Wesley Corpus

Without so formal a procedure, God could, and doubtless did, signify to him, on what terms he was to expect life or death.” (Page 32.) “2. We do not assert, that God promised to translate him to heaven; but, without question, he made Adam sensible, that if he continued obedient he should continue happy, whether in paradise or some other region. “3. If one greatly superior will freely condescend to treat with an inferior, this does not disannul the mutual agreement, or hinder its having the nature of a covenant. So God entered into a proper covenant with Abraham of old, and with his peo ple in the gospel. And if so, much more might he do so with man, when perfectly upright toward God.” (Page 33.) “And this covenant was made with Adam, not only for himself, but likewise for all his posterity. This appears,-- “1. From the tenor of the original threatening, compared with the present state of mankind. For it is evident, that every one of his posterity is born liable to death; that the death, to which all are liable, was not threatened but in case of man’s sinning; that man was not liable to death till he sinned, and his being so was the result of the threatening; and that the Scripture constantly points at sin as the sole cause of death, and of all suffering. But if all mankind are born liable to that which was originally threatened only to sin, then all mankind are accounted sinners, and as such are concerned in the original threatening, and consequently in the original promise.” (Page 34.) “2. From 1 Cor. xv. 22: ‘In Adam all die.’ Here the Apostle speaks, not of both our parents, but of Adam singly, (as also Rom. v.) to denote our peculiar relation to him. The ‘all’ mentioned, are all his natural descendants, who ‘all die in or through him; that is, are liable to death on account of their relation to him. And it is not only a bodily death that is here spoken of; for it stands opposed, not to a bare revival of the body, but to a happy and glorious resurrection, such as ‘they that are Christ’s’ will partake of at his second coming For of this resurrection, not that of the ungodly, the Apostle is speaking throughout this chapter.