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ledge that fome fins of ignorance and infirmity may confift with AR T. a ftate of grace; which is either quite destroyed, or at least much eclipfed and clouded by other fins, that are more heinous in their nature, and more deliberately gone about. It is in this fense that the word deadly fin is to be understood in the Article for though in the ftrictnefs of juftice every fin is deadly, yet in the difpenfation of the Gofpel, thofe fins are only deadly, that do deeply wound the confcience, and that drive away grace. Another term in the Article needs alfo to be a little explained; the fin against the Holy Ghost; concerning which, fince there is fo fevere a fentence pronounced by Chrift, it is neceflary that it be rightly understood; and that can only be done by confidering the occafion of those words, as well as the words themselves. Chrift wrought fuch miracles in the fight of his enemies, that when there was no room left for any other cavil, they betook themselves to that, that he did not caft out Matt. xii. devils but by Belzebub, the prince of devils. And this was the 24, 31. occafion that led our Saviour to fpeak of the fin or blafphemy against the Holy Ghost. It was their rejecting the cleareft evidence that God could give to prove any thing by the power by which those miracles were wrought, and which was afterwards communicated to the Apoftles, is called through the whole New Teftament, the Holy Ghost. By which is not to be meant here the third Perfon of the Trinity, but the wonderful effufion of thofe extraordinary gifts and powers that were then communicated, the economy and difpenfation of which is faid to be derived from that one Spirit. This was the utmost proof that could be given of truth: and when men fet themselves to blafpheme this, and to afcribe the works of Christ to a collufion with the devil, they did thereby fo wilfully oppofe God, and reproach his power, they did fo ftifle their own conviction, and fet themfelves against the conviction of others, that nothing could be done farther for their conviction; this being the highest degree of evidence and proof: and this was fo high an indignity to God, when he defcended fo far to fatisfy their fcruples, that it was not to be pardoned; as their impenitence and incredulity was fo obftinate as not to be overcome.

Upon this occafion given, our Saviour makes a difference between their blafpheming him, and, instead of owning him to be the Meffias, calling him a deceiver, a glutton, and a winebibber; of which, upon hearing his doctrine, and feeing his life, they were ftill guilty. This was indeed a great fin, but yet there were means left of convincing them of the truth of his being the great prophet fent of God and by these they might be fo far prevailed on as to repent and believe, and fo to obtain pardon: but when they had thofe means fet before them, when they faw plain and uncontefted iniracles done be

N 4

:

fore

XVI.

ART. fore them; and when, instead of yielding to them, that fet up fuch an oppofition to them, which might have been as reafonably faid of every miracle that could have been wrought, then it was not poffible to convince them. This is an impious rejecting of the higheft method that God himself ufes for proving a thing to us. The fcorn put upon it, as it flows from a nature fo depraved, that it cannot be wrought on; fo it is a fin not to be pardoned. All things of extreme feverity in a doctrine that is fo full of grace and mercy as the Gospel is, ought to be restrained as much as may be. From thence we infer, that those dreadful words of our Saviour's ought to be reftrained to the fubject to which they are applied, and ought not to be carried farther. Since miracles have ceased, no man is any more capable of this fin.

Thefe terms being thus explained, the queftion in the Article is now to be explained. There are words in St. John's Epiftle and elsewhere, that feem to import, that men born of God, John iii. that is to fay baptized or regenerated Chriftians, fin not: Who6, 9. v. 18. foever abideth in him, finneth not: Whosoever finneth hath not feen bim, neither known him: Whosoever is born of God doth not com mit fin, for his feed remaineth in him; and he cannot fin, for he is born of God. This is again repeated in the end of that Epiftle, together with thefe words, He that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. As thefe words feem to import that a true Chriftian fins not, fo in the Epiftle Heb. vi. 4, to the Hebrews it is faid to be impoffible to renew again by repen5, 6. tance, those who fall away, after they had been once enlightened and bad tafted of the heavenly gift, had been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and had tafted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. Upon thefe expreffions and fome others, though not quite of their force, it was, that in the primitive Church, fome that fell after baptifm, were caft out of the communion of the Church; and though they were not cut off from all hopes of the mercy of God, yet they were never reftored to the peace of the Church; this was done in Tertullian's time, if what he fays on this fubject is not to be reckoned as a piece of his Montanifm.

