the Service of God, and the Promises Rom. ix. 4.

and Whats

Q. Wherein, or in what respects, have they Externals External Communion also with all Profeffors of Chriftianity?

A. In all fuch good things, as these Professors enjoy, or do, viz. in all the outward Privileges, and outward Duties of Religion. They all agree in the same Profession of Christianity, hear the fame Word, join in the same Prayers, and partake of the fame Sacraments; tho' not in the fame Manner.

Catechist. And now according to this Article, we should bless Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for gathering to himself fuch a Church and chofen People, who are all incorporated into one entire Body, and are all holy in some Measure, though not in full Measure here, and will hereafter be perfectly so in Heaven.

And feeing that the true Saints, and found Members of his Church, have Communion with God himself, and also with one another, let us labour to be such as are Partakers of this Blessedness, even found Believers, fin cere and unfeigned Christians, such as are holy and peaceful, both in their Hearts and Conversation. For without Holiness we cannot possibly enjoy God; nor have Commua nion with one another, without Peacefulness and Charity.

Sect. 10. Of the tenth Article. "The Forgiveness of Sins

Cate's

Catechist. The People or Church of God, though sanctified in part here, are yet guilty of Sin, both Original and Actual. The former they are born with, and bring into the World with them; the latter they commit whilst they live therein. And by the Law of God, in the Strictness and Rigour of it, as it required a personal and perfect Obedience of us, they deserve eternal Death, for both these sorts of Sins. And then how should they escape, or be acquitted from this Punishment? Would God deny himself, even his Holiness and Justice; or abrogate his own Law, that the Guilty might be free from Suffering? No, God in his Nature is so holy and just, as that he cannot behold Sin, or dismiss it with Impunity. And the Righteousness of his Law is an everlasting Righteousness. As long as God is God, the fupreme Truth and Goodness, and Man is Man, an Intellectual and Free Agent, it cannot but be our Duty to believe, hope and confide in him; and to love him superlatively above all other Objects, with all the Heart, with all the Soul, with all the Strength, and with all the Mind. And when by failing hereof, we had deserved eternal Punishment, how, and by what way, was it possible we should escape it? In this Case, though the Law could not be abrogated, yet the Rigour thereof was so far relaxed to us, as to admit of a Surety, or Sponfor on our behalf, and for want of our own Righteousness, to accept of his, as offer'd instead thereof, for our Justification. But where should such a Surety, with such a Right

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Righteousness be found? If all the Angels of Heaven would have satisfied God for us, they must necessarily have perished, and failed in the Attempt. And that this should be effected by one of the Sacred Trinity, was utterly unconceivable to any finite Understanding; it being impossible that God should die or suffer. Yet this was made possible, and ef fectually brought to pass, by the Wisdom and Love of God, in the Incarnation of his Son; who being in one Person, both God and Man, he obeyed as Man, and as God he satisfied by his Obedience for us.

This Obedience of Christ as it fulfilled the first Covenant, so it hath also merited and founded the Second for us; that who soever believeth in him, should not perish, but have Everlasting Life. And by Reason hereof, there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus; but they are justified as righteous, both by the Law and Gofpel. They are justified by the Law, through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ: And they are justified by the Gospel, through their Faith in him. Justification implies Accusa tion. And here are two distinct Charges or Accusations to be supposed; the one that we are Sinners, such as have broken the Law, the other that we are Unbelievers, such as have rejected the Gospel. Accordingly we must plead distinctly, and answerably to these Indictments. To the first we must plead, not our Faith, but Christ's Righteoufness; it being this, not that, which must justify us by the Law; To the other we must plead our Faith, which must justify us by the Gof

K

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What Sin

is.

Original.

Gospel. And being justified by these Means both by the Law and Gospel, or freed à culpa from the Crime alledg'd against us, fo as that it ceaseth either actually to oblige us to, or in the Eye of the Law, to make us worthy of Punishment, we shall consequently be free from it; which is our Pardon or Forgiveness. And so properly speaking this Forgiveness of our Sins, is the Consequent and Effect of our Justification. And here we muft observe, that that Faith which justifieth us, or is the Gofpel-Condition of Justification and Forgiveness, is such, as is always accompanyed with Repentance, and new Obedience. So that none have any Ground to hope for this Forgiveness, but fuch as have in themselves these Conditions thereof. And the Feeling these in us, is an infallible Evidence that our Sins are forgiven us.

The Questions and Answers.

Is Sin the Breach of God's Law ?

A. Yes.

1 John iii. 4. Sin is the Tranf

greffion of the Law.

Are the People of God guilty of any Sin?

A. Yes. All are guilty thereof. We are all guilty before God. Rom. iii. 19.

Q. Are they guilty of Sinful Natures?
A. Yes. Pf. li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in
Iniquity, and in Sin did my Mother conceive

me.

Are they guilty of actual Sins?

A. Yes

A. Yes. For there is not a Righteous Man that doth good, and finneth not. Eccl.vii. 20.

Q. What

due to Sin?

Actual

is the just Reward or Punishment The Defers

A. The Wages of Sin is Death, i. e. temporal and eternal Misery. Rom. vi. 23.

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Q. Do you believe then, that the People of God themselves do deserve for their Sins to fuffer Eternal Misery?

?

A. Yes. For the Law faith, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law, to do them. Gal. iii. 10.

Q. And do they lie under this Curse and Con demnation? A. No. There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Rom. viii. 1. Q. Doth God forgive them their Sins?

A. Yes. For he faith, I will be merciful to their Unrighteousness, and their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more. Heb. viii. 12.

of Sin,

Q. What do you mean by the Forgiveness of Forgiveness Sin? Is it not a Discharge from the Punishment of Sin, due unto it?

A. Yes. Rom. iv. 8. Blessed is the Man

to whom the Lord imputeth no Sin.

Q. Do's only God forgive Sins ?

A. Yes. Luke v. 21. Who can forgive

Sins but God alone?

what.