Wesley Corpus

Adam was the head of all mankind, who became sinful and mortal through his sin; Christ was the head of all believers, who obtain pardon and life through his righteousness. To prove this headship of Adam, the Apostle says, “Until the law,’ (that is, from the creation till the law of Moses,) “sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no law; that is, where there is no law or constitution of duty or penalty at all. Yet, saith he, “Death reigned from Adam to Moses:” Yet sin was imputed, and pun ished by death, even upon all mankind, both small and great, before the law given by Moses. The inference is, therefore, there was some law or constitution during all the time from Adam to Moses, in virtue of which sin was imputed to man kind, and death accordingly executed upon them. Now, what law or constitution could this be, beside that which said to Adam, as a representative of his whole posterity, ‘In the day thou sinnest thou shalt die?’” (Pages 177, 178.) “2. The Apostle carries his argument yet farther: ‘Sin was imputed, and death reigned, or was executed, “even upon those who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgres sion;' who had not broken an express command, as Adam had done. This manifestly refers to infants;--death reigned over them; death was executed upon them. And this must be by some constitution which, in some sense, imputed sin to them who had not committed actual sin: For without such a con stitution, sin would never have been imputed, nor death executed on children. “Yet, 3. Death did not come upon them as a mere natural effect of their father Adam’s sin and death, but as a proper and legal punishment of sin; for it is said, his sin brought “con demnation’ upon all men. (Verse 18.) Now, this is a legal term, and shows that death is not only a natural but a penal evil, and comes upon infants as guilty and condemned;--not for their own actual sins, for they had none; but for the sin of Adam, their legal head, their appointed representative.” (Page 179.) “In the eighteenth verse the expression is very strong: “By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to con demnation.