count of the disobedience of the one, we are made sinners, or subjected to death; and

that

upon the account of the obedience or righteousness of the other, we are made righteous, or favoured with the hope of rising again. It is not necessary, in order to justify the use of this word in these cases, that we should maintain, either that when Adam sinned, we, strictly speaking, sinned in him; or that when Christ obeyed the will or law of God, we actually obeyed in him it is enough to that purpose, if it be allowed, in the one case, that we suffer upon the account of Adam's disobedience; in the other, if we receive any favours upon the account of our Lord's obedience or righteousness. As to 'impu'tation of our sins to Christ:' I know not, that any thing more is intended by it, than that, as he undertook to procure for us the remission of our sins, they may be said so fur to have been placed to his account. However, if any persons have fixed any other ideas to the word, when applied to the subject before us; I leave them to defend such application of it as well as they can. That some Christians have

* Mr. Taylor's Paraphrase on Rom. v. 10.

drawn consequences very hurtful to virtue and piety from the doctrine of the imputation of our sins to Christ, and of his righteousness to us, is, I am afraid, too true : but that is no more an argument against the doctrine itself, than it is against that of the grace of God, which hath so much abounded towards us in Jesus Christ, that some (as it is probable) even in the apostles' days, took occasion from it to continue in sin. However, though the word imputation, when applied as just mentioned, does not appear to me so justly liable to exception, as some seem to think it; yet, I can truly say, that I have no particular fondness for it; and therefore can easily consent, for the sake of such of my Christian brethren, who seem to be offended at it, to lay it entirely aside: especially, if it can be shewn when rightly understood, to convey such ideas to the minds of Christians, as may justly give occasion to the drawing of consequences hurtful to virtue and piety. But whatever may be the case as to this; I am persuaded that the sufferings of Christ, considered as viearious, are so far from laying any just foundation for such consequences, that

when properly considered as such, they have a very apt and powerful tendency to lead us to the abhorrence of all moral evil, and to the practice of virtue and piety. But to go on : That the preposition 4 υπερ, when applied to Christ's dying for us, doth not signify in the place, or stead of, I have shewn (you tell us) in my Paraphrase upon the Romans, in the note

6

upon chap. v. 7.' I have carefully perused that note, and must readily own, that in some of the places there quoted,

nied:

Eg does not signify in the place, or stead of: but that it never signifies so much, when applied to Christ's dying for us, or that it does not, in any of those places, is not so clear. That it sometimes signifies in the stead of, when applied to other persons, is, I presume, what will not be desee 2 Cor. v. 20. Philem. 13. I might therefore take the liberty to say, that I know no reason, why we may not as well infer from its signifying sometimes in the stead of, that it signifies so much when applied to Christ's dying for us ; as you infer, from its signifying sometimes upon the account of, as you seem to do, that it must signify no more when applied to the

death of Christ. But not to insist upon this there are some places at least, where Væеg, though used in relation to our Lord's dying for us, seems to me to signify no less than in the stead of: of this number, though quoted by you to a different purpose, I reckon John xv. 13, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. It will be allowed, I presume, by every one that considers the context, that our Lord intended, by these words, to intimate to his disciples; as, that he who lays down his life for his friends, gives them thereby the strongest proof of his affection; so, that he himself should lay down his life for them, in such a manner, and to such an end, as a man may ordinarily be supposed to lay down his life for his friends. The question then is, in what manner, and to what end, a man may be supposed ordinarily to die for his friends? As to the end, it may be said, that he must be supposed to die for their benefit: very well. But, in what manner may he be supposed to benefit them by his death? May he be supposed to do it, by setting before them an example of patience and fortitude in suffering, or of a

steady adherence to true religion, in the midst of the greatest discouragements? Surely this cannot be for who ever heard of a man's laying down his life merely for this end, that he might thereby set his friends an example? In what manner then may he be supposed to benefit his friends, by dying for them? For my own part, I cannot so readily think of his doing it in any way, as by dying in their stead, i.e. dying for them in such a way, as by his death to save them from death.* And if

* If it should be observed here, that a person may be said to lay down his life for his friends; though he suffers death, or, perhaps, only hazards his life, to save them, not from death, but only from some lesser evil with which they are threatened; as may be gathered (see your note on Rom. v. 7,) from what St. John tells us, 1 Epist. iii. 16, that Christians ought, when circumstances so réquire, to lay down their lives for their brethren, and from what St. Paul tells us of some at Rome, chap. xvi. 4, who for his life laid down their own necks: I would beg leave to observe with regard to the former words, that it does not appear, but that St. John might intend by them, that Christians should be ready, when circumstances so required, to lay down their lives in their brethren's stead, i.e. that they should be willing to part with their lives, when they had a prospect of saving thereby those of their brethren. And with regard to the other passage: though we cannot certainly say, what the apostle means, when he there tells us, that Aquila. and Priscilla laid down their necks for his life; yet we