The d fpelM):fleiy Direa. It Firfi, When the &It Adam was framed for the practice of holinefs at'his creation, he was highly its the favour of God, and had no fin imputed to t im, and he was accounted righteous in the fight of God, according to his prefent flare ; becaufe he %vas made upright according to God's image. And there is no reafon to doubt, but that thefe qualifi= Cations were his advantage for an holy practice, and the wifdom of G)a judged' them good for that end; end, ás loon as he Jolt them, he became dead in fin. The fecond Adam alfo ' in our nature' was the be loved of the Father, accounted righteous `in thí fight of God, without the imputation of any fin to except what his offs e was to bear on. the be half ofother,7a' And can we reafonab-ly- expect to Se imitators of Chrifi byperforming more difficult 'obedience than the firnt Alam's was before the fall, except the like advantages be given tous,by recon- Ciliation, and-remTian of fins, and imputations ofa righteoufnefs given by God to us, wheii we have none of our own'? Secondly, Thofe that know their natural dead nefs under the power of fir and Satan, are fully convinced, 'that if God leave` them to their own hearts, they can do nothing but fin ; and that they Can do no good work, except it pleafe God of his great love aril mercy, to work it in them, John ßüí. 36. Phil. ii. 13 Rom. viii, 7, 8. 'Therefore', that they may be encouraged and rationally inclin- ed to holinefs, they mutt hope that God will work ravingly in them. Now, I leave it to confiderate men to judge, whether fuch an hope can be well grounded, without 'a good perfuafion of fuch a re- conciliation aid faring lose of God to us, as depends not upon any precedent goodnefs of our works, but is a caufe fufficient to produce them effectually in us? Yea, we-know further °(if we know curfelves fufñcientlyl that our death in fin proceeded -from the guilt of the grit fin of Adam, and the fentence
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