ON THE GLORY OF CHRIST. 43 Both not Interfere with the principles of natural light in man, that in sundry cases some persons should suffer punishment for the sins and offences ofothers. I shall at present give this assertion no other confir- mation, but only that God bath often done so, who will, who can do no iniquity. So he affirms that he will do Exod. xx. 5. Visiting the sins of thefathers upon the children unto the third andfourth generation. It is no exception of weight, that they also are sinners, continuing in their father's sins; for the worst of sinners most not be dealt unjustly withal: but they must be so, if they are punished for their father's sins, and it be absolutely unlawful that any one should be punished for the sin of another. Í So the church affirms; our fathers have sinned, and are not, andwe have borne their iniquities. Lam. v. 11. And so it was: for in the Babylonish captivity God j punished the sins of their forefathers, especially those committed in thedays of Manasses, 2 Kings xxjii. 26, 27. As afterwards in the final destruction of that church and nation, God punished in them the guilt of all bloody persecutions from the beginning of the world. Luke xi. 50, 51. So Canaan was cursed for the sin of his father, Gen. ix. 25. And he said, Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Saul's seven sons were put to death for their father's bloody cruelty, 2 Sam. xxi. 9, 14. For the sin of David seventy thou- sand of the peoplewere destroyed by an angel, concer- ning whom he said, It is I that have sinned, and done evil; thesesheep, what have they done? 2 Sam: xxiv. 15, I7. Likewise, I Kings xxi. 29. ec Seest thou how aAhab humbled himself before me? because he hum- " bleth himselfbefore me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil 's upon his house." So was it with all the children or infants that perished in the flood, or in the conflagra- tion of Sodom and Gomorrah. And other instances of the likenature may be assigned. It is therefore evident, that there is no inconsistency with the nature of divine justice, nor the rules of rea- son among men, that in sundry cases the sins of some may be punished on others. 2. It is to be observed that this administration ofjus- tice is not promiscuous, that any whatever may be pun- ished for the sins of any others, There is always a special cause and reason of it, and this is a peculiar conjunction between themwho sin, and those who are punished for their sins. And two things belong unto. this conjunction: 1. Especial relation; 2. Especial mu- tual interest. I. There is an especial relation required unto this translation of punishment. Such as that between pa-. rents and children, as in most of the instances be- fore given; or between a king and subjects, as in the caseof David. Hereby the persons sinning and those suffering, are constituted one body, wherein if one member offend, another may justly suffer. The back may answer for what the hands take away. It consists in mutual interest. Those whose sins are punished in others, have such an interest in them as that their being so, is a punishment unto themselves. Therefore are such sinners threatened with the punish- ment and evils that shall befal their posterity or child- ren for their sakes, which is highly penal unto them- selves. Numb. xiv. 33. Your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoras. The punishment due to their sins is in part transferred unto their children, and therein did the sting of their ownpunishment also consist. 3. There is a greater, a more intimate conjunction, a nearer relation, an higher mutual interest between Christand the church, than ever was or can be between any other person or relations in the world, whereon it became just and equal in the sight of God, that he should suffer for us, and that what he did and suffered should be imputed unto us, which is farther to be cleared. Thereneither is nor can be any more than a three- fold conjunction between diverse, distinct persons. The first is natural, the second is moral, whereunto I refer that which is spiritual or mystical: and the third federal, by virtue of mutual compact. In all these ways is Christ . in conjunction with his church, and in every one of them in a way singular and peculiar. 1. The first conjunctionofdistinct persons is natural. God bath made all mankind of one blood, Acts xvii. 26. whereby there is a cognation and alliance between them all. Hence every man is every man's brother and neighbour, unto whom loving kindness is to be showed. Luke x. 36. And this conjunction was be- tween Christ and the church; as the apostle declares. . Heb. ii. 14, 15. ,{ Forasmuch as the children are par.
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