is truly believ'd, and when broken. Upon the whole, we learn hence, 1. Not to feparate from the Church upon any pretended Unholiness in the Members: for the Communion of Saints is of all baptiz'd Chriftians, and we may not make the Terms of it ftraiter and narrower than Chrift hath made them. The Church here confifts of good Men and bad, of Hypocrites as well as found Believers; and as the best have many Failings, fo the worst have many Difguifes; fo that 'tis not in our power to know or diftinguifh the one from the other, and therefore we ought to hold Communion with both our Duty is to fearch and amend our own ways, not to cenfure or condemn others. Indeed, where Mens Vices are vifible, we are to withdraw from their Sins, and have no Fellowship with them in the unfruitful Works of Darkness; but we may not refufe to join with them in the means of Salvation, or for their fakes withdraw from the Worship and Service of God. There were many bad Men, and very bad things done in the Church of Corinth, and yet St. Paul blam'd their feparating into Parties, and would have no Divifions among them: There is no abfolute Purity or Perfection in this Life; that is a Happiness referv'd for a fu ture State, when the Church fhall be prefented pure with out Spot or Wrinkle, or any fuch thing. In the mean time, 2. We are to preferve the Unity of the Body, and live together in the Communion of Saints; not dividing ourselves from those whom the Bonds of Charity and Christianity have made one, but going to the Houfe of God together as Friends, and uniting in one Fellowship and Communion: this is the best way to unite us in brotherly Love and Kindnefs, and to extinguifh all thofe Heats and Animofities which are the natural and unavoidable Effects of Divifion. In a word, let us of this Kingdom heartily and unanimoufly join in the Worship and Communion of the Church of England, which being a found part of the Catholick Church, we cannot separate from it without dividing from the Whole. DISCOURSE XXV. ACTS V. 31. ta esta esta Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give Repentance unto Ifrael, and Forgiveness of Sins. W E have feen the first great Privilege appertaining to the Catholick Church, viz. The Communion of Saints: I come now to the fecond, which is contain'din the Next Article, in thefe words; I believe the Forgiveness of Sins. In difcourfing whereof, I must shew, Firft, The Nature and Guilt of Sin. Secondly, What is meant by the Forgiveness of it. Fourthly, What is imply'd in the Belief of this Forgiveness. For the First, St. John hath defin'd for us the Nature of Sin, ftyling it the Tranfgreffion of a Law, 1 John 3. 4. Where there is no Law, there is no Tranfgreffion; and Sin is not imputed where there is no Law. So that Sin evermore fuppofes a Law or Rule to walk by, and betokens a Breach or Deviation from it; and that either by omitting fomething which the Law requires, or committing fomething that it forbids the former is a Sin of Omiffion, the latter of Commiffion: and both these may be done, either knowingly against the Conviction of the Mind, and then 'tis a Sin of Wilfulness; or ignorantly and without fufficient Knowledge, and then 'tis a Sin of Weakness. Again, This Ignorance may be either invincible, occafion'd by the lack of fufficient means of Knowledge, and then 'tis a Sin of Infirmity; or affected, proceeding from the neglect or contempt of means, and then 'tis a Sin of Prefumption. Moreover, a Law may be broken either deliberately and after fome debate, and then 'tis in a high degree a Sin of Wilful Part II Wilfulness; or unadvisedly and upon furprize, and then 'tis a Sin of Inadvertence or daily Incurfion. In fhort, every voluntary Breach or Violation of a known Law is what in Scripture is call'd Sin, tho fome may be more heinous than others; and indeed the more voluntary, fill the more heinous. Which will lead us, from the Nature, to confider The Guilt of Sin: and this confifts in an Obligation to Punishment. For all Sin being an Affront to the Divine Majesty, juttly incurs his Difpleasure; and being a Violation of the Authority of his Laws, binds the Sinner over to fuffer the Penalty annex'd to them. Now the Punishment threaten'd and annex'd to the Breach of God's Law, is Death; which implies not only all the Diseases and Miseries of this World, but the eternal Pains and Torments of the next: The Wages of Sin is Death, Rom. 6. last. Death appertains and is due to it as Wages is to a Servant: Sin not only deferves, but naturally leads to Death; for he that hath offended God by breaking his Laws, hath made himself obnoxious to divine Wrath, and is become liable to the Punishment denounc'd against them that do fo. Now this Debt or Obligation to Punishment, is what the Scripture calls the Guilt of Sin; and this doth not pass away with the Act of Sinning, but remains after it; which is in Scripture exprefs'd by Sin's lying at the door. Having feen the Guilt, let us proceed to inquire, Secondly, What is meant by the Forgivenefs of Sin? And this confifts in the Release of this Obligation, or the freeing of any from that Debt to Divine Juftice, which by tranfgreffing the Law he had contracted. For as a Malefactor is faid to be pardon'd, when the Punishment of his Offence is remitted; and a Debt is faid to be forgiven, when 'tis either paid or