free gift was not pardon only for one but for all the offences men had ever committed. This idea we may illustrate as follows:-By the law of the land forgery is punished with death. Now referring to the individual first guilty of this crime, and all others who had followed his example, but against whom, for some wise purpose, the sentence of death was not carried into execution, although they were still amenable to death, it might with great propriety be said-" By one man forgery entered into the nation, and death by the sin of forgery, and so death passed upon all (all became amenable to death) because all have forged;" no man in his senses would infer because one man by forging had made himself subject to death, that the others having done the same were therefore condemned on his account. Let us further suppose an offer of pardon to be made to all who had been proved guilty of the crime of forgery, and not only for that offence, but for all others, that they might have been guilty of, it might with propriety be said, but not as the offence, so is the free gift of pardon, the judgment was for one offence only forgery; but the free gift extends far beyond this in pardoning all offences, however numerous they may have been. Such appears then to be the object of the apostle's reasoning in this place. God had threatened Adam with death, for one act of disobedience he disobeyed, and was legally under a sentence of death, though it was never executed ; * he it was, then, who first sinned; he it was, that caused death to be pronounced, for one offence. His posterity were under the same law, and for one offence, if they had committed no more, would have been legally in a state of condemnation; for, says the apostle James, ii. 10. "Whosoever shall keep the whole law," (beside)" and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Paul had proved that all had sinned, not only in one instance but to a most enormous extent; and his object is now to show that if the law condemned for one offence, the free gift of pardon extended to all offences. From the connection then, and object of the apostle's argument, as well as from a comparison of the marginal readings, and the suggestions of modern translators, the passage we submit may clearly be rendered as follows; " and not as it was FOR ONE

* Adam it is true died, but this was a natural death, which being, as we have seen in our former papers, the condition of his being could not be the punishment of his offence; the death threatened, but not executed, was an immediate--a sudden death.

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sin, so is the gift, for the judgment was for ONE" (sin)" to condemnation, but the free-gift is of MANY" (all)" Offences, unto justification," and to confirm this he adds, verse 17, for if by" (or for)" one offence, death" (or condemnation to death)" reigned by" (or for)" one offence, much more they "which receive abundance of grace," (favour)" and of the gift "of righteousness," (justification)" shall reign in life by one" (or following the example of one)" Jesus the Christ." (verse 18.) Therefore as by" (or for)" one offence judgment came 66 upon all men to condemnation even so by one " (act of) righteousness, the true gift came upon all men" (who comply with the conditions)" unto justification of life;" that is to say, as for one offence men became subject to death; so by one act of righteousness, viz. faith in Jesus, they received pardon of their sins; were freed from previous condemnation, and were justified from all their former sins. That this one act of righteousness is faith in God, and belief in his messenger, is clear from chapters iii. and iv. Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness;" and again, verse 6, " even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, to whom God imputeth righteousness without "works." Here then it is evident, that it is not for the righteousness of Jesus that men are justified, but for their own act of faith, which is accounted to them, as it was to Abraham, for righteousness, and on this account they are justified and placed in the blessed situation described by David, as persons to whom God imputeth righteousness without works; in other terms as he expresses it-" to whom the "Lord will not impute sin;" the apostle then carries his ideas further to show, that not only should those who had like Adam sinned, be pardoned-be imputed righteous; but as all had become actually sinners, following the example of one man's disobedience, so all, the same all who had sinned, should, by following the example of obedience set by Jesus, be made not only imputatively, but really, and actually righteous, and this he expresses in the following emphatic language; verse 19, "for as by" (or through) one man's disobedience, many" (all) were "made" (or became)" sinners," (by following his example) so by" (or through) "the obedience of one shall many" (all) be made" (or become)" righteous." (By imitating his

