The conclusion of what hath been evinced, in the management of the comparison insisted on, is fully expressed and farther confinned, chap. V. 18, 19.
Verse 18. "Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men unto condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." So we read the words. "By the offence of one:" the Greek copies vary here. Some read, Tw hi -raparrru/ji^art, whom Beza followeth, and our translation in the margin, — " By one offence;" most by A/' ivhg Ta^aT-w/Aaroj, — " By the offence of one ;" and so afterward as unto righteousness : but both are unto the same pui-pose. For the one
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offence intended is the offence of one, — that is, of Adam; and the one righteousness is the righteousness of one, — Jesus Christ.
The introduction of this assertion by apa oZv, the note of a syllo- gistical inference, declares what is here asserted to be the substance of the truth pleaded for. And the comparison is continued, ug, — these things have themselves after the same manner.
That which is affirmed on the one side is. A/' hog -^ra^a-rrw/iaros ilg 'ffdvra.g andpuiTODg sig xara?c^//Aa, — " By the sin or fall of one, on all men unto condemnation," — that is, judgment, say we, repeating Kpi/xa from the foregoing verse. But x^J/xa sig jcara'/cpz/^ta is guilt, and that onl}^ By the sin of one, all men became guilty, and were made obnoxious unto condemnation. The guilt of it is imputed unto all men ; for no otherwise can it come upon them unto condemnation, no otherwise can they be rendered obnoxious unto death and judg- ment on the account thereof. For we have evinced, that by death and condemnation, in this disputation of the apostle, the whole punishment due unto sin is intended. This, therefore, is plain and evident on that hand.
In answer hereunto, the dmociu/j^a of one, as to the causality of justification, is opposed unto the Tapa-rrw/ia of the other, as unto its causality unto or of condemnation: A/' svhg ^/xa/w^aros, — "By the right- eousness of one:" that is, the righteousness that is pleadable ilg diKuiuffiv, unto justification; for that is di/ialu/Aa, a righteousness pleaded for justification. By this, say our translators, " the free gift came upon all," repeating ^dpiff'Ma from the foregoing verse, as they had done xp/Jxa before on the other hand. The Syriac translation renders the words without the aid of any supplement: " Therefore, as by the sin of one, condemnation was unto all men, so by the right- eousness of one, justification vmto life shall be unto all men;" and the sense of the words is so made plain without the supply of any other word into the text. But whereas in the original the words are not xardzpifji^a sig 'zdvTag dvdp(^'7rovg, but sig '^ravrag dvdpu-rovg sig xard- 7ipi/j,a, and so in the latter clause, somewhat from his own foregoing words, is to be supplied to answer the intention of the apostle. And this is ^dpiff/j^a, " gratiosa donatio," " the free grant" of righteous- ness; or ddjprj/Ma, "the free gift" of righteousness unto justification. The righteousness of one, Christ Jesus, is freely granted unto all be- lievers, to the justification of life; for the " all men" here mentioned are described by, and limited unto, them that " receive the abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness by Christ," verse 17.
Some vainly pretend from hence a general grant of righteousness and life unto all men, whereof the greatest part are never made par- takers; than which nothing can be more opposite nor contradictory unto the apostle's design. Men are not made guilty of condemnation
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from the sin of Adam, by such a divine constitution, as that they may, or on some conditions may not, be obnoxious thereunto. Every one, so soon as he actually exists, and by virtue thereof is a descendant from the first Adam, is actually in his own person liable thereunto, and the wrath of God abideth on him. And no more are intended on the other side, but those only who, by their relation through faith unto the Lord Christ, the second Adam, are actually interested in the justification of life. Neither is the controversy about the universality of redemption by the death of Christ herein concerned. For those by whom it is asserted do not affirm that it is thence necessary that the free gift unto the justification of life should come on all ; for that they know it doth not do. And of a provision of righteousness and life for men in case they do believe, although it be true, yet nothing is spoken in this place. Only the certain justification of them that believe, and the way of it, are declared. Nor will the analogy of the comparison here insisted on admit of any such interpretation ; for the " all," on the one hand, are all and only those who derive their being from Adam by natural propagation. If any man might be supjiosed not to do so, he would not be concerned in his sin or fall. And so really it was with the man Christ Jesus. And those on the other hand, are only those who derive a spiritual life from Christ. Suppose a man not to do so, and he is no way interested in the righ- teousness of the " one " unto the justification of life. Our argument from the words is this: — As the sin of one that came on all unto con- demnation, tuas the sin of the first Ada'm imputed unto them; so the righteousness of the one unto the justification of life that comes on all believers, is the righteousness of Christ imputed unto them. And what can be more clearly affirmed or more evidently confirmed than this is by the apostle, I know not.