*Now one who is so born of God as hath been above described, who continually receives into his soul the breath of life from God, thegracious influence of his Spirit, and continually renders it back: one who thus believes and loves; who by faith perceives the continual actings of God upon his spirit; and by a kind of spiritual re-action, returns the grace he receives in unceasing love, and praise, and prayer; not only doth not commit sin, while he thus keepeth himself; but so long as this seed remaineth in him, he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
2. *By sin, I here understand, outward sin, according to the plain, common acceptation of the word: an actual, voluntary transgression of the law; of the revealed, written law of God, of any commandment of God, acknowledged to be such, at the time that it is transgressed. But whosoever is born of God, while he abideth in faith and love, and in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving, not only doth not, but cannot thus commit sin. So long as he thus believeth in God through Christ, and loves him, and is pouring out his heart before him, he cannot voluntarily transgress any command of God, either by speaking or acting what he knows God hath forbidden. So long that seed which remaineth in him, that loving, praying thankful faith, compels him to refrain from whatsoever he knows to be an abomination in the sight of God.
3. But here a difficulty will immediately occur; and one, that to many has appeared insuperable, and induced them to deny the plainassertion of the apostle, and give up the privilege of the children of God.
It is plain in fact, that those whom we cannot deny to have been truly born of God (the Spirit of God having given us in his word, this infallible testimony concerning them) nevertheless not only could, but did commit sin, even gross, outward sin. They did transgress the plain, known laws of God, speaking or acting what they knew he had forbidden.
4. Thus David was unquestionably born of God, or ever he was anointed king over Israel. He knew in whom he had believed; he was strong in faith, giving glory to God. [35]The Lord, saith he, is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in green pastures, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me. He was filled with love; such as often constrained him to cry, out, [36]I will love thee, O Lord, my God: the Lord is my stony rock, and my defence, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge. He was a man of prayer, pouring out his soul before God, in all circumstances of life; and abundant in praises and thanksgiving; [37]Thy praise, saith he, shall be ever in my mouth. [38]Thou art my God, and I will thank thee; thou art myGod and I will praise thee. And yet such a child of God could and did commit sin; yea, the horrid sins of adultery and murder.
5. And even after the Holy Ghost was more largely given, after life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel, we want not instances of the same melancholy kind, which were also doubtless written for our instruction. Thus he who (probably from his [39]selling all that he had, and bringing the price for the relief of his poor brethren) was by the apostles themselves sirnamed Barnabas, that is, the son of consolation; who was so honoured at Antioch, as to be selected with Saul out of all the disciples, to carry their [40]relief unto the brethren in Judea: this Barnabas, who at his return from Judea, was by the peculiar direction of the Holy Ghost, solemnly [41]separated from the other prophets and teachers, for the work whereunto God had called him, even to accompany the great apostle among the Gentiles, and to be his fellow-labourer in every place; nevertheless was afterward so [42]sharp in his contention with St. Paul (because he thought it not good to take with them John, in his visiting the brethren, a second time, who had departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work) that he himself also departed from the work; that he took John, and sailed unto Cyprus; forsaking him to whom he hadbeen in so immediate a manner joined by the Holy Ghost.
6. An instance more astonishing than both these is given by St. Paul in his epistle to the Galatians. When Peter, the zealous, the first of the apostles; one of the three most highly favoured by his Lord; was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles, the Heathens converted to the Christian faith, as having been peculiarly taught of God, that [43]he should not call any man common or unclean. But [44]when they were come, he separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, not regarding the ceremonial law of Moses, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Here is also plain, undeniable sin, committed by one who was undoubtedly born of God. But how can this be reconciled with the assertion of St. John, if taken in the obvious literal meaning, that whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin?
7. I answer, what has been long observed is this: so long as he that is born of God keepethhimself (which he is able to do by the grace of God) the wicked one toucheth him not. But if he keepeth not himself, if he abideth not in the faith, he may commit sin even as another man.
It is easy therefore to understand, how any of these children of God might be moved from his own stedfastness, and yet the great truth of God, declared, by the apostle, remain stedfast and unshaken. He did not keep himself, by that grace of God which was sufficient for him. He fell, step by step, first into negative, inward sin, not stirring up the gift of God which was in him, not watching unto prayer, not pressing on to the mark of the prize of his high calling: then into positive inward sin, inclining to wickedness with his heart, giving way to some evil desire or temper. Next, he lost his faith, his sight of a pardoning God, and consequently his love of God. And being then weak and like another man, he was capable of committing even outward sin.
8. To explain this by a particular instance: David was born of God, and saw God by faith. He loved God in sincerity. He could truly say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth (neither person, nor thing) that I desire in comparison of thee! But still there remained in his heart that corruption of nature, which is the seed of all evil.