صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

CHAPTER IV.

Containing Observations on Romans v. 12, to the End.

SECTION I.

Remarks on Dr. Taylor's way of explaining this Text.

THE following things are worthy to be taken notice of concerning our author's exposition of this remarkable passage of the Apostle Paul.

1. He greatly insists, that by death in this place no more is meant, than that death which we all die, when this present life is extinguished, and the body returns to the dust; that no more is meant in the 12th, 14th, 15th, and 17th verses. Page 27, he speaks of it as evidently, clearly, and infallibly so, because the apostle is still discoursing on the same subject; plainly implying, that it must most infallibly be so, that the apostle means no more by death, throughout this paragraph on the subject. But as infallible as this is, if we believe what Dr. Taylor elsewhere says, it must needs be otherwise. He, in p. 120, S. speaking of those words in the last verse of the next chapter," The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord," says, “Death in this place is widely different from the death we now die; as it stands there opposed to eternal life, which is the gift of

God through Jesus Christ, it manifestly signifies eternal death, the second death, or that death which they shall hereafter die, who live after the flesh." But death (in the conclusion of the paragraph we are upon in the 5th chapter, concerning the death that comes by Adam) and the life that comes by Christ, in the last verse of the chapter, is opposed to eternal life just in the same manner as it is in the last verse of the next chap ter: "That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." So that by our author's own argument, death in this place also is manifestly widely different from the death we now die, as it stands here opposed to eternal life, through Jesus Christ; and signifies eternal death, the second death. And yet this is a part of the same discourse or paragraph with that begun in the 12th verse, as reckoned by Dr. Taylor himself in his division of paragraphs, in his paraphrase and notes on the epistle. So that if we will follow him, and admit his reasonings in the various parts of his book, here is manifest proof against infallible evidence! So that it is true, the apostle throughout this whole passage on the same subject, by death, evidently, clearly, and infallibly means no more than that death we now die, when this life is extinguished; and yet by death, in some part of this passage, is meant something widely different from the death we now die, and is manifestly intended eternal death, the second death.

But had our author been more consistent with himself in his laying of it down as so certain and infallible, that because the apostle has a special respect to temporal death, in the 14th verse, Death reigned from Adam to Moses, therefore he means no more in the several consequent parts of this passage, yet he is doubtless too confident and positive in this matter. This is no more evident, clear, and infallible, than that Christ meant no more by perishing, in Luke xiii. 5, when says, "I tell you, Nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish;" than such a temporal death, as came on those that died by the fall of the tower of Siloam, spoken of in the preceding words of the same speech; and no more infallible, than that by life, Christ means no more than this VOL. VI. 2 W

be

temporal life, in each part of that one sentence, Matth. x, 39. "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it ;" because in the first part of each clause, he has respect especially to temporal life.*

The truth of the case, with respect to what the apostle intends by the word death in this place, is this, viz. That the same thing is meant, that is meant by death in the foregoing and following parts of this epistle, and other writings of this apostle, where he speaks of death as the consequence of sin, viz. the whole of that death, which he, and the scripture every where, speaks of as the proper wages and punishment of sin, including death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal; though in some parts of this discourse he has a more special respect to one part of this whole, in others to another, as his argument leads him; without any more variation than is common in the same discourse. That life, which the scripture speaks of as the reward of righteousness, is a whole, containing several parts, viz. The life of the body, union of soul and body, and the most perfect sensibility, activity, and felicity of both, which is the chief thing. In like manner the death, which the scripture speaks of as the punishment of sin, is a whole, including the death of the body, and the death of the soul, and the eternal, sensible, perfect destruction and misery of both. It is this latter whole, that the apostle speaks of by the name

There are many places parallel with these, as John xi, 25, 26. “I am the resurrection and the life: He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live: And whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die.** Here both the words, life and death, are used with this variation: "I am the resurrection and the life," meaning spiritual and eternal life: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead," having respect to temporal death, ** yet shall he live," with respect to spiritual life, and the restoration of the life of the body. "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die," meaning a spiritual and eternal death. So in John vi. 49, 50. "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead," having respect chiefly to temporal death. "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die,” i, e, by the loss of spiritual life, and by eternal death. (See also ver. 58.) And in the next verse, "If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever," have eternal life. So ver. 54. See another like instance, John v. 24....29.

of death in this discourse, in Rom. v. though in some sentences he has a more special respect to one part, in others to another: And this, without changing the signification of the word. For an having respect to several things included in the extensive signification of the word, is not the same thing as using the word in several distinct significations. As for instance, the appellative, man, or the proper name of any par ticular man, is the name of a whole, including the different parts of soul and body. And if any one in speaking of James or John, should say, he was a wise man, and a beautiful max ; in the former part of the sentence, respect would be had more especially to his soul, in the latter to his body, in the word man: But yet without any proper change of the signification of the name to distinct senses. In John xxi. 7, it is said, Peter was naked, and in the following part of the same story it is said, Peter was grieved. In the former proposition, respect is had especially to his body, in the latter to his soul: But yet here is no proper change of the meaning of the name, Peter. And as to the apostle's use of the word death, in the passage now under consideration, on the supposition that he in general means the whole of that death, which is the wages of sin, there is nothing but what is perfectly natural in supposing that he, in order to evince, that death, the proper punishment of sin, comes on all mankind, in consequence of Adam's sin, should take notice of that part of this punishment, which is visible in this world, and which every body therefore sees, does in fact, come on all mankind (as in ver. 14) and from thence should infer, that all mankind are exposed to the whole of that death which is the proper punishment of sin, whereof that temporal death which is visible, is a part, and a visible image of the whole, and (unless changed by divine. grace) an introduction to the principal, and infinitely the most dreadful part.

II. Dr. Taylor's explanation of this passage makes wholly insignificant those first words, " By one man sin entered into the world," and leaves this proposition without any sense or signification at all. The apostle had been largely and elaborately representing, how the whole world was full of sin, in all

parts of it, both among Jews and Gentiles, and all exposed to death and condemnation. It is plain, that in these words he would tell us how this came to pass, viz. that this sorrowful event came by one man, even the first man. That the world was full of sin, and full of death, were two great and notorious facts, deeply affecting the interests of mankind; and they seemed very wonderful facts, drawing the attention of the more thinking part of mankind every where, who often asked this question, Whence comes evil, moral and natural evil? (the latter chiefly visible in death.) It is manifest the apostle here means to tell us, how these came into the world, and came to prevail in it as they do. But all that is meant, according to Dr. Taylor's interpretation, is, "He begun transgression."* As if all that the apostle meant, was, to tell us who happened to sin first; not how such a malady came upon the world, or how any one in the world, besides Adam himself, came by such a distemper. The words of the apostle, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin," shew the design to be, to tell us how these evils came, as affecting the state of the world; and not only as reaching one man in the world. If this were not plain enough in itself, the words immediately following demonstrate it: "And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." By sin's being in the world, the apostle does not mean being in the world only in that one instance of Adam's first transgression, but being abroad in the world, among the inhabitants of the earth, in a wide extent, and continued series of wickedness; as is plain in the first words of the next verse, "For until the law, sin was in the world." And therefore when he gives us an account how it came to be in the world, or, which is the same thing, how it entered into the world, he does not mean only coming in, in one instance.

If the case were as Dr. Taylor represents, that the sin of Adam, either in its pollution or punishment, reached none but himself, any more than the sin of any other man, it would be no more proper to say, that by one man sin entered into the

[blocks in formation]
« السابقةمتابعة »