:

All the nature of man

readiness to sin is damnable sin in the law of God. David prayed (Psm. lxviii.) Let not the tempest drown me, let me not fall into the bottom, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me: as who should say, First, keep me, O God, from sinning, then if I shall chance to fall, as no flesh can escape, one time or other, then call me shortly is sinful. back again, and let me not sink too deep therein and though I yet fall never so deep, yet Lord let not the way of mercy be stopped: signifying that it is unpossible to stand of ourselves, and much less to rise again. Which impotency and feebleness is damnable in the law of God, except that we saw it and repented, and were fled to Christ for mercy.

CHAP. II.

MY little children, I write these things unto you, that ye sin not. And though any man sin, yet we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, which is righteous.

I write unto you on the one side, that God is light, and therefore that no man which willingly walketh in the unfruitful works of darkness, hath any fellowship with that light, or part in the blood of his Son. And this I write and testify unto you my dear children, that ye sin not: that is, that ye consent not unto sin, nor should sin of lust and purpose maliciously; but contrariwise that ye fear God, and resist sin with all your might and power according as ye have promised. For whosoever sinneth of purpose after the knowledge of truth, the same sinneth against the Holy Ghost remediless. (Heb. vi. 10.)

And on the other side, I testify unto you that we be

We must resist sin

with all our

power and might.

We sin

daily by the frailty and weakness of our flesh.

Our advocate Jesus.

Jesus that

always sinners, though not of purpose and malice after the nature of damned devils, but of infirmity and frailty of our flesh, which flesh not only letteth us that our works cannot be perfect, but also now and then, through manifold occasions and temptations carrieth us clean out of the right way, spite of our hearts. Howbeit (I say) if when the rage is past, we turn unto the right way again, and confess our sins unto our Father with a repenting heart, he hath promised us mercy, and is true to fulfil it. So that if we sin not devilishly against the Holy Ghost, refusing the doctrine which we cannot improve that it should not be true, but after the frailty of man, there is no cause to despair; for we have an advocate and an intercessor with the Father, even Jesus Christ that is righteous.

The name of our advocate is Jesus, that is to say, a Saviour. Call his name Jesus, said the angel to Joseph; for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt. i.) And this advocate and our Jesus, to save us from our sins, continueth ever, as it written, (Heb vii.) and hatb, Sempiternum Sacerdotium, an everlasting office, to make an atonement for sin; by the reason whereof (saith the text) he is able ever to save them that come to God through him, with repentance and faith, and liveth ever to speak for us. And besides that, our Jesus is God and is God and almighty. He took our nature upon him, and felt all our infirmities and sicknessess, and in feeling learned to have compassion on us, and for compassion cried mightily in prayers to God the Father for us, and was heard. And the voice of the same blood that once cried, not for vengeance as Abel's, but for mercy only, and was heard, crieth now and ever, and is ever heard, as oft as we call unto remembrance with repenting faith how that it was shed for our sins. He is also called Christus, that is to say, king anointed with all might and power over sin, death and hell, and over all sins; so that none that flieth unto him shall ever come into judgment of damnation. He is

man, calleth unto thee O Father,

for us.

Christus.

anointed with all fulness of grace, and hath all the treasure and riches of the Spirit of God in his hand, with which he blesseth all men according to the promise made By Jesus to Abraham, and is thereto merciful to forgive unto all that call on him. And how much he loveth us, 1 me unto the ensamples of his deeds.

report

And he is righteous, both toward God in that he never sinned, and therefore hath obtained all his favour and grace; and also toward us in that he is true to fulfil all the mercy that he hath promised us, even unto the uttermost jot.

And he is the satisfaction for our sins, and not for our's only, but also for all the world's.

