C w A P, 12: Mr. Goodwin 's Arg. agarnf Imput. anf vcred. 179 Secondly , he faith , When a thing is faid (imply to be imputed , as fin , folly or righteoufrsefr, the meaning is not t be taken concerning the bare a &s of things; as if to impute fin f gnified to repute the man to have committed a finful , but to charge the guilt or demerite of f n upon his head, of purpofe to punifh himfor it. 1ní. This is true of fuck things, as are either really or falfly by injullice fup- poled to be in the perfon , before that imputation be made. But not with- ftanding hereof, there is , as we have feen , & as all ads of Suretil hip do further cleare , an imputation of what was not the perfons before , where- by the thing it felf, that is imputed , is legally made over unto them , & reckoned upon their fcore , & thereupon they are dealt with as being now poffeffed ofrhat , which is imputed ; as when a per fon voluntarily becometh Surety for another , as Paul for Onefimus , Judah for Benjamin first the debt it felf is made theirs& reckoned upon their (core, & then they wil- lingly undergo the confequences thereof, that is, the payment or punifh- ment. Thxitlly pag. 198. he cometh home to the point, faying. The exprefionr ( i. e. of Chnit's Righteoufnefs & of Adam's fin) are unknown to the Holy G in Scripture. Anf. This is but the old exception of Bellarmin de 3u/lif. lib. 2. chap. 7. & of the Socinians; See Vol kel de Vera Ikelig. lib. 5. pat. 564, 565. who, upon this fame ground , reje& feveral other fundamental points , as the Trinity & others. But we have already fhown Scripture -proof enough of this matter & himfelf in the following words granteth , that there are expreffions in Scripture , concerning both the Communication of Adam's fin , & of Chrift's Righteoufnefs, that willfairly enough bear the terme of Imputation. So that all the difference betwixt him & us is about the fenfe of the word. Now, we come to the matter. He fpeaketh to Rrom. 5: 19. giving this for the only meaning thereof, that the demerite or guilt of Adam's fin, is char- ged on his pof erity, or that the punifhrnent ran over from bir per fon to them,ai; a;n aíne part of which punifhment lyeth in that original defilement, wherein they are all conceived do' born, , e whereby they are made truely and formally firmer; before God. Anf. But , if that fin of Adam he imputed , in its curfe & punifhment, the fin itfelf muff be imputed, as to its guilt; elfe we muff fay , that God curfeth" & punifheth the poaerity , that is no wayes guilty , which to do fuiteth not the juffice of God, the righteous Governour of the world. We do not fay (as he fuppofeth , when he fetteth down our fenfe of the words) that that linful ad of eating the forbidden fruit, in the letter & formality of it ( an expreflìon that on all occafions he ufeth, & whofe fenfe , is nor obvious, but needeth explication , & is excogitated meerly to darken the matter) & as it was Adam's own perfonal fin, is imputed to the poflerity: but it is enough for us , to fay , with the Scripture, that by Adam's difobe- dience , his posterity became guilty ; & that all finned in him; & therefore death pafTed on all, & that guilt was by that one fin to condemnation Rpm. 5: 12, 15,16, t8, 19. & fo that the pofterity finned legally & originally, though not formally, becaufe not exifling in Adam a&ually, but legally & originally; & became thereby obnoxious to the punifhment threatned, that
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