The Nature of Sin,] Whatever is not of Faith is Sin. Rom xiv. 23. "They that are carnal, faith Ignatius, cannot do the things "that be spiritual; neither can unbelief do the works of Faith." Alfo St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Barnard, Irenæus, and all the Primitive Fathers, confent to this article,-See Homily on good works, &c. And yet all thofe arguments, although a thoufand times repeated, would not convince or convert one of thefe blind finners, or moralifts, from the error of their ways except God the Holy Ghoft fet it home to their hearts.

ART. XIV. Of Works of Supererogation.

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OLUNTARY Works befides, over and above God's commandments, which they call Works of Supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare, That they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his fake, than of bounden duty is required: Whereas Chrift faith plainly, when ye have done all that are commanded to you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants.

The works of Supererogation, &c.] "Are the fubverfion of God"linefs and true religion, and cannot be held without arrogancy and impiety." Josh. i. 7. Ezek. xx. 19. As the law of God is perfect in every part, and requires us to do every good work: we are commanded to love God with all our heart, foul, and ftrength, &c. Luke x. 27. And fince that law is the impul five caufe of our performing every good work, what room is there for works of fupererogation? or, how can a man be more perfect than the law of God, which is the exact rule of all perfection? Be ye perfect (fays Chrift) as your Father which is is Heaven is perfect, Matt. v. 48. So far is any man from being more good than he ought to be: and from whence then can come his works of fupererogation? Not at all. "We have nought to glory in, (faith St. Cyprian) fince nothing is our

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❝ own

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own, it is all given us from heaven, whatever we have." John iii. 27. And therefore we have need daily to pray, faying, Forgive us our debts, &c. He that exalteth himself shall be abafed, &c. Read Luke xviii. 10-14. and xvii. 7-10. Mark xxviii. 20.

ART. XV. Of Chrift alone without Sin.

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HRIST, in the truth of our nature, was

made like unto us in all things (fin only except) from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his fpirit. He came to be the Lamb without spot, who by facrifice of himself once made, fhould take away the fins of the world: and fin (as Saint John faith) was not in him. But all we the reft (although baptized and born again in Chrift) yet offend in many things, and if we fay we have no fin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

"When the Son of God became the Son of Man (fayś "Bp. Beveridge) he fo became the Son of Man, as ftill to "remain the Son of God. He did not lay afide his Divine Na ❝ture to a affume the Human; but he affumed the human na"ture into the divine. And fo he that was perfect God as "well as perfect Man, was a perfect Man alfo, as well as per"fect God, for he was without Sin.” 1 John iii. 5. or he could not have come to destroy and take it away. See Heb. ix. 14. Without fin.] He was both conceived, and born Matt. i. 20. Luke i. 36. As a man, he lived

1 John i. 5.

without fin.

and was tempted of the Devil, yet without fin. John xiv. 30. Heb. iv. 15. 1 Per. ii. 22. 2 Cor. v. 21.

The holiest of

men that ever lived upon earth (Chrift excepted), were not without fin. St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Jude, St. James, and St. John, all acknowledge this truth, In many things we offend all. James iii. 2. And they that deny it, deceive them felves. and the truth is not in them. 1 John i. 8. St. Auguflin, Tertullian, Cyril, and others also confirm this article. D

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ART. XVI. Of Sin after Baptifm.

OT every deadly Sin, willingly committed after Baptifm, is fin against the Holy Ghoft, and unpardonable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to fuch as fall into fin after Baptifm. After we have received the Holy Ghoft, we may depart from grace given, and fall into fin, and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned, which fay, they can no more fin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.

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Not every fin:] Committed after Baptism is fin against the Holy Ghoft, as the word of God plainly fhews, yet every fin in its nature is deadly, and deserveth Gods wrath; but yet is pardonable, thro' the blood of Chrift, and a godly forrow for fin. The very regenerate, the most righteous man may fall into fin, and yet by grace rife and be forgiven. See John v. 14, viii. 11. Eph. iv. 21, 22. Col. iii. 8. Heb. iii. 1 Tim. i. 19. This is clearly manifefted in the example of David, Mannaffes, Peter, and fome of the seven Churches of Afia, Rev. i. But the blafphemy, or fin against the Holy Ghoft, fhall not be forgiven unto man. See Tillotson on Matt. xii. 31. Great are the doubts and fears of many poor Souls about this fin against the Holy Ghoft; but this is clear, that no man or woman, who hath never received the Holy Ghoft, can commit that deadly fin. But he that hath received the Holy Spirit with all its powerful influence, and afterwards falling away by little and little, at length willfully denies the whole work of the Spirit, this person fins against the Holy Ghost, and it is impoffible (faith St. Paul), to renew him again unto repentance, having crucified afresh the Lord of Life, &c. Heb. vi. 5, 6. And therefore he will never find forgiveness, nei

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ther in this world, nor in the world to come. See Matt. xii. 31, 32. Mark iii. 28. Ananias and Sopphira, 'tis faid, lyed against the Holy Ghoft, and were by Peter's words both ftruck down dead. Acts v. 1, 2. Witness alfo the remarkable cafe of Francis Spira.

ART. XVII. Of Predeftination and Election.

Redeftination to life is the everlasting purpose

of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath conftantly decreed by his Counfel, fecret to us, to deliver from curf and damnation those whom he hath chofen in Chrift out of mankind, and to bring them by Chrift to everlafting falvation, as veffels made to honour. Wherefore they which be endued with fo excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due feason they through grace obey the calling: they be juftified freely: they be made fons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jefus Chrift: they walk religioufly in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity. As the godly confideration of Predeftination, and our Election in Chrift; is full of fweet, pleafant, and unfpeakable comfort to godly perfons, and fuch as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Chrift, mortifying 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 eftablish and confirm their faith of eternal falvation, to be enjoyed through Chrift, as because

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because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal perfons, lacking the Spirit of God, to have continually before their eyes the Sentence of God's Predeftination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thruft them either into defperation, or into wretchleffness of moft unclean living, no lefs perilous than defperation. Furthermore, we must receive God's Promifes in fuch wife, as they be generally fet forth to us in holy Scripture: And in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have exprefly declared unto us in the Word of God.

Predeftination.] That there is fuch a thing as Predeftination, and that unto eternal life, is clearly proved from the word of God. See Matt. xx. 23.-xxiv. 2. Luke xii. 32.-xvii. 34. John vi. 37. A&s xiii. 48. Rom. viii. 29. 30.

From everlasting.] God's purpofes were determined, as God certainly knew, before the world was made, 'who would be faved, and who would not, who would believe on his Son Jefus Chrift, and who not, for it was determined before the foundation of the world, that they who believed on Christ, should be faved, As xvi. 31. John iii. 16. and that they who believed not, fhould be damned. See John viii. 24. Mark xvi. 16. But to fay that God had determined or predeftinated the greater number of mankind to be eternally damned, only to fhew his fovereign power (without any previous condition) or effer of mercy, is moft fhocking and dreadful to think on; and no where clearly to be proved from holy fcripture. If the Potter hath power over the clay to mar it, and then to new mould it again, See Jer. xviii 4, 5 certainly God, the heavenly potter, can do the fame work for his own glory; God willeth not that fhould perifh. Read Ezek. any xviii. 2. Pet. iii. 9.That many die very fuddenly, and many come to fad and un

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timely death is certain, but whether the Souls of thofe per are eternally ft, no man koweth but God only, in bands are the fues of life and death. Matt. x. 29, 30.

fons

whafe

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