That I call satisfaction, the Greek calleth Ilasmos, and the Hebrew Copar. And it is first taken for the suaging of wounds, sores, and swellings, and the taking away of pain and smart of them. And thence is borrowed for the pacifying and suaging of wrath and anger, and for an amends making, a contenting, satisfaction, a ransom, and making at one, as it is to see abundantly in the Bible. So that Christ is a full contenting, satisfaction and ransom for our sins. And not for our's only, which are apostles and disciples of Christ while he was yet here; or for our's which are Jews or Israelites and the seed of Abraham; or for our's that now believe at this present time, but for all men's sins, both for their sins which went before and believed the promises to come, and for our's which have seen them fulfilled, and also for all them which shall afterward believe unto the world's end, of whatsoever nation or degree they be. For Paul commandeth, (1 Tim. ii.) To pray for all men and all degrees, saying, that tobe acceptable unto our Saviour God, which will have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, that is some of all nations and all degrees, and not the Jews only. (saith he) there is one God, and one Mediator between

For

Christ we

are made blessed.

God and man, the man Christ Jesus, which gave himself a redemption and full satisfaction for all men.

Let this therefore be an undoubted article of thy faith: not of an history faith as thou believest a gest of Alexander, or of the old Romans, but of a lively faith and belief, to put thy trust and confidence in, and to buy and sell thereon, as we say, and to have thy sins taken away, and thy soul saved thereby, if thou hold it fast; and to continue ever in sin, and to have thy soul damned if thou let it slip; that our Jesus, our Saviour that saveth his people from their sins, and our Christ, that is our king over all sin, death and hell, anointed with fulness of all grace and with the Spirit of God, to distribute unto all men, hath, according unto the Epistle to the Hebrews and all the Scripture, in the days of his mortal flesh, with death, hell, fasting, praying, suffering, and crying to God mightily for us, and with shedding his blood, made full satisfaction both a pana et a culpa (with our holy father's leave) for all the sins of the world; both of their's that went before, and of their's that come after in the faith; whether it be original sin or actual: and not only the sins committed with consent to evil in time of ignorance before the knowledge of the truth, but also the sins done of frailty after we have forsaken evil and consented to the laws of God in our hearts, promising to follow Christ and walk in the light of his doctrine.

Christ is king over

and sin.

Christ only is our Saviour.

He saveth his people from their sins, (Matt. i.) and that he only. So that there is no other name to be saved by, (Acts iv.) And unto him bear all the prophets record, that all that believe in him shall receive remission of their sins in his name. (Acts x.) And by him only we have an entering in unto the Father and unto all grace. (Eph. ii. 3. Rom. v.) And as many are come before him as thieves and murderers. (John x.) That is, whosoever preacheth any other forgiveness of sin than through faith in his name, the same slayeth the soul.

This to be true, not only of original but of actual, and

Christ forgiveth all our sins

freely for his mercy

as well of that we commit after our profession, as before, mayest thou evidently see by the ensamples of the Scripture. Christ forgave the woman taken in adultery, (John viii.) and another whom he healed. (John v.) And he forgave publicans and open sinners, and put none to do penance, as they call it, for to make satisfaction for the sake. sin, which he forgave through repentance and faith, but enjoined them the life of penance, the profession of their baptism, to tame the flesh in keeping the commandments, and that they should.sin no more. And those sinners were for the most part Jews, and had their original sin forgiven them before, through faith in the Testament of of God. Christ forgave his apostles their actual sins after their profession, which they committed in denying him, and put none to do penance for satisfaction. Peter, (Acts ii.) absolveth the Jews through repentance and faith from their actual sins which they did in consenting unto Christ's death, and enjoined them no penance to make satisfaction. Paul also had his actual sins forgiven him freely through repentance and faith without mention Christ only of satisfaction. (Acts ix.) So that according unto this present text of John, if it chance us to sin of frailty, let us not despair, for we have an advocate and intercessor, a true attorney with the Father, Jesus Christ, righteous towards God and man, and is the reconciling and satisfaction for our sins.

For Christ's works are perfect, so that he hath obtained us all mercy and hath set us in the full state of grace and favour of God, and hath made us as well beloved as the angels of heaven, though we be yet weak. As the young children though they can do no good at all are yet as tenderly beloved as the old. And God, for Christ's sake, hath promised that whatsoever evil we shall do, yet if we turn and repent, he will never more think on our sins.

is our advocate.

Popish for.

Thou wilt say, God forgiveth the displeasure, but we must suffer pain to satisfy the righteousness of God. A giveness.