38 · Chrifl the Surety fuoul~ die: and, a delay being withal granted, as to the time of the payment, God thus ma!}ifefied his for– bearance celerb;aed by the Apofile, Rom. iii. '25. ,And in virtue of that fubfiitution Chrift became debt– or in law, bound to pay that debt which he contract.. ed not ; to ' refiore that which he took not away~ ' Pfal. lxix-. 4· For becoming Surety for them, to · ~he end there might be laid a foundation in law aad. juf– tice, for exacting their debt of punifhment, from him, their guilt was transfeued on hirp, Ifa. liii. 6. ' The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.' This. wa~ pointed at, in the l3ying of the h3:nd on the head of the, facrifices under the law, efpecially on the head of the fcape · goat, Lev. xvi.' 21. 'And Aaron fhalllay both . his hands upon the head of the live-goat, and confefs over him all the iniquities of the children of !Jrael, and all their tranfgre.ffions in all their fins, putting_ them upon the head of the goat.' All the fins of all the elect \vere at once imputed to the $urety, and fll . became his, as his righ_teoufnefs becomes·ours,. name– ly, in law-reckoning, 2 Cor. v. 21. ' For he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin ; that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him.' And He himfelffpeaks fo of them, Pfal. xi. 12. 'Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me;' as feveral valu– able interpreters do underfiand it, according as the ApQfile gives us direCtion, determining Chrifi him· felf to be the fpeak.er in this pfalm, Heb. ·x. 5, 6, 7. He was indeed without fin inherent in him, but not without fin imputed to him, tilt in his refurrection he got up his difcharge, having cleared the' debt by his death and fuHerings. 'Then was he jufiified in the Spirit' I Tim. iii. 16. and .fo 'iliall appear the fe· ·cond time, without fin. ~ Heb. ix. 28. The fin which was upon him, by imputation, the firfi time he ap– peared, being done away at his refurrection.- Thi-s relation of our firy to Chrifr, is necelfary from ~he na_– ture of furctiiliip for debt; in which cafe, no-body - · ' doubts
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=