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spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.' Where both the supposition that is made, and the reason that is given, do Gal. vi. 1. plainly insinuate that all men are subject to their several infirThe mities; so that every man may be overtaken in faults. charge given to Timothy and Titus to 'rebuke and exhort,' 2 Tim.iv.2. does suppose that Christians, and even bishops and deacons, Tit. i. 13. were subject to faults that might deserve correction.

6

In that passage, cited out of St. John's Epistle, as mention 1 John v. is made of a 'sin unto death,' for which they were not to 16. pray, so mention is made both there and in St. James's Epistle of sins for which they were to pray,' and which upon Jam. v. 15, their prayers were to be forgiven. All which places do not 16. only express this to be the tenor of the new covenant, that the sins of regenerated persons were to be pardoned in it, but they are also clear precedents and rules for the churches to follow them in their discipline. And therefore those words in St. John, that a man born of God doth not and cannot sin, must be understood in a larger sense, of their not living in the practice of known sins; of their not allowing themselves in that course of life, nor going on deliberately with it. By the sin unto death,' is meant the same thing with that apostasy mentioned in the 6th of the Hebrews. Among the Jews some sins were punished by a total excision or cutting off, and this probably gave the rise to that designation of a 'sin unto death.' The words in the Epistle to the Hebrews Heb. vi. 6. do plainly import those who, being not only baptized, but having also received a share of the extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost, had totally renounced the Christian religion, and apostatized from the faith, which was a crucifying of Christ anew.' Such apostates to Judaism were thereby involved in the crime and guilt of the crucifying of Christ, and 'the putting him to open shame.' Now persons so apostatizing could not be renewed again by repentance, it not being possible to do any thing toward their conviction that had not been already done; and they, hardening themselves against all that was offered for their conviction, were arrived at such a degree in wickedness, that it was impossible to work upon them; there was nothing left to be tried that had not been already tried, and proved to be ineffectual. Yet it is to be observed, that it was an unjustifiable piece of rigour, to apply these words to all such as had fallen in a time of trial and persecution; for as they had not those miraculous means of conviction, which must be acknowledged to be the strongest, the sensiblest, and the most easily apprehended, of all arguments; so they could not sin so heinously as those had done, who, after what they had seen and felt, revolted from the faith. Great difference is also to be made between a deliberate sin, that a man goes into upon choice, and in which he continues; and a sin, that the fears of death and the infirmities

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ART. of human nature betray him into, and out of which he quickly recovers himself, and for which he mourns bitterly. There was no reason to apply what is said in the New Testament against the wicked apostates of that time, to those who were overcome in the persecution. The latter sinned grievously; yet it was not in the same kind, nor are they in any sort to be compared to the former. All affectations of excessive severity look like pharisaical hypocrisy; whereas the Spirit of Christ, which is made up of humility and charity, will make us look so severely to ourselves, that on that very account we will be gentle even to the failings of others.

6, 14, 15.

Yet, on the other hand, the church ought to endeavour to conform herself so far to her Head, and to his doctrine, as to 2 Thess..note those who obey not the gospel, and to have no company with them, that they may be ashamed; yet not so as to hate such a one, or count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother.' Into what neglect or prostitution soever any church may have fallen in this great point of separating offenders, of making them ashamed, and of keeping others from being corrupted with their ill example and bad influence, that must be confessed to be a very great defect and blemish. The church of Rome had slackened all the ancient rules of discipline, and had perverted this matter in a most scandalous manner; and the world is now sunk into so much corruption, and to such a contempt of holy things, that it is much more easy here to find matter for lamentation, than to see how to remedy or correct it.

ARTICLE XVII.

Of Predestination and Election.

Predestination 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 curse and damnation, those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ unto 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 Sons of God by Adoption, they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ: They walk religiously in good works, and at length by God's mercy they attain to everlasting felicity.

As the godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying 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 Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, 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 wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation.

Furthermore, We must receive God's promises in such wise, as

they be generally set forth to us in holy Scripture: And in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the Word of God.

THERE are many things in several of the other Articles which depend upon this; and therefore I will explain it more fully: for as this has given occasion to one of the longest, the subtilest, and indeed the most intricate, of all the questions in divinity; so it will be necessary to open and examine it as fully as the importance and difficulties of it do require. In treating of it, I shall,

First, State the question, together with the consequences, that arise out of it.

