ing of the apostle. If then the same words, in the same connexion, and the same grammatical construction, must have the same meaning, the interpretation given above must be correct. 5. The design of the apos- tle to illustrate the great doctrine of the gospel, that men, although in themselves ungodly, are regarded and treated as righteous for Christ's sake, demands this interpretation.
The meaning then of the whole passage is this : by one man sin en- tered into the world, or men were brought to stand in the relation of sin- ners to God ; death consequently passed on all, because, for the offence of that one man, they all became sinners (guilty), i. e. were all regarded and treated as sinners. That this is really the case is plain ; because the execution of the penalty of a law cannot be more extensive than its violation ; and consequently if all are subject to penal evils, all are re- garded as sinners in the sight of God. This universality in the infliction of penal evil cannot be accounted for on the ground of the violation of the law of Moses, since men were subject to such evil before that law was given ; nor yet on account of the violation of the more general law written on the heart, since even they are subject to this evil who have never personally sinned at all. We must conclude, therefore, that men are regarded and treated as sinners on account of the sin of Adam.
He is, therefore, a type of Christ. The cases, however, are not en- tirely analogous ;* for if it is consistent with the divine character that we should suffer for what Adam did, how much more may we expect to be made happy for what Christ has done. Besides, we are condemned for one sin only on Adam's account; whereas Christ saves us not only from the evils consequent on that transgression, but also from the punishment of our own innumerable offences. Now if, for the offence of one, death thus triumphs, over all, how much more shall they who receive the grace of the gospel (not only be saved from evil, but) reign in life through Christ Jesus.
"Wherefore, as, on account of one, the condemnatory .sentence has passed on all the descendants of Adam ; so on account of the righteous- ness of one, gratuitous justification comes on all who receive the grace of Christ; for as on account of the disobedience of one, we are regarded as sinners ; so on account of the obedience of the other, we are regarded as righteous.
(20) Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound^ &c. Paul, having shown that our jiistification was effected without the inter- vention of either the moral or Mosaic law, was naturally led to state the design and result of the renewed revelation of the one, and the superin- duction of the other. The law stands here for the whole of the Old Testament economy, including the clear revelation of the moral law, and all the institutions connected with the former dispensation. The main design and result of this dispensation, considered as law, that is, apart from the evangelical import of many of its parts, was that sin or offence might abound. There is an ambiguity here in the original, which does