unto death, he shall atk, and he fhall give him life for μαρτίαν μη προς θάνατον, αιτήσει, και δώσει αυτῷ ζω cure him that favour from the mercy of God. See note 3.-We may therefore believe that in this paffage, John fpeaks of perfons and things, very different from thofe which the authors now mentioned had in their eye. What these were will appear, if we attend to the following particulars. Because it was neceffary to the fuccefsful propagation of the gospel, that its profeffors fhould in the firft age be remarkably holy, God fo ordered it, that the open miscarriages of individuals were often punished with visible temporal judgments. So Paul told the Corinthians, who had been guilty of great irregularities in the celebration of the Lord's fupper. 1 Cor. xi. 30. For this caufe many of you are fick, and Some are dead. Thefe judgments being public, had no doubt a great influence in reftraining the firft Chriftians from fin.-On the other hand, to encourage thofe to repent who by their fins had brought on themselves mortal difeafes, there were in the first age perfons, who being endowed with the gift of healing difeafes miraculously, (1 Cor. xii. 9) were moved by the Holy Ghost to heal the fick, who had repented of the fins which had brought on them the difeafes under which they were labouring. We may therefore believe, that when John directed any one, who faw his brother finning a fin not unto death, to afk God to give him life, he did not mean any ordinary Chriftian, but any fpiritual man who was endowed with the gift of healing difeafes: And that the brother for whom the fpiritual man was to afk life, was not every brother who had finned, but the brother only who had been punifhed for his fin with fome mortal difeafe, but who having repented of his fin, it was not a fin unto death: And that the life to be asked for fuch a brother, was not eternal life, but a miraculous recovery from the mortal disease under which he was labouring. According to this view of matters, John, in the paffage before us, is treating briefly of the fubject concerning which James hath treated more at large, chap. v. 14. Is any one e fick among you? Let him fend for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15. And the prayer of faith will fave the fick perfon, and the Lord will raife him up, (xal Eff. iv. 212.) And fo, although he hath committed fins, they fhall be forgiven him. 16. Confefs your faults one to another, and pray for one another that ye may be healed. The inwrought prayer of the righteous man availeth much.Now if John, in the paffage before us, is treating of the fubject which James hath handled in the above verses, The any one, who feeth his brother finning a fin not unto death, of whom John fpeaks, was any elder of the church endowed with the gift of healing difeafes miraculously; and the asking, prefcribed by John, is what James calls the prayer of faith: See note 2, and the life to be obtained by fuch afking, was a miracu lous recovery of the fick finnner from the mortal difeafe under which he unto death, let him afk GOD, and he will grant to him life for thofe 3 2 Son, If any one endowed with fpiritual gifts, is fenfible that his brother hath committed a fin which is not to le he was labouring; called also, the raising him up, namely to health, as is plain from James v. 16. 2. Let him afk of God. In the original, it is He ball afk. But the future of the indicative is often put in fcripture for the imperative.This afking James hath termed, the inwrought prayer of the righteous man, because the elder was inwardly moved by the holy Ghoft to pray for the miraculous recovery of the fick perfon: Alfo he termed it, the prayer of faith, because the elder feeling himself moved by the holy Ghoft to pray, prayed in the full affurance that the Lord would raife the fick perfon up to health. See note 3. In this paffage therefore, St. John directed the fpiritual men, who had the gift of healing difeafes miraculously, to exercife that gift, only in behalf of those who had fincerely repented of the fins which had brought on them the difeafes under which they were labouring. For the fpiritual men could know with certainty the truth of the fick finner's repentance, either by the gift of difcerning fpirits with which they were endowed, or if any fpiritual man had not that gift, he must have known it by feeling himfelf inwardly moved to pray for the fick finner's recovery.-The anointing of the fick with oil, though not mentioned by John, was fitly prefcribed by James; not however on account of any efficacy which it had, as a natural remedy, to procure health for the fick, but merely as an outward fign to the fick perfon himself, and to those who were present, that a miracle of healing was to be wrought. For the fame purpose the twelve, when fent forth by Chrift to heal diseases miraculously, anointed the fick perfons with oil whom they were to recover. For, although that rite is not mentioned by any of the evan gelifts who have given an account of their commiffion, Mark who hath defcribed the fuceefs with which they executed their commiffion, tells us, chap. vi. 13. They anointed with oil many that were fick, and healed them. 3. He will grant to him life.