A Fresh Antidote Against Neonomian Bane, Part 2
Arguments to prove that Chriſt bore the Perſonal Guilt of all them for whom he Suffered.
THAT the leſs intelligent Reeader may not be at loſs for the truth, not ſo eaſily finding it among the Controverſal Difficulties of a Diſpute, I have thought good to make plain proof of this great Queſtion in the affirmative.
And that we may prevent enlargements, I premiſe,
1. That by Perſonal Guilt, is meant the Guilt of every particular Perſon for whom Chriſt Died; as of Noah, David, and Peter, &c.
2. I take Guilt and Sin, and the merit and deſert of Sin, to be equivalent terms in the ſenſe of the Spirit of God; and though the Scripture uſe the word Sin, and we moſt commonly ſay Guilt, this is exegetical, to ſhew that we mean not that the Subjective Phyſical Act of Sin was transferred to Chriſt; nor the inherent. Moral Pollution: But whatever is in either, that is a Tranſgreſſion of the Law, the Law-relation of all Sin, ſo far as the Law condemns the Sinner for it, was charged on Chriſt, i. e. Legally and Juridically in the Juſt God's diſtribution of Juſtice. Then I argue,
Arg. 1. He that was puniſht for Sin, bore Sin in the Perſonal Guil, i. e. the Legal Charge of it, as the reaſon of his Puniſhment; but Chriſt was puniſht for it by the Conceſſion of our oppoſites, Ergo, The Major is true. 1. Becauſe God is Juſt. 2. Puniſhment without a Reaſon is very unjuſt. 3. There was no reaſon in Chriſt abſolutely conſidered for his Puniſhment, therefore in ſome others; therefore the Perſonal Sin of ſome or other. 4. Without a bearing of Sin in the legal deſert of ſome or other, he could not be juſtly puniſhed by the Law.
Arg. 2. He that was made Sin for us, was made ſo by charging our Sins upon him, bare Perſonal Guilt; for he was made that, which he was not in himſelf: Now how could he be made ſo, but by an imputation of the Sins of others to him, a legal proceeding with him in judicature; which could be no other than by Judging and Puniſhing him for ſome Guilt that merits the Wages of Death? The Anſwer the Socinians and others make to 2 Cor. 5.21. is that he was made Sin as the Sacrifices were, becauſe a Sin-offering is called foreign: But I anſwer, 1. It was eſſential to the Sin-offering to have the the Perſonal Guilt of the Sinner charged upon it. 2. When foreign is uſed for a Sin-offering, it's foreign. 3. The Prophet Iſa. doth only uſe foreign but foreign when he ſpeaks of Chriſt's bearing Sin, which laſt word is never uſed for Sin-offering. 4. He was made Sin as we are made Righteous; now we are not made Righteous by being made Sacrifices for Sin, but by imputation.
Arg. 3. He that bore the Curſe of the Law to Redeem us from it, bore alſo the Perſonal Guilt of our Sins; but Chriſt bore the Curſe of the Law, Gal. 3.13. For the Major it's as clear as the Sun, becauſe Curſe is inſeparable from Sin; the Law curſeth no where but where it finds Perſonal Guilt. Let theſe Men tell me where a Curſe falls upon the head of any one, but of ſuch wherein there is Sin in ſome legal ſenſe or other.
Arg. 4. If the Prieſts and Sacrifices of old, the Types of Chriſt and his Sufferings, had the Perſonal Guilt of Sin laid upon them, then Chriſt the Antitype, in his Sufferings, had Perſonal Guilt laid upon him: But the Antecedent is without contradiction, yea, and the Conſequence; becauſe the Antitype is to anſwer the Type, in all things wherein it is a Type.
Arg. 5. If they that were Puniſhed by the Law, did bear their Perſonal Sins by the Law; then if Chriſt, was Puniſhed by the Law, he alſo bore Sin by the Law. But the Antecedent is true by the Scripture, both in them that are recorded to have been Puniſhed in Perſon for their own Sins, Lev. 20.20. and 22.9. and 24.15. Numb. 9.13. and 14.34. and 18, 22, 32. Ezek. 23.49. and in ſuch as are recorded to have been Puniſhed or Suffer for others, Iſa. 53.11. Ezek. 4.4, 5, 6. The Conſequence muſt be true if Chriſt was Puniſhed by Law, and was one that Suffered for others; the proof whereof the Scripture is full of.
