Some will say, If the imputation of sin will have such a depraving influence on the nature of him to whom it is imputed; why then had it not this effect upon the Son of God, when the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all? I answer. The case with Adam's seed was widely different from that of the Son of God. The sin of Adam was laid upon his natural seed by the first covenant; which afforded them no room for exercising any dependence on God, in their guilty state; but they were, according to the tenor of that dispensation, totally, and forever cut off from God, and abandoned to despair. But it was in the second covenant, the covenant of redemption, that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all; wherein it was stipulated, that the Son should give, and the Father accept of an atonement for sin. The Son therefore, notwithstanding our iniquities were laid upon him, could exercise faith in and dependence upon God, through the atonement, by himself in due time to be made. Our mighty Redeemer was a believer; he stood by faith; by faith, he wrought out salvation; and by faith he obtained the victory. The imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity, in the first covenant, must necessarily deprave them; because through guilt, they were disabled for, and cut off from exercising that dependence on God, which was an essential property of the divine image in which the human nature was first formed. But when the sin of man was laid on Christ in the second covenant, by virtue of faith in God through the atonement, he was still able to preserve, maintain and exercise all the properties of the divine image on the soul, in like manner as we are now restored to an ability for these exercises, by faith in the Mediator.

By the way; we may here see the excellence and importance of true faith. Christ stood by faith; and by it wrought out salvation for us. And we have

the same foundation to stand upon that he had; and must obtain the victory in the same way that he did. When the Son of God took our nature on him, he

embarked upon the same bottom with fallen inan; either to perish with them, (if I may so speak) or to bring them off victorious with himself. The atoncment of his own blood was the foundation on which his faith rested; and that is as free, and as sufficient for

us, as it was for him. And to strengthen our faith in God through this atonement, we have the virtue, efficacy and sufficiency of it illustrated to us, in that victory which Christ thereby obtained over death and the grave. Heb. xiii, 20. "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." I am sensible that good expositors connect that expression, "through the blood of the everlasting covenant," with the next scntence, "Make you perfect," &c. But they may be taken in connexion with the preceding sentence with as much, yea, more propriety. But to re

turn:

Hitherto we have considered the effect of the apostacy on the human race, without any reference to the relief provided in the new covenant. And from

this view of the case and state into which Adam brought himself, and his posterity, by the breach of the first covenant; we may sec wherein the spiritual death, the moral depravity, or impotency of mankind consists. That mankind are naturally without strength and labor under an inability of some kind or other, is a truth very manifest: but wherein this impotency consists, is a point in which we are not so well agreed. Some suppose they have sufficiently described it, by calling it moral inability, in distinction from natural inability. And this moral inability, they say, consists in the will; that man is unable to yield due obedience, because he is unwilling. But this is far from being a just representation of the case. From the preceding observations on the original apostacy, it appears that several things must be taken into the account, that we may give a just representation of it. Indeed, this want of ability for the performance of

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our duty, is not natural inability that is, the natura?
powers and faculties which man is possessed of, are
sufficient for the performance of the whole of his
duty. But this impotency may, in a proper sense,
be called moral inability; though it consists not
merely in the want of a will.
There are some prop-
erties of it distinct from and quite independent on
the present state of the will.

1. The loss of the image of God in which man
was at first made, rendered him spiritually dead, or
unable to yield required obedience. The general na-
ture of that obedience to the will of God which was
man's duty, I have shown to consist in those exercises
of soul by which man was to exhibit his likeness to
God, in the several actions of life.
But it appears,
that as soon as the guilt of sin took place, this con-
formity to God ceased. It so cut man off from God,
that although he was never so willing and desirous to
have God for the foundation of his hope and depen-
dence, and the enjoyment of him as his all-satisfying
portion; yet he could not, because this interest in
God was irrecoverably forfeited. He could, now
have no dependence on God, nor any enjoyment of
him. And so in all other respects, by becoming
guilty, he divested himself of the divine image. And
as the general nature of that obedience which was
God's due, and man's duty consisted in exercising
and manifesting this conformity to God; therefore,
the divine image being lost, there remained no abili-
ty in man to make a true manifestation of it.

2. Fallen man has lost his ability, in that he hath put himself out of the reach of the proper influence of motives. Man was made to be influenced by motives. This is evident, because his Maker did propose to govern him by motives. This appears by his setting life and death before him.

But as soon as

man had sinned, the motives to obedience lost their influence upon him. Promises could no longer influ ence him; because the promised blessings were irre

coverably lost. Threatening could no longer take their full hold upon him, for it is too late to deter a man from sin, by threatening him with death, after he is already condemned to it; because despair takes off their influence. And as man had thus removed himself from under the proper influence of motives, it is evident that he wanted those springs of action, for yielding obedience to the will of God which were suitable and necessary to furnish him for his duty.

3. Fallen man became unable to serve God, because he was excluded from it by the condemning sentence of the law which he had broken. By reason of his forfeiture, the penalty of the law cut him off from God. And as the service of God principally consisted in exercising hope, trust, dependence, and such like exercises which are predicated upon, and suppose interest in him, therefore the condemning sentence of the broken law, lay in man's way, as an insuperable obstruction to his performing that service, or duty which was originally required of him : This impediment lay before fallen man, independent on the present state of his will. To say therefore that fallen man was unable to perform required obedience only because he was unwilling, is far, very far from being a full representation of the case.

4. Another reason of the inability of man for the service of God, is the prepossession of his heart in favor of creature-enjoyments. As we come into the world under, the guilt of the original apostacy, and are therefore excluded from communion with God; it comes to pass that creature-enjoyments get possession of our hearts in the early part of our life. And as we grow up in acquaintance with these things, they get deeply rooted in cur affections before we obtain any knowledge of God, or that there is any thing better than the creature to be enjoyed. And by reason of this habitual attachment to the things of this world, which we contract by use and custom, it is exceeding difficult to remove our heart from the love of the world, to the love of God. And no small

part of the inability of man for the service of God, lies in this prepossession and attachment of heart to creatures. This is that which is more frequently spoken of as the cause of our rebellion. It is that carnal mind which is so justly styled enmity against God. And it is this friendship for the world that makes us the enemies of God. To this it is the prophet refers, as the reason why we cannot do good. Jer. xiii. 23. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” This also is one reason why the apostle speaks of us as dead in trespasses and sins. And it is in this respect that our present inability to obey, consists very much in our will. This carnal mind is voluntary and chosen. The gaining of the will for God, would very much remove our inability in this respect, for the service of God.

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5. I may further add: the reason why the inability of our fallen state abides upon us, is the unbelief of our hearts in divine revelation. The introduction of the new covenant by the mediation of Christ, has opened a way of access to God for us in our guilty state; and a sure foundation is thereby laid for recovering our forfeited interest in God, and of conse quence, for the exercise of all christian graces towards him wherein the divine image consists; for exercising that hope, trust, dependence, complacenty and delight in God, which the penalty of the broken law had cut us off from: that the image of God in all its parts, might be again restored to the soul, And a hearty belief of these gospel-truths would have a great influence in restoring the soul to a capacity for this service of God. But till faith in God through the Redeemer takes place in our hearts, this inability for the service of God, which is brought upon us by the fall, will abide in us.

I have said, the disfranchisement laid upon man for the breach of the first covenant, is taken off by the introduction of the second. That is, there is a way