-it, as it is in its own Nature, when we obferve these Chaftisements upon it, and fo carry us in our utmost diligence to a hearty Repentance, and Endeavour against it.

Afflictions likewife are a proper means, and have a direct Influence to many particular Inftances of Vertue, they conquer the Infolency of our Natures by a kind of weight, and preffure upon them, and fo enffate us in a habit of Humility, and lowlymindedness, that we be not poffeffed with any vain Conceptions of our felves; they take off the fretfulnefs of our Temper, and work a difpofition of Patience in us, and a quiet refignation to the Will of God, whatfoever Events we fhall at any time be concerned in. And these disappointments of our outward Circumftances will excite a due Faith in us, and make us look up to our Heavenly Father in a firm -reliance lupon him, either for the Influences of his bleffed Spirit to support us under them, or the Effects of his gracious Providence to deliver us from them; as God himself fpeaks in an equal reflection upon the Jews, and other People, Hof 5.15. In their Affliction they will feek me early. And this holy Difcipline continued upon us will Ifecute our Conftancy in thefe Vertues, or promote our farther advance in them; And if it be removed from us through this effect of it, 'twill leave fuch a fenfe and remembrance behind it, that we fhall fcarce venture upom fuch Courfes as may incut it over again.q

And Afflictions furthermore are a demonftration to other People of the defert and offence of Sin, which is ; always the occafion of them, and fo may be the fame means of Recovery therefrom, and of the Vertues of a holy Life to them likewife. They are not diftinguilhable, as to the matter of them, from Punishment, alA a da

though

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though they are not formally fo, the fame Inftances.having this difference upon the Righteous, and upon the Wicked, that they are only a Difcipline to the one for Reformation, but pure Judgment to the other for Destruction. And therefore whatfoever defign they are fent upon, they are plain Convictions of the contrariety of Sin to the Nature of God, and the fevere Judg ment that he will at last infli&t upon it, and fo may bea proper Inducement to all People to repent and depart

from it.

Thefe may be the Reasons why God inflicts his temporal punishments, or the Calamities of this Life upon good People, altho he does not equally inflict them upon all. Some he allows in a perpetual Profperity without any portion of them, or any chaftifement of their paft Sins: and fome he exercises continually under them, notwithstanding their fignal Attainments and Proficiency in a good Life: and fome he refcues from them when they have more proceeded in their Vertues, and arrived at the further habits of them; and all this according to the Counsel of his own Will,or the unfearchable Depths of infinite Wisdom.

And as to thofe Penances that were ufually inflicted upon notorious Sinners in the Discipline of the Church, they were for other purposes, and not to fatisfy the Divine Juftice for fuch a fhare of Punishment due to Sin as was exempt from the expiation of Chrift's Sufferings.

And firft, they were inflicted, that fuch Offenders in a long procefs of holy Difcipline might afford a more certain Evidence of the Sincerity of their Repentance; and that other People who cannot look into the Heart, or fee the difpofition of that deceitful Principle, might be fully fatisfied thereof, that the Church by this means, +

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as much as is competible with human Frailty,might confift of pure Members, and mutually excite to Holiness of Life, and be a mutual check in refpect of the contraCourses.

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Another reafon of thefe Penances was to give SatisfaЄtion to the Church, or anfwer the Offence that is offered to it by a diffolute Action, and take off all Scandal and Reflection from it, that it allows no fuch Mifdemeanours, by thus proceeding in the feverest Cenfure and Penalties upon them, which if otherwife, would both encourage its own Members to an Unchriftian Behaviour, and alfo afford an infinite difparagement of that holy Society, and the Gofpel-Profeffion to thofe without."

Another Reafon of fuch a fevere Difcipline according to the proportion of their Sins (fome excluding longer from Chriftian Affemblies,and the Prayers of the Church, and the Advantage of the bleffed Sacrament, fome lefs) was this, that fuch Offenders might duly reflect upon the Nature of Sin, in that opportunity of fuffering for it; and from thence be carried to a hearty Contrition and Sorrow for it, a humble Supplication for Mercy, and pardon through the Atonement of Chrift Jefus, and a fincere Endeavour and firm Refolution of Amendment afterwards, which will be more intenfe according to the degree of thefe Penances, and more preferve them from the like Offences left they incur the fame Punishment over again.

