On the considerations insisted on, whereby the Lord Christ became one mystical Person with the Church, or bare the Person of the Church in what he did as Mediator, in the Holy Wise disposal of God as the Author of the Law, the supreme Rector or Governor of all mankind, as unto their Temporal and Eternal concernments, and by his own consent, the sins of all the Elect were imputed unto him. This having been the Faith and Language of the Church in all Ages, and that derived from and founded in express Testimonies of Scripture, with all the Promises and Presignations of his Exhibition in the flesh from the beginning, cannot now with any Modesty be expressly denied. Wherefore the Socinians themselves grant that our sins may be said to be imputed unto Christ, and he to undergo the punishment of them, so far as that all things which befell him Evil and Afflictive in this life, with the Death which he underwent, were occasioned by our sins. For had not we sinned, there had been no need of, nor occasion for his suffering. But notwithstanding this concession they expressly deny his satisfaction, or that properly he underwent the punishment due unto our sins; wherein they deny also all Imputation of them unto him. Others say that our sins were imputed unto him, quoad reatum poenae, but not quoad reatum culpae. But I must acknowledge that unto me this distinction gives inanem sine meant sonum. The substance of it is much insisted on by Fevardentius, Dialog. 5. pag. 467. And he is followed by others. That which he would prove by it, is, That the Lord Christ did not present himself before the Throne of God, with the burden of our sins upon him, so as to answer unto the Justice of God for them. Whereas therefore reatus, or guilt, may signify either Dignitatem poenae ⟨p. 277⟩or obligationem ad poenam, as Bellarmine distinguisheth, de Amiss. Grat. lib. 7. cap. 7. with respect unto Christ, the latter only is to be admitted. And the main Argument he and others insist upon, is this; That if our sins be imputed unto Christ, as unto the guilt of the fault, as they speak, then he must be polluted with them, and thence be denominated a sinner in every kind. And this would be true, if our sins could be Communicated unto Christ by Transfusion, so as to be his inherently and subjectively. But their being so only by Imputation gives no countenance unto any such pretence.
On the considerations insisted on, whereby the Lord Christ became one mystical Person with the Church, or bare the Person of the Church in what he did as Mediator, in the Holy Wise disposal of God as the Authour of the Law, the supreme Rector or Governour of all mankind, as unto their Temporal and Eternal concernments, and by his own consent, the sins of all the Elect were imputed unto him. This having been the Faith and Language of the Church in all Ages, and that derived from and founded in express Testimonies of Scripture, with all the Promises and Presignations of his Exhibition in the flesh from the beginning, cannot now with any Modesty be expresly denied. Wherefore the Socinians themselves grant that our sins may be said to be imputed unto Christ, and he to undergo the punishment of them, so far as that all things which befell him Evil and Afflictive in this life, with the Death which he underwent, were occasioned by our sins. For had not we sinned, there had been no need of, nor occasion for his suffering. But notwithstanding this concession they expresly deny his satisfaction, or that properly he underwent the punishment due unto our sins; wherein they deny also all Imputation of them unto him. Others say that our sins were imputed unto him, quoad reatum poenae, but not quoad reatum culpae. But I must acknowledge that unto me this distinction gives inanem sine mente sonum. The substance of it is much insisted on by Feuardentius, Dialog. 5. pag. 467. And he is followed by others. That which he would prove by it, is, That the Lord Christ did not present himself before the Throne of God, with the burden of our sins upon him, so as to answer unto the Justice of God for them. Whereas therefore reatus, or guilt, may signifie either Dignitatem poenae ⟨p. 277⟩or obligationem ad poenam, as Bellarmine distinguisheth, de Amiss. Grat. lib. 7. cap. 7. with respect unto Christ, the latter only is to be admitted. And the main Argument he and others insist upon, is this; That if our sins be imputed unto Christ, as unto the guilt of the fault, as they speak, then he must be polluted with them, and thence be denominated a sinner in every kind. And this would be true, if our sins could be Communicated unto Christ by Transfusion, so as to be his inherently and subjectively. But their being so only by Imputation gives no countenance unto any such pretence.
