III. To inflame our Hearts with an ardent Affection towards those which live in Holiness here, and with a reverent respect for those Saints who are departed, and are now with GOD. As nearness of Relation requires Affection, so there is no natural Conjunction, to be compared with that which is spiritual; no temporal Relation with that which is Eternal. IV. To direct our Charity. As there is a general Reafon calling for our Mercy and Kindness to all Men, fo there is a special Reafon engaging us to do good to thofe who are of the Houshold of Faith t. If we communi- † Gal. vi, 10, cate with them in the everlasting Mercies of GOD, is it a great thing that they fhould partake of the Bowels of Man's Compaffion, of temporal and carnal Benefits? I ARTICLE X. The Forgiveness of Sing, Do freely and fully acknowledge, and with unspeakable Comfort embrace this as a most neceffary and infallible Truth, that whereas every Sin is a Tranfgreffion of the Law of GOD (a), upon every Tranfgreffion there remaineth a Guilt upon the Person of the Tranfgreffor, and, that Guilt is an Obligation to endure Eternal Punishment (b); fo that all Men being concluded under Sin, they were all oblig'd to fuffer the Miseries of Eternal Death; it pleafed GOD to give his Son, and his Son to give Himfelf, to be a Surety for this Debt, and to release us from these Bonds; and becaufe without fhedding of Blood there is no Remiflion, He gave his Life a Sacrifice for Sin (c), He laid it down as a Rapfom, even his precious Blood, as a Price, by way of Compenfation and Satisfaction (d) to the Will and Juftice of GOD; by which Propitiation, GOD, who was by our Sins offended, became reconciled (e), and being fo, took off our Obligation to Eternal Punishment, which is the Guilt of our Sins; and appointed in the the Church of Chrift (f), the Sacrament of Baptifm (g) for the firft Remiffion, and Repentance (b) for the constant Forgiveness of all following Trefpaffes (ż). For (4) It is obfervable, that though the Writings of the Apoftles give us few Definitions, yet we find even in them a proper Definition of Sin. Whosoever committeth Sin tranfgreffeth alfo the Law, faith St. John: And he proves this by an Argument from the Definition. Sin is the tranfgreffion of the Law t. St. Paul affirming that the Law worketh Wrath, i. e. a Punishment from GOD, alledgeth this Reason, For where no Law is, there is no Tranfgreffion *. Every Commiffion, or Omiffion, and every corrupt Inclination to either, is a Sin, as being diffonant and repugnant to the Law of GOD. +1 John iii. 4. 'H åpagrin sávouía, where not only the indefinite Expreffion, but likewife the Articles prefix'd both to Subject and Predicate, make a proper Definition. * Rom. iv. 156 (b) Altho' there were no Threats, or Penal Denunciations accompanying the Laws of GOD, yet the Tranf greffion of them would nevertheless render the Perfon tranfgreffing worthy of, and liable to, whatfoever Punishment can in Juftice be inflicted for the Offence. This Debt, therefore, or Obligation to Punishment, neceffarily refults from the nature of Sin, as it is a breach of the Law; but it is yet more particularly reprefented in the Word of GOD, revealing the Wrath of GOD unto Unrighteousness †, and affuring us, that if we do ill, Sin Rom. i. 18. lieth at the door *. Our bleffed Lord thus taught his * Gen. iv. 7. Difciples: Whosoever is angry with his Brother without Caufe, fhall be liable †, or obnoxious, to the Judgment; and whosoever shall fay to his Brother, Racha, fhall be liable to the Council; but whofoever shall fay, thou Fool, fhall be liable to Eternal Fire*. And again, He that fall blafpheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never Forgiveness, but is liable to Eternal Damnation †. M 4 +"Evoxos sa, which we sometimes tranflate Shall be in danger, is always of a fuller and more preffing Senfe, intimating an Obligation, or binding over to Punishment. * Mat. v. 22. (4) The Mark iii.28,29. Heb. ix. 26. Heb. vii. 26. (c) The Scriptures fully acquaint us with this Deduction and Series of Truths: That the Death which our Lord endured, He fuffer'd for Sin; Once in the end of the World He appeared, to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of Himself *. That the Sins for which He fuffer'd were not his own; Chrift hath once fuffered for Sins, the just for + Pet. iii. 18. the