the sin against the Holy Ghost, but that upon his prayer and repentance, this his sin, his great sin, might be pardoned so that Peter did not deny the grant of repentance to him, but advised him to repent. Yea, and Peter himself after baptism denied his Master; but though he denied Christ, Christ did not deny the grant of repentance to him. To which we might also add the many places of Scripture where all are commanded to repent; but of what force would that command be, if we might repent and yet not be pardoned? Certainly to exclude any penitents from pardon, is to keep off all sinners from repentance. For it would be in vain to repent of their sins, if they might repent of them, and yet not obtain a pardon for them. But what means that place also, A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again?" Prov. xxiv. 16. Doth it not intimate to us, that a man may fall from grace given, and yet rise again? If he rise again, it must be by repentance: and, therefore, a just man may fall, a just man may sin, and yet he may afterwards repent; and if he repents and confesseth his sin, God is just and righteous to forgive him his sin, 1 John, i. 9. and if God grants pardon, man cannot deny the grant of repentance to them that fall into sin and rise again.

But I need not insist any longer upon so plain a truth. For I have proved before, in the Ninth Article, that there are remainders of sin in the best of saints, and in the Article immediately before this, that the best of saints are guilty of sin; and, therefore, if after baptism and regeneration every sin was unpardonable, the saints themselves must all be

Atque ô frustrandæ fraternitatis irrisio! ô miserorum lamentantium caduca deceptio! ô hæreticæ institutionis inefficax et vana traditio! hortari ad satisfactionis pœnitentiam, et subtrahere de satisfactione medicinam ! Dicere fratribus nostris, Plange et lachrymas funde, ac diebus et noctibus ingemisce, et pro abluendo et purgando delicto tuo largiter et frequenter operare; sed extra ecclesiam post omnia morieris !' Quæcunque ad pacem pertinent facies, sed nullam pacem quam quæris accipies. Quis non statim pereat? Quis non ipsâ desperatione deficiat? Quis non animum suum à proposito lamentationis avertat?-Cyprian. Epist. ad Antonianum. Præcludere est atque abscindere iter doloris ad pœnitendi viam, ut cùm Scripturis Dominus Deus revertentibus ad se et pœnitentibus blandiatur, nostrâ duritiâ et crudelitate dum fructus pœnitentiæ intercipitur, pœnitentia ipsa tollatur.-Ibid.

damned, because guilty of sin after baptism and regeneration; and so none could be saved. The unregenerate could not be saved, because not regenerate; the regenerate could not be saved, because they sin after regeneration. Which to assert, would inevitably lead us into atheism and blasphemy.

I shall not, therefore, speak any more to this Article, but only to show its agreement with the doctrine of the primitive church. Gregory Nyssen saith, In the choice of evils, it is rather to be chosen that a man having obtained baptism should be again in sin, than that he should end his life void of grace. For sin, indeed, may perhaps have pardon and mercy, whereof good people have great hope; but salvation is altogether forbidden to the other by a certain and determinate sentence.' And, therefore, every sin after baptism is not unpardonable. And Theodoret to the same purpose: But he that hath attained the gift of baptism calleth God Father, as one that is inserted into the order of the sons of grace. These, therefore, are commanded to say, Forgive us our debts.' wounds, therefore, that are made even after baptism, are also curable.

The

Hence Cyprian, in whose days Novatianus, the grand oppugner of this plain truth, arose, saith, But I wonder

In electione maloruin magis est eligendum, ut salutare lavacrum assecutus rursus sit in peccato, quam ut gratiæ expers vitam finiat. Nam peccatum quidem veniam fortasse consequetur aut clementiam, cujus magna est spes apud bonos; alteri autem est omnino vetita salus ex certa et definita sententia. - Greg. Nyssen. Orat. adversus eos qui differunt Baptismum.

