Capels Remains, Part 5 – Part 6
C. 2. How it is ſaid, he that is borne of God cannot ſinne, 1 John 3. 9.
HOneſt Melancthon ſpeakes againſt ſome in his Countrey in his dayes called Swenkfeldians, who held themſelves after new birth to be juſt and perfect. I have, not long ſince ſeene a little Engliſh printed book, caſt into ſundry propoſitions, one whereof, and as I remember the firſt is, that after they are renued once, they are as perfect as Jeſus Chriſt was, and as Adam was in Paradiſe; which was the tenet of the Familiſts of old, that being once indued with the Divine nature in their converſion, that then they are Goddified.
The report is that thoſe ſprung up amongſt us, commonly called Quakers, are of the ſame fancy, and that they preſſe this place of John, that being once borne of God, they do not commit ſinne, for Gods ſeed remaineth in them, and that they cannot commit ſin, becauſe they are borne of God.
Their ſenſleſſe ſenſe cannot1 John 1: 8, 9, 10. be the meaning of that place. For the ſame Apoſtle in the ſame Epiſtle ſaith, that, if we ſay that we have no ſinne, we make him a liar. And is notConcil. Milevit. can. 6. this a ſinne, and a very great one too, to make God a liar? John ſaith not, if (you) but if (we), comprehending himſelfe too: and I hope it cannot be thought but John, a chiefe Apoſtle, was born of God.
Beſides it is not onelyonly ſaid, That he who is borne of God doth not ſinne, but (cannot) ſinne. And all over the Bible in the ſtories of the beſt of men who were borne of God, we ſee that they could ſinne, and did ſinne, and thoſe ſinnes which were very great too.
This then is not the ſenſe of the place, that there was, is, or ever ſhall be any meere man borne ſo of God as not to ſin, or to be in and under ſuch a condition, as to ſay truly of him, that he (cannot) ſin.
Now for that which theſe write, that when once made partakers of the Divine nature, they are as perfect as Adam in Paradiſe, This is but their owne fancy, it is no ſuch matter: But ſay it were ſo, and not onelyonly ſo, but as perfect as the Angels in heaven, yet from that it followes not, that it could, or can be ſaid of them ſimply, that they cannot ſinne: For Adam did, and therefore could ſinne: he had indeed a Tempter without, but no concupiſcence to tempt him within. Nay, more then that, the lapſed Angels before their fall had nothing from within, nothing from without to tempt them. Within nothing but purity and holineſſe, no ſin, no ſhadow of ſinne: Nothing from without to tempt them; nothing within but holineſſe, nothing without but holineſſe, without ſpot, or wrinkle, yet then thoſe very Angels were ſin-able, for they did fall, and therefore could ſin.
The truth is, None but God ia abſolutely free from all poſſibility of ſinning: God onelyonlyApoc. 15. 4 in this ſenſe is holy, he not only doth not lie, but he cannot lie: Adam in Paradiſe was made upright, the Angels in Heaven were made more pure then Adam, both Adam and the Angels had the advantage of the places to be kept from ſinne, but being creatures created with free will, thoſe Angels in heaven, and Adam in Paradiſe (that heaven upon earth) might and did ſinne; and ſo might all the reſt of the Angels too, had they not been ſupported by grace for thoſe werea1 Tim. 5. 21 elected, andbRom. 11. 5 Election is of grace. And ſhould the elect Angels ſinne but once the leaſt ſin that is, they could not be ſaved, as it fell out with thoſe Angels which did ſin: ForcHeb. 2. 14 Chriſt took not the nature of Angels, but the ſeed of Abraham; therefore they cannot ſin, becauſe they cannot be reſtored by a Mediatour. The Angels are holy, Daniel 4. 13. and ſo muſt be ſaved, which could not be, if they could and ſhould ſinne, Matthew 21. 30, 31.Mat. 18. 10 Againe, thoſe miniſtering ſpirits do alwayes ſee the face of God, which were not true, if they ſhould ſin: For no ſooner did thoſe non-Elect Angels ſin, but they preſently left their habitation, Jude 6. and were caſt downe into Tartar, that is Hell, 2 Pet. 2, 4.
