to this sense, the words are to be read as in a parenthesis: "Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, (namely, the doctrine of baptisms, and of the imposition of hands) of the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment." When men began to attend to the gospel, and thereon to give up their names to the church, there were certain doctrines that they were throughly to be instructed in, before they were admitted to baptism: see Gal. vi. 6. These being the catechetical rudiments of Christian religion, are called here, διδαχη βαπτισμων επιθέσεως τε χείρων, or the doctrines that were to be taught in order to the administration of those rites.

Taking this for the design of the apostle in the words, as is most probable, there are four instances given of those principal rudiments of Christian religion, wherein all men were to be instructed before they were admitted to baptism, who came thereunto in their own personal right, having not been made partakers thereof by their covenant right, through the profession of their parents in their infancy. Persons were to be fully instructed in these, before their solemn initiation; the doctrine concerning them being thence called the doctrine of baptisms and of the imposition of hands, because previously necessary to the administration of these rites. There is a difficulty, I confess, that this exposition is pressed with, from the use of the word in the plural number, ßantioμay, of baptisms;' but this equally concerns all other expositions, and shall be spoken to in its proper place. And this I take to be the sense of the words, which the design of the place, and the manner of expression, lead us to. But yet because sundry learned men are otherwise minded, I shall so explain the words, as that their meaning may be apprehended, supposing distinct heads of doctrine to be contained in them.

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Our next work is to consider the particular instances in their order. And the first is, μετάνοιας απο νεκρων έργων, 6 repentance from dead works.' This was taught in the first place to all those who would give up themselves to the discipline of Christ and the gospel. And in the teaching hereof, both the nature and necessity of the duty were regarded. And in the nature of it two things were declared, and are to be considered. 1. What were dead works; and 2. What is repentance from them.

This expression, vexgar seyv, of dead works, is peculiar to our apostle, and to this Epistle. It is no where used but in this place, and chap. ix. 14. And he useth it in answer to what he elsewhere declares, concerning men's being dead in sin by natare, Eph. ii. 1. 5. Col. ii. 13. That which he there ascribes to their persons, here he attributeth to their works. These Peter calls men's old sins," namely, which they lived in before their

τιων,

conversion, 2 Pet. i. 9. ληθην λαβων τε καθαρισμό των παλαι αυτε άμαρTINY, "forgetting that he was purged from his old sins." He hath respect to what is here intended. They were before their initiation, instructed in the necessity of forsaking the sins wherein they lived before their conversion, which he calls their old, or former sins; which he hath also respect to, 1 Pet. iv. 3. "For the time past of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." The necessity of repentance from these and the like sins, was taught them, and of this they made profession before they were admitted to baptism; wherein they received a token of their being purged from them. And a relapse into these sins, which men had openly professed their repentance and relinquishment of, was ever esteemed dangerous, and by some absolutely pernicious, whereon great contests in the church did ensue. For the controversy was not, whether men falling into any sin, yea any open or known sin, after baptism, might repent, which none was ever so foolishly proud as to deny ; but the question was about men's open falling again into those sins, suppose idolatry, which they had made a public profession of their repentance from, before their baptism. And it came at last to this, not whether such men might savingly repent, obtain pardon of their sins, and be saved; but whether the church had power to admit them, a second time, to a public profession of their repentance of these sins, and so take them again into full communion. For some pleaded, that the profession of repentance for these sins, and the renunciation of them, being indispensably necessary, antecedently to baptism, in them that were adult; the obligation not to live in them at all, being on them who were baptized in their infancy, baptism alone was the only pledge the church could give of the remission of such sins; and therefore where men fell again into those sins, seeing baptism was not to be repeated, they were to be left to the mercy of God: the church could receive them no more. But whereas the numbers were very great, of those who in time of persecution, fell back into idolatry, who yet afterwards returned and professed their repentance, the major part, who always are for the many, agreed that they were to be received, and reflected with no small severity on those that were otherwise minded. But whereas both parties in this difference ran into extremes, the event was pernicious on both sides, the one in the issue losing the truth and peace, the other the purity of the church.

The sins of unregenerate persons, whereof repentance was to be expressed before baptism, are called "dead works," in respect to their nature and their end. For as to their nature, they proceed from a principle under the power of spiritual

death, they are the works of persons dead in trespasses and sins. All the moral actings of such persons with respect to a supernatural end are dead works, being not enlivened by a vital principle of spiritual life. And a person must be spiritually living, before his works will be so. Our walking in holy obedience is called the life of God, Eph. iv. 18. That is the life which God requires, which by his especial grace he worketh in us, whose acts have him for their object and their end. Where this life is not, persons are dead, and so are their works, even all that they do, with respect to the living God. 2dly, They are called so with respect to their end: they are mortua, because mortifera, dead, because deadly, they procure death and end in death. "Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death," James i. 15. They proceed from death spiritual, and end in death eternal. On the same account are they called " unfruitful works of darkness," Eph. v. 11. They proceed from a principle of spiritual darkness, and end in darkness everlasting. We may therefore know what was taught them concerning these dead works, namely, their nature and their merit. And this includes the whole doctrine of the law, with conviction of sin thereby. They were taught that they were sinners by nature, dead in sins, and thence "children of wrath," Eph. ii. 1-8. That, in that estate, the law of God condemned both them and their works, denouncing death and eternal destruction against them. And in this sense, with respect to the law of God, these dead works do comprise their whole course in this world, as they did, their best as well as their worst. But yet there is, no doubt, an especial respect to those great outward enormities in which they lived during their Judaism, even after the manner of the Gentiles. For such the apostle Peter, writing to these Hebrews, describes their conversation to have been, 1 Pet. iv. 3. as we shewed before. And from thence he describes what a blessed deliverance they had by the gospel, 1 Pet. i. 18. 20, 21. And when he declares the apostasy of some to their former courses, he shews it to be like the returning of a dog to his vomit, after they had escaped them that live in error, and the pollutions that are in the world through lust, 2 Pet. ii. 18-22. These were the works which converts were taught to abandon, and a profession of repentance for them, was required of all before their initiation into Christian religion, or before they were received into the church. For it was not then as now, that any one might be admitted into the society of the faithful, and yet continue to live in open sins unrepented of.