unjust t; He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from Sinners*: That the Sins were exprefly ours; He was wounded for our Tranfgreffions; He was bruised for our Iniquities: He was delivered for our Offences t†: He † Rom. iv. 25. gave Himfelf for our Sins; He died for our Sins, according to the Scriptures*: That He fuffer'd Death for our Sins, as a Punishment taken upon Him, to free us from the Punishment of them; GOD laid on Him the Iniquity of us all: He has born our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows; the chaftifement of our Peace was upon Him, and with his Stripes + Ifai. liii. 5,6. we are healed: Laftly, that by his fuffering this Punishment to free us from what our Sins deferv'd, thofe Sins Ifai. liii. 5. *Gal. i. 4. 1 Cor. xv. 3. are forgiven us; This is my Blood (fays He,) of the New Teftament, (or Covenant,) which is fhed for many, for the Mat. xxvi. 28. remiffion of Sins t. In Him we have redemption thro' his Blood, the Forgiveness of Sins, according to the riches of his Grace t Ephef. i. 7. Mat. xx. 28. τι λύειν. † Cor. vi. 20. 2 Pet. ii. 1. → Pet. i. 18. Acts xx. 28. (d) Although GOD be faid to remit our Sins by which we were captivated, yet He is never faid to remit the Price, without which we had never been redeem'd. The Son of Man came to give his Life a ransom for many. Now a Ranfom † is properly nothing elfe but fomething of Price given by way of redemption, to buy or purchase that which is detain'd, or to procure the release of that which is inthrall'd. Ye are bought with a Price t, faith the Apoftle; and it is the Lord who bought us*, with the price of his Blood; for we are not redeem'd with corruptible things, as Silver and Gold, but with the precious Blood of Chrift t. GOD is of infinite Majefty, against whom we have finn'd, and Chrift is of the fame Divinity, who gave his Life a Ranfom for Sinners. GOD hath purchafed the Church with his own Blood * which cannot, therefore, but be a full, perfect and sufficient Satisfaction. (e) GOD 1 John ii. 1. Coloff. i. 20 (e) GOD fo loved the World, that He gave his Onlybegotten Son, to be a propitiation for our Sins, and for the Sins of the whole World (a). And this Propitiation amount- a John iii. 16, ed to a Reconciliation, i. e. a Kindness after Wrath. We are all of GOD, who hath reconcil'd us to Himself by Jefus Chrift; (b) and that by vertue of his Death; for 62 Cor. v. 18. when we were Enemies, we were reconciled to GOD, by the Death of his Son, making peace through the Blood of his Crofs, and by Him reconciling all things unto Himself (c). It Rom. v. 10, is a weak Exception of the Socinians, That in the Scriptures we are faid to be reconciled to GOD, but GOD is never faid to be reconciled to us: For in the Language of the Scripture, to reconcile Man to GOD, is, in our vulgar Language, to reconcile GOD to Man, that is, to cause Him who before was angry and offended, to become gracious and propitious. Thus the Princes of the Philistines fpake of David; Wherewith should be reconcile himself to his Mafter (d)? i.e. Wherewith fhall he ap- d 1 Sam. xxix.4. peafe his angry Master, and regain his Favour? Thus our Saviour advifeth; If thou bring thy Gift, &c. go thy way, first be reconciled to thy Brother (e); i. e. reconcile thy Bro- e Mat. v. 23, 24, ther to thy felf, whom thou haft injured. And thus the Apostle; Let the Wife that departeth from her Husband, remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her Husband (f); i. e. ƒ 1 Cor. vii. 1Ț. fubmit to her Husband, and recover his Affection. (f) The Doctrine of remiflion of all Sins, propounded and preached to all Men, was proper and peculiar to the Gospel. The Law, confider'd ftrictly as fuch, promifed Life only upon abfolute and unfinning Obedience; the Voice of it was only, Do this and live. To fome greater Sins the immediate and irreversible Sentence of Death was annex'd. Smaller Offences were expiated by the appointed Sacrifices. Whatever we read farther of Sins forgiven under the Law, was of fome special Divine Indulgence, more than was promis'd by Mofes, though not more than might be gather'd from the Name and Nature of GOD, fo far as fomething of the Gofpel was mingled with the Law. Now as the Atonement made by Sacrifices bore a manifest relation to the Death of the Meffias, fo all Atonements whatsoever were effectual only |