bject is universal in both,--"all men," the whole world. Behold what a
flood of calamity hath entered at a small cranny--by one man's
transgression! May it not be said of sin in general, what the wise man
speaks of strife,--"the beginning of" sin "is as when one letteth out
water?" Therefore it had been good leaving it oft before it had been
meddled with, it entered at a small hole, but it hath overflowed a whole
world since.

That which first occurs, is, that all mankind, proceeding from Adam by
ordinary birth are involved in sin by Adam's transgression. But that may
seem a hard saying, that sin and death should flow unto the whole
posterity who had no accession to Adam's transgression. It would seem,
that every man should die for his own iniquity, and that it should reach
no further injustice. But consider, I pray you, the relation that Adam
stood into, and in which he is here holden out as a figure of Christ.
Adam, the first man, was a common person, representing all mankind, in
whose happiness or misery all should share. God contracts with him on
these terms that his posterity's estate should depend on his behaviour.
Now, if all mankind would have reaped the benefit and advantage of Adam's
perseverance,--if such an undeserved reward of eternal life would have
redounded by the free promise unto them all,--what iniquity is it that they
also be sharers in his misery? Our stock and treasure was ventured in this
vessel, and if we were to partake of its gain, why not of its loss? You
see among men, children have one common lot with their parents. If the
father be forfeited, the heirs suffer in it, and are cast out of the
inheritance. It might appear a surer way to have the fortunes of all--so to
speak--depend upon one, and their happiness assured unto them upon the
standing of one, than to have every one left to himself, and his own
well-being depending upon his own standing, as it is more likely one, and
that the first one, shall not sin, than many; and especially when that one
knew that the weight of all his posterity hung upon him, it might have
made him very circumspect, knowing of how great moment his carriage was.
But certainly we must look a little higher than such reasons, there was a
glorious purpose of God's predominant in this, else there was no natural
necessity of imputing Adam's sin to the children not yet born, or
propagating it to the children. He that brought a holy One and undefiled
out of a virgin who wa