Indeed when men are once in Heaven they are ſafe from ſin, there is no place for tears, therefore not for ſinne, Revel. 21. 4. Now Luke 20. There is no more promiſed to the bleſſed men after the reſurrection, then to the Angels, that then they ſhall be equal, not ſuperior to the Angels: therefore nor men, nor Angels Elect can or ſhall ſin in Heaven, which the other Angels did once in Heaven, for that they were not Elect, nor confirmed in and by grace.
Thus then you ſee that it could not be ſaid of the unelect Angels once in heaven, nor of any ſort of men till they come to heaven that they nor do, nor can ſin. For my part, I think, that thoſe who ſay they do not, they cannot ſin, though they ſay ſo, yet I think they themſelves do not think ſo. I remember a golden ſaying of Auſtine: He ſaith, he who thinksDe Civit. Dei. l. 14. c. 8 he can live without ſinne, doth not avoid ſinne, but rather excludes all pardon. So that this is not the ſenſe of the words, That ever any man was, is, or ſhall be in the world, who either cannot or doth not ſin.
Of Idol. p. 15Doctor Hammond following many Learned men ſaith this (cannot ſin) is meant that upon that head and ſcore he cannot ſin, to ſignifie that their being borne of God can be no patent,Aug. hom. 4 in epiſt. Joan de bap. parvul. c. 8. contra Parmenianum. c. 7. l. de prof. Juſtitia ſufius or ſecurity for their ſinning. The ſame ſaith Auſtine, to wit, That the borne of God ſinne not, as, or upon this, that they are borne of God. For this is alledged that of the ſame Saint John 1 Epiſt. 3. 6. Whoſoevor ſinneth hath not ſeene him, neither known him, meaning, that the ſeeing and knowing him doth not let in ſin, but rather this is againſt ſin. So Paul, I do that I would not, I do not do what I would: there is no queſtion, but there is ſome ignorance, ſome not knowing of him when any ſinne is ſinned.
Maſter Anthony Burges ſpeech I think is in the right. All ſins ſaith he are called, becauſe all ſinners are ignorant of ſomething they ſhould know, there being no ſinne which doth not proceed from ſome errour in the practical judgement: For although a man ſin wilfully and adviſedly, ſo that there is no other cauſe of the malice, but the malice it ſelf, as Auſtine ſpeaks of ſome of his ſins; yet even then there is an errour in Burgeſſe againſt the Antinom. p. 237that mans conſcience. Thus he, and to this I ſubſcribe. So that it is not faith, nor knowledge which dwelleth in us, is the cauſe why we ſin, but as Paul ſpeaks of himſelf, it is ſin which dwelleth in us: Not I (as I) but ſinne that dwelleth in me. So then a man borne of God, when he treads beſide the line, he may ſay, it is not I, but ſinne that dwells in me: ſo in this ſenſe, it is a truth, that he that is borne of God, as born of God doth not ſin, nor cannot ſin.
This is pious, and truth, but under correction I do not think it to be the ſquare meaning of this text. What then? ſome think it to be this. He that is borne of God, ſinneth not, that is, ſinneth not as the devil did, who ve▪ſe 8. of this chapter, ſinneth (not ſinned) but ſinneth from the beginning. And this is like to be the mind of this text, for that it is ſaid in the ſame verſe before, He that committeth ſinne is of the Devill. That I think is too ſhort which ſome ſay, that the proper ſenſe of this Text is, he that is born of God ſinneth not, that ſinne of blaſphemy againſt the Holy Ghoſt.
In a word then, the full meaning is, that he that is borne of God doth not commit ſinne, that is, he doth not make it his practice, his occupation, his work; he doth it, when he doth it beſides his minde, and when he doth it, heLuke 15 is beſides himſelf in that particular, as the Prodigal was. It is long of ſome fits in his diſeaſe, when he doth it not onelyonly as his act, but as his work, who giveRom. 6. 16 themſelves over to be ſould, and ſervants to ſin. So Paul, ſo Chriſt, Matth. 7: 23: Depart from me all ye that work iniquity: Therefore Saint John ſpeaks of ſuch who are not regenerate, whoſe deſire is to ſin, and are afire to commit it: For otherwiſe all the regenerate do ſin: ſo this our Apoſtle, If we ſay we ſay we have no ſin we ſeduce our ſelves.
