Fourthly. That all men sinned in Adam, and that his sin is im- puted to all his posterity, is by them denied, but is easily evinced ; for, —
1. By whom sin entered into the world, so that all sinned in him, and are made sinners thereby, so that also his sin is called the "sin of the world," in him all mankind sinned, and his sin is imputed to ' Diatrib. de Justit. Divin. Vin., vol. x.
OF man's condition before and after the fall. 159
them : but that this was the condition and state of the first sin of Adam the scriptures before mentioned, in answer to our seventh question, do abundantly manifest; and thence also is his sin called " the sin of the world/' John i. 29.
2. In whom all are dead, and in whom they have contracted the guilt of death and condemnatiou, in him they have all sinned, and have his sin imputed to them : but in Adam all are dead, 1 Cor. XV. 22, as also Rom. v. 12, 15, 17-19; and death is the wages of sin only, Rom. vi. 2.3.
8. As by the obedience of Christ we are made righteous, so by the disobedience of Adam we are made sinners: so the apostle ex- pressly, Rom. v.: but we are made righteous by the obedience of Christ, by the imputation of it to us, as if we had performed it, 1 Cor. i. 30, Phil. iii. 9 ; therefore we are sinners by the imputation of the sin of Adam to us, as though we had committed it, which the apostle also affirms. To what hath been spoken from the consider- ation of that state and condition wherein, by God's appointment, in reference to all mankind, Adam was placed, namely, of a natural and political or federal head (of which the apostle treats, 1 Cor. xv.), and from the loss of that image wherein he was created, whereunto by Christ we are renewed, many more words like these might be added.
To what hath been spoken there is no need that much should be added, for the removal of any thing insisted on to the same purpose with Mr B.'s intimations in the Racovian Catechism ; but yet seeing that that task also is undertaken, that which may seem necessary for the discharging of what may thence be expected shall briefly be sub- mitted to the reader. To this head they speak in the first chapter, of the way to salvation, the first question whereof is of the import ensuing : —
Q. Seeing thou saidst in the beginning that this life which leadeth to immor- tality is divinely revealed, I woidd know of thee why thoit saidst so?
A. Because as man by nature hath nothing to do with immortality (or hath no interest in it), so by himself he could by no means know the way which leadeth to immortality. '
Both question and answer being sophistical and ambiguous, the sense and intendment of them, as to their application to the matter in hand, and by them aimed at, is first to be rectified by some few distinctions, and then the whole will cost us very little farther trouble : —
1. There is, or hath been, a twofold way to a blessed immortality: — (1.) The way of perfect obedience to the law ; for he that did it
' " Cum dixeris initio, banc viam quo3 ad iramortalitatem ducat esse divinitus pate- factam, scire velim cur id abs te dictum sit ?— Propterca, quia ut homo natura nihil liahet commune cum immortalitate, ita cam ipso viam, quae nos ad immortalitatem duccret, nulla ratione per se cognosccre potuit." — Cat. Rao. de via saint, cap. i.
160 VINDICI^ EVANGELICE.
was to live therein. (2.) The way oi faith in the blood of the Son of God ] for he that believeth shall be saved.
2. Man by nature may be considered two ways : — (1.) As he was in his created condition, not tainted, corrupted, weakened, nor lost by sin; (2.) A^ fallen, dead, polluted, and guilty.
3. Immortality is taken either, (1.) Nakedly and purely in itself for an eternal abiding of that which is said to be immortal ; or, (2.) For a blessed condition and state in that abiding and continuance.
4. That expression. " By nature," referring to man in his created condition, not fallen by sin, may be taken two ways, either, — (1.) Strictly, for the consequences of the natural principles whereof man was constituted; or, (2.) More largely, it comprises God's constitu- tion and appointment concerning man in that estate.
On these considerations it will be easy to take off this head of our catechists' discourse, whereby also the remaining trunk will fall to the ground.
I say, then, man by nature, in his 'primitive condition, was, by the appointment and constitution of God, immortal as to the continuance of his life, and knew the way of perfect legal obedience, tending to a blessed immortality, and that by himself, or by virtue of the law of his creation, which was concreated with him ; but fallen man, in his natural condition, being dead spiritually, obnoxious to death tem- poral and eternal, doth by no means know himself, nor can know^ the way of faith in Jesus Christ, leading to a blessed immortality and glory, Rom. ii. 7-10.