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is truly believ'd, and when broken. Upon the whole, we learn hence,

1. Not to separate from the Church upon any pretended Unholiness in the Members: for the Communion of Saints is of all baptiz'd Christians, and we may not make the Terms of it straiter and narrower than Christ 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, so the worst have many Disguises; so that 'tis not in our power to know or diftinguish the one from the other, and therefore we ought to hold Communion with both: our Duty is to search and amend our own ways, not to censure or condemn others. Indeed, where Mens Vices are visible, we are to withdraw from their Sins, and have no Fellowship with them in the unfruitful Works of Darkness; but we may not refuse to join with them in the means of Salvation, or for their sakes 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 separating into Parties, and would have no Divisions among them: There is no absolute Purity or Perfection in this Life; that is a Happiness reserv'd for a future State, when the Church shall be presented pure without Spot or Wrinkle, or any such thing. In the mean time,

2. We are to preserve the Unity of the Body, and live together in the Communion of Saints; not dividing ourselves from those whom the Bonds of Charity and Chriftianity have made one, but going to the House of God together as Friends, and uniting in one Fellowship and Communion : this is the best way to unite us in brotherly Love and Kindness, and to extinguish all those Heats and Animofities which are the natural and unavoidable Effects of Division. In a word, let us of this Kingdom heartily and unanimously join in the Worship and Communion of the Church of England, which being a sound part of the Catholick Church, we cannot separate from it without dividing from the Whole.

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DISCOURSE XXV.

ACTS V. 31.

Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give Repentance unto Ifrael, and Forgiveness of Sins.

W

E have seen the first great Privilege appertaining to the Catholick Church, viz. The Communion of Saints: I come now to the second, which is con

tain'd in the

Next Article, in these words; I believe the Forgiveness of Sins. In discoursing whereof, I must shew,

First, The Nature and Guilt of Sin.

Secondly, What is meant by the Forgiveness of it.
Thirdly, How far it extends.

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, styling it the Transgression of a Law, 1 John 3.4. Where thereis no Law, there is no Transgreffion; and Sin is not imputed where there is no Law. So that Sin evermore supposes a Law or Rule to walk by, and betokens a Breach or Deviation from it; and that either by omitting something which the Law requires, or committing something that it forbids; the former is a Sin of Omission, the latter of Commission: 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 Presumption. Moreover, a Law may be broken either deliberately and after some debate, and then 'tis in a high degree a Sin of Wilful

Wilfulness; or unadvisedly and upon surprize, and then 'tis a Sin of Inadvertence or daily Incurfion. In short, every volunntary Breach or Violation of a known Law is what in Scripture is call'd Sin, tho some may be more heinous than others; and indeed the more voluntary, till the more heinous. Which will lead us, from the Nature, to confider

The Guilt of Sin: and this confists in an Obligation to Punishment. For all Sin being an Affront to the Divine Majefty, juttly incurs his Displeasure; and being a Violation of the Authority of his Laws, binds the Sinner over to suffer 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 deserves, 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 so. 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 express'd by Sin's lying at the door. Having seen the Guilt, let us proceed to inquire,

Secondly, What is meant by the Forgiveness of Sin? And this confists in the Release of this Obligation, or the freeing of any from that Debt to Divine Justice, which by transgressing the Law he had contracted. For as a Malefactor is said to be pardon'd, when the Punishment of his Offence is remitted; and a Debt is said to be forgiven, when 'tis either paid or fatisfy'd for: even so 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 variously express'd; sometimes by covering of Sins, and not imputing them unto us; sometimes by seeing no Iniquity in Jacob, nor Perverseness in Israel; sometimes by forgeting our Sins, and remembring them no more : All which fignify the Forgiveness of Sin, to be an Exemption from the Guilt, and a Release from the Punishment that was due to it.

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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 secur'd from ever suffering those future and everlasting Torments which our Sins deserve; yet we are not wholly exempted from temporal Punishments, nor freed from those Corrections that serve to awaken and deter us from the love and practice of Sin. Here we are still exercis'd with Evils and Afflictions for many wife and good ends, and Death passeth upon all Men, for that all have finned: But hereafter we shall be totally exempted from these and all other Punishments due to our Sins, and have a complete and irreversible Act of Indemnity pass 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 selves fatisfy or make an Atonement for the leaft Iniquity, and much less for our innumerable Tranfgreffions of the Divine Law; but this is intirely owing to the Sufferings and Satisfaction of our Blessed Saviour, who hath put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself. Indeed Justice 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 reason of the Dignity of the Person, 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 Commission was, thro' him to preach the Forgiveness of Sin, Acts 13. 38. for in him we have Redemption thro' his Blood, even the Forgiveness of Sin; Ephef. 1. 7. Because all things were purg'd with Blood, and without shedding of Blood there was no Remiffion, the Son of God shed his own Blood for the Remission 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 promiscuoufly to all Offenders? No, that would encourage and harden them in their Offences, and make Sin abound, because Grace hath abounded; which can neither confist with the Justice, nor comport with the Ends of God's God's Goodness. The Promise of Pardon is not absolute, but conditional; 'tis suspended 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 Christ alone, that we can obtain Mercy, and 'tis only believing and depending upon him that intitles us to both: for without Faith 'tis impossible for us to please God, or for God to pardon us. Hence the Apostle tells us, He is set forth as a Propitiation for the Remission 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 likewise perish: And therefore the Apostles were sent to preach Repentance for the Remission 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 Christ was exalted to give Repentance in order to the Forgiveness of Sin; the one always going before the other: for 'tis they that confess and forsake their Sins, that alone find Mercy; Prov. 28. 13.

3. The forgiving of others Trespasses 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 Master had just before remitted him a thousand Talents, was call'd to a second Reckoning, where the remitted Sum was exacted from him, and he cast into Prison till he should pay the utmost Farthing: Even so (says our Saviour) will your Heavenly Father do to you, except ye forgive one another their Trespasses. There is no Forgiveness for impenitent and uncharitable Persons; for they shall have fudgment without Mercy, who shew 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 must be into the Extent of this Pardon, how far it reaches, and whether it extends to all, even the greatest Sins.

To this our Blessed 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 Blasphemy against the Holy

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