Secondly, That which is required, and which they were taught with respect to these dead works, is prava, repentance." Repentance from dead works, is the first thing required of them who take on them the profession of the gospel, and conse

quently the first principle of the doctrine of Christ as it is here placed by the apostle. Without this, whatever is attempted or attained therein, is only a dishonour to Christ, and a disappointment to men. This is the method of preaching, confirmed by the example and command of Christ himself: "Repent and believe the gospel," Mat. iv. 17. Mark i. 15. And almost all the sermons that we find, not only of John the baptist, in a way of preparation for the declaration of the gospel, as Mat. iii. 2. but of the apostles also, in pressing the actual reception of it on the Jews and Gentiles, laid this as their first principle, namely, the necessity of repentance, Acts ii. 38. iii. 19. xiv. 15. Thence in the preaching of the gospel it is said, that God commanded all men to repent, Acts xvii. 30. And when the Gentiles had received the gospel, the church at Jerusalem glorified God, saying, “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life," Acts xi. 18. Again, this is expressed as the first issue of grace and mercy from God towards men by Jesus Christ, which is therefore first to be proposed to them. "God exalted him, and made him a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel," Acts v. 31. And because it is the first,, it is put synecdochically for the whole work of God's grace by Christ. God having

raised up his Son Jesus, hath sent him to bless you, in turning every one of you from his iniquities," Acts iii. 26. It is therefore evident that this was the first doctrinal principle, as to their own duty, which was pressed on, and fixed in the minds of men, on their first instruction in the gospel.

And in the testimonies produced, both the causes of it, and its general nature, are expressed. For, 1. Its supreme original cause is the good-will, grace and bounty of God. He grants, and gives it to whom he pleaseth of his own good pleasure, Acts xi. 18. 2. It is immediately collated on the souls of men by Jesus Christ, as a fruit of his death, and an effect of that all power in heaven and earth, which was bestowed on him by the Father. He gives repentance to Israel,' Acts v. 31. The sovereign disposal of it is from the will of the Father, and the actual collation of it, is an effect of the grace of the Son. And, 3. The nature of it is expressed in the conversion of the Gentiles. It is to life,' Acts xi. 18. The repentance required of men in the first preaching of the gospel, and the necessity whereof was pressed on them, was to life, that is, such as had saving conversion to God accompanying of it. This kind of repentance is required to our initiation in the gospel state. Not an empty profession of any kind of repentance, but real conversion to God, is required of such persons.

But moreover we must consider this Tavola, or repentance, in its own nature, at least in general, that we may the better understand this first principle of catechetical doctrine. In this

sense it respects, 1. The mind and judgment. 2. The will and affections. And, 3. The life or conversation of men.

First, It respects the mind and judgment, according to the notation of the word, which signifies a change of mind, or an after consideration and judgment. Men, while they live in dead works, under the power of sin, do never make a right judgment, concerning either their nature, their guilt or their end. Hence are they so often called to remember and consider things aright; to deal about them with the reason of men; and for want thereof they are said to be foolish, brutish, sottish, and to have no understanding. The mind is practically deceived about them. There are degrees in this deceit, but all sinners are actually more or less deceived. None, while the natural principle of conscience remains in them, can cast off all the convictions of sin, Rom. ii. 14, 15.; that it is the judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, Rom. i. 32. But yet some there are, who so far despise these convictions, as to give up themselves to all sin with delight and greediness. See Eph. iv. 17-19. Practically they call good evil, and evil good; and do judge either that there is not that evil in sin which is pretended, or however, that it is better to enjoy the pleasures of it for a season, than to relinquish or forgo it on other considerations. Others there are who have some farther sense of those dead works. In particular they judge them evil, but they are so entangled in them, as that they see not the greatness of that evil, nor do make such a judgment concerning it, as whereon a relinquishment of them should necessarily ensue. To these two heads in various degrees may all impenitent sinners be reduced. 1. Such as despising their convictions, go on in an unbridled course of licentiousness, as not judging the voice, language and mind of them, worth inquiring into. 2. Such as do in some measure attend to them, but yet practically they refuse them, and embrace motives to sin, turning the scale on that side, as occasion, opportunities, and temptations do occur. Wherefore the first thing in this repentance, is a through change of the mind and judgment concerning these dead works. The mind by the light and conviction of saving truth, determines clearly and steadily concerning the true nature of sin, and its demerit; that it is an evil thing and bitter to have forsaken God thereby. Casting out all prejudices, laying aside all pleas, excuses and palliations, it finally concludes, that sin, that is, all and every sin, every thing that hath the nature of sin, is universaliy evil, evil in itself, evil to the sinner, evil in its present effects, and future consequents, evil in every kind, shamefully evil, incomparably evil, yea the only evil, or all that is evil in the world. And this judgment it makes with respect to the nature and law of God, to its own primitive and