But foon after, there were great contefts upon this head, while the Novatians withdrew from the communion of the Church, and believed it was defiled by the receiving of apoftates into it: though that was not done fo eafily as fome propofed, but after a long feparation and a fevere courfe of penance. Upon this followed all thofe penitentiary Canons concerning the feveral measures and degrees of penance, and that not only for acts of apoftafy from the Chriftian religion, but for all other crying fins. According to what has been already faid upon the former Articles, it has appeared that the fanctification

of

XVI.

of regenerated men is not fo perfected in this life, but that ART. there is still a mixture of defects and imperfections left in them: and the state of the new covenant is a continuance of repentance and remiffion of fins; for as oft as one fins, if he repents truly of it, and forfakes his fins, there is a ftanding offer of the pardon of all fins; and therefore Chrift has taught us to pray daily, Forgive us our fins. If there were but one general pardon offered in baptifm, this would fignify little to those who feel their infirmities, and the fins that do fo eafily befet them, fo apt to return upon them. It was no wonder if the entertaining this conceit brought in a fuperftitious error in practice among the ancient Chriftians, of delaying baptifm till death; as hoping that all fins were then certainly pardoned: a much more dangerous error than eve the fatal one of trusting to a death-bed repentance. For baptifm might have been more eafily compaffed; and there was more offered in the way of argument for building upon it, than has been offered at for a death-bed repentance.

St. Peter's denial, his repentance, and his being restored to his apoftolical dignity, seem to be recorded, partly on this account, to encourage us, even after the most heinous offences, to return to God, and never to reckon our condition defperate, were our fins ever fo many, but as we find our hearts hardened in them into an obftinate impenitency. Our Saviour has made our pardoning the offences that others commit against us, the measure upon which we may expect pardon from God; and he being asked, what limits he fet to the number of the faults that we were bound to pardon, by the day, if feven was not enough, he carried it up to feventy times feven, a vast number, far beyond the number of offences that any man will in all probability commit against another in a day. But if they should grow up to all that vast number of 490, yet if our brother still turns again and repents, we are still bound to forgive, Now Luke xvii, fince this is joined with what he declared, that if we pardoned 4. our brother his offences, our heavenly Father would alfo forgive Matt, xviii. us, then we may depend upon this, that according to the fin-35. cerity of our repentance, our fins are always forgiven us. And if this is the nature of the new Covenant, then the Church, which is a fociety formed upon it, muft proportion the rules both of her communion and cenfure, to thofe fet in the Gospel: a heinous fin must give us a deeper forrow, and higher degrees of repentance; fcandals muft alfo be taken off and forgiven, when the offending perfons have repaired the offence that was given by them, with fuitable degrees of forrow. St. Paul in the beginnings of Chriftianity, in which it being yet tender and not well known to the world, was more apt to be both blemifhed and corrupted, did yet order the Corinthians to receive 1 Cor. v. 5.

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z Cor. ii. 7.

ART. back into their communion the incestuous perfon, whom by his own directions they had delivered to Satan, they had excommunicated him, and, by way of reverse to the gifts of the Holy Ghoft poured out upon all Chriftians, he was poffeffed or haunted with an evil spirit: and yet as St. Paul declares that he forgave him, so he orders them to forgive him likewise; and he gives a reafon for this conduct, from the common principles of pity and humanity, left he should be fwallowed up by overmuch forrow. What is in that place mentioned only in a particular inftance, is extended to a general rule in the Épiftle Gal. vi. 1. to the Galatians: If any one is overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual restore fuch a one in the spirit of meekness, confidering thyself left thou also be tempted. Where both the fuppofition that is made, and the reason that is given, do plainly infinuate that all men are fubject to their feveral infirmities; fo that every man may be overtaken in faults. The charge given to Timothy and Titus to rebuke, and exhort, does fuppofe that Chriftians, and even Bishops and Deacons, were subject to faults that might deferve correction.

