puted to them alfo. Ver. 20-25. He fagger'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 Righteoufnefs. 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 μη νομό, 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 evil; 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 firft Anfwer no Man flood with me, but all Men forfook me : I pray God that it [their forfaking of me] may not be laid to their charge. [en]

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THESE

oweth thee ought, put that on my Account-I will repay it. This relates to a pecuniary Matter. For the Apoftle doth not take Onefimus's Wickedness or Villany upon himself; 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 Righteoufnefs is fpoken of. And no ACTION is faid to be imputed, reckoned or accounted to any Perfon for Righteoufnefs or Condemnation, but the proper Act and Deed of that Person. We may add,

1 Sam. xi. 2. Nahafh answered [the Men of Fabelh-Gilead] on this Condition will I make a Covenant with you, that I may thrust 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 firft 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 deserved. The Goat was let B 4

loofe

loofe to go where he pleafed, in a Land the propereft for his Subfiftence, in a Wilderness where he was to wander and range all his Days. Which was a figurative Way of fignifying the total removal of Guilt, or Obligation to Punishment, from the penitent Ifraelites, It fhould not return, nor be remember'd any more. They were as free from it as the leprous Perfon from his Confinement, or Pollution, fignify'd by letting a Bird fly into the Fields, Lev. xiv. 7. As far as the Eaft is from the Weft; fo far hath be removed our Tranfgreffions from us, Pfal. ciii. 12.-Again; Ifa. liii. 6. The Lord laid on our Bleffed Redeemer the Iniquities of us all. And ver. 11. He fhall bear their Iniquity, ver. 12. He bare the Sin of many. So Heb. ix. 28. 1 Pet. ii. 24. But Iniquity and Sin, do also fignify Suffering, Affliction, &c. And, where Sin is fuppos'd in the Subject, fuffering for Sin in a proper Senfe, or Punishment. Gen. xix. 15. left thou [Lot] be confumed in the Iniquity, fuffering of the City. Gen. xx. 9. Thou haft brought-on my Kingdom a great Sin, Calamity, Suffering. Ver. 4. Wilt thou flay alfo a righteous Nation? Gen. xxxi. 39. I bare the Lofs of it, Heb. I was the Sinner or Sufferer for it. 2 Kings vii. 9.-if we tarry till the Morning, fome Mifchief, [Heb. Iniquity] Suffering,] will come upon us. Job v. 6. Affliction [Heb. Iniquity] cometh not forth of the Duft. Jer. li. 6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon,

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and deliver every Man his Soul: be not cut off in her Iniquity, Sufferings, Deftruction. Hab. i. 3. Why doft thou fhew me Iniquity, Affliction, and caufe me to behold Grievance? Therefore as Iniquity and Sin fignify Suffering or Affliction, it is evident a Perfon may have Iniquity laid upon him, or may bear Sin, to whom Iniquity and Sin cannot be imputed, or upon whom they cannot be charged. And that this was the Cafe with respect to our Lord is evident: For when, Ifa. liii. 6. the Lord is faid to have laid on him the Iniquities of us all, that he bare our Iniquities and Sin, the Spirit of Prophecy fufficiently explains itfelf by telling us in other Words, ver. 5. He was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our Iniquities. He fuffered for Sin, the juft, to whom no Sin could be imputed, for the unjust. He who knew no Sin, and therefore to whom no Sin could be imputed, was made Sin, was placed in a State of Suffering and Affliction, and became obedient to Death, for us. Thus Ezekiel (Chap. iv. 4, 5, 6.) lying first on his left Side three hundred and ninety Days, and then on his right Side forty Days, bore the Iniquity of the Houfes of Ifrael and Judah which God is there faid to lay upon him: Not that the Iniquity of Ifrael was imputed to, or charged upon him; but he bore their Iniquity as he prophetically reprefented in his own Perfon, either their bearing of Punishment, or God's forbearing their Punishment a certain Number

of

of Years for it may be understood either Way. And our Lord was in a State of Suffering, it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and put him to Grief, in order to a much nobler End, the Expiation or Atonement of our Sins. But our Sins are never faid to be imputed to Chrift; nor could Sin be imputed to him who was holy, harmless, undefiled and feparate from Sinners. For in Scripture no Sin is faid to be imputed, or not imputed to any Perfon, but his own actual Sin.

On the contrary, with regard to Parents and their Posterity, it is an express Rule in the Law given by God himself, Deut. xxiv. 16. The Fathers shall not be put to death for the Children, neither fhall the Children be put to death for their Fathers: every Man fhall be put to death for his own Sin. And the Spirit of Truth teaches, and fully and clearly affures us, throughout the whole eighteenth Chapter of Ezekiel, that God, however he may bring the Son under difciplinary Vifitations, doth not impute the Guilt of the Father to the Son. And this in Confutation of the Jews, who had entertained a hard Opinion concerning the Divine Proceedings; which they exprefs'd by this Proverb, ver. 2. The Fathers have eaten four Grapes, and the Childrens Teeth are fet on Edge. To which the Lord God anfwers, ver. 4. Behold, all Souls are mine; as the Soul of the Father, fo

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