. III

Before I leave this Paffage of the Apostle, it may be proper to obferve, that it not only is a moft clear and full Teftimony to the native Depravity of Mankind, but alfo plainly declares that natural Depravity to be total and exceeding great. It is the Apoftle's manifeft Defign in thefe Citations from the Old Teftament, to fhew these three Things. 1. That all Mankind are by Nature corrupt. 2. That every one is altogether corrupt; and as it were, depraved in every Part. 3. That they are in every Part corrupt in an exceeding Degree. With respect to the second of these, that every one is wholly, and as it were in every Part corrupt, it is plain the Apostle chufes out, and puts together thofe particular Paffages of the Old Teftament, wherein moft of thofe Members of the Body are mentioned, that are the Soul's chief Inftruments or Organs of external Action. The Hands (implicitly) in thofe Expreffions, They are together become unprofitable, There is none that doth good. The Throat, Tongue, Lips, and Mouth, the Organs of Speech; in thofe Words, Their Throat is an open Sepulchre : With their Tongues they have used Deceit: The Poifon of Afps is under their Lips; whofe Mouth is full of Curfing and Bitterness. The Feet in thofe Words, ver. 15. Their Feet are fwift to fhed Blood. Thefe Things together fignify, that Man is as it were all over corrupt in every Part. And not only is the total Corruption thus intimated, by enumerating the feveral Parts, but by denying of all Good; any true Understanding or fpiritual Knowledge, any virtuous Action, or fo much as truly virtuous Defire, or feeking after God. There is none that understandeth; There is none that feeketh after God: There is none that doth Good: The Way of Peace have they not known. And in general, by

denying

denying all true Piety or Religion in Men in their firft State, ver. 18. There is no Fear of God before their Eyes.-The Expreffions also are evidently chofen to denote a most extreme and defperate Wickedness of Heart. An exceeding Depravity is afcribed to every Part: To the Throat, the Scent of an open Sepulchre; to the Tongue and Lips, Deceit, and the Poifon of Afps; to the Mouth, Curfing and Bitterness; of their Feet it is faid, they are fwift to fhed Blood: And with regard to the whole Man, it is faid, Destruction and Mifery are in their Ways. The Representation is very ftrong of each of these Things, viz. That all Mankind are corrupt; that every one is wholly and altogether corrupt; and alfo extremely and defperately corrupt. And it is plain, it is not accidental, that we have here fuch a Collection of fuch strong Expreffions, fo emphatically signifying thefe Things; but that they are chofen of the Apostle on Defign, as being directly and fully to his Purpose, which Purpose appears in all his Difcourfe in the whole of this Chapter, and indeed from the Beginning of the Epistle.

SECT. III.

Obfervations on Rom. v. 6-10. and Eph. ii. 3. with the Context, and Rom. vii.

Α A

NOTHER Paffage of this Apostle in the
fame Epistle to the Romans, which fhews

that all that are made Partakers of the Benefits of
Christ's Redemption, are in their firft State wicked,
and defperately wicked, is that, Chap. v. 6-10.
For when we were yet without Strength, in due

Time

d

Chap. III. 2
Sect. III.

Time Chrift died for the Ungodly. For fcarcely for a righteous Man will one die; yet peradventure for a good Man, fome would even dare to die. But God commendeth his Love towards us, in that while we were yet Sinners, Chrift died for us. Much more

then, being now justified by his Blood, we shall be faved from Wrath through him. For if while we were Enemies, we were reconciled to God through the Death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, ave fhall be faved by his Life.

Here all that Chrift died for, and that are saved by him, are spoken of as being in their first State Sinners, Ungodly, Enemies to God, exposed to divine Wrath, and without Strength, without Ability to help themselves, or deliver their Souls from this miferable State.

