2dly, That the Apostle does not declare it to be absolutely impossible, but only that those who are guilty of it, are recovered to repentance with great difficulty.

3dly, That it is not a partial apostacy from the Christian religion, by any particular vicious practice. 4thly, That it is a total apostacy from the Christian religion, and more especially to the heathen idolatry, which the Apostle here speaks of.

5thly, The reason of the difficulty of the recovery of those who fall into this fin.

ift, That the fin here mentioned is not the fin against the Holy Ghost, which I have heretofore difcoursed of, and shewn wherein the particular nature of it does consist. There are three things which do remarkably diftinguish the sin here spoken of in the text, from the fin against the Holy Ghost described by our Saviour.

ift, The persons that are guilty of this sin here in the text, are evidently such as had embraced Christianity, and had taken upon them the profession of it: whereas those whom our Saviour chargeth with the fin against the Holy Ghost, are such as conftantly opposed his doctrine, and resisted the evidence he

offered for it.

2dly, The particular nature of the fin against the Holy Ghost consisted in blafpheming the Spirit whereby our Saviour wrought his miracles, and saying he did not do those things by the Spirit of God, but by the affistance of the devil, in that malicious and unreafonable imputing of the plain effects of the Holy Ghost to the power of the Devil, and confequently in an obftinate refusal, to be convinced by the miracles that he wrought; but here is nothing of all this so much as intimated by the Apostle in this place.

3dly, The fin against the Holy Ghost is declared to be absolutely unpardonable both in this world, and in that which is to come. But this is not declared to be abfolutely unpardonable; which brings me to the

ad Thing, namely, That this sin here spoken of by

the

the Apostle is not said to be absolutely unpardonable. It is not the fin against the holy Ghost; and whatever else it be, it is not out of the compass of God's pardon and forgiveness. So our Saviour hath told us, that all manner of fin whatsoever that men have committed is capable of pardon, excepting only the fin against the Holy Ghost. And though the Apostle here uses a very fevere expression, that if such persons fall away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; yet I have shewn that there is no neceslity of understanding this phrafe in the strictest sense of the word impoffible; but, as it is elsewhere used, for that which is extremely difficult. Nor indeed will our Saviour's declaration, which I mentioned before, that all fins whatsoever are pardonable, except the fin against the Holy Ghost, suffer us to understand these words in the most rigorous sense.

3dly, The sin here spoken of, is not a partial apostacy from the Chriftian religion by any particular vicious practice. Whosoever lives in the habitual practice of any fin plainly forbidden by the Christian law, may be faid to far to have apostatised from Chriftianity; but this is not the falling away, which the Apostle here speaks of. This may be bad enough, and the greater fins any man who professeth himself a Christian lives in, the more notoriously he contradicts his profeffion, and falls off from Chriftianity, and the nearer he approaches to the fin in the text, and the danger there threatned: but yet for all that, this is not that which the Apostle speaks of.

4thly, But it is a total apostacy from the Chriftian religion, more especially to the heathen idolatry, the renouncing of the true God, and our Saviour, and the worship of false gods, which the Apostle here speaks of. And this will be evident if we consider the occasion and main scope of this epistle, and that was to confirm the Jews, who had newly embraced Christianity, in the profession of that religion; and to keep them from apotłatizing from it, because of the perfecutions and fufferings which attended that profession. It pleased God, when Christianity first appeared in the world, to permit the powers powers of the world to raise a vehement perfecution against the profeffors of it, by reason whereof many out of base fear did apoftatize from it, and in testimony of their renouncing it, were forced to sacrifice to the heathen idols. This is that which the Apostle endeavours to caution and arm men against throughout this epistle. Chap. ii. 1. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, left at any time we should fall away: And chap. iii. 12. it is called an evil heart of unbelief to apostatize from the living God. Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to depart from the living God; that is, to fall from the worship of the true God to idolatry. And chap. x. 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together; that is, not declining the assemblies of Chri stians, for fear of perfecution, and ver. 26. it is cal. led a finning wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth; and ver. 39. a drawing back to perdition. And chap. xii. it is called by way of eminency, the fin which so easily besets; the fin which in those times of perfecution, they were so liable to.

