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be accepted by the proper authority; this would be a transferring of the punishment from the criminal to the innocent. That cases, not unlike this, have occurred, will not be disputed. If the guilt of sin could not be taken off from a sinner, and he be freed from the imputation of it, we should be in a hopeless state. For God will in no wise clear the guilty.

But it is further urged, that it would be contrary to truth and justice to impute sin, and inflict punishment on Christ, in whom is no sin, supposing that this were not naturally impossible.

To this I answer: Since the scriptures so expressly and repeatedly assert, and with such variety of expression, that the Lord hath laid our iniquities on Christ, that he hath borne them, was wounded, bruised, and died for them, was made a curse, or bore the curse of the law in our stead, to deliver us from the curse; is it not too bold to say that this is contrary to justice and truth?

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Besides, the case which has just been proposed, shows that it is not only possible, but also consistent with justice, in the common sense of mankind, for an innocent person to bear the punishment of the guilty, if he be willing to take the penal obligation on himself, and if the ends, for which the punishment was necessary, are answered by it. Now we assert, that Christ was willing to take upon himself the guilt, and to bear the punishment of our sins; and by doing so the ends, for which the punishment of our sins was necessary, were fully attained; and God, the Supreme Judge, ap

proved and authorized the transferring of our penal obligation to our Sponsor, and inflicted on him the punishment our sins deserved. And shall we say that this is unjust?

But it may be farther pleaded; "admitting that it may be just for an innocent man to pay the fine imposed on the guilty, and so bear the punishment of their crimes; yet it would not be just that he be held bound to suffer the punishment of capital crimes, "to be hanged for a murder, committed by his wife or child."

Ans. Though it should be granted to be unlawful and unjust for men to inflict capital punishment on those, who are personally innocent; yet the supreme Judge of the world, who has the most absolute property in all things, has a right to do that, which it is not fit that ignorant worms should do. We are not at our own disposal, but are the creatures of God, and have no right to give away or dispose of our own lives, or to take away the lives of any but in such ways, as are prescribed by God. And he neither requires, nor allows, that the innocent suffer capital punishment for crimes, to which they have not been accessary. It would also be an injury to society, if the life of a criminal who ought to die, were ransomed by the death of an innocent and useful citizen.

But Christ had power over his own life to lay it down, and to take it again. He was also authorised by God, and sent into the world, to give his life a ransom for those, who were lost, to bear their sins, and to die for them, the just for the unjust. To this he willingly consented, that he

might expiate the sins of the world, knowing that God would hereby be exceedingly glorified, the happiness of the universe greatly advanced, and that he would rise from the curse of the Jaw, to which he subjected himself, to the right hand of the throne of God, there to reign for ever King of saints; and that, by bearing our sins, and suffering death, he would abolish sin and death in his redeemed; and that, in seeing the fruits of the travail of his soul he would be satisfied, and rejoice forever.

There is indeed an astonishing display of the grace, and condescension of Christ, in his bearing the guilt and punishment of our sins in our stead. But that this amazing transaction would imply any thing unjust never has been proved. Paul says that God set forth Christ to be a propitiation, or, to declare his righteousness in the forgiveness of sins, that he might be just in justifying the ungodly..

To reconcile the sufferings of Christ with the justice of God, it is not enough to say that they were voluntary. His sufferings were penal. He died for our sins. He was willing that our sins, our penal debt, should be laid upon him as our Sponsor; and the supreme Judge approved and ratified the substitution. Christ was willing to take the burden of our guilt on himself, and God laid this burden upon him. As there was no sin in him, it was the guilt, which he took on himself, which rendered him liable to the The crime was ours; the punishment Christ took on himself. This, I think, is the only way in which the suffer

curse.

ings of Christ can be reconciled with the justice of God.

We have then a ready answer to the question, which some urge upon us. "Were our sins so transferred to Christ as to become really his sins? Did he suffer, as a guilty person?" The imputation of our sins did not render him in any degree culpable or blameable. It is impossible, that he should be to blame for our faults, which he did not commit, and to which he was not accessary. But our penal debt was really transferred to him, and he was really bound as our Sponsor, to make satisfaction to the law and justice of God.

