two-fold manner of guilt, either such as growes out of sin inherent, which is the deserving of punishment, as it is in us: or such as growes out of sin imputed, and that not by reason of union naturall; as the guilt of Adams sin is imputed unto us (which manner of imputation likewise is the foundation of punishment deserved) but voluntary by way of vadimonie and susception. And so guilt is only a free and willing obnoxiousnesse unto that punishment which another hath deserved. In an ordinary course of providence it is true, the sonne shall not beare the punishment of the Fathers sin; because he is altogether personally distinct, he is not appointed so to doe, as Christ was, he is not able to bear them so as to take them off from his Father, as Christ did ours, and already hath too many of his own to beare: but this was no naturall or unchangeable Law, and if the will of the Sonne go along with the Father in sinning, it is not strange, not unusuall for him to suffer for his Fathers and his own sin together, as for the continuation of the same offence. More particularly for resolution of the question, whether an innocent person may suffer for the guilty, we must note, first that God out of his dominion over all things, may cast paines upon an innocent person, as it is manifest he did upon Christ, who suffered most grievous things, and death it selfe; And what ground of complaint could any creature have against God, if he should have created it in fire, and made the place of its habitation, the instrument of its pain? Do not we our selves without cruelty, upon many occasions put creatures that have not offended us, unto pain?
Secondly, it is not universally against equity for one to suffer the punishment of anothers sin: We see the Infants of Sodome, Babylon, Egypt, of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, were involved in the punishment of those sins of which themselves were not guilty. The Lord reserveth to himselfe the punishment of the Fathers upon the children. Exod. 20. 5. and 34. 7.Lam. 5.7.
2 Sam. 12. 13,14. He punished the sinnes of three hundred and ninetie yeares all together. Ezek. 4, 2, 5. Cham committed the sinne, and yet Canaan was cursed for it, Gen. 9. 22, 25. The sin was Gehezi's alone, and yet the Leprosie cleaved not to him only, but to his posterity. 2 King. 5. 27. For the sin of Saul, his sons are hanged up before the Lord. 2 Sam. 21. 8, 14. Achan trespassed alone, but he perished not alone, but his sons and his daughters, and all that he had with him. Josh. 7. 24.The
