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

3dly, That it is not a partial apoftacy from the Christian religion, by any particular vicious practice.

4thly, That it is a total apoftacy from the Chriftian religion, and more efpecially to the heathen idolatry, which the Apostle here fpeaks of.

5thly, The reafon of the difficulty of the recovery of thofe who fall into this fin.

ift, That the fin here mentioned is not the fin against the Holy Ghoft, which I have heretofore difcourfed of, and fhewn wherein the particular nature of it does confift. There are three things which do remarkably diftinguifh the fin here fpoken of in the text, from the fin against the Holy Ghoft defcribed by our Saviour.

ft, The perfons that are guilty of this fin here in the text, are evidently fuch as had embraced Chriftianity, and had taken upon them the profeffion of it; whereas those whom our Saviour chargeth with the fin against the Holy Ghoft, are fuch as conftantly oppofed his doctrine, and refifted the evidence he offered for it.

adly, The particular nature of the fin against the Holy Ghost confifted in blafpheming the Spirit whereby our Saviour wrought his miracles, and faying he did not do thofe things by the Spirit of God, but by the affiftance of the devil, in that malicious and unreafonable imputing of the plain effects of the Holy Ghoft to the power of the Devil, and confequently in an obftinate refufal, to be convinced by the miracles that he wrought; but here is nothing of all this fo much as intimated by the Apoftle in this place.

3dly, The fin against the Holy Ghost is declared to be abfolutely 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

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2d Thing, namely, That this fin here spoken of by

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the Apoftle is not faid to be abfolutely unpardonable. It is not the fin against the holy Ghost; and whatever else it be, it is not out of the compafs 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 Apoftle here ufes a very fevere expreffion, that if fuch perfons fall away, it is impoffible to renew them again to repentance; yet I have fhewn that there is no neceflity of understanding this phrafe in the ftricteft fenfe of the word impoffible; but, as it is elfewhere ufed, for that which is extremely difficult. Nor indeed will our Saviour's declaration, which I mentioned before, that all fins whatfoever are pardonable, except the fin against the Holy Ghoft, fuffer us to understand these words in the most rigorous fenfe.

3dly, The fin here fpoken of, is not a partial apoftacy from the Chriftian religion by any particular vicious practice. Whofoever lives in the habitual practice of any fin plainly forbidden by the Chriftian law, may be faid fo far to have apoftatifed from Chriftianity; but this is not the falling away, which the Apostle here fpeaks of. This may be bad enough, and the greater fins any man who profeffeth himself a Chriftian 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 Apoftle fpeaks of.

4thly, But it is a total apoftacy from the Chriftian religion, more efpecially to the heathen idolatry, the renouncing of the true God, and our Saviour, and the worship of falfe gods, which the Apoftle here fpeaks of. And this will be evident if we confider the occafion and main fcope of this epiftle, and that was to confirm the Jews, who had newly embraced Christianity, in the profeffion of that religion; and to keep them from apoftatizing from it, becaufe of the perfecutions and fufferings which attended that profeffion. It pleafed God, when Chritianity first appeared in the world, to permit the

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powers of the world to raise a vehement perfecution against the profeffors of it, by reafon whereof many out of bafe fear did apoftatize from it, and in teftimony of their renouncing it, were forced to facrifice to the heathen idols. This is that which the Apostle endeavours to caution and arm men against throughout this epiftle. 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 apoftatize 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 faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering, not forfaking the affembling of ourselves together; that is, not declining the affemblies of Chri ftians, 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 fo easily befets; the fin which in thofe times of perfecution, they were fo liable to.

And I doubt not but this is the fin which St. John fpeaks of, and calls the fin unto death, and does not require Chriftians to pray for those who fall into it, with any affurance that it fhall be forgiven; 1 John v. 16. There is a fin unto death: I do not fay that he fhall pray for it. All unrighteousness is fin; and there is a fin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God finneth not; that is, does not fall into the fin of apoftacy from Chriftianity 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 yourfelves from idols. Which fufficiently fhews what that fin was which he was fpeaking of before.

So that this being the fin which the Apostle defigned to caution men against throughout this epiftle, it is very evident what falling away it is he here fpeaks of, namely, a total apoftacy from Chriftianity, and more efpecially to the heathen idolatry.

5thly, We will confider the reafon of the difficulty of recovering fuch perfons by repentance. If they fall away, it is extremely difficult to renew them a gain to repentance; and that for these three reafons:

1. Because of the greatnefs and heinoufnefs of the fin. 2. Because it renounceth, and cafteth off the means of recovery.

3. Because it is fo high a provocation of God to withdraw his grace from fuch perfons.

1. Because of the greatnefs and heinoufnefs of the fin, both in the nature and circumftances of it. It is a downright apoftacy from God, a direct renouncing of him, and rejecting of his truth, after men have owned it, and been inwardly perfwaded and convinced of it; and fo the Apoftle expreffeth it in this epiftle, calling it an apoftacy 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 cleareft light and knowledge, and the fulleft conviction of a man's mind, concerning the truth and goodnefs of that religion which he renounceth; against the greatest obligations laid upon him by the grace and mercy of the gofpel; after the free pardon of fins, and the grace and affiftance of God's Spirit received, and a miraculous power conferred for a witnefs and teftimony to themfelves, 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 fealed it with his blood; and, in effect, an expreffion of as high malice to the author of this religion, as the Jews were guilty of, when then put him to fo cruel and fhameful 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 defpair, and either of thefe conditions are effectual bars to their recovery. And both these dangers the Apostle warns men of in this epiftle, chap. iii. 12, 13. Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to apostatize from the living God: but exhort one another daily, whilst it is called to day, left any of you be hardened through

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the deceitfulness of fin. Or elfe the reflexion upon fo horrid a crime is apt to drive a man to defpair; as it did Judas, who, after he had betrayed the Son of God, could find no eafe but by making away himself; the guilt of fo great a fin filled him with fuch 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, whofe apoftacy, though it was not total from the Chriftian religion, but only from the purity and reformation of it, brought him to that defperation of mind which was a kind of hell upon earth. And of this danger likewife the Apoftle admonisheth, chap. xii. 15. Looking diligently, left any man fail of the grace of God, (or as it is in our margin, left any man fall from the grace of God) left any root of bitterness Springing up trouble you; and then he compares the cafe of fuch perfons to Efau, who when he had renounced his birthright, to which the bleffing was annexed, was afterwards, when he would have inherited the bleffing, rejected, and found no place for repentance, though he fought it carefully with tears.

2dly, Those who are guilty of this fin, do renounce and caft off the means of their recovery; and therefore it becomes extremely difficult to renew them again to repentance, They reject the gospel, which affords the belt arguments and means to repentance, and renounce the only way of pardon and forgivenefs. And certainly that man is in a very fad and defperate condition, the very nature of whofe difeafe is to reject the remedy that fhould cure him. And this the Apostle tells us, was the condition of those who apoftatized 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 adverfaries. 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 atterward what can they expect but to fall into his VOL. VI. H

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