It is further objected, "if Christ has borne the guilt and punishment of our sins, and satisfied the requirement of the law in our stead, then the imputation of his satisfaction to the redeemed, their acquittance from guilt, and justification, would be but an act of justice, and not of grace. For it is but just, that the debtor be free from the obligation, which his sponsor has satisfied for him.

The consideration of this objection would carry us something beyond the subject of our present discussion. But, as the doctrine of our justification through the redemption of Christ is of great importance, and has the closest connexion with the doctrine of the atonement, I will state my thoughts upon it briefly, so far as seems needful for answering this objection.

The scriptures teach that both the grace and justice of God are exercised and displayed in the justification of a sinner. Grace reigns through righteousness,

unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation to declare his righteousness in the forgiveness of sins-that he might be just, and the justifier of him, that believeth in Jesus. Mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other. The manifold wisdom of God is displayed in the gospel, in that his justice and grace are both glorified. The justification of sinners is not only consistent with his righteousness, but an exercise and expression of it.

Though the righteousness of Christ is not inherent in a believer, yet, according to the gracious constitution of God, all, who are united to Christ, have his righteousness so placed to their account, that they are invested with the rights and privileges of righteous persons, on account of their relation to Christ as their sponsor. They are freed from the guilt of sin; Christ having made satisfaction to justice for them. They are accepted as righteous, and entitled to the reward of eternal life, promised to the righteous, as if they had never sinned. And they are wholly indebted to the grace of God for the benefits of redemption. Grace formed the plan of their. salvation. It would have been just, if the rigour of the law had been executed; if a Mediator had not been admitted. But God of his mere grace not only admitted, but also provided a Saviour; authorised his Son to be the Redeemer; sent him into the world, to execute this arduous office, and to give his life a ransom for those, who were lost. The grace of God is also exer

cised in applying the blessings of the gospel to the redeemed; in sending the call of the gospel to them; in enabling and persuad. ing them to comply with it; in working faith in them, uniting them to Christ, conferring on them the gift of his righteousness; in bestowing the benefits of redemption on them freely, without respect to any merit or worthiness in them. In a word, in giving them grace and glory, and all good things, freely of his grace, through the mediation of Christ.

But the rights of justice are not violated, nay, its glory and majesty shine in this astonishing display of sovereign grace; shine with greater lustre, than was seen before. Though justice did not require the salvation of fallen man; neither did it stand in the way of our salvation, if such satisfaction were made for sin by our Sponsor, as would declare the righteousness of God in the forgiveness of sin, and prevent those evils, which would arise, if sin should be unpunished. When, therefore, the Son of God was appointed to bear the guilt and punishment of sin in our stead; then the justice of God was manifested in exacting this satisfaction of him. Then he did not spare his beloved Son, but delivered him up to death, as an atoning sacrifice. As our offended Sovereign, God was wonderfully gracious in giving his own Son to be our Medi

ator and Redeemer. But as the supreme Judge and executor of the law, he was strictly just in the condign punishment of sin, though it fell on the Son of his love. The justice, as well as the grace of God, is displayed in the

justification of believers. Having, in sovereign grace, given them faith, united them to Christ, given them an interest in his righteousness, and the rights and privileges of the gospel; as a righteous Judge he imputes this

that both are inseparably connected and implied in the justification of sinners.

A Christian of the Ancient School. To be concluded in our next.

AL ASSOCIATION. Messrs. Editors,

to them, and accordingly justi- QUESTION CONCERNING GENERfies them in the forensic sense, declares them free from the imputation of sin and guilt, and them pronounces right

cous.

