A/' ivos a,u.oi,pT7]savrog, " By one that sinned," is the same with di' svog 'TapaTTUfiarog, " by one sin," one offence, the one sin of that man. KpTjj^a,, we render "judgment." Most interpreters do it by " reatus," " guilt," or " crimen," which is derived from it. So ^3^P, "judicium," is used in the Hebrew for guilt: ^^J] ^^^l niD-DS'^p^ jer. xxvi. 11, " The judgment of death is to this man, this man is guilty of death, hath deserved to die." First, therefore, there was <7rapd'X- roii^a, the sin, the fall, roZ hog aixaprrieavrog, of one man that sinned; it was his actual sin alone. Thence followed xpTiMu, " reatus," '^ guilt;" this was common unto all. In and by that one sin, guilt came upon all. And the end hereof, that which it rendered men obnoxious unto, is xaraxp//ia, — " condemnation," guilt unto condem- nation. And this guilt unto condemnation which came upon all, was i^ ivog, — of one person, or sin. This is the order of things on the part of Adam: — (1.) Uapdirrufia, the one sin; (2.) KpT/j^a, the guilt that thereon ensued unto all; (3.) Kardxpi/xa, the condemnation which that guilt deserved. And their "antitheta," or opposites, in the second Adam are: — (1.) xdpia/ia, the free donation of God; (2.) Auiprj/xa, the gift of grace itself, or the righteousness of Christ; (3.) Aixalu/xa or dixaiuffig Z^mi', "justification of life," But yet though the apostle doth thus distinguish these things, to illustrate his comparison and opposition, that which he intends by them all is the righteousness and obedience of Christ, as he declares, verses 18, 19, This, in the matter of our justification, he calleth, — (1.) xdpi(}/u,a, with respect unto the free, gratuitous grant of it by the grace of God, Aojpsd, rng •)(^dpiTog, and (2.) AiJiprifia, with respect unto us who receive it, — a free gift it is unto us; and (3.) AixccioiiJ^a, with respect unto its effect of making us righteous.
Whereas, therefore, by the sin of Adam imputed unto them, g-uilt came on all men unto condemnation, we must inquire wherein the free gift was otherwise: " Not as by one that sinned, so was the gift." And it was so in two things: for, — 1. Condemnation came upon all by one offence; but being under the guilt of that one offence, we con- tract the guilt of many more innumerable. Wherefore, if the free gift had respect only unto that one oftence, and intended itself no farther, we could not be delivered; wherefore it is said to be " of many
JUSTIFICATION AS DECLARED BY PAUL. S29
offences," — that is, of all our sins and trespasses whatever. 2. Adam, and all his posterity in him, were in a state of acceptation with God, and placed in a way of obtaining eternal life and blessedness, wherein God himself would have been their reward. In this estate, by the entrance of sin, they lost the favour of God, and incurred the guilt of death or condemnation, for they are the same. But they lost not an immediate right and title unto life and blessedness; for this they had not, nor could have before the course of obedience prescribed unto them was accomplished. That, therefore, which came upon all by the one offence, was the loss of God's favour in the approbation of their present state, and the judgment or guilt of death and condem- nation. But an immediate right unto eternal life, by that one sin was not lost. The free gift is not so: for as by it we are, freed, not only from one sin, but from all our sins, so also by it we have a right and title unto eternal life; for therein, "grace reigns through right- eousness vmto eternal life," verse 21.
The same truth is farther explained and confirmed, verse 1 7, " For if by one man's offeuce death reigned by one ; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." The design of the apostle having been sufficiently manifested in our observations on the former verses, I shall from this only observe those things which more immediately concern our present subject. And, —
1. It is worth observatioij with what variety of expressions the apostle sets forth the grace of God in the justification of believers: A/xa/w/xa, hfjipriiMa, %«/"5, yafisiia, 'ffipiacnicc •)(apiTog, dupza ttj? dixaioevvi^g. Nothing is omitted that may any way express the freedom, sufficiency, and efficacy of grace unto that end. And although these terms seem some of them to be coincident in their signification, and to be used by him promiscuously, yet do they every one include something that is peculiar, and all of tliem set forth the whole work of grace. A'xa/w/^a seems to me to be used in this argument for dr/.aioX6y7i,u,a, which is the foundation of a cause in trial, the matter pleaded, whereon the person tried is to be acquitted and justified; and this is the right- eousness of Christ, " of one." Au)pri/j,a, or a free donation, is exclusive of all desert and conditions on our part who do receive it; and it is that whereby we are freed from condemnation, and have a right unto the justification of life, xdpig is the free grace and favour of God, which is the original or efficient cause of our justification, as was de- clared, chap. iii. 24. Xccpisfia, hath been explained before. Uipieesioc y^dpirog, — " The abundance of grace," — is added to secure believers of the certainty of the effect. It is that whereunto nothing is wanting unto our justification. Awpsa rng bixatoeuvng expresseth the free grant of that righteousness which is imputed unto us unto the justification