-The life which was to be asked for thofe who finned not unto death, and which God was to grant, could not be eternal life, because no where in fcripture is eternal life promised to be given to any finner, at the afking of another. Befides, right reafon teaches, that eternal life should not be granted to any finner merely because another asks it for him: nay that the prayers of the whole world united, will not procure eternal life for an impenitent finner. On the other hand, if a finner truly repents of his fin, he will affuredly obtain eternal life through the interceffion of Chrift, whether any of his fellow men afk it for him or not. Since then, one person's afking God to grant eternal life to another, hath no influence to pracure that favour,. the life which was to be asked for the perfon who had not finned unto death, and which God promifed to grant, must have been temporal life only; confequently, John's direction, Let bim afk God, and he will grant to him life, is equivalent to that of James, Let them 14 them that fin not unto death. There is a fin unto death: την τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι μη I do not fay that he tali προς θάνατον. Εσιν ἁμαρ pray for it, ου περι τια προς θανατον εκείνης λεγω ίνα ερωτηση. them pray over them, and the prayer of faith will fave the fick, and the Lord will raife him up, and jo, although he hath committed fins, they fhallbe forgiven him; that is although he hath committed fins which have occafioned him to be punished with a mortal disease, he fhall be delivered from that punishment. In calling a miraculous recovery from a mortal disease which had been inflicted as the punishment of fins, the forgiving of fins, James hath followed his mafter, who called the recovery of the fick of the palfy, the forgiving of his fins, Matt. ix. 2, 5. In like manner the Pfalmift reprefents the bealing of all bis difeafes, as the forgiving of all his iniquities. 4. For those who fin not unto death. Here the relative ros, is plural, notwithstanding the antecedent adencov, is fingular. But the number of the relative is changed, to fhew that the promise was not reftricted to any particular perfon who had not finned unto death, but extended to all of that defcription. See Eff. iv. 22.-For an account of the fin not unto death, See note 1. on ver. 16. In this 16th verfe the apoftle, according to the Bible translation, directed any one who faw his brother finning a fin not unto death, to ask life for him from God, at the very time he was finning that fin; and affured him that God would at his requeft grant life to fuch a finner. But this is evidently a great impropriety; which however will be removed by tranflating the claufe in the past time, agreeably to the im port of the word aμagravovтa confidered as the participle, not of the prefent but of the imperfect of the indicative, thus; If any one fee his brother hath finned a fin not unto death, let him afk God, &c. According to this tranflation, the prayer for life to the finner was to be made, not while he was finning, but after he had finned, and had repented.-I have no doubt that the tranflation ought to run in the past time. Yet I have not ventured to make the alteration in the new trans lation. It is now time to inform the unlearned reader, that on this 16th verfe of the yth chapter of John's First Epiftle, taken in conjunction with the parallel paffage transcribed from the epiftle of James, note 1. the Papifts have built what they call the facrament of extreme undion, which the priests of their communion difpenfe to dying perfons, by anointing them with confecrated oil, accompanied with a prayer for the pardon of their fins, and with an authoritative declaration importing that their fins are completely pardoned. But, to fhew that that rite is no facrament, and that it by no means produceth the excellent effects attributed to it by the Papifts, I fubmit the following arguments to the intelligent reader's confideration. 1. If the anointing with oil preferibed by James, and the prayer of the elder which accompanied that anointing, be a facrament to which the who fin not unto death. There is a fin unto death. I do not fay concerning it, that he fhould afk.° punished with bodily death, because he hath repented, or is in a difpofition to repent, let him pray to God, and he will grant, at his request, recovery to those who have not finned to death. There is a fin which will be punished with death because the finner is impenitent: I do not fay concerning it, that the fpiritual men fhould ask God to recover fuch a perfon by miracle. the graces of pardon and falvation are really annexed, it ought not to be confined to the fick and dying, but agreeably to the nature of a facrament, all who profefs to believe the gofpel have a right to partake of it. Neverthelefs, by the apoftolic injunction, it is appointed only for the fick; and by the practice of the Papifts, it is miniftered only to fuch of the fick as are at the point of death. Wherefore, fince thofe who are in health are precluded from this rite, and multitudes of them die without being in a condition to receive it, it cannot be a facrament inftituted for conferring pardon and falvation on thofe who die in a fick bed, fince thofe who are cut off in health are, by the apoftle's injunction, excluded from thefe great graces: But it muft have been appointed for fome fuch purpose as that which hath been already explained. 