Nor do they ſin onelyonly of infirmity, but ſometimes they fall into greater ſins, even into ſome of the greateſt ſins, but this is not1 Joh. 5. 16 unto death as our Apoſtle ſaith. So that ſuch as are born of God ſin they may, ſin they do, and ſometimes great ſins, but to go on in a courſe of finning to the death, this they do not, that they cannot do, becauſe they are born of God.
The onelyonly ſhew of exception that can be taken, is, that Adam who is called (they ſay) Luke 3. ult. the ſon of God did ſin, and might, as the ſtate ſtood with him, unto death: And the Angels called the ſons of God, Job 2. 1. did a many of them ſin unto death.
But we read not that theſe were ſaid to be borne of God, or that they had this ſeed remaining in them. They were called the ſons of God in reſpect of that that holineſſe wherein they were created; but the regenerate that are (ſaid to be borne of God) are ſo ſaid, not onelyonly in reſpect of the image of God, but of Chriſt, and the grace of regeneration, which is rooted in Chriſt, which as it cannot die in Chriſt the roote, ſo it cannot wither away in Chriſtians the branches. The ſap, which is ſtill alive and freſh in Chriſt, is by the Spirit of Chriſt kept ſo alive in them, that albeit it do not keep them from ſinning, yet it doth ſo preſerve them, that they cannot ſin unto death; they are ſo the members of Chriſt, that he will not ſuffer any of his true members to ſin all their ſpiritual life away.
Queſt. N. 2. How can a regenerate man ſin, ſince grace is predominant, and the infuſed Theological habits of faith, hope, and charity are ſtronger then their ſins?
Anſw. 'Tis true, they are ſo, and ſhould always ſhew themſelves to be ſo. And Divines make this difference between moral vertues acquired, and ſpiritual habits and graces: that for habits moral, we may uſe them as we will, that they are under the free Power of our wills; but for habits and graces infuſed into our wills (the ſeat of them) our wills are rather under them and their power.
Then thus (under the power and determination of God) that there is a force in them to rule, and over-rule all. In this, the ſtring is in the hand of God, and therefore it is ſaid in the Word of God, that he it is, that doth make us walk in his wayes, and keep his Lawes. Had we a fulneſſe of created graces as the Angels had, yet if God ſtand by, and leave us to them and our ſelves, and do not uphold us we may fall for all them; though there be nothing from without, or from within to puſh us down, the mutability only of our own free will might do it in us, as it did in the lapſed Angels. But thoſe habits or divine qualities being loſt in Adam (in whom we all ſinned) ſuch as are regenerated and born againe have ſupernatural graces of redemption, which albeit they be not ſo full, yet are more firme then thoſe of creation were. Thoſe of God as Creator were loſt, thoſe of God in Chriſt our Redeemer can never be ſo loſt, but as the ſame St. John ſaith, There is a ſeed remaining in them, which doth ſo keep ſpiritual force up in them, that they cannot ſin unto death.
Queſt. But how then is the ſpirit ſtronger then the fleſh, and the infuſed habit of grace may be ſaid to have a ruling hand over our will?
Anſw. It hath ſuch a rule many ways, but in this one thing the power of the Spirit appeares above the power of the fleſh, for that the Spirit doth ever bring us firſt or laſt, one way or other to repent of the works of the fleſh, but the fleſh is never able to make us ſorry for, and repent of the fruits, and acts of the Spirit. No man is ſorry for his vertues, all good men are for their vices.
FINIS.
BOOKS lately Printed for John Bartlet, and to be ſold at the Gill-Cup, on the ſouth ſide of Pauls over againſt the Drapers.
A Volume of Dr. Tho. Taylors in Fol.
Dr. Harris works in fol.
A ſupplement to the former Edition in 4.
His threefold ſtate of man. 12.
Sibs excellency of the Goſpel. 12.
Chriſts Exaltation in 12.
The eſtabliſhment in 40.
Groſſes fiery pillar of heavenly truth. 12.
Capel on Tentations in four parts, beſides this remains.
Childs Trade by Tho. Wilſon.
Countrey-mans Catechiſm, by Ro. Ram.
Walker on the Covenant.
Dr. Taylor of Contentment, improvement of time, and the holy War.
Walker on the Creation and Providence.
—On the Subbath.
Dr. Gouge on John.
Light to Grammer.
End of the text · Richard Capel, Capels Remains (1658)