alfo the Soul of the Son is mine: the Soul that finneth it fhall die. Ver. 5. If a Man be just and do that which is lawful and right, &c. ver. 9.-be fhall furely live, faith the Lord Gop. Ver. 10. If he beget a Son that is a Robber, a Shedder of Blood, &c. ver. 13. he [the Robber, &c.] fhall furely die, his Blood fhall be upon him. Ver. 14. Now lo, if he [the Robber and Shedder of Blood] begetteth a Son that Jeeth all his Father's Sin that he hath done, and confiders and doth not fuch like, &c. ver. 17. -be fhall not die for the Iniquity of his Father, be fhall furely live. Ver. 19. And yet say ye, why? doth not the Son [in fact] bear the Iniquity of the Father? To this the Lord GoD replies, When the Son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my Statutes, and bath done them, he fhall furely live. Ver. 20. The Soul that finneth it shall die: the Son fhall not bear the Iniquity of the Father, neither shall the Father bear the Iniquity of the Son; the Righteousness of the Righteous fhall be upon him, and the Wickedness of the Wicked fhall be upon him. Thus God proves that his Way, his Dealings with Men, was equal and just, (ver. 25, 29.) not by affirming he might justly impute the Sin of the Parent to the Child, and punish him for it; but by declaring that he would not do fo, but would judge them, (ver. 30.) every one ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS.

AND

AND with this the Nature of the Thing concurs. For imputed Guilt, as ufed by Divines with refpect to Original Sin, is the Guilt of a Sin charged upon a Person who is not actually or perfonally guilty of it. Of the Sin he, the Perfon, is clear and innocent; he neither committed it, nor had any hand in encouraging, advising or approving it, but it might be committed fome thousands of Years before he was born; and yet it is fuppos'd to be imputed to him by the Judge, and charged upon him fo far that he is on account thereof treated as a Sinner, involv'd in Sin and Guilt as foon as he is born, and obliged to fuffer fevere Punishment in this Life, according to R. R. * and according to the Affembly of Divines, the most grievous Torments in Soul and Body in Hell-fire for ever; not because he has done any thing worthy of Punishment, but because the Judge or Govenor is pleafed to appoint it to be fo.

Con

By these two Letters I fignify the firft Edition of The Ruin and Recovery of Mankind, both Author and Book. And in Juftice to this Author, it must be obferv'd, that although he endeavours to maintain the common Doctrine of Original Sin, fo far as relates to the Imputation of Adam's Guilt, the Miseries of this Life, and the moral Corruption of our Nature, yet he doth not espouse that Affertion, that Adam's Sin and Fall render'd either Adam himself or his Pofterity justly liable to the moft grievous Torments in Soul and Body without Intermiffion in Hell-fire for ever; but very judiciously, in my Mind, fuggefts, that the Death threatened to Adam was a Forfeiture of Exiftence, &c. p. 197.

Confequently, the Obligation to Punishment doth not refult from TRUTH, EQUITY OF JUSTICE; but from the mere WILL of the Governour, who by this Rule is at Liberty to fuppofe Men to be what actually and really they are not; and has a Right to bring them under Obligation to the most dreadful Punishment by mere arbitrary Will, when he knows they are actually and perfonally undeferving of any Punishment, Punishment, And therefore I do not wonder, that the Scripture not only never affirms, but on the contrary exprefly removes from the Divine Proceedings, the Imputation of Guilt in a Senfe so remote from all Reafon, Truth and Equity.

FURTHER, Adam's Sin is never in Scripture faid to be imputed to his Pofterity. This R. R. acknowledges, p. 403. 1. 10. The Scripture, faith he, does not, as I remember, any where in express Words affert, that the Sin of Adam is imputed to his Children, &c. Indeed he tells us in the fame Place, that he thinks the Senfe and true Meaning of this Expreffion, that Adam's Sin is imputed to his Children, is fufficiently found in Scripture. But how can any Meaning of this Expreffion be found in Scripture, by any juft and authentic Rule of Interpretation, when the Scripture always ules imputing Sin in a Senfe directly inconfiftent with it? For the Scripture never fpeaks of imputing any Act of Righteousness or Sin

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to any Perfon, but what is the Act of that Perfon to whom it is imputed either for Righteousness or Condemnation; therefore we can fix no Meaning to this Expreffion, Adam's Sin is imputed to his Children, which the Scripture will justify. For which Reason, I don't think he has explain'd any Doctrine of Scripture in the Effay he has wrote to explain the Doctrine of imputed Sin and Righteoufness; because he has not confin'd himself to the Scripture Account, but has suppos'd both Sin and Righteoufnefs to be imputed, not only where the Scripture never faith they are imputed, but also in a Sense which the Scripture discountenances. But I fhall purfue this Point no further; because I am in doubt whether it be R. R's Meaning, that he is fully fatisfy'd the Senfe of this Expreffion, That Adam's Sin is imputed to his Children, is fufficiently found in any Part of Scripture: Otherwife furely he would not have faid, (p. 88. 1. 1.) I must confefs I am not fond of fuch a Scheme or Hypothefis of deriving fome Sort of Guilt, (by Imputation, fee p. 85. 1. 6.) from a Surety or Representative, tho' I know it has been embrac'd by a confiderable Party of Chrif tians ancient and modern. No; I would gladly renounce it, because of fome great Difficulties attending it, if I could find any other Way to relieve the much greater Difficulties, and barder Imputations upon the Conduct of Providence, which will attend this Enquiry, if we followe

follow any other Track of Sentiment.-This doth not feem to be the Language of one perfuaded that the Imputation of Adam's Sin to his Pofterity is a Doctrine of Scripture, or fufficiently found there. But to proceed,

To fupport the common Notion of imputed Guilt, the Vindicator brings feveral Cafes, or Facts wherein, he fays, God has actually PUNISHED the Crimes of Parents upon their Children and Posterity, p. 7,-13. and he adds a Confirmation from human Tranfactions. To which I anfwer, 'tis true, many Inftances may be brought out of all Parts of Life where Children do, and must of Course SUFFER for the Misconduct of their Parents or Ancestors. When the Father by his Virtue gets an Estate or Honour, he leaves it to his Pofterity, and they enjoy or perhaps abufe it, till one or other of them forfeits or fquanders it away; he cannot convey what he has not, and therefore the following Pofterity, of course are reduc'd, not to a State of PUNISHMENT, but to the fame naked Condition in which the Family was before the Estate or Honour was got. Temporal Eftates and Honours are Things alienable from Pofterity by Law, and the former even by the Will and Deed of the prefent Poffeffor: But Innocence can be alienated by no Law, Power, Authority or Perfon whatsoever, except the Perfon to whom it belongs. He may change