Wesley Corpus

So the Jews: ‘His blood be on us and on our children;’ let us and our children be punished for it ! “Or if a criminal had incurred the penalty of imprison ment, and the State were to permit a friend of his to become his surety, and to be confined in his room, then his crime is said to be imputed to his surety, or to be laid upon him; he bears the iniquity of his friend, by suffering for him. Mean time the crime for which the surety now suffers, is not imputed to the real offender.” (Page 430.) “And should we suppose the Prince to permit this surety to exert himself in some eminent service, to which a reward is promised; and all this in order to entitle the criminal to the promised reward: Then this eminent service may be said to be imputed to the criminal, that is, he is rewarded on the account of it. So in this case, both what his friend has done and suffered is imputed to him. “If a man do some eminent service to his Prince, and he with his posterity are dignified on account of it; then the service performed by the father is said to be imputed to the children also.” (Page 431.) “Now, if, among the histories of nations, we find anything of this kind, do we not easily understand what the writers say? Why then do we judge these phrases, when they are found in the inspired writers, to be so hard to be understood? “But it may be asked, “How can the acts of the parent’s treason be imputed to his little child, since those acts were quite out of the reach of an infant, nor was it possible for him to commit them?” “Or, “How can the eminent service performed by a father be imputed to his child, who is but an infant?’ “I answer: 1. Those acts of treason, or acts of service, are, by a common figure, said to be imputed to the children, when they suffer or enjoy the consequences of their father’s treason or eminent service; though the particular actions of treason or service could not be practised by the children. This would easily be understood, should it occur in a human history: And why not, when it occurs in the sacred writings? “I answer: 2.