35.

ART. joined with what he declared, that if we pardoned our XVI. brother his offences, our beavenly Father would also forgive

us, then we may depend upon this, that according to the Matt. xviii. fincerity 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, must proportion the rules both of her communion and cenfure to thofe fet in the Gofpel: a heinous fin muft give us a deeper forrow, and higher degrees of repentance; fcandals must also 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 blemished and corrupted, did yet order the Corinthians to receive back into their communion the inceftuCor. v. 5. ous 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 fpirit: and yet as St. Paul declares that he forgave him, fo he orders them to forgive him likewife; and he gives a reafon for this conduct, from the common princiCor. ii. 7. ples of pity and humanity, left he should be swallowed up by overmuch forrow. What is in that place mentioned only in a particular inftance, is extended to a general rule Gal. vi. 1. in the Epiftle to the Galatians: If any one is overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual reflore fuch a one in the fpirit of meekness, confidering thyfelf, left thou alfo be tempted. Where both the fuppofition that is made, and the reafon 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 2 Tim. iv. 2. Titus to rebuke and exhort, does fuppofe that Chriftians, Tit. i. 13. and even Bifhops and Deacons, were fubject to faults that might deferve correction.

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 mention is made both there and in St. James's Jam. v. 15, 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,

XVI.

fenfe, of their not living in the practice of known fins; ART. of their not allowing themselves in that courfe of life, nor going on deliberately with it.

By the fin unto death, is meant the fame thing with that apoftafy mentioned in the 6th of the Hebrews. Among the Jews fome fins were punished by a total excifion or cutting off, and this probably gave the rife to that defignation of a fin unto death. The words in the Epiftle to the Hebrews do plainly import those who being not Heb. vi. 6. only baptized, but having alfo received a fhare of the extraordinary effufion of the Holy Ghoft, had totally renounced the Chriftian religion, and apoftatized from the faith, which was a crucifying of Chrift anew. Such apoftates to Judaism were thereby involved in the crime and guilt of the crucifying of Chrift, and the putting him to open fame. 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 arrived at such a degree in wickednefs, that it was impoffible to work upon them; there was nothing left to be tried, 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 most eafily apprehended of all arguments; fo 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 reafon 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 feverity look like. pharifaical hypocrify; whereas the Spirit of Chrift, which is made up of humility and charity, will make us look fo feverely to ourselves, that on that very account we will be gentle even to the failings of others.

Yet, on the other hand, the Church ought to endea

ART.
XVI.

2 Theff. iii.

6, 14, 15.

vour to conform herself so far to her head, and to his doctrine, as to note those who obey not the Gospel, and to have no company with them, that they may be ashamed: yet not fo as to bate fuch a one, or count him as an enemy, but to admonifh bim as a brother. Into what neglect or prostitution foever any Church may have fallen in this great point of feparating offenders, of making them afhamed, 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 most scandalous manner; and the world is now funk into fo much corruption, and to such 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.

7

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XVII.

Of Predeftination and Election.

Predeftination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the World were laid) he hath conlkantip decreed by his Counfel, fecret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation, those whom he hath chosen in Chrift out of mankind, and to bring them bp Christ unto everlafting Salvation as vellels made to honour. Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called accozding to God's purpose, by his Spirit working in due feason. They through grace obey the calling, thep be juftified freely, thep be made Sons of God by Adoption, thep be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Chzik: Thep walk religiouäp in good works, and at length by God's mezcy they attain to everlasting felicity.

As the godly confideration of Predeftination and our Cleaion in Chrift is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and fuch as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Chrisk, moztifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their Faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Chriff, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God : So for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Chrifk, to have continually before their Epes the sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thult them either into defpezation, or into wzetchlefness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation.

Furthermore, We mult receive God's promiles in such wile, as they be genezally fet forth to us in holy Scripture: And in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have expzefsly declared unto us in the Word of God.

THERE

THE

HERE are many things in feveral of the other Articles which depend upon this; and therefore I will explain it more fully: for as this has given occafion to one of the longest, the fubtileft, and indeed the moft intricate. of all the questions in divinity; fo it will be neceffary to open and examine it as fully as the importance and difficulties of it do require. In treating of it, I fhall,

Firft, State the queftion, together with the confequences that arise out of it.

Secondly, Give an account of the differences that have arifen upon it.

Thirdly, I fhall fet out the ftrength of the opinions of the contending parties, with all poffible impartiality and exactnefs.

Fourthly, I fhall fhew how far they agree, and how far they differ; and fhall fhew what reafon there is for bearing with one another's opinions in these matters; and in the

Fifth and laft place, I fhall confider how far we of this Church are determined by this Article, and how far we are at liberty to follow any of thofe different opinions.

The whole controverfy may be reduced to this fingle point as its head and fource: Upon what views did God form his purpofes and decrees concerning mankind? Whether he did it merely upon a defign of advancing his own glory, and for manifefting his own attributes, in order to which he fettled the great and univerfal scheme of his whole creation and providence? Or whether he confidered all the free motions of thofe rational agents that he did intend to create, and according to what he forefaw they would choofe and do, in all the various circumftances in which he might put them, formed his decrees? Here the controverly begins; and when this is fettled, the three main questions that arife out of it will be foon determined.

The firft is, Whether both God and Christ intended that Chrift fhould only die for that particular number whom God intended to fave? Or whether it was intended that he fhould die for all, fo that every man that would, might have the benefit of his death, and that no man was excluded from it, but because he willingly rejected it?

The fecond is, Whether thofe affiftances, that God gives to men to enable them to obey him, are of their own na ture fo efficacious and irrefiftible, that they never fail of producing the effect for which they are given? Or, whether they are only fufficient to enable a man to obey God; fo that their efficacy comes from the freedom of the

will,