fatisfy'd for: even fo Sin is pardon'd, when God Almighty remits the Punishment, and esteems of us as if it were not committed. And this is in Scripture varioufly exprefs'd; fometimes by covering of Sins, and not imputing them unto us; fometimes by seeing no Iniquity in Jacob, nor Perverfeness in Ifrael; fometimes by forgeting our Sins, and remembring them no more: All which fignify the Forgivenefs of Sin, to be an Exemption from the Guilt, and a Release from the Punishment that was due to it. And And this is done partly here in this Life, and will be more perfectly done in the next. In this Life, tho we are exempted from the Sentence of eternal Death, and fecur'd from ever fuffering thofe future and everlafting Torments which our Sins deferve; yet we are not wholly exempted from temporal Punishments, nor freed from thofe Corrections that ferve to awaken and deter us from the love and practice of Sin. Here we are ftill exercis'd with Evils and Afflictions for many wife and good ends, and Death paffeth upon all Men, for that all have finned: But hereafter we shall be totally exempted from thefe and all other Punishments due to our Sins, and have a complete and irreversible Act of Indemnity pafs upon all our Miscarriages. But how is this Forgiveness of Sins procur'd and obtain'd for us? Why, not by any Act or Merits of our own, for we cannot of our felves fatisfy or make an Atonement for the leaft Iniquity, and much lefs for our innumerable Tranfgreffions of the Divine Law; but this is intirely owing to the Sufferings and Satisfaction of our Bleffed Saviour, who hath put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself. Indeed Juftice requir'd Satisfaction before the Guilt or Penalty of Sin could be remitted: and because Death was the Punishment due to it, the Son of God was pleas'd to give himself up to Death, and to make bis Soul an Offering for Sin; which by reafon of the Dignity of the Perfon, is a more valuable Satisfaction and Atonement, than the Death of all Mankind could have been. So that by this All-fufficient Sacrifice he hath appeas'd the Wrath of God, and fatisfy'd divine Justice, and thereby acquitted us from the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins. Hence our Text tells us, that Chrift is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give Forgiveness of Sin: And the Apostles Commiffion was, thro' him to preach the Forgiveness of Sin, A&ts 13. 38. for in him we have Redemption thro' his Blood, even the Forgivenefs of Sin; Ephef. 1. 7. Because all things were purg'd with Blood, and without fhedding of Blood there was no Remiffion, the Son of God shed his own Blood for the Remillion of our Sins; Mat. 26. 20. Thus we see how Pardon of Sin is procur'd. But, How or on what Terms is it granted? Is it given generally and promifcuoufly to all Offenders? No, that would encourage and harden them in their Offences, and make Sin abound, because Grace hath abounded; which can neither confift with the Juftice, nor comport with the Ends of God's God's Goodness. The Promife of Pardon is not abfolute, but conditional; 'tis fufpended upon the Conditions of Faith, Repentance, and Forgiving of others. 1. Faith is neceffary to the Forgiveness of Sin; for 'tis thro' the Merits of Chrift alone, that we can obtain Mercy, and 'tis only believing and depending upon him that intitles us to both for without Faith 'tis impoffible for us to pleafe God, or for God to pardon us. Hence the Apoftle tells us, He is fet forth as a Propitiation for the Remiffion of Sins, thro' Faith in his Blood; Rom. 3. 25. : 2. Repentance is another Condition of the Forgiveness of Sin; for except ye repent (fays our Saviour) ye shall all likewife perish: And therefore the Apoftles were fent to preach Repentance for the Remiffion of Sins. Accordingly St. Peter's Sermon to the Jews was, Repent and be converted, that your Sins may be blotted out; Acts 3. 19. Our Text tells us, that Chrift was exalted to give Repentance in order to the Forgiveness of Sin; the one always going before the other: for 'tis they that confefs and forfake their Sins, that alone find Mercy; Prov. 28. 13. 3. The forgiving of others Trefpaffes is neceffary to the forgiving of our own; for our Saviour hath taught us to pray for the one as we perform the other, and hath frequently told us, that without forgiving our Brother we forfeit all title to Forgiveness. He who took his Fellow-Servant by the throat for forty Pence, when his Mafter had just before remitted him a thoufand Talents, was call'd to a fecond Reckoning, where the remitted Sum was exacted from him, and he caft into Prifon till he fhould pay the utmoft Farthing: Even fo (lays our Saviour) will your Heavenly Father do to you, except ye forgive one another their Trefpaffes. There is no Forgiveness for impenitent and uncharitable Perfons; for they shall have Fudgment without Mercy, who fhew no Mercy. Thus we fee the Nature of this Forgiveness, the Manner how it was effected, and the Terms on which alone we are to expect it. Thirdly, Our next Inquiry muft be into the Extent of this Pardon, how far it reaches, and whether it extends to all, even the greatest Sins. To this our Bleffed Saviour hath given an Answer, Mat. 12. 31, 32. I say unto you, All manner of Sin and Blasphemy Shall be forgiven unto Men; but the Blafphemy against the Holy |