is_ the free gift. For if by the trespass of the
one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the
grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. And not as
through one that sinned, _so_ is the gift: for the judgement _came_ of
one unto condemnation, but the free gift _came_ of many trespasses unto
justification. For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned
through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one,
_even_ Jesus Christ. So then as through one trespass _the judgement
came_ unto all men to {190} condemnation; even so through one act of
righteousness _the free gift came_ unto all men to justification of
life. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made
sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be
made righteous. And the law came in beside, that the trespass might
abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly:
that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1. St. Paul in this section, as also in part in his speech at Athens,
teaches, as matter which can be assumed and need not be emphasized,
that God made 'of one' (Adam) 'every nation of men[3]'; that Adam, by
actual transgression of a divine commandment, introduced sin, and with
sin death which is its punishment, into the world of man; and that as a
result all men sinned. This universal sin he would, no doubt--as in
chapter i, so here--ascribe in part to men's own wills. In this very
chapter he asserts that what finally 'abounded' was actual
'transgression' like Adam's[4]. But this is not the whole account of
the matter. Prior to all question of actual sins; prior to all
question of knowledge or consequent responsibility, death was
universal, and death marked the inward reign {191} of sin. Men in the
mass were, through Adam's sin, constituted sinners[5].

St. Paul then, assuming here as elsewhere[6] the narrative of Gen. iii
as true in substance if not in form, teaches (1) the unity of our race
as derived from Adam; (2) the original transgression of Adam, as being
partly the example of subsequent sins and partly the source of a moral
corruption, which since his fall has been inherent in our race
independently of any actual sins; and (3) the introduction of death
_into the human race_ as th