{"number":10,"title":null,"part":null,"questions":[],"paragraphs":[],"clauses":[10],"items":[],"text":"Thus much for the first benefit bestowed on the Church: the second is, *Forgivenesse of sinnes*: which may be thus described, *Forgivenesse of sins is a blessing of God upon his Church procured by the death & passion of Christ, whereby God esteemes of sinne as no sinne, or, as not committed.* In this description I haue couched fiue points, which we are seuerally to consider. The first, who is the authour of forgiuenesse of sinnes? *Answ.* God, whose blessing it is: for sinne is onely committed against God, and the violating of his lawes & commandements are properly sinnes. And the offence done to any man or creature is no more in it selfe but an *offence* or *iniurie:* yea the breach of mans cōmandement is no sinne, unlesse it doe imply withall the breach of Gods commandement. Therefore it is a prerogatiue belonging to God alone to pardon sinne: and when wee are taught to say▪ Forgiue us our trespasses as *wee forgive them that trespasse against vs,* the meaning is not, that we forgiue sinnes as they are sinnes, but onely as trespasses, that is, losses, hurtes, and damages done unto us by men. It may be further saide, God hath giuen this power and commaundement to his ministers to forgiue sinnes, saying, *Whose sinnes yee remitte, they are remitted.*[^1] *Answere.* Gods ministers doe not properly forgiue sinnes, but onely in the name of God according to his worde pronounce to a penitent sinner that his sinnes are pardoned and forgiuen of God: and therefore it is a most certaen trueth that none can forgiue sinnes but God onely:[^2] it was auouched by the Pharisies and not denied by Christ. Hence it followeth, that remission of sinne being once granted remaines for euer, because Gods loue unto the elect is unchangeable, and his decree concerning their saluation can not be altered. The second point is, to whome remission of sinnes is giuen? *Answer.* To the Catholike Church, that is, to the whole company of men predestinate to saluation: as Esai saieth, *The people that dwell therein* (that is,[^3] in the Church) *shall have their sinnes forgiuen.* And, *they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord:*[^4] *and thou shalt be named, a citie sought out and not forsaken.* And if there had bene an uniuersall remission of sinnes to all men as some doe dreame, it should not here haue bin made a peculiar prerogatiue of the Church. The thirde point is, what is the means wherby pardō of sin is procured at Gods hand?[^5] *Ans.* The death & passion of Christ: so Paul saith, *Christ dyed for our sinnes:* that is, Christ died to be a paiment & satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sins. And S. Iohn saith,[^6] *The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne clenseth vs frō all sinne.* And Peter saith, *Knowing that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,*[^7] *as silver & gold frō your vaine conversation, &c. but with the pretious blood of Christ as of a lamb undefiled & without spot.* The fourth point is, after what maner sinne is forgiuen? *Answ.* By an action of God, whereby for the merite of Christ, hee esteemes and accountes sinne as no sinne, or, as if it had neuer beene committed. Therefore Dauid saieth,[^8] *Blessed is the man to whome the Lorde imputeth no sinne.* And in Esai the Lorde saieth, *I have put away thy transgressions like a cloud,*[^9] *and thy sinnes as a myst.* Now wee know that cloudes and mystes which appeare for a time are afterwarde by the sunne utterly dispersed. And king Hezekias when he would shewe that the Lord had forgiuen him his sinnes, saith, *God hath cast them behind his backe,* alluding to the maner of men,[^10] who when they will not remember or regard a thing, doe turne their backes upon it. And Micheas saieth, that *God doth cast all the sinnes of his people into the bottome of the sea,*[^11] alluding to Pharao, whom the Lord drowned in the bottome of the redde sea. And Christ hath taught us to pray thus: *Forgive vs our debtes, as wee forgive our debters:* in which wordes is an allusion to creditours, who then forgiue debts, when they account that which is debt as no debt, and crosse the booke. Hence it appeares, that damnable & vile is the opiniō of the Church of Rome which holdeth that there is a remission of the *fault* without a remission of the *punishment*: & withall, the doctrines of humane satisfactions, & indulgencies, and purgatorie, & praier for the dead, built upon this foundatiō, are of the same kind.\n\nMoreouer, wee must remember to adde too this clause, *I beleeve,* and then the meaning is this. I do not only beleeue that god doth giue pardon of sinne to his church & people (for that the verie deuils beleeue) but withall I beleeue the forgiuenes of mine owne particular sins. Hence it appeares that it was the iudgement of the Primitiue Church that men should beleeue the forgiuenesse of their owne sinnes.\n\nBy this prerogative we reape endlesse comfort: for the pardon of sinne is a most wonderfull blessing, and without it euery man is more miserable and wretched then the most vile creature that euer was. We loathe the serpent or the toade; but if a man haue not the pardon of his sinnes procured by the death and passion of Christ, hee is a thousand folde worse then they. For when they die, there is the end of their woe and miserie: but when man dieth without this benefite, there is the beginning of his. For first in soule till the day of iudgement, and then both in body and soule for euermore he shall enter into the endlesse paines and tormentes of hell; in which if one shoulde continue so many thousand yeres as there are drops in the Ocean sea, and then be deliuered, it were some ease: but hauing continued so long (which is an unspeakeable length of time) he must remaine there as long againe, and after that for euer and euer without release: and therefore among all the benefits that euer were or can be thought of, this is the greatest & most pretious. Among all the burdens that can befall a man, what is the greatest? Some wil say, sickenesse, some ignominie, some pouertie, some contempt: but indeed among all, the heauiest and the greatest is the burden of a mans owne sinnes, lying upon the conscience and pressing it downe, without any assurance of pardon. Dauid being a King had no doubt all that heart could wish; and yet hee, laying aside all the roialties and pleasures of his kingdome, saith this one thing aboue all, that *he is a blessed mā that is eased of the burdē of his sinnes.