Chapter 6:; erotema 3 later sins

As for his other reply: first, while Adam lived his sons and grandsons sinned. Next, the judgment of the last day, and the penalty that will follow, will be later than the sins of Adam's posterity, and indeed of all of them. Third, since imputation is an act of God, and God then had present all Adam's posterity, He also had present their sins—why then could He not impute them? Finally, if penalty always follows sin in the order of nature and never precedes it, surely also sin in the order of nature always follows the existence of him to whom it is imputed, and never precedes it. S asked third. Since Adam after that first sin did not at once cease to be head of the human race, why are his following sins not equally imputed as the first? Reply 1. Because the Apostle mentions one offense and disobedience of one man, not several, on account of which men were constituted sinners. 2. Because by that first sin of his Adam was shaken out of the benefit of that covenant which God had struck with the whole race in Adam's person. And so even if he did not cease to be head by relation of origin, he did cease by relation of covenant. For the imputation of which we speak, both were necessary: that Adam be both the root whence the human race should arise, and depositary of the covenant which he might keep or lose for himself and his. When therefore this later relation of head ceased through that first sin of disobedience, it is no wonder if Adam's following sins are not imputed, since in committing them he no longer sustained that former person, nor was head in the way God had at first constituted him.