Rev. xiii. 8. Mat. i. 21. only thro' his Blood, who is the Lamb flain from the fourdation of the World †: Therefore was his Name called Jefus, because He was to fave his People from their Sins* : Therefore John the Baptift, who went before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, gave knowledge of Salvation + Luke i. 76, 77. to his People in the remiffion of their Sins +: Therefore when our Lord fent his Apoftles to gather a Church, He foretold, that Repentance and Remiffion of Sins fhould be preached in his Name, among all Nations, beginning at Jerufalem †: Therefore, the Invitation of the Apostles to those who were to come into the Church, ran thus, Repent and be converted, that your Sins may be blotted out *: and, Be it known unto you, that through this Man is preached unto you forgiveness of Sins; and by Him all that believe are juftified from all things, from which they could not, be A&t xiii. 38. juftified by the Law of Mofes +. † Luke xxiv. 47. A&s iii. 29. Mark i. 4. A&s ii. 38. • A&sxxii. 16. Ephef. v. 26. (g) It is certain that Forgiveness of Sins was promised to all who were baptized in the Name of Chrift: And it cannot be doubted, but that all Persons who did worthily receive the Ordinance of Baptism, did likewife receive this happy Effect and Benefit of that Ordinance. John did baptize in the Wilderness, and preach the Baptifin of Repentance for the remiffion of Sins, through Faith in Him that was to come +. And St. Peter made this the Exhortation of his firit Sermon, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of Sins t. In vain does Socinus endeavour to evacuate the force of this Scripture; attributing the Re miffion either to Repentance without confideration of Baptifm, or else to the publick Profeffion of Faith made in Baptism; afcribing, at moft, to Baptifm itself, nothing but a Declaration of fuch Remiffion. For thefe Evalions will not hold against thofe Places which speak of Baptifm without exprefs mention of Repentance, and Confeffion of Faith: as when Ananias says to Paul, Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy Sins * ; and when St. Paul teaches us concerning the Church, that Chrif doth fanctifie and cleanfe it with the laver of Regeneration t Which Efficacy cannot therefore be denied to to this Sacrament, when received with all neceffary Qualifications of the Perfon accepting, and conferr'd with all neceffary performances of the Party adminiftring. (b) Chrift, (b) Chrift, who has left us a Pattern of Prayer, has thereby taught us for ever to implore and beg the Forgiveness of our Sins; that as thro' the Frailty of our Nature we are ever prone to offend, fo we fhould always exercise the Acts of Repentance, and for ever seek the Favour of GOD. And this is the Comfort of the Gofpel, that as it difcovers Sin within us, fo it propounds to us a conftant Remedy; while applying our felves to GOD by Repentance, we are renew'd by his Grace, and pardon'd by his Mercy. To affert that Repentance was not available after Baptifm, and confequently to deny the Power of Abfolution in the Church, was the Herefy of Novatianus and Novatus, and feems rather to have taken its Rife and Origin from the former, than the latter. (i) The Belief of this Article is neceffary, 1. For our Chriftian Confolation; because without it, having all finn'd, and fallen fhort of the Glory of GOD †, † Rom. iù. 23there remain'd nothing to us but a fearful looking for of Judgment *. Heb. x. 27. II. For our right apprehenfion of GOD's Goodness, and our own Happiness. Glorious is the Goodness of GOD, who difpenfeth with his Law, who taketh off the Guilt, who imputeth not the Sin. And great is the Happiness of Man, on whom that Bieffeduefs cometh, defcrib'd by the Pfalmift; Bleffed is he whofe Tranfgreffion is forgiven, whofe Sin is cover'd; bleffed is the Man unto whom the Lord'imputeth no Iniquity †. The Year of Ju- ↑ Píal. xxxi.t, 20bilee was a time of publick Joy, as being the Year of Release: And there is no Voice like that. Thy Sins are forgiven thee. III. To inflame us with the Love of GOD. Upon the Cafe of the two Debtors in the Gospel, both forgiven by the Creditor, our Saviour makes this Question, Which of them will love him most? hereby declaring, ♦ Luk. vii.41,42 not only that Love does naturally flow from a fenfe of Forgiveness; but likewife that the degrees of Love rife in proportion to the Greatness of the Debt forgiven. IV. To Acts xiii. 38. IV. To teach us what we owe to Chrift. Through Him is preached unto us forgiveness of Sinst. He render'd GOD propitious to our Perfons, by giving Himself a Satisfaction for our Sins: And taking off our Obligation to Punishment, laid on us a new Obligation of Love and Obedience. V. To remind us of the Condition requir'd on our part, by this Covenant of Mercy. We have seen that Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins are always join'd together; and therefore if we look for what is promis'd, we must perform what is commanded. AR ACTIC LE XI. I The Resurrection of the Body, Am fully perfuaded of this, as of a moft neceffary and infallible Truth, that as it is appointed for all Men once to die, fo it is alfo determin'd that all Men fhall rife from Death; that the Souls feparated from our Bodies are in the hand of GOD, and live; that the Bodies diffolv'd into Duft, or scatter'd into Ashes, shall be recollected in themselves, and reunited to their Souls (a); that the fame Flesh which liv'd before, fhall be revived, that the fame numerical Bodies which did fall, fhall rife (b); that this Refufcitation fhall be univerfal, no Man excepted, no Flesh left in the Grave; that all the Just fhall be rais'd to a Refurrection of Life, and all the Unjuft to a Refurrection of Damnation (c); and that this shall be perform'd at the laft Day, when the Trump fhall found (d). (a) For (a) For the more eafie and regular proceeding in this fo highly concerning Truth, we may use the following Method: To prove, I. That fuch a Resurrection is not in its self impoffible. II. That it is, upon general Confiderations, highly probable. III. That, upon Chriftian Principles, it is infallibly certain. ↑ Particularly Pliny in that known Paffage Imperfectæ verò in homine naturæ præcipua folatia funt, ne Deum quidem poffe omnia: Nam neque fibi poteft mortem confcifcere fi velit, nec mortales æternitate donare, nec revocare defunctos. N. H. J. l. 6. 7. I. Such a Refurrection is not, in its felf, impoffible; and therefore no Man can abfolutely deny it. Many of the learned Heathens affirm'd the Refurrection of the Body to be impoffible to the Divine Power it felft. But here they proceeded upon the fame false ground as in their denial of a Creation; looking barely on the conftant Works of Nature, in which they could never obferve any Action or Operation, that did, or could, produce fuch an effect. But, not to measure things poffible, or impoffible, by fo imperfect a Standard, the Fact in queftion, if impoffible, must be fo either on account of Inability in the Agent, or Incapacity in the Patient. Inability in the Agent, muft refpect either his Knowledge, or his Power. But the Knowledge of GOD is infinite. Our Subftance was not bid from Him, when we were made in fecret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the Earth. His Eyes did See our Subftance, yet being imperfect, and in his Book were all our Members written, which in continuance were fafbiPexxxix. oned, when as yet there was none of them t. He knoweth whereof we are made; from what Duft we came, and into what Duft we shall return. He, by whom, the Hairs of our Head, and even the Sands of the Sea, are all number'd, fees and knows every Particle of diffolv'd and corrupted Man, together with all the ways and means by |