§. V.
Proof 3. The great and principal End of Christ’s Coming and Appearance was for the Removing of Sin, and to redeem us from all Iniquity.Thirdly, This evil Doctrine is highly injurious to Jesus Christ, and greatly derogates from the Power and Virtue of his Sacrifice, and renders his Coming and Ministry, as to the great End of it, ineffectual. For Christ, as for other Ends, so principally he appeared for the Removing of Sin, for the gathering a righteous Generation, that might serve the Lord in Purity of Mind, and walk before him in Fear, and to bring in everlasting Righteousness, and 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 expresly, 1 John iii. 5. 8. That for this Purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy 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 who 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, and dwell among them; The Devil dwells among the Reprobates.even as the Devil, on the other Hand, doth among the reprobate ones? How 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 throughly 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 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, Ephes. 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.