"sinner," as our author supposes, in the Old Testament, 'tis evident
supposition of fault. And it does not appear, that the verb in hiphil, "hirshiang," is ever put for condemn, in any other sense than condemning for sin, or guilt, or supposed guilt, belonging to the subject condemned. This word is used, in the participle of "hiphil," to signify "condemning" in Prov. 17:15. "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even both are an abomination to the Lord." This Dr. Taylor observes, as if it were to his purpose, when he is endeavoring to shew, that in this place in the 5th of Romans, the Apostle speaks of God himself as condemning the just, or perfectly innocent, in a parallel-signification of terms. Nor is any instance produced, wherein the verb "sin," which is used by the Apostle when he says, "all have sinned," is anywhere used in our author's sense, for being brought into a state of suffering, and that not as a punishment for sin, or as anything arising from God's displeasure; much less for being the subject of what comes only as the fruit of divine love, and as a favor of the highest nature. Nor can anything like this sense of the verb be found in the whole Bible.
2. If there had been anything like such an use of the words "sin" and "sinner," as our author supposes, in the Old Testament, 'tis evident that such an use of them is quite alien from the language of the New Testament. Where can an instance be produced, of anything like it, in any one place, besides what is pretended in this? And particularly, where else shall we find these words and phrases used in such a sense, in any of this Apostle's writings? We have enough of his writings, by which to learn his language and way of speaking about sin, condemnation, punishment, death and suffering. He wrote much more of the New Testament, than any other person. He very often has occasion to speak of condemnation; but where does he express it by "being made sinners"? Especially how far is he elsewhere from using such a phrase, to signify a being condemned without guilt, or any imputation or supposition of guilt, or atonement for guilt? Vastly
more still is it remote from his language, so to use the verb "sin," and to say, "man sinneth, or has sinned," though hereby meaning nothing more nor less, than that he, by a judicial act is condemned, on the foot of a dispensation of grace, to receive a great favor! He abundantly uses the words "sin" and "sinner"; his writings are full of such terms: but where else does he use them in such a sense? He has much occasion in his epistles to speak of death, temporal and eternal; he has much occasion to speak of suffering, of all kinds, in this world, and the world to come: but where does he call these things "sin," and denominate innocent men "sinners" or say, "they have sinned," meaning that they are brought into a state of suffering? If the Apostle, because he was a Jew, was so addicted to the Hebrew idiom, as thus in one paragraph to repeat this particular Hebraism, which, at most, is comparatively rare even in the Old Testament, 'tis strange that never anything like it should appear anywhere else in his writings; and especially that he should never fall into such a way of speaking in his epistle to the Hebrews, written to Jews only, who were most used to the Hebrew idiom. And why does Christ never use such language in any of his speeches, though he was born and brought up amongst the Jews, and delivered almost all his speeches only to Jews? And why do none of the rest of the writers of the New Testament ever use it, who were all born and educated Jews (at least all excepting Luke) and some of them wrote especially for the benefit of the Jews?
'Tis worthy to be observed, what liberty is taken, and boldness used with this Apostle; such words as αμαρτολους [?], αμαρτάνω, κρίμα, κατάκρίμα, δικκαιόω, δικαίωσις and words of the same root and signification, are words abundantly used by him elsewhere in this and other epistles, and also when speaking, as he is here, of Christ's redemption and atonement, and of the general sinfulness of mankind, and of the condemnation of sinners, and of justification by