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According to Paul, righteousness without works is imputed to the sinner in his justification. What righteousness can this be, but the righteousness of Christ? But it has been said, that "by the imputation of righteousness," Paul means no more, than the non-imputation or forgiveness of sin. For the words of David, quoted by him, as describing the blessedness of the man, to whom righteousness without works is "Blessed is the imputed, are, man, whose trangressions are forgiven, and to whom the Lord will not impute sin." I answer. Nothing more can be argued be argued from these words, than that they, who have righteousness imputed to them, are the same persons, with those, described by David, to whom sin is not imputed. Righteousness is imputed to those, who are forgiven; and sin is imputed to all those, to whom righteousness is not imputed. Indeed in the language of scripture the forgiveness of sin often implies also the imputation of righteousness, without which none are forgiven. By comparing the words of David and Paul, we must conclude, not that the imputation of righteousness means no more, than merely a non-imputation of sin; but

Ir is impossible for me to express the peculiar satisfaction I feel in the late proceedings of the General Association in Massachusetts, as exhibited in the

last No. of the Panoplist. The explanations there given of the design of the institution have removed from the minds of many the objections, which had arisen against it. For my own part, I am resolved to promote, as far as I am able, the important ends proposed by the General Association, and should immediately hope for a connexion with that body, did my circumstances permit. My only difficulty is, that I belong to an association of ministers, whose views on this

subject are different from mine, I am acquainted with many individual clergymen, who labour under the same difficulty. I request that your attention may be directed to this subject. It is my wish, and the wish of many brethren, that, if possible, some suitable method may be pointed out, in which, notwithstanding the abovementioned difficulty, we may directly promote the design and enjoy the advantages of

the General Association.

Messrs. Editors,

INQUIRER.

IN No. 3. Vol. II. p. 122, and No. 1. Vol. III. p. 14, of your excellent work, I find two letters

In

on the death of infants. these letters it seems to be taken for granted, that the doctrine of the salvation of those who die in infancy is taught in the word of God. If you will be pleased in a fature No. to show on what scriptural evidence this doctrine is supported, either in respect to the deceased infants of believers or of unbelievers, you will oblige one who reads, with increasing pleasure, your instructive publication. B. T.

B. T.'s request shall be attended to, as soon as previous engagements shall have been fulfilled.

Editors.

THOUGHTS ON GAL. iii. 19 & 20.

Is the preceding part of this chapter, the writer endeavours to show that the Mosaic law furnished no grounds of justification for sinners. He asserts that the covenant made with Abraham, was a covenant of grace, of which faith, not works, was the condition; that the promise, that in his seed all nations should be blessed, had respect to the blessing to come on the Gentiles through their faith in Christ, and not to their union with the Jews in the ceremonial observance of the Mosaic law; and that this covenant, having been made, and sealed with the seal of circumcision, could not, on the principles, which regulate human contracts, be disannulled. This I say therefore, that the covenant which was confirmed before, in, or through Christ, the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul; which on the theory of his opponents, it had done, having changed the condition

of salvation from faith in Christ, to an observance of its own institutions. This we suppose to be the amount of the apostle's reasoning. He goes on, in the 13 verse, to consider an objection, which some might urge against the tendency of his argument. If the law be not to be obeyed, as a condition of justification, what then is its use? Whereto serveth the law? He answers, It was added because of transgression, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator. We would offer the following paraphrase of these words. The complete fulfilment of these gracious promises, made to Abraham, was reserved, till the coming of THAT seed of his, for whom they were more peculiarly intended, and through whom the blessings contained in them were to be dispensed to the nations. In the mean time, the posterity of Abraham, while sojourning in Egypt, became corrupted from the worship of the true God; turned aside to the idolatry of the Egyptians; and were in danger of entirely losing sight of their covenant relation to God. Because of this transgression; to prevent its fatal effects; and to preserve them from idolatry for the future, the Mosaic law, containing a system of rules for the regulation of their worship, was added; not as a new dispensation, and designed to abrogate the former; this was impossible; but to serve as a means of preserving in their minds a sense of their covenant relation to God, and an expectation of the eventual bestowment of the blessings, which this covenant secured. It was,

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