Wesley Corpus

And in this, Secondly, “If by one man’s offence, death” spiritual and temporal, leading to death eternal, “reigned by one” over his whole posterity; “much more they who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness,” the free gift of justification and sanctifica tion, “shall reign in life” everlasting, “by one, Jesus Christ.” (Verse 17.) Let any one who calmly and impartially reads this passage, judge if this be not the plain, natural meaning of it. But let us now observe your comment upon it: “Here the Apostle asserts a grace of God, which already ‘hath abounded, beyond the effects of Adam’s sin upon us.” (Page 239.) It has, upon them that are justified and sanctified; but not upon all mankind. “And which has respect, not to his one offence,’”--(not to that only,)--“but also to the “many offences’ which men have personally committed: Not to the ‘death’ which “reigned’ by him.” Yes, verily; but over and above the removal of this, it hath also respect “to the ‘life’ in which “they who receive’ the “abounding grace’ shall “reign” with him for ever.” Thus far you have proved just nothing. But you go on: “The death consequent on Adam’s sin is reversed by the redemption in Christ. But this is not the whole end of it by far. The grand reason and end of redemption is, ‘the grace of God, and the gift by grace.’” (Page 239.) Infallibly it is; but this is not a different thing, but precisely the same with the “free gift.” Consequently, your whole structure raised on the supposition of that difference is a mere castle in the air. But if “the gift by grace,” and “the free gift,” are the very same thing, and if “the gift by grace” is “the grand reason and end of redemption,” then our fall in Adam, to which you allow “the free gift” directly refers, is “the reason of Christ's coming into the world.” “But the Scriptures of the New Testament (excepting Rom. v. 12-19, and 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22) always assign the actual wickedness of mankind as the reason of Christ’s coming into the world.” (Page 240.) They generally do assign this,-- their outward and inward wickedness. But this does not exclude the wickedness of their nature, springing from their fall in Adam.