B. In the English. Title. No man is without Of CHRIST alone without sin. sin but CHRIST alone made once for ever the rest, yea, although we be baptized. we offend once made. all we the rest, although baptized. offend. 2. When the Latin and English are compared together. I. CHRIST in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which He was clearly void, both in His flesh and in His spirit. II. CHRIST came to be the lamb without spot, Who, by sacrifice of IV. All we the rest, although baptized and born again in CHRIST, yet offend in many things, and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. PROP. I. CHRIST in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which He was clearly void, both in His flesh and in His spirit. 1. Divine Testimony. A. Old Testament. Isa. liii. 9, "And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth." B. New Testament. John xiv. 30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me."-In His conception, Matt. i. 20. In His birth, Luke i. 36. In His flesh, Luke xxii. 42. In His spirit, 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. vii. 26-28; 1 Pet. ii. 22. In bearing such infirmities as are without sin, viz. Hunger, Matt. xxi. 28; Thirst, 2. Human Testimony. Heb. ii. 17; iv. 15, 26, 27. A. Fathers. Clem. Alex. Pæd. lib. 1. c. ii., "But CHRIST B. Confessions. 1 Helvetic, Art. xi. 2 Helvetic, c. xi. xviii. PROP. II. He (CHRIST) came to be the Lamb without spot, Who, by sacrifice of Himself once made, should take away the sins of the world. 1. Divine Testimony. A. Old Testament. The Paschal Lamb, Exod. xii. 46, "In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof." Or the lamb of the morning and evening sacrifice, Numb. xxviii. 3. — See also Exod. xii. 5, 11-17. Lev. i. 4; iii. 2; iv. 4. Numb. ix. 12. Isa. liii. 7. B. New Testament. John xix. 36. He was a Lamb, 2. Human Testimony. Fathers. Just. Mart. Dial. c. Tryph. c. cxi., "For CHRIST was the Passover Who was afterwards offered."-See also Aug. de Peccat. merit. et remiss. lib. II. 34, vol. x. PROP. III. Sin (as Saint John saith) was not in Him (CHRIST). 1. The Testimony of Reason. It was requisite that He who came to take away our sins, should Himself be free from it in flesh and spirit. 2. Divine Testimony. A. Old Testament. Isa. liii. 9, "He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth." B. New Testament. 1 John iii. 5, "And ye know that He 3. Human Testimony. Sinless in His inward nothing in Him, John Fathers. Jerome, Dial. 2, "To have all things, and to be wanting in nothing, is peculiar to the virtue of Him, who did no sin, neither was any guile found in His mouth."See also August. ad Bonifac. lib. 1. c. xii. 2; c. vi. Cont. Julian, lib. 111. c. vi. PROP. IV. All we the rest, although baptized and born again in CHRIST, yet offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' 1 Compare with this Article, and the Scripture proofs upon which it is founded, the doctrine of the followers of Wesley. The fact is not so generally known as it ought to be, that Wesley provided his communion with a new set of Articles, reducing those of the Church of England to twenty-five, and rejecting among others the XVth. The doctrine of perfection was the cause of his rejecting this Article, and the following is a specimen of his opinions in his own language: "They (namely the perfect) are freed from evil thoughts, so that they cannot enter into them, no not for an instant. Aforetime when 1. The Testimony of Reason. This doctrine follows upon those of Original sin and Freewill, as set forth in Articles IX., X. 2. Divine Testimony. A. Old Testament. Prov. xx. 9, "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin ?"-See also Job ix. 2; xxv. 4. B. New Testament. 1 John i. 8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”—The regenerate are not without original sin, Rom. v. 12. The regenerate are not without actual sin, Rom. iii. 23. 1 John ii. 1.-See also Matt. vi. 12; xx. 28. Luke i. 6; ii. 49; xi. 1. Rom. iii. 9; v. 12. 1 Cor. xi. 1. Gal. iii. 22; v. 17. 1 Tim. i. 15. James iii. 2. 3. Human Testimony. A. Fathers. Clem. Alex. III. c. ult. p. 307, "For the Word alone is without sin: for to sin is inherent and common to all. See also Tertull. de Pudicit. c. xix. Greg. Nazianz. Hom. in Jul. 4, vol. i. p. 128. Ambros. in Ps. cxviii. vol. i. p. 1254. Hilar. in Ps. lviii. 4, p. 129. Greg. Nyss. in Ecclesiast. vol. i. p. 444. Cyril Alex. de recta fide ad Theodos. vol. v. par. ii. p. 18. August. de nat. et grat. vol. x. 15; de peccat mer. et remiss. vol. x. lib. II. 34. De Spirit. et grat. c. xxxvi. Ad Hieron. Epist. xxix. ad Eutrop. De perfect. justit. B. Councils. Council of Carthage, A.D. 416. Apud August. C. Confessions. Augsburg, Art. xx. Saxon, Arts. ii. viii. : an evil thought came in, they looked up, and it vanished away but now it does not come in; there being no room for this in a soul which is full of God. They are freed from wanderings in prayer: they have an unction from the HOLY ONE, which abideth in them, and teacheth them every hour what they shall do and what they shall speak."--Pref. to vol. ii. of Wesley's Hymns. Mr. Wesley's Articles comprehend the IXth of the Church of England, but with alterations. The Council of Basil declared that the Virgin Mary, nunquam actualiter subjacuisse originali peccato, sed immunem semper fuisse ab omni originali et actuali culpa.-Sec on Art. IX. Prop. iv. ARTICLE XVI. ARTICULUS XVI. De Peccato post Baptismum. NON ON omne peccatum mortale post Baptismum voluntarie perpetratum, est peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum, et irremissibile. Proinde lapsis a Baptismo in peccata, locus pœnitentiæ non est negandus. Post acceptum Spiritum Sanctum possumus a gratia data recedere, atque peccare, denuoque per gratiam DEI resurgere ac resipiscere ; ideoque illi damnandi sunt, qui se quamdiu hic vivant, amplius non posse peccare affirmant, aut vere resipiscentibus veniæ locum denegant. The Phraseology of this Article. ARTICLE XVI. Of Sin after Baptism. Nor every deadly sin willingly committed after Baptism is sin against the HOLY GHOST, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after Baptism. After we have received the HOLY GHOST we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of GoD we may arise again and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned which say, they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent. 1. As compared with Article XV. of those of 1552. A. In the Latin. 1552. 1562, 1571. Title. De Peccato in Spiri- De Peccato post Baptis tum Sanctum pœnitentiæ locum mum. veniæ locum. |