little hopes of pardon. If we fin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, (fays the Apostle in this epistle) there remains no more sacrifice for fin. I know the Apostle speaks this particularly the fin of apostacy from Christianity, but it is in proportion true of all other sins, which those who have received the knowledge of the truth are guilty of. They who, after they have entertained Christianity, and made some progress in it, and been in some measure reformed by it, do again relapse into any vicious course, do thereby render their condition very dangerous. So St. Peter tells us, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again intangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them, not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. Therefore we may do well to confider seriously what we do, when, under the means and opportunities of knowledge which the gospel affords us, and the inestimable blessings and favours which it confers upon us, we live in any wicked and vicious course. Our fins are not of a common rate, when they have so much of wilfulness and unworthiness in them. If men shall be severely punished for living against the light of nature; what vengeance shall be poured on those who offend against the glorious light of the gospel? This is the condemnation that light is.come, &c.

3dly, The confideration of what hath been faid is matter of comfort to those, who upon every failing and infirmity are afraid they have committed the unpardonable fin, and that it is impossible for them to be restored by repentance. There are many, who being of a dark and melancholy temper, are apt to represent things worse to themselves than there is reason for, and do many times fancy themselves guilty of great crimes, in the doing or neglecting of those things which in their nature are indifferent, and are apt to aggravate gravate and blow up every little infirmity into an unpardonable fin. Most men are apt to extenuate their sins, and not to be sensible enough of the evil and heinousness of them; but it is the peculiar infelicity of melancholy persons to look upon their faults as blacker and greater than in truth they are; and whatfoever they hear and read in fcripture, that is spoken against the grossest and most enormous offenders, they apply to themselves; and when they hear of the fin against the Holy Ghost, and the fin unto death, or read this text which I am now treating of, they presently conclude that they are guilty of these sins, and that this is a description of their cafe. Whereas the fin against the Holy Ghost is of that nature, that probably none but those that faw our Saviour's miracles are capable of committing it; and excepting that, there is no fin whatsoever that is unpardonable. As for the sin unto death, and that here fpoken of in the text, I have shewn that they are a total apostacy from the Christian religion, more especially to the heathen idolatry; which these perfons I am speaking of, have no reason to imagine themselves guilty of. And though great and notorious crimes committed by Christians may come near to this, and it may be very hard for those who are guilty of them, to recover themselves again to repentance; yet to be sure, for the common frailties and infirmities of human nature, there is an open way of pardon in the gospel, and they are many times forgiven to us upon a general repentance; fo that upon account of these, which is commonly the case of the persons I am speaking of, there is not the least ground of defpair; and though it be hard many times for fuch persons to receive comfort, yet it is eafy to give it, and that upon fure grounds, and as clear evidence of fcripture, as there is for any thing; so that the first thing that fuch perfons, who are fo apt to judge thus hardly of themselves, are to be convinced of (if poffible) is this, that they ought rather to trust the judgment of others concerning themselves, than their own imagination, which is so diftempered, that it cannot make a true representation of. things.

things. I know that where melancholy does mightily prevail, it is hard to perfuade people of this: but till they be perfuaded of it, I am fure all the reason in the world will fignify nothing to them.

4thly, This should make men afraid of great and presumptuous fins, which come near apoftacy from Chriftianity; such as deliberate murder, adultery, gross fraud and oppreffion, or notorious and habitual intemperance. For what great difference is there, whether men renounce Chriftianity; or profeffing to believe it, do in their works deny it? Some of these fins which I have mentioned, particularly murder and adultery, were ranked in the same degree with apostacy by the ancient church; and fo fevere was the difcipline of many churches, that persons guilty of these crimes were never admitted to the peace and communion of the church again, whatever teftimony they gave of their repentance. I will not say but this was too rigorous; but this shews how inconfistent with Chriftianity these crimes, and others of the like degree of heinousness, were in those days thought to be. They did not indeed, as Tertullian tells us, think such persons abfolutely incapable of the mercy of God; but after fuch a a fall, fa so notorious a contradiction to their Christian profession, they thought it unfit afterwards that they should ever be reckoned in the number of Christiansh

5thly, It may be useful for us upon this occafion to reflect a little upon the ancient difcipline of the church, which in fome fome places, (as as I have told you) was so severe, as in case of fome great crimes after baptifm, as apostacy to the heathen idolatry, murder and adultery, never to admit those that were guilty of them, to the peace and communion of the church; but all churches were so strict, as not to admit those who fell after baptifm into great and notorious crimes, to reconciliation with the church, but after a long and tedious course of penance, after the greatest and most publick teftimonies of forrow and repentance, after long fafting and tears, and the greatest figns of humiliation that can be imagined. In cafe of the greatest offences they were seldom reconciled,

till they came to ly upon their death-beds: and in cafe of other scandalous fins, not till after the humiliation of many years. This perhaps may be thought too great severity; but I am sure we are as much too remiss now, as they were over-rigorous then: but were the ancient difcipline of the church in any degree put in practice now, what cafe would the generality of Christians be in! In what herds and Thoals would men be driven out of the communion of the church! It is true, the prodigious degeneracy and corruption of Christians hath long since broke these bounds, and 'tis morally impossible to revive the strictness of the ancient difcipline in any meafure, till the world grow better; but yet we ought to reflect, with shame and confufion of face, upon the purer ages of the church, and fadly to confider how few among us would in those days have been accounted Christians; and upon this confideration to be provoked to an emulation of those better times, and to a reformation of those faults and miscarriages, which in the best days of Chriftianity were reckoned inconsistent with the Christian profeffion; and to remember that though the difcipline of the church be not now the fame it was then, yet the judgment and severity of God is; and that those who live in any vicious course of life, though they continue in the communion of the church, yet they shall be shut out of the kingdom of God. We are sure that the judgment of God will be according to truth, against them which commit such things.

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6thly, and lastly, The confideration of what hath been faid, should confirm and establish us in the profession of our holy religion, It is true, we are not now in danger of apostatizing from Christianity to the heathen idolatry; but we have too many fad examples of those who apoftatize from the profeffion of the gospel which they have taken upon them in baptifm, to atheisin and infidelity, to all manner of impiety and lewdness. There are many who daily fall off from the profeffion of the reformed re ligion, to the grofs errors and fuperftitions of the Roman church, which in many things does too near

ly ly resemble the old Pagan idolatry. And what the Apostle here says of the Apostates of his time, is proportionably true of those of our days, that they who thus fall away, it is extremely difficult to renew them again to repentance. And it ought to be remembred, that the guilt of this kind of apostacy hath driven fome to despair; as in the cafe of Spira, who, for refifting the light and convictions of his mind, was cast into those agonies, and filled with fuch terrors, as if the very pains of hell had taken hold on him; and in that fearful despair, and in the midst of those horrors, he breathed out his foul.

Let us then hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; and let us take heed how we contradict the profeffion of our faith, by any impiety and wickedness in our lives; remembring that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I will conclude with the words of the Apostle immediately after the text, The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing, whose end is to be burned. And how gladly would I add the next words! But beloved, we are perfuaded better things of you, and things that accompany Salvation, though we thus Speak.

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