The Nature of Sin, Whatever is not of Faith is Sin. Rom xiv. 23. "They that are carnal, faith Ignatius, cannot do the things " that be spiritual; neither can unbelief do the works of Faith." Also St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Barnard, Irenæus, and all the Primitive Fathers, consent to this article, -See Homily on good works, &c. And yet all those arguments, although a thousand times repeated, would not convince or convert one of these blind sinners, or moralifts, from the error of their ways except God the Holy Ghost set it home to their hearts.

ART. XIV. Of Works of Supererogation.

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OLUNTARY Works befides, over and above God's commandments, which they call Works of Supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare, That they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his fake, than of bounden duty is required: Whereas Christ saith plainly, when ye have done all that are commanded to you, fay, We are unprofitable servants.

The works of Supererogation, &c.] " Are the subversion of God" liness and true religion, and cannot be held without arrogancy and impiety." Josh. i. 7. Ezek. xx. 19. As the law of God is perfect in every part, and requires us to do every good work: we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and ftrength, &c. Luke x. 27. And fince that law is the impulfive cause of our performing every good work, what room is there for works of fupererogation? or, how can a man be more perfect than the law of God, which is the exact rule of all perfection? Be ye perfect (fays Chrift) as your Father which is is Heaven is perfect, Matt. v. 48. So far is any man from being more good than he ought to be: and from whence then can come his works of supererogation? Not at all. "We have nought to glory in, (faith St. Cyprian) fince nothing is our

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" own, it is all given us from heaven, whatever we have." John iii. 27. And therefore we have need daily to pray, faying, Forgive us our debts, &c. He that exaltech himself shall be abafed, &c. Read Luke xviii. 10-14. and xvii. 7-10. Mark xxviii. 20.

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ART. XV. Of Christ alone without Sin.

HRIST, in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things (fin only except) from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his spirit. He came to be the Lamb without spot, who by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world: and fin (as Saint John saith) was not in him. But all we the rest (although baptized and born again in Christ) yet offend in many things, and if we say we have no fin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

" When the Son of God became the Son of Man (fays " Bp. Beveridge) he so became the Son of Man, as still to " remain the Son of God. He did not lay aside his Divine Na"ture to assume the Human; but he assumed the human na"ture into the divine. And so he that was perfect God as " well as perfect Man, was a perfect Man also, as well as per"fect God, for he was without Sin." I John iii. 5. or he could not have come to destroy and take it away. See Heb. ix. 14. 1 John i. 5. Without fin.) He was both conceived, and born without fin. Matt. i. 20. Luke i. 36. As a man, he lived and was tempted of the Devil, yet without fin. John xiv. 30. Heb. iv. 15. 1 Per. ii. 22. 2 Cor. v. 21. The holiest of men that ever lived upon earth (Christ excepted), were not without fin. St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Jude, St. James, and St. John, all acknowledge this truth, In many things we offend all. James iii. 2. And they that deny it, deceive themselves, and the truth is not in them. 1 John i. 8. St. Augustin, Tertullian, Cyril, and others also confirm this article.

ART. XVI. Of Sin after Baptifm.
OT every deadly Sin, willingly commit-

ted after Baptifm, is fin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to fuch as fall into fin after Baptifm. After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into fin, and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned, which say, they can no more fin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly

repent.

Not every fin.] Committed after Baptism is sin against the Holy Ghost, as the word of God plainly shews, yet every fin in its nature is deadly, and deserveth Gods wrath; but yet is pardonable, thro' the blood of Christ, and a godly forrow for fin. The very regenerate, the most righteous man may fall into fin, and yet by grace rife and be forgiven. See John v. 14, viii. 11. Eph. iv. 21, 22. Col. iii. 8. Heb. iii. 12. 1 Tim. i. 19. This is clearly manifested in the example of David, Mannasses, Peter, and some of the seven Churches of Afia, Rev. i. But the blasphemy, or fin against the Holy Ghost, shall not be forgiven unto man. See Tillotson on Matt. xii. 31. Great are the doubts and fears of many poor Souls about this fin against the Holy Ghost; but this is clear, that no man or woman, who hath never received the Holy Ghost, can commit that deadly fin. But he that hath received the Holy Spirit with all its powerful influence, and afterwards falling away by little and little, at length willfully denies the whole work of the Spirit, this person sins against the Holy Ghost, and it is impossible (faith St. Paul), to renew him again unto repentance, having crucified afresh the Lord of Life, &c. Heb. vi. 5, 6. And therefore he will never find forgiveness, nei

ther in this world, nor in the world to come. See Matt. xii. 31, 32. Mark iii. 28. Ananias and Sopphira, 'tis said, lyed against the Holy Ghost, and were by Peter's words both ftruck down dead. Acts v. 1, 2. Witness also the remarkable case of Francis Spira.

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ART. XVII. Of Predestination and Election. Redestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his Counsel, secret to us, to deliver from curfe and damnation those whom he hath chofen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made fons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Chrift: they walk religioufly in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity. As the godly confideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ; is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and fuch as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Chrift, mertifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things; as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal falvation, to be enjoyed through Chrift, as because

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because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal perfons, lacking the Spirit of God, to have continually before their eyes the Sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchleffness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation. Furthermore, we must receive God's Promises in such wife, as they be generally fet forth to us in holy Scripture: And in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have exprefly declared unto us in the Word of God.

Predestination.] That there is such a thing as Predestination, and that unto eternal life, is clearly proved from the word of God. See Matt. xx. 23. xxiv. 2. Luke xii. 32. xvii. 34. John vi. 37. Acts xiii. 48.

Rom. viii. 29. 30.

From everlasting.) God's purposes were determined, as God certainly knew, before the world was made, 'who would be saved, and who would not, who would believe on his Son Jesus Christ, and who nor, for it was determined before the foundation of the world. that they who believed on Christ, should be saved, Acts xvi. 31. John iii. 16. and that they who believed not, should be damned. See John viii. 24. Mark xvi. 16.

But to say that God had determined or predeftinated the greater number of mankind to be eternally damned, only to shew his sovereign power (without any previous condition) or effer of mercy, is most shocking and dreadful to think on; and no where clearly to be proved from holy scripture. If the Potter hath power over the clay to mar it, and then to new mould it again, See Jer. xviii 4, 5 certainly God, the heavenly potter, can do the fame work for his own glory; God willeth not that any should perish. Read Ezek. xviii. 32. 2. Pet. iii. 9.That many die very suddenly, and many come to fad and untimely death is certain, but whether the Souls of those persons are eternally I ft, no man kooweth but God only, in whose bands are the issues of life and death. Matt. x. 29, 30.

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