T SECT. I. Of imputed Guilt. HE first Thing which offers is the Vindicator's Reflection. p. 6. I fay, Scrip. Doc. p. 13. that the real Guilt of our firft Parents Tranfgreffion must be perfonal, and belong only to themfelves. Here he tells me, That I should have known before I wrote on this Subject, that actual, personal Sin, and imputed Guilt, are quite two Things, which yet I perpetually confound, or make them to be the fame, throughout my Book.-But he will have no Reafon to blame me, if he confiders I was writing, not the CalviniltScholaftic-, but the Scripture-Doctrine of Original Sin. Now in Scripture, after the ftrictest Examination, I could not find that actual, perfonal Sin, and imputed Guilt are two different Things, but one and the fame Thing; faving only that actual, perfonal Sin is then imputed, when it is laid to the Charge of the Person who has committed it; and on the contrary, is not imputed when it is forgiven, or not tax'd with a Penalty. For though in Scripture an Action is frequently faid to be imputed, reckoned, accounted to a Perfon, it is no other than his own Act and Deed, which is accounted, reckoned, or imputed to B 2 him, him, either for Righteoufnefs or Condemnation. I have with a good deal of Care search'd the facred Writings on this Head, and can find no more Places in all the Bible where imputing, accounting or reckoning an ACTION to any Perfon is fpoken of, but thofe that follow. GEN. XV. 6. And he believed in the Lord, and he, [the Lord,] counted it, [his believing in the Lord,] unto him for Righteousness. So Gal. iii. 6. Jam. ii. 23. Lev. xvii. 3, 4. What Man foever killeth an Ox, &c. and bringeth it not unto the Door of the Tabernacle, &c. Blood [the Blood he hath unlawfully fpilt] fhall be imputed unto that Man. Num. xviii. 26, 27. Ye [Levites] fhall offer up an Heaveoffering of it, the Tithes unto the Lord, even a tenth Part of the Tithe, and this your Heaveoffering fhall be reckoned unto you as tho' it were the Corn of the Threshing-floor, and as the Fulness of the Wine-prefs: That is, it should be as acceptable to God as the Tithes, which all the Tribes of Ifrael paid out of the Threshing-floor and Wine-prefs. 1 Sam. xxii. 15. Let not the King impute any thing [any difloyal Action] to his Servant, for thy Servant knew nothing of all this, more or less; and therefore nothing can juftly be imputed to me. 2 Sam. xix. 19. Shimei faid unto the King, Let not my Lord impute Iniquity to me, neither remember that which thy Servant did perversely. Pfal. xxxii. 2. Blessed is the Man to to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, i. e. his Tranfgreffion and Sin fpoken of ver. 1. Pfal. cvi. 31. And that, [his executing Judgment] was counted unto him [Phinehas] for righteoufness. Prov. xxvii. 14. He that blef feth his Friend with a loud Voice, rifing early in the Morning, it shall be counted a Curse to him. Rom. ii. 26. If the Uncircumcifion keep the Righteousness of the Law, fhall not his [obedient] Uncircumcifion be accounted to him for Circumcifion. Rom. iv. 3. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for Righteousness--Ver. 4. Now to him that worketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace, but of Debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the Ungodly, his Faith is counted for Righteousness-Ver 6. Even as David alfo defcribeth the Bleffedness of the Man unto whom God imputeth * Righteouf nefs without Works, faying, Bleffed are they whofe Iniquities are forgiven, whofe Sins are covered. Bleed is the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin. Ver. 9.-We say, That Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteoufnefs. Ver. 11. -That he might be the Father of all them that believe, tho' they be not circumcifed; that * Righteousness might be imputed B 3 *Reward and Righteousness here have nearly the fame Signification; Reward is oppos'd to Punishment, and Righteousness to Condemnation, 2 Cor. iii. 9. Therefore Reward and Righteoufnefs are THINGS not AcTIONS. So Phil 18. If he has wronged thee, or puted to them alfo. Ver. 20-25. He flagger'd not at the Promife, but was ftrong in Faith, giving Glory to God. Being fully perfuaded that what he had promifed he was able alfo to perform; and therefore it [his Faith] was imputed to him for Righteousness. Now it was not written for his fake alone, that it [Faith] was imputed to him; but for us alfo to whom it [our Faith] fhall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jefus from the dead. Rom. v. 13. For until the Law Sin was in the World; [Men committed various Sorts of Sin] but Sin is not imputed, [the Sins of Men were not taxed with Death,] when there is no Law; un ou vous, when the Law was not in being, neither that given to Adam, which was annull'd; nor that given to Mofes at Mount Sinai, which was not yet promulg'd. 1 Cor. xiii. 5. Love is not eafily provoked, thinketh no evit; Greek, imputeth not evil; i. e. doth not fet it to account in order to revenge it. 2 Cor. v. 19. God was in Chrift reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes unto them. 2 Tim. iv. 16. At my first Answer no Man food with me, but all Men for fook me I pray God that it [their forfaking of me] may not be laid to their charge. [:en] THESE oweth thee ought, put that on my Account-I will repay it. This relates to a pecuniary Matter. For the Apostle doth not take Onefimus's Wickednefs or Villany upon himfelf; only he promises to make good any Damages he might have done his Master. THESE are all the Places I can find in Scripture where the Imputation of Sin or Righteoufness is spoken of. And no ACTION is faid to be imputed, reckoned or accounted to any Perfon for Righteousness or Condemnation, but the proper Act and Deed of that Person. We may add, I Sam. xi. 2. Nahafh anfwered [the Men of Jabefb-Gilead] on this Condition will I make a Covenant with you, that I may thruft out all your right Eyes, and lay it for a reproach on all Ifrael. But they, and he too, judg'd it was right all Ifrael fhould first make this Reproach justly chargeable upon them by their own Cowardice, or Neglect of their Countrymen, the Men of Jabefb, Ver. 3. INIQUITY and Sin, are in Scripture faid to be laid upon, and born by fuch as are not guilty of 'em, in various Senfes, Lev. xvi. 21, 22. Aaron put all the Iniquities and Sins of the Children of Ifrael upon the Scape-goat, and the Goat did bear upon him all their Iniquities into a Land of Separation, being let go in the Wilderness. The Goat was to fuffer nothing. Here was no Imputation of Sin, no transferring to the Goat the Guilt or Condemnation, or Liableness to Punishment, Mifery or Death, which the Sins of the Ifraelites deferved. The Goat was let loofe B 4 |