the righteousness of Christ. (4.) If we do not derive a corrupt nature from Adam, we do not derive a new nature from Christ.

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66 (5.) A denial of original sin not only renders baptism needless with regard to infants, but represents a great part of mankind as having no need of Christ, or the grace of the new covenant. I now speak of infants in particular, who, if not guilty before God, no more need the merits and grace of the second Adam than the brutes themselves.

"Lastly. A denial of original sin contradicts the main design of the gospel, which is to humble vain man, and to ascribe to God's free grace, not man's free will, the whole of his salvation. Nor indeed can we let this doctrine go without giving up at the same time the greatest part, if not all, of the essential articles of the Christian faith. If we give up this, we cannot defend either justification by the merits of Christ, or the renewal of our natures by his Spirit. Dr. Taylor's book is not therefore subversive of a particular branch, but of the whole scheme of Christianity.

"VI. The doctrine therefore of original sin is not only a truth agreeable to Scripture and reason, but a truth of the utmost importance. And it is a truth to which the churches of Christ from the beginning have borne a clear testimony.

"Few truths, if any, are more necessary to be known, believed, and thoroughly considered. For if we are not acquainted with this, we do not know ourselves, And if we do not know ourselves, we cannot rightly know Christ and the grace of God. And on this knowledge of Christ and the grace of God depends the whole of our salvation. Augustine therefore well remarks, Christianity lies properly in the knowledge of what concerns Adam and Christ.' For certainly if we do not know Christ, we know nothing to

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any purpose. And we cannot know Christ, without some knowledge of what relates to Adam, who was 'the figure of him that was to come.'

"But if this doctrine is so important, why is so little said of it in Scripture, and in the writings of the ancients ?" "This is a grand mistake. We totally deny that the Scripture says little of it. Dr. Taylor indeed affirms, "There are but five passages of Scripture that plainly relate to the effects of Adam's fall.' Not so. Many scriptures, as has been shewn, plainly and directly teach us this doctrine. And many others deliver that from which it may be rationally and easily deduced. Indeed the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ and divine grace implies this; and each of its main branches, justification and regeneration, directly leads to it. So does the doctrine of man's original righteousness, than which nothing is more clearly revealed. (p. 88.)

"And if the writers before St. Augustine say little concerning it, is not the reason plain? The occasions of their writing did not lead them to enlarge, on what none had ever opposed or denied. For none had ever opposed or denied this doctrine. Who,' says Vicentius Lirinensis, 'before Celestius, denied all mankind to be involved in the guilt of Adam's transgression?" Yet they are not silent concerning it. Justin Martyr speaks of mankind, as fallen under death and the deceit of the serpent,' (Dial. with Trypho.) Of all Adam's descendants, as condemned for his sin, and all that are Christ's, as justified by him.' In Irenæus there are numerous, strong, express testimonies, both to original righteousness and original sin in the full extent. What we lost in Adam, that is, a being after the image and likeness of God, this we recover by Christ,' (1. 3. c. 20.) Again, They who receive the ingrafted word return to the ancient nature of man, that by which he was made after the image and likeness of God,' (1. 5. c. 10.) He likewise speaks of our sinning in Adam;' In the first Adam,' says he, 'we offended God; in the second Adam we are reconciled.' And frequently, of

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