• Qui autem baptismatis donum est assecutus Patrem vocat Deum, ut qui in gratiæ filiorum ordinem sit allectus. Ii ergo jussi sunt dicere, Dimitte nobis debita nostra.' Sunt ergo medicabilia etiam quæ post baptismum fiunt vulnera. Theodoret. 1. de Divinis Decretis, c. de

Pænitentia.

h Miror autem quosdam sic obstinatos esse ut dandam lapsis non putent pœnitentiam, aut pœnitentibus existimant veniam denegandam, cùm scriptum sit, Memento unde cecideris, et age pœnitentiam, et fac priora opera.'-Cyprian. Epist. 51. ad Antonianum. Quod legentes scilicet, et tenentes, neminem putamus à fructu satisfactionis et spe pacis arcendum, cùm sciamus juxta Scripturarum fidem, autore et hortatore ipso Deo, et ad agendam pœnitentiam peccatores redigi, et veniam atque indulgentiam

that there are some so obstinate as not to think repentance ought to be given to such as are fallen, or suppose that pardon should be denied to penitents, when it is written, "Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works," Rev. ii. 5. And afterwards, Which reading, to wit, and holding, we think none ought to be driven away from the fruit of satisfaction and the hope of peace, when we know, according to the faith of the Scriptures, God himself being the author and exhorter to it, sinners are compelled to act repentance, and pardon and indulgence are not denied to the penitents.' And again: 'But seeing we find none ought to be prohibited from acting repentance, and that to such as deprecate and pray for the mercy of the Lord, according to that wherein he is merciful and holy, peace may be granted by his priests, the sighs of the sorrowful are to be admitted, and the fruit of repentance is not to be denied to such as grieve.' So that after baptism, such as do fall into sin, are not, therefore, to be denied the grant of repentance. And this father's testimony is to be of the greater value, because it was in his days this truth was first opposed, and so by him the first defended.

Augustine hath also many things to this purpose:

pœnitentibus non denegari. Ibid. Quòd si invenimus à pœnitentia agenda neminem debere prohiberi, et deprecantibus atque exorantibus Domini misericordiam, secundùm quod ille misericors et pius est, per sacerdotes ejus pacem posse concedi, admittendus est plangentium gemitus, et pœnitentiæ fructus dolentibus non negandus. Ibid. To which we may add: In persecutione quia lapsi sunt multi fideles, et in pœnitentiam suscepti sunt à catholicâ ecclesiâ, irati, imò potiùs præsumptione ducti, ac superbià vanam doctrinam conati sunt seminare, separantes se ab ecclesia catholica atque à Christi bonitate et misericordiâ dissonantes, et dicentes non esse fideli post baptismum locum aliquem pœnitentiæ.Philastrius.

1 Quòd si quisquam tunc putat verbum dici adversus Spiritum Sanctum, cùm ab eo dicitur cui jam per baptismum dimissa sunt peccata, attendant nec talibus per ecclesiæ sanctitatem auferri pœnitentiæ locum.-Aug. Exposit. Epist. ad Romanos inchoata.

Si enim sola ignorantia veniam meretur, et ignorantia non accipitur nisi antequam quisquam fuerit baptizatus, non solùm si adversus Spiritum Sanctum, sed etiam si adversus Filium hominis post baptismum dixerit verbum, et omnino si quâ fornicatione, vel homicidio, vel ullo flagitio aut facinore, post baptismum sese maculaverit, non potest pœnitendo curari. ́

'But,' saith he, if any one think that then the word is spoken against the Holy Ghost, when it is spoken by him to whom his sins are forgiven him by baptism, let them consider, that even from such, by the holiness of the church, the place of repentance is not taken away.' And afterwards, more sharply, For if ignorance only obtained pardon, and ignorance is not accepted but only before a man be baptized, not only if he speak a word against the Holy Ghost after baptism, but also if he speak against the Son of man, yea, and if he defile himself with fornication, homicide, or any other sin or fault after baptism, he cannot be cured by repentance. Which such as hold, they are excluded from the catholic communion, and it is judged that they cannot be partakers of God's mercy so long as they lie in that cruelty.' I shall conclude with that of the same father: But the love of our neighbour, that is, the love of man, even unto the love of our enemy, the Lord himself commendeth to us; and we see how many that are baptized both acknowledge them to be true, and reverence them as the commands of God. But when they undergo the enmities of any one, they are so inflamed with the desire of revenge, that they burn with such flames of hatred, that they cannot be appeased though the Gospel itself be read and recited to