Arg. 6. If Chriſt bore not Perſonal Guilt, but every one's Perſonal Guilt ſtill remains, then the Spirit of God taught David to pray after his Sin in vain, Deliver me from Blood guiltineſs, O God. But David's Prayer was not in vain, but was he delivered from his Perſonal Guilt of Blood? Or elſe he muſt at this day be a Blood-guilty Murderer in Heaven.
Arg. 7. A Surety to God for Sinners, bears their Sins in being Puniſhed for them; but Chriſt was a Surety, Heb. 7.22. There's no fence againſt ſuch a Flail as this one expreſs place. 2. The Minor is quarrelled by our Adverſaries, but not Univerſally denied, yet they would make a ſeeming Evaſion, that they will have Chriſt a Surety for God to us, and not for us to God; and that Chriſt was no Money-Surety for us, we being Criminals; and that Sin muſt not be lookt on as a Debt; the folly of all which hath been made ſufficiently manifeſt.
Arg. 8. If the Perſonal guilt of Sin was taken away by Jeſus Chriſt, then Chriſt muſt bear Perſonal Guilt: But the Guilt of Perſonal Sins was taken away by Chriſt, as appears by 1 John 3.5. Heb. 9.26. He took away Sin by the Sacrifice of himſelf: Sin cannot be ſaid to be taken away, if it be not taken away in the Perſonal Guilt. The Major appears from the Type of the Scape-Goat, Levit. 16.
Arg. 9. Where there's no Condemnation, there Perſonal Guilt is taken away, nor nothing to be laid to the Charge of a Perſon; but there's no Condemnation, (i. e. Reaſon of Condemnation in the Eye of the Law) in a Believer, Rom. 8. for there's no Reaſon of Condemnation, but Guilt of Sin; and none takes off the reaſon of our Charge of Fault to Law Condemnation, but Chriſt by bearing Sin unto Puniſhment and Satisfaction, Rom. 8.33, 34. For where there is the Perſonal Guilt of Sin, there's Condemnation. Now this Freedom from Condemnation was fully obtain'd and procured by Chriſt's Sacrifice, but the purchaſed Right is not received and poſſeſſed till Application; till then a Sinner is ſhut up and impriſoned under the Law, as to State and Conſcience; but when he is in Chriſt Jeſus by Faith, he is fully inſtated in the purchaſed Poſſeſſion.
Arg. 10. If Chriſt's Puniſhment was without his bearing of our Perſonal Guilt, there was no change of Perſons between Chriſt and us, according to 2 Cor. 5.21. for as we were, ſo we remain to be guilty Sinners; and ſo long as we are ſo, we cannot be righteous; we can't be made the Righteouſneſs of God in Chriſt, ſo long as we remain guilty Sinners in our ſelves.
Arg. 11. Where Perſonal Guilt remains, there's no Acceptation with God; for all our Acceptation, either of Perſons or Services, is in Chriſt, God profeſſing he will not clear the Guilty.
Arg. 12. I might argue from all thoſe places of Scripture that ſpeak out this Truth fully and expreſly, which cannot have any rational Senſe put upon them, no leſs than three times in Iſa. 53. and 1 Pet. 2.24. who his own ſelf bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree.
There's no one Truth in the Scripture, that is more fully and plainly recorded in the Old Teſtament and New. The Spirit telling us of a Believer's Sin covered, not imputed, Pſal. 32. Rom. 4. Of our being made nigh to God, and Chriſt being our Peace, Eph. 2.13, 14, 15. Likewiſe Chriſt died the juſt for the unjuſt, to bring us unto God, 1 Pet. 3.18. But this is enough to confirm the weak, and to convince Gainſayers, and to lead all the Lovers of Truth into the Mind of the Spirit in this great Article of our Faith.