Another Design was the Benefit of others, that being admonished by thefe Examples upon Sin they might be more deterr'd from the practife of it,& not account it fuch a flight thing as corrupt Nature, and the Suggestions of Flesh and Blood would pronounce, or reprefent it to be; which Reason is affigned by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 5. 20. And thefe publick Cenfures on the Actors of more grie

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yous Sins will produce a greater Averfion in the Minds of Men, and a greater caution and endeavour against them, than the most reasonable Institution or Precepts. can do, that have no fuch Penalty annexed to them, as might be demonftrated from a Profpect of humane Nature, if a fad Experience did not witness to it, where. thefe. Cenfures are wanting. This is the notion of Ecclefiaftical Discipline,or publick Penances in the Church, according to the Doctrine of the antient Fathers, not to fatisfy the Divine Juftice for a certain fhare of the punishment of our Sins, as the Romanifts now maintain, but as a better Advantage of our Chriftian Vertues, either to recover us from habits of Sin, or in the Efficacy of a publick example, preferve and fecure us from falling into them.

Thus having laid down the true account of Satisfaction, which is only proper to Chrift Jefus from the Dignity of his Perfon, and which he fully rendred to the Divine Juftice upon the Crofs in regard to the whole Offence and Confequence of Sin, leaving no part of the punishment thereof to our own Perfons,after the exercife of a true Repentance; and alfo having fhown that the Affflictions of this Life are graciously fent in the effect of the Divine Goodness to reftore us to a state of Vertue, or that we may arrive at a farther improvement and degree of it; and likewife that Church-Cenfures had the fame notion and design in them, according to the fenfe of the first Antiquity, where they were moft carefully practifed with that true Succefs of a more eminent Piety that belongs to them; I fhall now upon this Advantage proceed to explain thofe Texts of Scripture which the Romanifts bring for the demonftration of their Dotrine, that fome temporal Penalties ftill remain to be. undergone by us after the remiffion of the Guilt of Sin,

and.

and its whole relation to eternal Mifery; and that theft Penalties can be removed and fatisfied for either in the Sufferings of this Life or fome certain Penances upon our felves

Now as to the firft, that fome Penalties ftill remainr after the Sin is pardoned, they infift upon thefe Places. First, Gen 2. 17. concerning Adam, that he was left fubject to Death, and his whole Pofterity in like manner after his Trespass was remitted in the Promise of a Redeemer: Which common Fate of all Man-kind, with the first Patent and Author of it, the Apostle defcribes, Rom. 5. 12. As by one Man Sin entred into the World, and Death by Sin, and fo Death paffed upon all Men, for that all have finned. Now the Anfwer to this is eafy, That Death now is no Punishment to good People, nor comes upon them in that refpect; for fince the Sting thereof is taken away by our Saviour, the whole Deferti of our Sins fully expiated and atoned for in his Sufferings upon the Term of our Repentance, there is a dou-} ble Advantage in Death, both a Deliverance from the Temptations of this Life, and a Tranflation of us into the Bleffcdnefs of another. Such is the Contrivance of infinite Wisdom, and the Efficacy of the Divine Goodnefs, that that which was our greatest Punishment, in the Means of Chrift's Sufferings is become our greatest Benefit; that which terminated this animal Life, and alfo contained in it eternal Death, or delivered us over to the Miferies of another World, is made the Paffage to the Glories of the Heavenly State, And whereas Bellarmine fays in a fuppofed Triumph over Calvin, that, Death can have no Relation to our Vertues or Proficiency, in them for the Time to come, feeing it would be a ridicalous Affertion to maintain that Men were punished with Death, that they might live more cautiously afterwards.

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