Wesley Corpus

The effects also which took place upon the execution of the ordinance indicate a translation of guilt; for the congregation was cleansed, but the goat was pol luted: The congregation so cleansed, that their iniquities were borne away, and to be found no more; the goat so polluted that it communicated defilement to the person who conducted it into a land not inhabited.” (Theron and Aspasio.) In truth, the scape-goat was a figure of Him “on whom the Lord laid the iniquities of us all.” (Isai. liii.6.) “He bore our iniquity.” (Verse 11.) “He bare the sin of many.” (Verse 12.) The Prophet uses three different words in the original; of which the first does properly signify the meeting together ; the last, the lifting up a weight or burden. This burden it was which made him “sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.” “But iniquity and sin sometimes signify suffer $ngs.” (Supplement, pp. 8, 9.) Yes, suffering for sin; the effect being put for the cause. Accordingly, what we mean by, “Our sins “were imputed to him, is, He was punished for them: ‘He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities.’ He, ‘who knew no sin,” but what was thus imputed, ‘was made sin,” a sin-offering, ‘for us.’” “It pleased the Lord” (your own words) “to bruise him, in order to the expiation of our sins.” (Pages 10, 11.) “But with regard to parents and their posterity, God assures us, children ‘shall not die for the iniquity of their fathers.’” No, not eternally. I believe none ever did, or ever will, die eternally, merely for the sin of our first father. “But the Scripture never speaks of imputing any sin to any person, but what is the act of that person.” (Pages 13, 14.) It was but now you yourself observed, that, by, “Our sins were imputed to Christ,” we mean, “He suffered for them.” Our sins, then, were imputed to Christ; and yet these sins were not the act of the person that suffered. He did not commit the sin which was thus imputed to him.