[2.] The second comparison is of the efficacy of the death of Christ, and the efficacy of the life of Christ. It is absurd to think that Christ rising from the dead, and living in heaven, should not be as powerful to save, and bring us to God, as Christ dying was to reconcile us to him.
[3.] The third comparison is the privative mercy, or being saved from hell, with the positive mercy, or obtaining a title to heaven : ' And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement,' ver. 11.
2. For the comparison between Christ and Adam, the sum of it is, that Christ is more able to save than Adam to destroy, and therefore
476 man's imfotexcy to help himself [-Rom. V. 6.
justified persons need to fear nothing. As Adam was a public person, and root of mankind, so is Christ a public person ; for Adam was tutto? Tou fieXkovTo^, ' the figure of him that was to come,' ver. 14. Adam was a public person, but a finite person, having no intrinsic value in himself, and only was all us by divine institution ; but Christ, beside the institution of God, was an infinite person, and therefore there is a TToWS /jLoXXov, a ' much more,' upon Christ. His sacred virtue exceedeth'that cursed influence of Adam in many particulars, amply set down in the latter end of the chapter by the apostle. The words begin the first comparison. In them, —
1. The condition wherein we are by nature is set forth by two notions — ungodly, and ivithout strength : the one noteth that we have no worth to move God to help us, for we were ' ungodly ; ' the other, that we have no power to help ourselves, for ' we were without strength : ' we were ' without strength,' and so need help ; ' ungodly,' and so refused help.
2. The means of our recovery, Christ died for us.
3. The seasonableness of our redemption, iti due time.
Tor the first notion, whereby our natural estate is expressed, * un- godly, ' I shall pass it by ; the next notion, ' without strength,' will yield us this point : —
Doct. That man, fallen, is destitute of all power and means of rising again, or helping himself out of that misery into which he hath plunged himself by sin.
This will appear, if you consider his condition with respect to the law, or with respect to the gospel, and those terms of grace which God ofi'ers in Christ. The former more properly falls under the considera- tion of this place ; but, because of the method of this exercise, you expect the discussion of the latter also, I shall take occasion from hence to speak of that.
First, With respect to the law. That will be understood by a view of that scripture that expresseth the tenor of the law : ' Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the words of this law to do them,' Gal. iii. 10 ; where is considerable, —
1. The duty it exacts.
2. The penalty it inflicts.
3. The operation that both these have upon the fallen creature.
1. The duty it exacts. An innocent nature, that is presupposed ; for the person must ' continue.' It doth not say, ' now begin ; ' the sentence of the law doth not suppose man as lapsed and fallen, or as having already broken with God ; but as in a good and sound estate. And then universal, perpetual, perfect obedience is indispensably re- quired : he must ' continue in all things ' with all his heart, and that continually ; if he fails in one point, he is gone. This is personally exacted of all men, as long as they abide under Adam's covenant : ' He that doetli them shall live in them ; ' and ' the soul that sinneth, it shall die,' Ezek. xviii. 4, xx. 11. Now if God should call us to an account for the most inoftensive day that ever we passed over, what would become of us ? ' If thou shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand ? ' ^ Ps. cxxx. 3. Better never born, than to be liable
•' That is, rectus in cui'id — be able to make a bold defence.
EOM. V. 6.-] OUT OF HIS MISERY. 477
to that juds^ment, when the law slmll take the sinner ' by the throat,' and say, ' Pay me that thou owest,' Mat. xviii. 28. What shall the poor wretch do ? So that here we are ' without strength,' altogether un- able to come up to the obedience of the law of works. The law can make nothing perfect, because it is become ' weak through our flesh,' Rom. viii. 3. To fallen man it establisheth a course of punishing sin, not of taking away sin : we may increase the debt, but we cannot lessen it. If our obedience were exact for the future (let us suppose it), yet the paying of new debts doth not quit old scores. They that could not keep themselves when entire and innocent, cannot recover themselves when lost and fallen.