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Part II. Chap. 10.

X

The Clofe.

I.

what is properly

Sin against the

quifite to be

II.

"is now fhew'd unto you, &c." What can be more clear to our Purpofe? The Homilift all along here fpeaks of the Falling away of the truly Faithful, and that of their total and final Falling. That he judg'd fuch Falling, not only might come to pafs, but also did actually come to pafs, and that not Jeldom, clearly appears from the great Earneftnefs he uses in Cautioning All the Faithful to be most careful in all refpects, that they never fall into fuch a moft deplorable State. To this end he expounds 2 Pet. 2. 20-22. as the Ancients did, of fuch a total and final Falling away of those that were afore truly Faithful. In which place of St Peter is manifeftly defcribed fuch a Falling away, as what was not only poffible, but had actually came to pass in fome, in whom was confirm'd the Truth of the old Proverb, The Dog is turn'd to his own Vomit again, &c.

Several other Teftimonies might be brought out of the Book of Homilies, and the Writings of our Divines who liv'd in the first Times of our Reformation, when our Articles and Homilies were first fet forth, and who had then fome of the chief Stations in our Church. But the Proofs already brought are fufficient to convince any unprejudiced Perfon, who is not refolv'd not to be convinced.

CHAP. XI.

of Sin against the Gospel-Law.

OR the better Understanding of the Gofpel-Covenant, and particularly the Duty of redeem'd Man, Golpel Law, re- it remains to fpeak of Sin, or What is a Sin properly fo known. call'd in refpect of the Gofpel-Covenant or Law. And here in the first place it is to be concluded for lo unavoidable De a Certainty, that no Natural, and folUnavoidable Defect fect, a Sin against is a Sin against the Gofpel-Law. The Reafon whereof the Gofpel-Law. is manifeft, viz. becaufe fuch Conditions and Circumftances of perfect Obedience, as are impoffible for the Weakness of Human Nature tho' affifted by Grace to

No natural and

perform,

perform, are not requir'd or commanded by the GofpelLaw, or any Precept of the Gofpel. And no wonder, forafmuch as the Law of the Gofpel is a Law of Grace; and it is most directly repugnant at least to the Divine Grace, to give Man a Law which is impoflible for him to perform. Since therefore fuch natural and unavoidable Defects or Failings are not under any Gospel Precept or Prohibition, it follows that they are not Sins against the Gospel-law; forafmuch as Sin is the Tranfgreffion of the Law, which it refpects, as 1 Joh. 3. 4. Agreeable whereto is that Saying of St Paul, Rom.. Where there is no Law, there is no Tranfgreffion.

1.4.15.

Part II. Chap.11.

III.

Secondly, altho' all thofe Degrees of Virtue, which Every avoidable are poffible for us to attain to thro' Grace, are under Defe&t is not a Sin Precept or requir'd of us by the Gofpel, yet they are more properly fo not All under Precept strictly and precifely obliging us. under the Penalty of eternal Damnation. Hence every Failure, even avoidable thro' Grace, is not a Sin more properly fo call'd, i. e. which forfeits our Righteousness and God's Friendship to us, and brings upon us eternal

Death.

It is

IV.

cept of the Go

That in the Gofpel-law all thofe Degrees of Virtue, All peffible De». which it is poffible for us thro' Grace to attain to, are grees of Virtue under Precept or requir'd of us, appears from thofe are under the PrePlaces where an univerfal Perfection of Righteoufnefs fpel. fo far as poffible is prefcrib'd to us, as Matt. 5. 48. Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven, is perfect; and elsewhere to the like purpose. alfo to be obferv'd, that that Precept 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in Grace, &c. has no Bounds or Limits fet to it, short of the greatest Perfection we can arrive to thro' the Grace of Christ, i. e. that we are oblig'd always to grow. in Grace and Virtue, until we come to the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Chrift, according to Ephef. 4. 13. that is, until we come to the greatest Perfection attainable by us thro' the Grace of Chrift. Whence by the way it is clear, that the Gofpel-law leaves no Room for Works of Super-eregation, or over and above God's Commandments.

But

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der the ftrict Pe

Damnation.

I

Part II. But then it is to be obferv'd alfo, that such a PerChap. 11. fection of Virtue is by no means requir'd or commanded V. ftrictly under the Pain of eternal Damnation, as is shewn But not All un- by fuch places of the new Teftament, where the Punishnalty of eternal ment of not Inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven or of eternal Death is denounced properly against fome certain Sins. There are chiefly two remarkable Places to this purpose, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. and Gal. 5. 19-23. In which latter place when the Apostle fays of those, who abstain from fuch Sins as are there mention'd by him, and practise the contrary Virtues, that against such there is no Law, he plainly enough afferts, that there is no Law which denounces eternal Death to fuch Perfons. With these are to be compar'd those Places, where fome things are fpoken of, to which All, even the Righteous are obnoxious, and that even while the Keeping of the Law is ftill attributed, and eternal Life promifed to them, as Jam. 3.2. and elsewhere. From fuch Places of Scripture compar'd together it follows, that there are fome Sins, which (as we faid) do not forfeit our Rightepufnefs and Friendship with God, and much less bring upon us eternal Damnation.

