wisdom

pare a means to serve and worship him per

fectly?

betwixt light and darkness, 2 Cor. vi. 14. But God is light, and every sin is darkness in a measure: What greater stain then can there be than this upon God's wisdom, as if he had been wanting to HathGod's prepare a means whereby his children might per- been wantfectly serve and worship him, or had not provided ing to prea way whereby they might serve him in any thing, but that they must withal still serve the devil no less, yea, more than himself? For he that sinneth is the servant of sin, Rom. vi. 16. and every sin is an act of service and obedience to the devil. So then if the saints sin daily in thought, word, and deed, yea, if the very service they offer to God be sin, surely they serve the devil more than they do God: for besides that they give the devil many entire services, without mixture of the least grain to God, they give God not the least service in which the devil hath not a large share: and if their prayers and all their spiritual performances be sinful, the devil is as much served by them in these as God, and in most of them much more, since they confess that many of them are performed without the leadings and influence of God's Spirit. Now who would not account him a foolish master among men, who being able to do it, and also desirous it might be so, yet would not provide a way whereby his children and servants might serve him more entirely than his avowed enemy; or would not guard against their serving of him, but be so imprudent and unadvised in his contrivance, that whatever way his servants and children served him, they should no less, yea often much more, serve his enemy? What may we then think of that doctrine that would infer this folly upon the Omnipotent and Only Wise God?

sistency

§. IV. Secondly, It is inconsistent with the justice Proof 2. of God. For since he requires purity from his Ita inconchildren, and commands them to abstain from with the every iniquity, so frequently and precisely as shall God.

justice of

hereafter appear, and since his wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, it must needs follow, that he hath capacitated man to answer his will, or else that he requires more than he has given power to perform; which is to declare him openly unjust, and, with the slothful servant, to be an hard master. We have elsewhere spoken of the injustice these men ascribe to God, in making him to damn the wicked, to whom they allege he never afforded any means of being good; but this is yet an aggravation more irrational and inconsistent, to say, that God will not afford to those, whom he hath chosen to be his own, (whom they confess he loveth,) the means to please him. What can follow then from so strange a doctrine?

This imperfection in the saints either proceeds from God or from themselves: If it proceeds from them, it must be because they are short in improving or making use of the power given them, whereby they are capable to obey; and so it is a thing possible to them, as indeed it is by the help of that power: but this our adversaries deny they are then not to be blamed for their imperfection and continuing in sin, since it is not possible for them to do otherwise. If it be not of themselves, it must be of God, who hath not seen meet to allow them grace in that degree to produce that effect and what is this but to attribute to God the height of injustice, to make him require his children to forsake sin, and yet not to afford them sufficient means for so doing? Surely this makes God more unrighteous than wicked men, who if Who will (as Christ saith) their children require bread of them, children a will not give them a stone; or instead of a fish, a serpent. But these men confess we ought to seek of God power to redeem us from sin, and yet believe they are never to receive such a power; such prayers then cannot be in faith, but are all vain. Is not this to make God as unjust to his

give their

stone in

stead of bread?

children as Pharaoh was to the Israelites, in requiring brick, and not giving them straw? But blessed be God, he deals not so with those that truly trust in him, and wait upon him, as these men vainly imagine; for such faithful ones find of a truth that his grace is sufficient for them, and know how by his power and spirit to overcome the evil

one.

and prin

Christ's

coming

was forthe

of sin, and

iniquity.

§. V. Thirdly, This evil doctrine is highly in- Pr. III. jurious to Jesus Christ, and greatly derogates from the The great power and virtue of his sacrifice, and renders his cipal end coming and ministry, as to the great end of it, inef- ofi fectual. For Christ, as for other ends, so principally and he appeared for the removing of sin, for the gath- pearance ering a righteous generation, that might serve removing the Lord in purity of mind, and walk before him in to redeem fear, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and us from all that evangelical perfection which the law could not do. Hence he is said, Tit. ii. 14. to have given himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. This is certainly spoken of the saints while upon earth; but, contrary thereunto, these men affirm, that we are never redeemed from all iniquity, and so make Christ's giving of himself for us void and ineffectual, and give the apostle Paul the lie plainly, by denying that Christ purifieth to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. How are they zealous of good works, who are ever committing evil ones? How are they a purified people, that are still in impurity, as they are that daily sin, unless sin be accounted no impurity? Moreover it is said expressly, 1 John iii. 5, 8. That for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might de stroy the works of the devil; and ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins. But these men make this purpose of none effect; for they will not have the Son of God to destroy the works of the devil in his children in this world, neither will they at all

believe that he was manifest to take away our sins, seeing they plead a necessity of always living in them. And lest any should wrest this place of the apostle, as if it were spoken only of taking away the guilt of sin, as if it related not to this life, the apostle, as if of purpose to obviate such an objection, adds in the following verses, Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not, &c. I hope then they sin not daily in thought, word, and deed. Let no man deceive you; he that doth righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous; he that committeth sin, is of the devil ; but he that sinneth daily in thought, word, and deed, committeth sin; how comes such an one then to be the child of God? And if Christ was manifest to take away sin, how strangely do they overturn the doctrine of Christ that deny that it is ever taken away here? And how injurious are they to the efficacy and power of Christ's appearance? Came not Christ to gather a people out of sin into righteousness; from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of the dear Son of God? And are not they that are thus gathered by him his servants, his children, his brethren, his friends? who as he was, so are they to be in this world, holy, pure, and undefiled. And doth not Christ still watch over them, stand by them, pray for them, and preserve them by his power and Spirit, walk in them, The devil and dwell among them; even as the devil on the other hand doth among the reprobate ones? How among the reprobates. comes it then that the servants of Christ are less his servants than the devil's are his? Or is Christ unwilling to have his servants thoroughly pure? Which were gross blasphemy to assert, contrary to many scriptures. Or is he not able by his power to preserve and enable his children to serve him? Which were no less blasphemous to affirm of him, concerning whom the scriptures declare, That he has overcome sin, death, hell, and the grave, and triumphed over them openly, and that all

dwells

power in heaven and earth is given to him. But certainly if the saints sin daily in thought, word, and deed, as these men assert, they serve the devil daily, and are subject to his power; and so he prevails more than Christ doth, and holds the servants of Christ in bondage, whether Christ will or not. But how greatly then doth it contradict the end of Christ's coming? as it is expressed by the apostle, Eph. v. 25, 26, 27. Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word: that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish. Now if Christ hath really thus answered the thing he came for, then the members of this church are not always sinning in thought, word, and deed, or there is no difference betwixt being sanctified and unsanctified, clean and unclean, holy and unholy, being daily blemished with sin, and being without blemish.

teachers,

given for

§. VI. Fourthly, This doctrine renders the work Pr. IV. of the ministry, the preaching of the word, the writing of the scripture, and the prayers of holy men, altogether useless and ineffectual. As to the first, Eph. iv. 11. Pastors and teachers are said to be given for the per- Pastors, fection of the saints, &c. until we all come in the unity and scripof the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, tures are unto a perfect man, unto a measure of the stature of the perfecting fulness of Christ. Now if there be a necessity of of the sinning daily, and in all things, then there can be no perfection; for such as do so cannot be esteemed perfect. And if for effectuating this perfection in the saints the ministry be appointed and disposed of God, do not such as deny the possibility hereof render the ministry useless, and of no profit? Seeing there can be no other true use assigned, but to lead people out of sin into righteousness. If so be these ministers assure us that

saints.