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could have claimed that Life upon his Obedience; yet not in the Way of proper Merit; because his perfect Obedience was no more than what was due from him by the Law of his Creation, before he entered into that Covenant: Luke xvii. 9. 10. Doth he ⚫ thank that fervant, because he did the things that " were commanded him? I trow not. So likewife ye, when ye fhall have done all thofe things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable 'fervants: we have done that which was our duty < to do.' The only Way he could have claimed it, was by Compact, namely, in virtue of the Covenant-promise made to his Work.

The Penalty of the Covenant of Works was Death, Gen. ii. 17. forecited. The Death threatened was also twofold; namely, one accompanying Sin at its firft Entrance, another following after as its full Reward. The Death accompanying Sin at its first Entrance, was temporal Death, in the Lofs of the Vigour and Comfort of natural Life; and spiritual Death, in the Lofs of the Image of God with his Favour and Fellowship. And Adam died this Death, according to the Threatening, that very Day he finned: Gen. iii. 7. 8. 9. 10. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked: and they fewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the prefence of the Lord God, • amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord

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God called unto Adam, and faid unto him, 'Where art thou? And he faid, I heard thy ' voice in the garden: and I was afraid, becaufe

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' I was naked; and I hid myself.' The Death following after, as the full Reward of Sin, was the natural Death of the Body with the Sting in it, and eternal Death in the confummate Mifery of Soul and Body for ever: 1 Cor. xv. 55. O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? Matth. xxv. 41. Then fhall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye ⚫ curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' And this was comprehended in the express Threatening of Death to accompany Sin; inasmuch as the one was a fure Pledge of the other, natively issuing therein.

Queft. 13. Did our firft Parents continue in the Estate wherein they were created? Anf. Our firft Parents, being left to the Freedom of their own Will, fell from the Estate wherein they were created, by finning against God.

EXPLICATION.

Our first Parents were Adam and Eve. The State wherein they were created, was a holy and happy State But they fell from it; and that by their finning against God: Gen. iii. 6. 7. 8. 10. And when the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife; 'fhe took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat, &c. The first that finned was the Woman: 1 Tim. ii, 14. ‹ And Adam was not deceived, but

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the woman being deceived was in the tranf 'greffion.' And it was the Devil that infnared her: Gen. iii. 13. And the woman faid, The ferpent beguiled me, and I did eat? The Woman having finned, infrared Adam, verf. 6. forecited. But their being tempted to fin, did not excufe them; because it was of their own free Will that they finned. Freedom of Will is a Power in the Will, whereby it doth of its own accord, without Force upon it, chufe or refuse what is propofed to it by the Understanding. And Man hath this Freedom of Will in whatever State he be. But this Power of the Will is not of the same Extent in all States. In the State of Innocence, it extended both to Good and Evil; that is to fay, Man had a Freedom of Will, whereby he could wholly turn, either to the one Side or the other, to Good or Evil, propofed by his Understanding: And that Man was created thus mutable, was fuitable to the State of Trial. Now, the fpecial Act of Providence about the Fall of our first Parents, was that God left them to the Freedom of their own Will: And the Ufe they made of that, was, that they went freely, of their own accord, to the Side of Sin. But in the State of corrupt Nature, the Power of the Will extends only to Evil: Gen.. vi. 5. And God faw that the wickednefs of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. In the State of Grace, it extends partly to Good, and partly to Evil: Rom. vii. 23. ' But I fee another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity · to the law of fin, which is in my members." And in the State of Glory it extends only to Good: Heb.

xii. 23. To the fpirits of just men, made perfect.

Queft. 14. What is Sin?

Anf. Sin is any Want of Conformity unto, or Tranfgreffion of, the Law of God.

EXPLICATION.

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By Sin is meant Tranfgreffion of the Law of God; and therefore nothing can be Sin, but what one way or other is a Tranfgreffion of fome Law of God: 1 John iii. 4. Whofoever committeth fin, tranfgreffeth alfo the law: for fin is the tranfgreffion of the law.' Tranfgreffion of the Law of God, is any Want of Conformity to it whatfoever, 1 John iii. 4. forecited. So the leaft coming short of the Perfection required by the Law, is Sin; because so far there is a Want of Confor mity to the Law: Matth. v. 48. ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.' Compared with 1 John iii. 4. above cited. Now, the Law of God requires a twofold Conformity to it in the reasonable Creatures; namely, a Conformity of their Natures to it, and a Conformity of their Lives to it: Pfal. xxiv. 3.4. 'Who fhall ascend into the hill of the Lord? and who fhall ftand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lift up his foul unto vanity, nor fworn deceitfully." Hence there are two general Kinds of Sin; namely, original Sin, and actual Sin : And each of them is a Want of Conformity to the Law of God. Original Sin is a Want of Confor mity of our Natures to the Law of God. Actual

Sin

-Sin is a Want of Conformity of our Lives to the Law of God, whether by Omiffion or Commif fion. The chief Evil of Sin lies in the Filthiness of it. The Filthinefs of Sin is its being the quite contrary of God's Holiness expreffed in his Law; whence it is, in the Sight of God, the Object of his greatest Loathing and Abhorrence: Jer. xliv. 4. Howbeit, I fent unto you all my fervants the prophets, rifing early, and fending them, faying, 'Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate l'

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Queft. 15. What was the Sin whereby our firft Parents fell from the Estate wherein they were created?

Anf The Sin whereby our firft Pa rents fell from the Eftate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden Fruit.

EXPLICATION.

The Sin whereby Man fell, was the eating the forbidden Fruit: Gen. iii. 6. And when the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and 'that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to 'be defired to make one wife; he took of the 'fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave alfo unto '-her husband with her; and he did eat.' There was no Evil in the Fruit itfelf, for which it was forbidden: Gen. i. ult. And God faw every thing ' that he had made, and behold, it was very good.' The Evil of the Matter lay in Man's eating it a C

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