Wesley Corpus

You affirm, (6.) “The consequences of Adam’s sin answer those of Christ's obedience; but not exactly: ‘Not as the offence, so is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace’ (or favour) ‘of God and the gift” (the benefits that are) ‘by grace, which is by one mail Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.’ (Verse 15.) That is, he hath in Christ bestowed benefits upon man kind, far exceeding the consequences of Adam’s sin; in erect ing a new dispensation, furnished with a glorious fund of light and truth, means and motives.” (Pages 43,44.) This is true; but how small a part of the truth ! What a poor, low account of the Christian dispensation 1 You go on: “‘Not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift : For the judgment was by one offence to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto justification;' (verse 16;) that is, the grace of God in Christ discharges mankind from the consequences of Adam’s one offence.” Does it en tirely discharge them from these consequences? from sorrow, and labour, and death, which you affirmed a while ago to be the only consequences of it that affect his posterity? It “also sets them quite to rights with God, both as to a conformity to the law and eternal life.” Is not this allowing too much? Is it well consistent with what you said before? “In the 19th verse, the Apostle concludes the whole argument: “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’” (Page 29, et seq.) “Were made sinners,” you aver means only, “were made mortal.” If so, the counterpart, “made righteous,” can only mean, “made immortal.” And that you thought so then, appears from your citing as a parallel text, “In Christ shall all be made alive;” which you had be fore asserted to mean only, “shall be raised from the dead.” 14.