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Secondly, Give an account of the differences that have arisen upon it.

Thirdly, I shall set out the strength of the opinions of the contending parties, with all possible impartiality and ex

actness.

Fourthly, I shall shew how far they agree, and how far they differ; and shall shew what reason there is for bearing with one another's opinions in these matters; and in the

Fifth and last place, I shall consider how far we of this church are determined by this Article, and how far we are at liberty to follow any of those different opinions.

The whole controversy may be reduced to this single point as its head and source: Upon what views did God form his purposes and decrees concerning mankind? Whether he did it merely upon a design of advancing his own glory, and for manifesting his own attributes, in order to which he settled the great and universal scheme of his whole creation and providence? Or whether he considered all the free motions of those rational agents that he did intend to create, and according to what he foresaw they would choose and do, in all the various circumstances in which he might put them, formed his decrees? Here the controversy begins: and when this is settled, the three main questions that arise out of it will be soon determined.

The first is, whether both God and Christ intended that Christ should only die for that particular number whom God intended to save? Or whether it was intended that he should die for all, so that every man that would, might have the benefit of his death, and that no man was excluded from it, but because he willingly rejected it ?

The second is, Whether those assistances, that God gives to men to enable them to obey him, are of their own nature so efficacious and irresistible, that they never fail of producing the effect for which they are given? Or whether they are only sufficient to enable a man to obey God; so that their efficacy comes from the freedom of the will, that either may co-operate with them, or may not, as it pleases ?

The third is, Whether such persons do, and must certainly persevere to whom such grace is given? Or, whether they may not fall away both entirely and finally from that state?

There are also other questions concerning the true notion of liberty, concerning the feebleness of our powers in this lapsed state, with several lesser ones; all which do necessarily take their determination from the decision of the first and main question; about which there are four opinions.

The first is of those commonly called Supralapsarians, who think that God does only consider his own glory in all that he does: and that whatever is done arises, as from its first cause, from the decree of God: that in this decree God, considering only the manifestation of his own glory, intended to make the

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world, to put a race of men in it, to constitute them under ART. Adam as their fountain and head: that he decreed Adam's sin, the lapse of his posterity, and Christ's death, together with the salvation or damnation of such men as should be most for his own glory: that to those who were to be saved he decreed to give such efficacious assistances, as should certainly put them in the way of salvation; and to those whom he rejected he decreed to give such assistances and means only as should render them inexcusable: that all men do continue in a state of grace, or of sin, and shall be saved or damned, according to that first decree: so that God views himself only, and in that view he designs all things singly for his own glory, and for the manifesting of his own attributes. The second opinion is of those called the Sublapsarians, who say, that Adam having sinned freely, and his sin being imputed to all his posterity, God did consider mankind, thus lost, with an eye of pity; and, having designed to rescue a great number out of this lost state, he decreed to send his Son to die for them, to accept of his death on their account, and to give them such assistances as should be effectual both to convert them to him, and to make them persevere to the end: but for the rest, he framed no positive act about them, only he left them in that lapsed state, without intending that they should have the benefit of Christ's death, or of efficacious and persevering assistances.

The third opinion is of those who are called Remonstrants, Arminians,* or Universalists, who think that God intended to create all men free, and to deal with them according to the use that they should make of their liberty: that therefore he, foreseeing how every one would use it, did, upon that, decree all things that concerned them in this life, together with their salvation and damnation in the next: that Christ died for all men; that sufficient assistances are given to every man, but that all men may choose whether they will use them, and persevere in them, or not.

The fourth opinion is of the Socinians,† who deny the certain prescience of future contingencies; and therefore they think the decrees of God from all eternity were only general; that such as believe and obey the gospel shall be saved, and that such as live and die in sin shall be damned: but that there were no special decrees made concerning particular persons, these being only made in time, according to the state in which they are: they do also think that man is by nature so free and so entire, that he needs no inward grace; so they deny a special predestination from all eternity, and do also deny inward assistances.

This is a controversy that arises out of natural religion: for if it is believed that God governs the world, and that the wills