VI. An Objection anfwer'd.

To this it is objected by fome, that the Gospel, as it contains a Repetition and Renewal of the Original Law of most perfect Obedience, so denounces eternal Death to every even the leaft Sin, and to every even the least Failare; but as it is properly a Law of Grace, fo it pardons fome Sins to the Penitent: Wherefore altho' fome Sins are not mortal, yet this do's not arise from this, that the Law of Chrift do's not threaten Death to the faid Sins; but the Caufe is, that the fame Law under another Condition do's grant Forgiveness of the faid Sins to the Penitent. But this is in vain objected. For 14; Such can produce no place out of the Gofpel, to confirm this their Affertion, viz. that the Gospel denounces eternal Death even to the least Failing. For those Words of St James, Chap. 2. v. 10, 11. which they think favour their Opinion, is altogether foreign to the purpose. For altho' the original Greek Word, which we render v. 10. offend, may be fpoken of any lighter or leffer

Failing;

Failing; yet it is manifest enough from the Context, that St James fpeaks only of greater Sins, or fuch whereby any one do's knowingly and deliberately break the Law. For 1, He mentions only more heinous Sins, as Murder and Adultery, v. 11. And then 2ly, the Reafon whereby he confirms what he had faid v. 10. requires fuch an Expofition, viz. For he that faid, Do not commit Adultery, faid alfo, Do not kill, &c. Nor are those places of Scripture any more to the Point, where in general to Sin are afcrib'd these or the like Effects, viz. the Enmity of God, eternal Death and Deftruction, and the like. As Rom. 6. ult. The Wages of Sin is Death. Joh. 3. 8. He that commits Sin, is of the Devil. Ezek. 18.4. The Soul that Sins, it fhall dy. Pfal. 5. 5. Thou bateft all Workers of Iniquity. For it will eafily appear to any one that duly weighs thofe Places, that they are to be understood, not of every Sin, but of fuch only as has the perfect Nature of Sin, i. e. of what is call'd a mortal Sin. Secondly, whereas thefe Objecters say, that (ome Sins are not mortal only for this Reason, because by the Gospel, as it is a Law of Grace, the faid Sins are forgiven to the Penitent. This can by no means be a fatisfactory Account to any one that more clofely coniders the Point. For by the Law of Chrift confider'd as a Law of Grace, there is no Sin fo heinous, but that it may and will be forgiven to the truly Penitent.

Part II. Chap.11.

VII.

From what has been faid, may easily be determin'd of Venial and the Question so much banded by Divines, Whether Mortal Sin. there be any Sin in its own Nature Venial, or Not-mortal. For the Question it not, Whether, fetting afide the Divine Covenant, God can of Right exclude Man from the Kingdom of Heaven for any the lightest Sin, or leaft Defect of Righteoufnefs? For it has been obferv'd afore, and that more than once, that God could of Right justly deny Heaven to Man, even tho' he had wrought the most perfect Righteousness in his State of Integrity, and had been free from the leaft Stain of Sin, or Spot of Defect. Nor has any judicious Divine call'd this in Question. But the State of the Controverfy lies in this: Whether in Fact God has given to faln Man

Such

Part II. fach a Law, as thereby he has prohibited every, even Chap. 11. the mallest Sin, and the leaft Defect of Righteoufnefs, under the Penalty of eternal Damnation, i.e. both of eternal Exclufion from the Kingdom of Heaven, and alfo of eternal Torments in Hell after this Life. The Negative fide of which Question may be thus prov'd: The Gofpel-Law is the most perfect of all the Laws given to faln Man, and therein is most fully reveald the Wrath of God against all Ungodliness and Unrigh teoufnefs of Men, Rom. 1. 18. But in the Gospel God has no where reveal'd his Will to be fuch, as that he has appointed or decreed eternal Damnation to be the Punishment of every, even the least avoidable Defect of Righteoufnefs. I have alledg'd already Places of the new Testament, which clearly enough prove the forefaid Negative. Such as will nevertheless hold the Af firmative, it lies upon them to prove it.

VIII.
The Abuse of the

be avoided.

To avoid the Abuse of the forefaid true Doctrin true Do&rin of of Venial Sins, which the Papists are too apt to run Venial Sins how to 'into, the Admonition of St Bernard de Præcept. b Difpenf. cap. 14. ought always to be remember'd: Ve nial Sins are accounted not Criminal, unless thro' Contempt they become customary and habitual. And afterwards: The Haughtiness of him that contemns, (viz. the Precept or Law,) and the Obftinacy of the Impeni tent, even in the leaft Sins caufe the Fault not to be the leaft; and turns the fmall Blemish of a fingle Tranfgref fion into the Crime of grievous Rebellion. Wherefore we are to deteft that Doctrin of fome Papists, who ftick not to affirm, that a Man may, even out of mee Contempt, commit Venial Sins without the Guilt of a grievous Offence. On the contrary it is rather to be concluded, that every Sin is mortal to him that do's not fincerely ufe his Endeavour to avoid all Sin.

IX.

ments to all Sin

The Gofpel-Law Thirdly, altho' the Gofpel-law for every Failure denounces the most even avoidable thro' Grace, do's not denounce Exclugrievous Punish- fion from the Kingdom of Heaven, and much lefs Hell that is inconfiftent Torments: yet it do's clearly and exprefly denounce with the Love of both the forefaid Exclufion and alfo the forefaid Torments for all Sins, which are repugnant to the End of

God,

the

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