I am well assured, no good man would embrace an opinion so derogatory to Christ's honour as this is : did he but see the odious consequences of it, doubtless he would abhor them as much as we. And as for those now in heaven, who fell into such mistakes in the way thither, were they now acquainted with what is transacted liere below, they would exceedingly rejoice in the detection of those mistakes, and bless God for the refutation of them.
Error 8. They affirm. That believers need not fear their own sins, nor the sins of others ; Jmasmuch as neither their own, or otheisins can do them any hurt, nor must they do any duty for their own good or salvation, or for eternal rewards.
That we need fear no hurt from sin, or may not aim at our own good in duty, are two propositions that sound harsh in the ears
584 THE SECOND APPEXBIX.
of believers. I shall consider them severally, and refute them as briefly as I can.
Proposition 1. Believers need not fear their oion sins, or the sins of' others', because neither our oion or others sins can do iisaiiyhurt>
They seem to be induced into this error, by misunderstanding the apostle, in Rom. viii. 28. as if the scope of that text were to assert the benefits of sin to justified persons; whereas he speaks there of adversities and afflictions befalling the saints in this life. Univer- sails restringcnda est ad mater iam siibjectam, loquitur enim de ctjfflic- tionihiis piorum. The subject-matter (saith Paraeus on the place) restrains the universal expression of the apostle : for when he there saith, " All things shall work together for good ;" he principally intends the afflictions of the godlj', of which he treats there in that context. It maybe extended also to all providential events; Omnia quceciinq2ie eis accedunt Jbrinsecus, tarn adversa, quam prosper a: All adverse and prosperous events of things without us, as Estius upon the place notes. Nothing is sj^oken of sin in this text. And the apostle distributing this general into particulars, ver. 38. plainly shews what are the things he intended by his universal expression, ver. 28. as also in what respect no creature can do the saints any liurt, namely, that they shall never be able " to separate them from '' the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'" And in this respect it is true, that the sins of the elect shall not hurt them, by frustrating the purpose of God concerning their eternal salva- tion ; or totally and finally to separate them from his love. This we grant, and vet we think it a very unwary and unsound expres- sion, That believers need not fear their oivn sins, because they can do them no hurt: It is too general and unguarded a proposition to be received for truth. What if their sins cannot do them that hurt, to frustrate the purpose iof God, and damn them to eternity in the world to come? Can it therefore do them no hurt at all in their present state of conflict with it in this world ? For my part, I think the greatest fear of caution is due to sin, the greatest evil ; and that Chrysostome spake more like a Christian, when he said, Nil nisi peccatnm timeo, I fear nothing but sin. Though sin cannot finally ruin the believer, yet it can many ways hurt and injure the believer, and therefore ought not to be misrepresented as such an innocent and harmless thing to them. In vain are so many terrible threatenings in the scriptures against it, if it can do us no hurt ; and it is certain nothing can do us good, but that v^hich makes us better and more holy : But sin can never pretend to that of all things in the world. But to come to an issue, sin may be considered three ways.
1. Formally. 2. Effectively. 3. Reductively.
First, Formally, as a transgression of the preceptive part of the
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law oF God, and under that consideration it is the most formidable evil in the whole world. The evil of evils at which every gracious heart trembles, and ought rather to chuse banishment, prison, and death itself in the most terrible form, than sin, or that which is most tempting in sin, the pleasures of it ; as Moses did, Heb. xi.
Secondly, Sin may be considered effectively, with respect to the manifold mischiefs and calamities it produceth in the world, and the spiritual and corporeal evils it infers upon believers themselves : Though it cannot damn their souls, yet it makes war against their souls, and brings them into miserable bondage and captivity, Rom. vii. 23. It wounds their souls, under which wounds they are feeble, and sore broken ; yea, they roar by reason of the disquiet- ncss of their hearts, Psal. xxxviii. 5, 8. Is Avar, captivity, fester- ing, painful wounds, causing them to roar, no hurt to believers ? It breaks their very bones, Psal. li. 8. And is that no hurt? It draws off their minds from God, interrupts their prayers and meditations, Rom. vii. 18, 19, 20, 21. And is there no hurt in that.? It causeth their graces to decline, wither, and languish to that degree, that the things which are in them are ready to die, Rev. iii. 1. and .Rev. ii. 4. And is the loss of grace and spiritual strength no hurt to a believer ? It hides the face of God from them, Isa. hx. 2. And is there no hurt in spiritual withdrawments of God from their souls ? Why then do deserted saints so bitterly lament and Ixjmoan it ? It provokes innumerable afflictions, and miseries which fall upon our bodies, relations, estates ; and if sin be the cause of all these inward and outward miseries to the people of God, sure then there is some hurt in sin, for which the saints ought to be afraid of it.
Thirdly, Sin may be considered reductively, as it is over-ruled, reduced, and finally issued by the covenant of grace. Under this consideration of sin, which rather respects the future than present state, the Antinomians only respect the hurt or evil of it ; over- looking both the former considerations of sin, which concern the present state of believers, and so rashly pronounce, Sin can do be- lievers no hurt ; an assertion tending to a great deal of looseness and licentiousness. A man drinks deadly poison, and is, after many months, recovered by the skill of an excellent physician ; shall we say, There was no hurt in it, because the man died not of it ? Sure, those fearful twinges he felt, his loss of strength and stomach were hurtful to him, though he escaped with life, and got thia advantage by it to be more wary for ever after. Tantuvi I'eUgio potiiH suadere maloi'um.
And then, for other men's sins, (which they say we need not fear) it is an assertion against all the laws of charity ; for the sins
586 THE SECOND APPENDIX.