2. This pretended facramert being built on the paffages of fcripture mentioned ver. 16. note 1. it fhould be difpenfed as directed in thefe paffages; and being fo difpenfed, it fhould be followed with the effects there defcribed; that is to fay, it fhould be difpenfed only to the fick, and the fick immediately on receiving it ought to have their fins pardoned, without any regard to their character and temper of mind at the time. The reafon is, to the forgiving of the fins of the fick, nothing is required in the above mentioned paffages, but that they be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord, and that the elder pray over them the prayer of faith; that is, pray in the full affurance that their fins fhall be forgiven them.-If the Papifts reply, that, to the forgivenefs of the fick perfon's fins, his repentance is neceffary, the anfwer is, That in fo far as the pardon of fin dependeth on the repentance of the fick, the prayer of the elder and his authoritative declaration of pardon, have no influence in procuring for the fick that grace. Perhaps we fhall be told, that anointing and prayer being exprefsly required, they are equally neceffary to the pardon of the fick finner as repentance, both being implied conditions. Be it fo. But in that cafe, no perfon, who hath the facrament of extreme unction in his power and neglects it, can be faved. This, however, it is to be prefumed, no charitable Papift will venture to affirm. 3. If the elder's anointing the fick with oil, and his praying over them the prayer of faith, be a facrament, the perfon to whom it is difpenfed, 17 All unrighteousness is fin: and there is a fin not unto death. 18 We know that whofoever is born of God finneth not: but he that is 17 Πασα αδικια ἁμαρ τια εξι Και εσιν αμαρτια προς θανατον. 18 Οίδαμεν ότι πας γεγεννημενα εκ του Θεού, begotten of God keepeth ουχ άμαρτανει, αλλ' γεν difpenfed, muft not only receive the eternal pardon of all his fins, but he muft alfo be immediately raised up to health by the Lord; for that grace is as exprefsly promifed, James v. 15. to follow the anointing of the fick with oil and the praying over him, as the forgiveness of the fins which he hath committed.-To avoid this confequence, the Papifts affirm, that the raifing up of the fick to health is conditional, depending on its being expedient for the glory of God, and for the good of the fick perfon himself. But to this it is answered, as before, That to the railing up of the fick nothing is required but anointing and prayer. Granting, however, for argument's fake, that expediency as well as repentance, is tacitly implied as the condition on which the fick are to be raised up to health, the Papifts ought to fhew how it hath come to pafs, that, of the multitudes to whom their facrament of unction and prayer hath been difpenfed in their dying moments, fo few have been raised up to health by the Lord. Hath this happened, because hitherto the Lord hath not feen it expedient to raise up many of them to health, notwithstanding that grace is as expressly promised to follow the anointing of the fick, and the elder's prayer for their recovery, as the forgivenefs of their fins? Or, hath this happened, because of thofe, to whom their facrament of extreme unction hath been difpenfed, few have been fincere penitents? I fuppofe the Papists will affirm neither of thefe, as they would be a great difhonour to their church. And therefore, till they produce fome fatisfactory reafon for God's not raifing up the fick, now as anciently, according to his promife, after they have been anointed and prayed for by the priest, we must believe that these rites are not a facrament to which the graces of pardon and falvation are annexed. The foregoing three arguments demonftrate, that the anointing of the fick with oil and the praying for their recovery, were not appointed as a permanent office in the church, which every priest may perform, and every profeffing Chriftian who is fick may demand, as the effectual means of procuring the plenary pardon of his fins.-Thefe rites were peculiar to the firit age, being appointed, not for procuring an eternal pardon of fins to the fick, but a miraculous recovery fome mortal difeafe which had been inflicted on them as the temporal punishment of their fins. And no perfon could minifter thefe rites with efficacy, except thofe who had the gift of healing difeafes miraculously. The directions therefore which the apoftles have given concerning thefe rites, were not intended for the intruction of the minif from ters |