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obedience.) And then-as though he would shew that there was no extent to which men might have sinned, but what the free gift of pardon was designed to reachhe adds, verses 20 and 21, Moreover, the law entered that sin might abound, but where sin abounded, grace" (favour) "did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned "unto death," (the condemnation of all) even, so might grace" (favour)" reign through righteousness," (justification) "unto eternal life" (over the same all) by" (or through)" Jesus the Christ and our Lord." It must be clear, we apprehend, to every one that the apostle could not mean that the law was introduced for the purpose of increasing the quantum of sin, and making that, which was already too much, greater on account of the law; this would indeed be to contradict our reason, and the declaration of the writer himself, vii. 9, 10, 12, 13, which explains most clearly, what is intended in this place by the terms, "That the law entered, that sin might abound."-" For "I was alive without the law once: but when the com"mandment came, sin revived," (shewed itself in all its odious consequences) " and I died; and the commandment, "which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death:" (condemnation.) Wherefore the law is holy; and the "commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that "which is good made death unto me? God forbid. BUT SIN, THAT IT MIGHT APPEAR SIN, working death in me by "that which is good, that sin by the commandment might "become" (or appear) exceeding sinful." From these verses, and the previous context, it should appear, that the apostle, having shewn the extent of divine favour to believers in Jesus, and that unlike the law, which condemned for one offence, it embraced the multitude of offences-he shews in this verse, that the original design of the law was to manifest the utmost extent to which men had sinned, and to bring to light all those offences, which would not otherwise have been recognized as immoral, and a violation of law; as he has said, verse 13, " until the law, "sin was in the world:" and yet, as we have previously explained, men did not impute or carry it to account; and chap. vii. 7," I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not "known lust," (or evil desire, to be sin) " except the law had "said thou shalt not covet." From all these considerations, it must appear, that the entering of the law was for the purpose of making sin appear exceeding sinful, to show it in all its baneful consequences, its condemning power, and in its fullest

extent; but that, however great this might be, he assures us in the following sentence, that the grace and favour of God, is more than sufficient to deliver his creatures from all its consequences. "But where sin abounded," (as manifested by the law) grace" (or favour)

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did much more abound: that as sin has reigned unto death," (or the condemnation of all)" even so might grace reign, through " righteousness," (justification)" unto eternal life," (over the same all)" by Jesus the Christ and our Lord." Here then the apostle has throughout the whole of his argument, commencing at the first chapter, to this grand and glorious conclusion, taught that although all have sinned, and are in a state of condemnation, that although the law was intended to exhibit, and to evidence this condemnation, yet that God, in his infinite wisdom and benevolence, had so ordained and provided the means, that all his creatures should eventually be delivered from condemnation, and be made righteous, wise, and happy.

If then the three first chapters of Genesis be of a kind to shew that what they record is no fiction, but a rational narrative of facts, perfectly consistent with the divine attributes, and accordant with the nature and peculiar circumstances of our first parents, (and we have no doubt the apostle so considered it) so we are of opinion that the explanation now offered of the apostle's reasoning, is in perfect accordance with those facts, with the whole history of man, and the dealings of God with him, as recorded in the sacred writings. We leave the subject for the present, but shall proceed in our next to examine such other passages in the writings of the apostle Paul, as have any reference thereto. Convinced, as we are, that the doctrine of the fall of man-of the depravity of human nature-has no better foundation in the reasonings of the New than in the facts of the Old Testament-that such a view of human nature, as the workmanship of heaven, is in fact unauthorised by Revelation, contrary to experience and philosophy, derogatory to God, and pernicious in its moral consequences

to man.

THE CONDUCT OF DAVID, IN DANCING BEFORE THE ARK, EXPLAINED AND DEFENDED.

2 Samuel, chap. vi. 14th to 16th verse.- "And David DANCED before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw king David LEAPING and DANCING before the Lord; and SHE DESPISED him in her heart." Verses 20 to 23.-" Then David returned to bless his household; and Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David, and said how glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who UNCOVERED HIMSELF TO DAY IN THE EYES OF THE HANDMAIDS of his servants, as one of the VILE FELLOWS SHAMELESSLY UNCOVERETH himself! And David said unto Michal it was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel; therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be MORE VILE than thus, and will be BASE in mine own sight; and of the maid servants which thou has spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour."

ALTHOUGH the moral conduct of David does not in any way affect, and cannot impeach the truth of Revelation, it would undoubtedly lessen our regard for the Jewish scriptures if they could fairly be accused of recording instances of immoral and flagitious conduct in the lives of their heroes, without accompanying such statements with marked and just reprobation. No character that is recorded in the ancient scriptures has perhaps been more calumniated, and less understood, by the enemies to revealed religion, than that of David; and although it is not our present intention to enter on a general defence of the character of David, we venture to express our conviction that a candid examination of his life and reign, making due allowances for the customs, manners, and state of morals of the times and country in which he lived, would prove that, as a prince, he was wise, just, and truly magnanimous; that, as a man, he possessed great excellence of character, not unalloyed, indeed, with defects, but which defects are recorded in the scriptures, without any attempt at concealment, and admitted by himself in the bitterest terms of self-reproach, and free from all extenuation!

The particular incident in the life of this truly great and deservedly popular prince, which is to be found in the verses above quoted, has given occasion to great scandal against the scriptures; and the objection has been rendered familiar

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