Dr. T. fays, The Apoftle here speaks of the Gentiles only in their heathen State, in Contradiftinction to the Jews; and that not of particular Perfons among the heathen Gentiles, or as to the State they were in perfonally; but only of the Gentiles collectively taken, or of the miferable State of that great collective Body, the heathen World: And that these Appellations, Sinners, Ungodly, Enemies, &c. were Names by which the Apoftles in their Writings were wont to fignify and distinguish the heathen World, in Oppofition to the Jews; and that in this Senfe thefe Appellations are to be taken in their Epiftles, and in this Place in particular *. And it is obfervable, that this Way of interpreting thefe Phrases in the apoftolick Writings, is become fashionable with many late Writers; whereby they not only evade feveral clear Teftimonies

*Page 114-120. See alfo Dr. Tr's Paraph, and Notes on the Place.

Testimonies to the Doctrine of Original Sin, but make void great Part of the New Teftament; on which Account it deferves the more particular Confideration.

It is allowed to have been long common and customary among the Jews, in Chrift's and the Apostle's Days, especially thofe of the Sect of the Pharifees, in their Pride and Confidence in their Privileges as the peculiar People of God, to exalt themselves exceedingly above other Nations, and greatly to despise the Gentiles, and call them by fuch Names as Sinners, Enemies, Dogs, &c. as Notes of Diftinction from themselves, whom they accounted in general (excepting the Publicans, and the notoriously profligate) as the Friends, fpecial Favourites, and Children of God; because they were the Children of Abraham, were circumcifed, and had the Law of Mofes, as their peculiar Privilege, and as a. Wall of Partition between them and the Gentiles.

But it is very remarkable, that a Chriftian Divine, who has ftudied the New Teftament, and the Epiftle to the Romans in particular, fo diligently as Dr. T. fhould be ftrong in an Imagination, that the Apoftles of Jefus Christ should fo far countenance, and do fo much to cherish these felf-exalting, uncharitable Difpofitions and Notions of the Jews, which gave Rife to fuch a Custom, as to fall in with that Cuftom, and adopt that Language of their Pride and Contempt; and especially that the Apostle Paul fhould do it. It is a moft unreasonable Imagination on many Accounts.

1. The whole Gospel Difpenfation is calculated entirely to overthrow and abolish every Thing to which

Chap. III. 7
Se&t. III.

which this felf-distinguishing, felf-exalting Language of the Jews was owing. It was calculated wholly to exclude fuch Boafting, and to destroy that Pride and Self-Righteoufnefs that were the Caufes of it: It was calculated to abolish the Enmity, and break down the Partition-Wall between Jews and Gentiles, and of Twain to make one new Man, fo making Peace; to deftroy all Dif pofitions in Nations and particular Perfons to defpife one another, or to fay one to another, Stand by thyfelf, come not near to me; for I am bolier than Thou; and to establish the contrary Principles of Humility, mutual Esteem, Honour and Love, and universal Union, in the most firm and perfect Manner.

2. Chrift, when on Earth, fet himself, through the Course of his Ministry, to militate against this Pharifaical Spirit, Practice, and Language of the Jews; appearing in fuch Representations, Names, and Epithets, fo cuftomary among them; by which they fhewed fo much Contempt of the Gentiles, Publicans, and fuch as were openly lewd and vicious, and fo exalted themselves above them'; calling them Sinners and Enemies, and themselves Holy, and God's Children; not allowing the Gentile to be their Neighbour, &c. He condemned the Pharifees for not efteeming themselves Sinners, as well as the Publicans; trufting in themselves that they were righteous, and defpifing others. He militated against thefe Things in his own Treatment of fome Gentiles, Publicans, and others, whom they called Sinners, and in what he said on thofe Occafions *.

* Matth. viii. 5-13. Chap. ix. 9-13. Chap. xi. 19—24. Chap. xv. 21-28. Luke vii. 37. to the End. Chap. xvii. 12-19. Chap. xix. 1-10. John iv. 9, &c. ver. 39, &c. Compare Luke x. 29, &c.