First, It is certain that the Lord Christ's taking on him the guilt of our sins was a high act of obedience unto God, Heb. x. 5, 6; and for which the "Father loved him," John x, 17, 18, There was, therefore, no reason why God should hate Clnist for his taking on him our debt, and the payment of it, in an act of the highest obedi- ence unto his will. Secondly, God in this matter is considered as a rector, ruler, and judge. Now, it is not required of the severest judge, that, as a judge, he should hate the guilty person, no, although he be guilty originally by inhesion, and not by imputation. As such, he hath no more to do but consider the guilt, and pronounce the sentence of punishment. But, Thirdly, Suppose a person, out of an heroic generosity of mind, should become an Avri-^vyjic, for another, for his friend, for a good man, so as to answer for him with his life, as Judah undertook to be for Benjamin as to his liberty, — which, when a man hath lost, he is civilly dead, and " capite diminutus," — would the most cruel tyrant under heaven, that should take away his life, in that case hate him? would he not rather admire his worth and virtue? As such a one it was that Christ suffered, and no otherwise. Fourthly, All the force of this exception depends on the ambiguity of the word hate; for it may signify either an aversation or detestation of mind, or only a luill of punishing, as in God mostly it doth. In the first sense, there was no ground why God should hate Christ on this imputation of guilt unto him, whereby he became " non propria^ sed
204 ON JUSTIFICATION.
alienee culpse reus." Sin inherent renders the soul polluted, abomi- nable, and the only object of divine aversation ; but for him who was perfectly innocent, holy, harmless, undefiled in himself, who did no sin, neither was there guile found in his mouth, to take upon him the guilt of other sins, thereby to comply with and accomplish the design of God for the manifestation of his glory and infinite wisdom, grace, goodness, mercy, and righteousness, unto the certain expiation and destruction of sin, — nothing could render him more glorious and lovely in the sight of God or man. But for a will of punishing in God, where sin is imputed, none can deny it, but they must there- withal openly disavow the satisfaction of Christ.
The heads of some few of those arguments wherewith the truth we have asserted is confirmed shall close this discourse: —
1. Unless the guilt of sin was imputed unto Christ, sin was not imputed unto him in any sense, for the punishment of sin is not sin; nor can those who are otherwise minded declare what it is of sin that is imputed. But the Scripture is plain, that " God laid on him the iniquity of us all," and " made him to be sin for us;" which could not otherwise be but by imputation.
2. There can be no punishment but with respect unto the guilt of sin personally contracted or imputed. It is guilt alone that gives what is materially evil and afflictive the formal nature of punish- ment, and nothing else. And therefore those who understand full well the harmony of things and opinions, and are free to express their minds, do constantly declare that if one of these be denied, the other must be so also ; and if one be admitted, they must both be so. If guilt was not imputed unto Christ, he could not, as they plead well enough, undergo the punishment of sin ; much he might do and suf- fer on the occasion of sin, but undergo the punishment due unto sin he could not. And if it should be granted that the guilt of sin was imputed imto him, they will not deny but that he underwent the punishment of it; and if he underwent the punishment of it, they will not deny but that the guilt of it was imputed unto him ; for these things are inseparably related.
3. Christ was made a curse for us, the curse of the law, as is ex- pressly declared. Gal. iii. 13, 14. But the curse of the law respects the guilt of sin only; so as that where that is not, it cannot take place in any sense, and where that is, it doth inseparably attend it, Deut. xxvii. 26.
4. The express testimonies of the Scripture unto this purpose can- not be evaded, without an ojDen wresting of their words and sense. So God is said to " make all our iniquities to meet upon him," and he bare them on him as his burden; for so the word signifies, Isa. liii. 6, " God hath laid on him" ^^h. H ^^, " the iniquity," (that is, the guilt)
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" of US all;" verse 1 1, ^301 K^n nn:S]}) , " and tlieir sin or guilt shall he bear." For that is the intendment of l^V, where joined with any other word that denotes sin : as it is in those places, Ps. xxxii. 5, " Thou for- gavest" '•nx^n jij;^ " the iniquity of my sin,"^ — that is, the guilt of it, which is that alone that is taken away by pardon ; that " his soul was made an offering for the guilt of sin ;" that " he was made sin;" that " sin was condemned in his flesh," etc.