*[^12] A lazar man full of sores is vgly to the sight, and we can not abide to looke upon him: but no lazar is so lothsome to us, as all sinners are in the sight of God: & therfore Dauid counted him blessed, *whose sinnes were covered.* It may be some will say, there is no cause why a man should thus magnifie the pardon of sinne, considering it is but a common benefite. Thus indeede men may imagine which neuer knewe what sinne meant: but let a man onely as it were, but with the tippe of his finger haue a little feeling of the smarte of his sinnes, hee shall finde his estate so fearefull, that if the whole worlde were set before him on the one side, and the pardon of sins on the other, hee would choose the pardon of his sinne before ten thousand worldes. Though many drowsie protestants esteeme nothing of it, yet to the touched conscience it is a treasure, which when a man findes, he hides it, and goes home and selles all that hee hath and buyes it. Therefore this benefit is most excellent, and for it the members of Gods Church haue great cause to giue God thankes without ceasing.\n\nThe duties to be learned hence are these. And first of all here comes a common fault of men to be rebuked. Every one will say, that he beleeueth the remission of sins, yet no man almost laboureth for a true & certen perswasion hereof in his owne conscience: & for proofe hereof, propound this question to the common Christian; Doest thou perswade thy selfe that God giues remission of sinnes unto his Church? The answer will be, I know and beleeue it. But aske him further: Doest thou beleeue the pardon of thine owne sinnes? and then comes in a blinde answer, I haue a good hope to God ward, but I can not tell; I thinke no man can say so much: for God saieth to no man, thy sinnes are pardoned. But this is to speake flat contraries, to say they beleeue, and they can not tell: and it bewraies exceeding negligence in matters of saluation. But let them that feare God, or loue their owne soules health, giue all diligence to make sure the remission of their owne sinnes: withall, avoiding hardnesse of heart and drowsinesse of spirit, the most fearefull iudgements of God which euery where take place. The foolish virgines went forth to meete the bridegroome with lampes in their handes as well as the wise, but they neuer so much as dreamed of the horne of oile, till the comming of the bridegrome. So many men live in the Church of God as members thereof, holding up the lampe of glorious profession: but in the meane season they seeke onely for the thinges of this life, neuer casting how they may assure them selues in conscience touching their reconciliation with God, till the day of death come.\n\nSecondly, if we be here bound to beleeue the pardon of all our sinnes, then wee must euerie day humble our selues before God, and seeke pardon for our daily offences: for he giues grace to the humble or contrite; he filles the hungrie with good things when the rich are sent empty away. When Benhadad the king of Syria was discomfited and ouercome by the king of Israel,[^13] by the counsell of his seruants, who tolde him that the kings of Israel were mercifull men, hee sent them cloathed in sackcloath with ropes about their neckes to intreate for peace and fauour. Now when the king saw their submission, he made couenant of peace with him. We by our sinnes must iustly deserue hell, death, and condemnation euerie day, and therefore it standeth us in hand to come into the presence of God and to humble our selues before him in sackcloath and ashes, craving and intreating for nothing in the worlde so much as for pardon of our sinnes, and that day by day without ceasing till the Lorde giue this blessed answere to our consciences, that all our sinnes are put out of his remembrance. We must not thinke that God putteth grace into mens heartes when they lie snurting upon their elbowes, and either not use or despise the meanes: but wee must first use the meanes partly by making confession of our sinnes to God, and partly by crying to heauen for pardon: and then when by his grace wee begin to desire grace, hee giues further grace.\n\nLastly, if we beleeue the pardon of our sinnes, then wee must chaunge the tenour and course of our liues, and take heede of breaking Gods commaundementes by doing any of those things, whereof our consciences doe accuse us, and tell us, that by them we haue displeased God heretofore. A man that for some misdemeanour hath bene cast into prison and lyen there many yeeres winter and sommer in cold irons: when he obtaines libertie, hee will often bethinke himselfe of his old miserie, and take heede for euer least hee fall into the same offence againe: and hee which hath seene his owne sinnes and felt the smart of them, and withall by Gods goodnes obtained assurance touching the pardon of them, will neuer wittingly and willingly commit the like sinnes any more, but in all things chaunge the course of his life. As for such as say, that they haue the pardon of their sinnes and yet liue in them still, they deceiue themselues and haue no faith at all.\n\n[^1]: Ioh. 20.23.\n[^2]: Mar. 2.7.\n[^3]: Esa. 33.24.\n[^4]: Esa. 62.12.\n[^5]: Rom. 4.25.\n[^6]: 1. Ioh. 1.7.\n[^7]: 1. Pet. 1.18.\n[^8]: Psal. 32.1.\n[^9]: Esa. 44.22.\n[^10]: Esa. 38.17.\n[^11]: Mich. 7.19.\n[^12]: Psal. 32.1.\n[^13]: 1. Kin. 20.32"}