Quod qui senserunt, exclusi sunt à communione catholicâ, satisque judicatum est eos in illa crudelitate divinæ misericordiæ participes esse non posse.-Ibid.

* Dilectionem autem proximi, id est dilectionem hominis usque ad inimici dilectionem, nobis Dominus ipse commendat; et videmus quàm multi jam baptizati, et vera esse ista fateantur, et tanquam Domini præcepta venerentur. Cùm autem perpessi fuerint alicujus inimicitias, ita rapiuntur animo ad ulciscendum, ut tantis inardescant facibus odiorum, ut nec prolato et recitato evangelio placari possint. Et talibus hominibus jam baptizatis ecclesiæ plenæ sunt, quos tamen spirituales viri fraternè admonere non cessant, et in spiritu lenitatis instanter instruunt, ut hujusmodi temptationibus occurrere ac resistere parati sint, et magis diligant in Christi pace regnare, quàm de inimici oppressione lætari. Quod inaniter fieret si talium peccatorum nulla spes veniæ, nulla pœnitentiæ medicina remaneret. -Ibid. Vide Concil. Lateran. 4. Bayl. tom. i. 296. The first council at Rome, and the first at Carthage, and other councils about that time, decreed that such as had fallen should be granted repentance.-Bayl. tom. ii. 7. Item Concil. Ital. et Carthag. 2. Ibid. p. 8.

them; and the churches are full of such men already baptized which, notwithstanding, spiritual men will not cease in a brotherly way to admonish, and, with the spirit of meekness they constantly instruct, that they would be ready to meet and resist such temptations, and that they would love rather to reign in the peace of Christ than to rejoice in the oppression of the enemy, which would be done in vain, if there was no hope of pardon nor cure of repentance left for such sins or sinners.' And therefore we cannot, we dare not but conclude, that every sin willingly committed, even after baptism, is not the sin of the Holy Ghost, nor unpardonable."

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ARTICLE XVII.

Of Predestination and Election.

PREDESTINATION TO LIFE IS THE EVERLASTING PURPOSE OF GOD, WHEREBY (BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD WERE LAID) HE HATH CONSTANTLY DECREED BY HIS COUNCIL, SECRET TO US, TO DELIVER FROM CURSE AND DAMNATION THOSE WHOM HE HATH CHOSEN IN CHRIST OUT OF MANKIND, AND TO BRING THEM BY CHRIST TO EVERLASTING SALVATION, AS

VESSELS MADE TO HONOUR.

WHEREFORE THEY WHICH BE ENDUED WITH SO EXCELLENT A BENEFIT OF GOD, BE CALLED ACCORDING TO GOD'S PURPOSE BY HIS SPIRIT WORKING IN DUE

SEASON: THEY THROUGH GRACE OBEY THE CALLING: THEY BE JUSTIFIED FREELY: THEY BE MADE SONS OF GOD BY ADOPTION: THEY BE MADE LIKE THE IMAGE OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST: THEY WALK RELIGIOUSLY IN GOOD WORKS, AND AT LENGTH BY GOD'S MERCY THEY ATTAIN ΤΟ EVERLASTING FELICITY.

AS THE GODLY CONSIDERATION OF PREDESTINATION, AND OUR ELECTION IN CHRIST, IS FULL OF SWEET, PLEASANT, AND UNSPEAKABLE COMFORT TO GODLY PERSONS, AND SUCH AS FEEL IN THEMSELVES THE