2 Tim. iv.

2.

Tit. i. 13.

1 John v. 16.

16.

In that paffage cited out of St. John's Epiftle, as mention is made of a fin unto death, for which they were not to pray, fo Jam. v. 15, mention is made both there and in St. James's Epiftle of fins for which they were to pray, and which upon their prayers were to be forgiven. All which places do not only exprefs this to be the tenor of the new Covenant, that the fins of regenerated perfons were to be pardoned in it, but they are alfo clear precedents and rules for the Churches to follow them in their difcipline. And therefore those words in St. John, that a man born of God doth not and cannot fin, must be understood in a larger fenfe, of their not living in the practice of known fins ; of their not allowing themfelves in that course of life, nor going on deliberately with it.

By, the fin unto death, is meant the fame thing with that apoitaly mentioned in the 6th of the Hebrews. Among the Jews fome fins were punifhed by a total excifion or cutting off, and this probably gave the rife to that defignation of a fin Heb. vi. 6. unto death. The words in the Epiftle to the Hebrews do plainly import thefe who being not only baptized, but having alfo received a fhare of the extraordinary effufion of the Holy Ghost, had totally renounced the Chriftian religion, and apoftatized from the faith, which was a crucifying of Chrift anew. Such apoftates to Judaifm were thereby involved in the crime and guilt, of the crucifying of Chrift, and the putting him to open fhame. Now perfons fo apoftatizing could not be renewed again by repentance, it not being poffible to do any thing toward their conviction that had not been already done; and they hardening themselves against all that was offered for their conviction,

were

were arrived at fuch a degree in wickednefs, that it was im- ART. poffible to work upon them; there was nothing left to be tried,, XVI. that had not been already tried, and proved to be ineffectual. Yet it is to be observed, that it was an unjuftifiable piece of rigour, to apply these words to all fuch as had fallen in a time of trial and perfecution: for as they had not those miraculous means of conviction, which must be acknowledged to be the ftrongeft, the fenfibleft, and the moft eafily apprehended of all arguments; fo that they could not fin fo heinously as thofe had done, who, after what they had feen and felt, revolted from the faith.

Great difference is alfo to be made between a deliberate fin that a man goes into upon choice, and in which he continues; and a fin that the fears of death and the infirmities of human nature betray him into, and out of which he quickly recovers himself, and for which he mourns bitterly. There was no reason to apply what is faid in the New Teftament against the wicked apoftates of that time, to those who were overcome in the perfecution. The latter finned grievously; yet it was not in the fame kind, nor are they in any fort to be compared to the former. All affectations of exceffive severity look like pharifaical hypocrify; whereas the Spirit of Chrift, which is made up of humility and charity, will make us look fo fevercly to ourfelves, that on that very account we will be gentle even to the failings of others.

Yet, on the other hand, the Church ought to endeavour to conform herself fo far to her head, and to his doctrine, as to note 2 Theff. iii. those who obey not the Gospel, and to have no company with them, 6, 14, 15. that they may be ashamed: yet not so as to hate fuch a one, or count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother. Into what neglect or proftitution foever any Church may have fallen in this great point of feparating offenders, of making them ashamed, and of keeping others from being corrupted with their ill example and bad influence, that must be confeffed to be a very great defect and blemish. The Church of Rome had flackened all the ancient rules of difcipline, and had perverted this matter in a moft fcandalous manner; and the world is now funk into fo much corruption, and to fuch a contempt of holy things, that it is much more eafy here to find matter for lamentation, than to see how to remedy or correct it.

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