A30248:374
The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians,…The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians,…
The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially Antinomians in XXX lectures preached at Lawrence-Jury, London / by Anthony Burgess ...The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially Antinomians in XXX lectures preached at Lawrence-Iury, London / by Anthony Burgess ...
London: printed by A. Miller for Tho. Underhill, 1651
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The word that is most frequently used by the Evangelists and Apostles is [Greek or Hebrew], which in the general, is as much as to dismiss or send away, to let alone, to leave, to permit or suffer; in which senses the Scripture often useth it: and certainly God in this sense doth pardon sin, because he lets it alone, he leaves it, he meddles no more with it, but handleth the person forgiven, as if he never had been a sinner. But commonly this word is used of absolving those who are accused as guilty, which appeareth in that famous sentence of Agesilaus, who writing to have one Nicias sent to him that was accused, used this expression, [Greek or Hebrew] ⟨p. 139⟩Nicias, if he have done no wrong, absolve him, if he have, absolve him for my sake, but howsoever absolve him, or set him free. And in this sense forgiveness of sins may well be called [Greek or Hebrew], but in the Scripture it seemeth rather to be an expression from those that are loosened out of their bonds for their debts; and therefore frequently is applied to the forgiving of debts, Mat. 18.25, 27, 32. and this is more notably set down, Luk. 4.18. to preach to captives or prisoners, [Greek or Hebrew], freedom or forgiveness of sin, and so [Greek or Hebrew], shall be as much as [Greek or Hebrew], to loosen bonds, as the word is used, Luke 16.26. Acts 27.40. Therefore howsoever Grotius thinks the word to remit, to be a metaphor from those who part with, or leave a thing that they might retain, yet it seemeth rather to be taken from releasing of debts, and loosening of bonds, in which the conscience of a sinner was tied, being bound to answer at the Tribunal of God. Hence the Scripture useth several names to express pardon of sin, according to the several titles that sin hath in the Scripture. As sins are Debita, Debts, so God doth forgive, as they are Sordes, a filth and loathsomeness, so God doth cover them, as they are vincula, bonds, so he doth remit them. As they are debts, written down in a book, so he blots them out: As they make us miserable and wretched, so he is merciful and propitious in removing of them.