In the Demonstration of this, I shall not insist largely; Guilt is properly an obligation lying upon a Sinner to suffer punishment: and it falls upon him as soon as he hath by Sin made himself obnoxious. It properly ariseth from the relation which he bears to the Law of God. All mankind originally are the Subjects of the Law, and by the Transgression of it they are denominated Sinners, 1 Joh. 3. 4. Now there is in the Law a threatening of punishment denounced against the man, in case of his sinning; and by virtue of this threatening, as soon as the man is chargeable with Sin, he is under that Sentence by which the punishment becomes due to him, and is judicially laid upon him; and it is truly and properly the Guilt under consideration. We are to distinguish between the Sentence of the Law, and of the Judge; the former renders the man Guilty in his state, the latter doth but declare him to be so, and accordingly adjudge him to punishment; the Verdict of the Jury doth not make the man guilty, but finds him so; and if he were not so ⟨p. 48⟩before, it is a false Verdict. Now this must needs be an heavy weight; and will appear so, if we consider, that the whole punishment that is due to, and deserved by sin, is hereby laid upon the Sinner, and he is held fast to the suffering of it: and he that shall read a• the Curses of the Law, and the fearful thing• that are therein threatened must needs say th• they are unconceivably heavy, and enough […] make the stoutest Sinner to sink under them […] these, when they shall come to be born, will […] found unsupportable: and it must needs be ve• oppressive to have them charged upon the ma• so as Guilt doth; for a man to read over […] the Curses of the book of God, and have […] Conscience to tell him, this is thy portion, th• art the man against whom this doom is out, a• must expect every moment when it will f• upon thee, is extremely oppressive: and y• this is the nature of Guilt; but this will […] farther illustrated in the next thing.
In the Demonstration of this, I shall not insist largely; Guilt is properly an obligation lying upon a Sinner to suffer punishment: and it falls upon him as soon as he hath by Sin made himself obnoxious. It properly ariseth from the relation which he bears to the Law of God. All mankind originally are the Subjects of the Law, and by the Transgression of it they are denominated Sinners, 1 Joh. 3. 4. Now there is in the Law a threatning of punishment denounced against the man, in case of his sinning; and by vertue of this threatning, as soon as the man is chargeable with Sin, he is under that Sentence by which the punishment becomes due to him, and is judicially laid upon him; and it is truly and properly the Guilt under consideration. We are to distinguish between the Sentence of the Law, and of the Judge; the former renders the man Guilty in his state, the latter doth but declare him to be so, and accordingly adjudge him to punishment; the Verdict of the Jury doth not make the man guilty, but finds him so; and if he were not so ⟨p. 48⟩before, it is a false Verdict. Now this must needs be an heavy weight; and will appear so, if we consider, that the whole punishmen• that is due to, and deserved by sin, is hereby laid upon the Sinner, and he is held fast to the suffering of it: and he that shall read a• the Curses of the Law, and the fearful thing• that are therein threatned must needs say th• they are unconceivably heavy, and enough 〈…〉 make the stoutest Sinner to sink under them 〈…〉 these, when they shall come to be born, will 〈…〉 found unsupportable: and it must needs be ve• oppressive to have them charged upon the ma• so as Guilt doth; for a man to read over 〈…〉 the Curses of the book of God, and have 〈…〉 Conscience to tell him, this is thy portion, th• art the man against whom this doom is out, a• must expect every moment when it will f• upon thee, is extreamly oppressive: and y• this is the nature of Guilt; but this will 〈…〉 farther illustrated in the next thing.
