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CHAP. VII.

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A brief explication of the forgiveness of sins; not constantly repeated in the creed till the days of Cyprian, though sometimes expressel, and always supposed from the very beginning of Christianity. Two interpreta tions are given thereof, a primary, and a secondary one. To have a clear idea of the primary one, which respects sins committed before baptism, it will be necessary to reflect on the great wickedness of the world before the publication of the gospel; by means whereof they were under guilt, which the heathens knew to be the light of nature, but could not tell how to remove it. The Jews had no universal assurance of the pardon of sins wherefore the apostles were sent forth to reveal an infallible way for the obtaining it, viz. by believing, and being baptized; which is proved to be the primary sense of this article, always supposed, or else expressed in the creed from the very first preaching of the gospel, viz. that all past sins are for the sake of Christ, remitted to all penitential believers at baptism: first, that our sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ: secondly, that the time of their jorgiveness is at baptism. Remission of sins ascribed to baptism, which is always to be understood with due regards to the qualifications of the persons baptized. Why sins are said to be forgiven at baptism. The secondary sense of this article, respected sins committed after baptism. The rigorous notions of the Basalidians, Montanists, but especially of the Novatians,

who denied the pardon of God. The resurrection of the body is in some creeds the last article, and may be considered in considered in conjunction with the resurrection of our Saviour. The resurrection from the dead being a necessary point of our religion. In the Greek and Latin creeds, as also in the modern French and Dutch, it is the resurrection of the flesh. Several heretics would equivocatingly assent to the resurrection of the body, who denied that the same fleshly substance should rise again. Against whom it was emphatically inserted in the creed, that there should be the resurrection of the flesh; that is, that the very same fleshly and material body should rise again, tho' the qualities thereof shall be changed and altered. Life everlasting diversly placed in the ancient creeds, pertinently put at the end of the apostles, because it is the end of our faith, and the determination of every man to his proper place. The Gnostics affirmed, that the greatest part of mankind should be annihilated at the day of judgment, against whom, it is declared by this article, that after that there will be life everlasting; wherein is included, the eternal misery of the damned, and the everlasting happiness of the blessed.

HE next article that in order follows to be

THE

enquired into, is the forgiveness of sins; the terms whereof are so plain and easy, as that they scarce need any explication at all. Wherefore, that which I understand by it, is

in brief no other than this, that God for the sake of Christ, will freely renit and forgive all manner and kind of sins, and release their obligation to punishment, unto all such as shall unfeignedly repent and believe the gospel; wherein I insert the sake of Christ, as also repentance, faith, and receiving of the gospel, as a cause and conditions of the remission of sins, for reasons which will hereafter follow.

As for the time of the constant repetition of this article in the creed, it was not till the days of Cyprian, seeing it is not in any of the creeds of Irenæus, Tertullian or Origen, but is first of all to be found in a creed of the forementioned father; after which, it is generally to be met with in all succeeding creeds, which was no doubt, occasioned by the severe and rigorous notions of the Basilidians, Montanists, but especially of the Novatians, as I shall hereafter shew.

But, though this article was not constantly demanded with the other parts of the creed at baptism, till the days of Cyprian, yet long béfore his time, even from the promulgation of the gospel, it was always supposed, and sometimes expressly mentioned to be part of the faith unto which the baptized person gave his assent; in which respect I may truly say, that this article is as ancient as any in the creed; and, that the primary sense thereof is

to be fetched from the holy scriptures, and the circumstances of the apostles, and of the Jewish and Pagan world at that time, as well as a secondary interpretation, which afterwards occasioned its fixed and continual repetition, is to be searched for elsewhere.

As for the first and primary sense, which hath respect to sins committed before baptism, the best way to have a clear idea and apprehension thereof, is to reflect on the state and condition of the world before the preaching of the gospel, and the commission given unto the apostles with respect & reference to them.

The whole world, as is well known, was at that time drowned in impiety, profaneness and ignorance, fallen into the last irregularity and dregs of licentiousness, giving themselves o ver to all manner of uncleanness and abominations; by which sins, they were necessarily fallen under insupportable loads of guilt, and bound over to the inevitable punishment and vengeance of the Almighty, when he should conie in his majesty and glory to render a righteous reward unto every man according to his works; of which the very heathens themselves were convinced, having found out by their natural ratiocinations that they were sinners, and obnoxious to the divine anger, as appears by their sacrifices, and other rites. But now, this was that which surpassed their

most raised intellects, how their sins should be forgiven, and their obligation to punishment by reason of them, be cancelled and annulled. They had indeed some general hopes of God's mercy founded on the common bounty of his providence towards them, in giving them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness, and the like, which they endeavored to increase by their sacrifices, and other religious rites and ceremonies; but they had no positive assurance of the remission of their sins, and of the divine reconciliation unto their persons, being still obscured and bewildered in their notions and apprehensions concerning it, never arriving unto any certain conclusion; that though the goodness of God did now attend them, yet that his justice, anger and vengeance, should not overtake and sieze them another day, and severely punish them for all those innumerable and abominable sins, which they themselves were sensible, they had most daringly committed against him.

And as the heathens knew not how their sins could be forgiven, and their persons absolved from the guilt thereof, so neither had the Jews any perfect and certain apprehension thereof. The Mosaical law had appointed sacrifices for sins of ignorance, and for small and ordinary transgressions; by the regular

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