And I doubt not but this is the sin which St. John speaks of, and calls the fin unto death, and does not require Christians to pray for those who fall into it, with any assurance that it shall be forgiven; I John v. 16. There is a fin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is fin; and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God finneth not; that is, does not fall into the fin of apoftacy from Christianity to that of the heathen idolatry: But he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And then ver. 21. he adds this caution, Little children keep yourselves from idols. Which sufficiently shews what that fin was which he was speaking of before.

So that this being the sin which the Apostle defigned to caution men againft throughout this epistle, it is very evident what falling away it is he here speaks of, namely, a total apostacy from Christianity, and more especially to the heathen idolatry.

sthly,

5thly, We will consider the reason of the difficulty of recovering such persons by repentance. If they fall away, it is extremely difficult to renew them again to repentance; and that for these three reasons: 1. Because of the greatness and heinousness of the fin. 2. Because it renounceth, and casteth off the means of recovery.

3. Because it is so high a provocation of God to withdraw his grace from such persons.

1. Because of the greatness and heinousness of the fin, both in the nature and circumstances of it. It is a downright apostacy from God, a direct renouncing of him, and rejecting of his truth, after men have owned it, and been inwardly perswaded and convinced of it; and fso the Apostle expresseth it in this epistle, calling it an apostacy from the living God, a finning wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth. It hath all the aggravations that a crime is capable of, being against the clearest light and knowledge, and the fullest conviction of a man's mind, concerning the truth and goodness of that religion which he renounceth; against the greatest obligations laid upon him by the grace and mercy of the gospel; after the free pardon of fins, and the grace and afsistance of God's Spirit received, and a miraculous power conferred for a witness and testimony to themselves, of the undoubted truth of that religion which they have embraced. It is the highest affront to the Son of God, who revealed this religion to the world, and sealed it with his blood: and, in effect, an expression of as high malice to the author of this religion, as the Jews were guilty of, when then put him to so cruel and shameful a death.

Now a fin of this heinous nature is apt naturally either to plunge men into hardness and impenitency, or to drive them to despair, and either of these conditions are effectual bars to their recovery. And both these dangers the Apostle warns men of in this epistle, chap. iii. 12, 13. Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to apoftatize from the living God: but exhort one another daily, whilst it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the the deceitfulness of fin. Or else the reflexion upon so horrid a crime is apt to drive a man to despair, as it did Judas, who, after he had betrayed the Son of God, could find no ease but by making away himself; the guilt of so great a fin filled him with such terrors, that he was glad to fly to death for refuge, and to lay violent hands upon himself. And this likewife was the cafe of Spira, whose apoftacy, though it was not total from the Christian religion, but only from the purity and reformation of it, brought him to that defsperation of mind which wasa kind of hell upon earth. And of this danger likewise the Apostle admonisheth, chap. xii. 15. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, (or as it is in our margin, lest any man fall from the grace of God) lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and then he compares the cafe of such persons to Efau, who when he had renounced his birthright, to which the blessing was annexed, was afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, rejected, and found no place for repentance, though he fought it carefully with tears.

2diy, Those who are guilty of this sin, do renounce and caft off the means of their recovery; and therefore it becomes extremely difficult to renew them a gain to repentance. They reject the gospel, which affords the best arguments and means to repentance, and renounce the only way of pardon and forgiveness. And certainly that man is in a very fad and desperate condition, the very nature of whose disease is to reject the remedy that should cure him. And this the Apostle tells us, was the condition of those who apostatized from the gospel, chap. x. 26, 27. For if we fin wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more facrifice for fin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. The great facrifice and propitiation for fin was the Son of God, and they who renounce him, what way of expiation can they hope for afterward? what can they expect but to fall into his VOLVI hands

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