A treatise of the nature of a minister in all its offices to which is annexed an answer to Doctor Forbes concerning the necessity of bishops to ordain, which is an answer to a question, proposed in these late unhappy times, to the author, What is a minister?

SECT, VIII. The 1. of St. John 3. 9. expounded.

THat is, 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; from which is deduced, That sinners are not Gods children, are not born of God, not heirs, therefore have not title to him and his blessings: if not sinners, much less so great sinners as Apostates.

To understand which Text, and farther to illustrate this truth, conceive with me, First, That this phrase sinneth not, or commit∣teth not sin, (that will not be materiall) cannot be understood of doing nothing that is sin, for our Apostle in this very Epistle hath declared the contrary, Chap. 1. 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us. Again, Verse 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (that is, God) a liar, and his Word is not in us. Again, Chap. 2. verse 1, 2. If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins. Then, they sinned, and in such manner, as they have need of Christ for a propitiation.

Secondly, I cannot conceive these words so as Beza expounds them, in the 4th verse, which he would have guide the whole sence of the phrase, throughout this Chapter; he saith, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 doth differ from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; to commit sin, differs from sinning, because to commit sin, is to do it knowingly against his conscience. To conclude, he makes it an high kind of sinning, and to sin with reigning sin. I know no necessity to force any such exposition from the phrase, and I am sure he chose a most unlucky verse to obtrude that exposition upon; for in that place the Apostle saith, He who commits sin trans∣gresseth the law, for sin is the transgression of the law; phrases which are affirmed of him that committeth sin, but agree to all sins, for every sin is the transgression of the law; and therefore 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to commit, or do, or make sin, is no more than to sin: and to this inconsideration in Beza, fuller, the Apostle in verse

6. useth only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, He who remains in him, sinneth not. There, because the sence is as pregnant to shew the incon∣sistence of the birth or being in Christ, and sin, as before he re∣fers the Reader to the fourth verse, so that there was a distincti∣on in the 4th verse betwixt sinning and committing sin, but here there is none in the 6th verse; but to sin, must be to do it, as is expounded, with an high hand. But I have shewed, there could be no such sence in that verse, and therefore much less in this, where was not the least phrase guiding to it. I come now to the Text; I have tumbled over divers Expositors, and he that pleaseth me best is Cardinal Cajetan in his Comments upon the Text, who seems to me to dive deeper into, and drive closer to the sence of the Text than others. Vasques Comes in a word or two towards it likewise, and many touch upon it; his sence is, that he who is born of God, and he who remains in him, sins not, nor can sin: this must be taken (saith he) formaliter, formally, quatenus, say the Logicians, as he is born of God. This we may perceive to be the sence of the Text, because throughout this Chapter the Apostle describes two sorts of acti∣ons, good and evil, two principles from whence they came; the good from God, whose sons we are called that do good, and are as••imilated to him by such actions; the evil from the devil, verse 8. Now these two principles are in every man; when he doth well his actions come from God, and so far forth he is from God; and when he doth evil his actions are from the devil, and so far forth he is from the devil: nay we may not only find these two principles working their effects in the same man, but like Jacob and Esau, strugling at the same time in the same womb, who shall come out first, and like fire and water contending at the same time for preheminence, as St. Paul wonderfully de∣scribes, Rom. 7. insomuch that in the 24th verse it made him cry out like a woman in labour of this birth, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? So that these two principles are in the same man; perhaps sometimes he sins, in that he sins, quatenus, as he sins, he is not born of God; then he doth righteousness, out of that regard as he doth righte∣ously he is born of God. Now yet that you may farther see that this is the sence, see that this thread, this clew, must lead ••ord•• to the exposition of the pieces in this same business of this

Chapter, verse 6. He who sinneth hath not seen God, nor known God. This must be understood, quatenus, in that regard every man hath sinned, then no man hath seen or known God, no, but quatenus, in that regard that he sinneth, he hath not seen God, nor knoweth him, he sets not God before his face, so that there is a necessity of this exposition from the like speeches of the Apostle; so likewise from that phrase in the 9th verse, He cannot sin. (Certainly he who cannot sin, cannot but do righteously) because he is born of God, out of that cause and principle, whi∣lest he keeps himself close to that, quatenus, as he is born of God; as likewise he sinneth not, because the seed remaineth in him: yet St. Paul, whilest the seed was in him, did sin, but not quate∣nus. A man may have the seed of God, and the seed of the De∣vil together; the seed of God brings forth good fruit, the seed of the Devil that which is ill; as he works from the seed of God he cannot sin: and A Lapide expresseth in another phrase, much conducing to the same purpose, in sensu composito, con∣cerning a man working by that principle he cannot sin, or work∣ing by the Devil he shall sin, but taking a man in sensu diviso, as not knit to that principle, nor working by the divine seed, he may sin.

Let us see then this Text applied to this business, He who is born of God by Baptism, sinneth not, not quatenus, not so long as he works according to the design and intent of Baptism, which is to forsake the Devil, and follow Christ; and this seed of this Co∣venant remaineth in him, to produce sanctity and holiness of life, which so long as it is watered and cherished, it will do: and be sure when you do evil, you work from another principle; but this no whit derogates from the constant union which such a per∣son keeps as a member, or a filiation.