most raised intellects, how their sins should be forgiven, and their obligation to punishment by reason of them, be cancelled and an nulled. They had indeed some general hopes of God's mercy founded on the common bounty of his providence towards them, in giving them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons; filling their hearts with food and gladness, and the like, which they endeavored to increase by their sacrifices, and other religious rites and ceremonies; but they had; no posi tive assurance of the remission of their sins, and of the divine reconcilation unto their persoas, being still obscured and bewildered in their notions and apprehensions concerning it, never arriving unto any certain conclusion; that though the goodness of God did now at tend them, yet that his justice, anger and vengeance, should not overtake and sieze them another day, and severely punish them for all those innumerable and abominable sins, which. they themselves were sensible, they had most daringly committed against him.

And as the heathens knew not how their sins could be forgiven, and their persons absolved from the guilt thereof, so neither had the Jews any perfect and certain apprehension thereof. The Mosaical law had appointed sacrifices for sins of ignorance, and for small and ordinary transgressions; by the regular

and concientious offering whereof, those sing were remitted, and the anger of God appeas ed; but as for greater and capital sins, such as murther, adultery, and the like, there was a sentence of death denounced against them; for the reversing of which, the law had made no provision. Unto which it is not improbable, the psalmist David had respect in Psalm li. 16. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not in burntoffering; the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, &c." intimating thereby, that if the law had prescribed sacrifices and burnt-offerings for his enormous crimes of adultery and murther, he would have offered them unto God; but, seeing that no provision was made thereby for the expiation of those scandalous transgressions, he would present unto the Almighty a broken heart, and a contrite spirit, hoping that those might prove acceptable and pleasing to him

This being then the condition of the world at the time of our Saviour's appearing therein; they being all, both Jew and Gentile, concluded under sin, and not knowing which way to free themselves from the guilt and condemnation thereof, the apostles were sent forth with full power and authority to invite them both to come into the Christian church, which they were now founding; assuring them, that

they should therein receive a complete and perfect remission of all their sins and crimes, though never so innumerable and abominable; the entrance whereinto, was by baptism, >supposed to be accompanied with faith and repentance, when for the sake of Christ, all the sins of the baptized person should be ens tirely obliterated and forgiven.

St.. Austin writes, that "at baptism all our <sins are forgiven, whether original or actual ;” with which agrees the Nicene or rather the Constantinipolitan creed, wherein this article runs thus, homologo, hen Baptisma eis, aphesEin, hamartione, I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And the creed of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, which is, "I believe in one baptism of repentance for the remission of sins :" So that these and others explained this article in this primary sense thereof, viz. that all sins of whatsoever kind, are for the sake of Christ, perfectly remitted at baptism, to all the due and worthy receivers thereof; wherein are these two things contained; first, that our sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ; and, secondly, that the time of their forgiveness is at baptism.

First, it is herein contained, that our sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ; unto which consideration, the water in baptism, and the washing of our bodies therewith, direct Сс

us, since it is impossible that the sprinkling of that should purge away the stain and guilt of sin, in any other manner, than as it hath reference to, and is a representation of the blood of the lamb of God, which was spilt to take away the sins of the world: for, water under the evangelical dispensation, is in itself no more available to the purifying of the conscience and the pacifying divine wrath,. than the blood of bulls and goats was under the Mosaical, and legal economy; of which the apostle expressly saith, [Heb. x. 34.]" that it was not possible they should take away sins.” Wherefore, the apostles and primitive doctors preached remission of sins through the blood of Christ, as the alone remedy of fallen mankind, as is to be seen from the precedent quotations unto which many more might be added, as that of Acts v. 31. where St. Peter and the rest of the apostles affirm in their speech to the council, that God had exalted Jesus with his right hand to be a prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins," and that of Ephes. i. 7. "that we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins:" and many other such like texts might be easily enumerated, directing us to this necessary and fundamental truth, ; that the blood of Christ typified by the water of baptism, is the alone cause of the remission

of our sins and trespasses; which is not much different from the exposition given by Petrus Chrysologus of this article, woich is, "that he pardons himself who trusteth that his sins can be remitted through Jesus Christ."

But, secondly, there is farther to be consided the time of the forgiveness of sins, which,. by the Constantinopolitan or Nicene creed, is positively said to be at baptism; "I acknowl edge one baptism for the remission of sins :" and by the apostles creed is suppossed to be, seeing this article was then assented to, by which the person to be baptized did declare, that he firmly believed that by the virtue of: the blood of Christ, all his sins should be washed away by the sacramental water: and, the very end for which persons were baptized, was, that their iniquities might be pardoned, according unto the exhortation of St. Peter to the convinced Jews, [Acts ii. 38.] "repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins." From whence it comes, that forgiveness of sins, and other suchlike noble epithets and appellations, are frequently attributed by the fathers unto baptism; as by Tertullian, it is called "a washing away of our sins, a salvation into eternal life, a dissolution of death, a taking away of guilt, and consequently of punishment also? by Clemens Alexandrinus, "grace, illumink