little hopes of pardon. If we fin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, (fays the Apostle in this epiftle) there remains no more facrifice for fin. I know the Apostle speaks this particularly the fin of apoftacy from Chriftianity; but it is in proportion true of all other fins, which thofe who have received the knowledge of the truth are guilty of. They who, after they have entertained Chriftianity, and made fome progrefs in it, and been in fome measure, reformed by it, do again relapfe into any vicious courfe, 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 Savi our Jefus Chrift, 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 feriously what we do, when, under the means and opportunities of knowledge which the gofpel affords us, and the ineftimable bleffings and favours which it confers upon us, we live in a ny wicked and vicious course. Our fins are not of a common rate, when they have fo much of wil fulness and unworthiness in them. If men fhall be feverely punished for living against the light of nature; what vengeance fhall 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 thofe, 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 reprefent things worfe to themselves than there is reafon 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 fins, and not to be fenfible enough of the evil and heinoufnefs of them; but it is the peculiar infelicity of melancholy perfons to look upon their faults as blacker and greater than in truth they are; and whatfoever they hear and read in fcripture, that is fpoken against the grofleft and moft enormous offenders, they apply to themfelves; 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 prefently conclude that they are guilty of thefe fins, and that this is a description of their cafe. Whereas the fin against the Holy Ghost is of that nature, that probably none but thofe 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 fin unto death, and that here fpoken of in the text, I have fhewn that they are a total apoftacy from the Chriftian religion, more efpecially to the heathen idolatry, which thefe perfons I am fpeaking of, have no reason to imagine themselves guilty of. And though great and notorious crimes committed by Christians may come near so this, and it may be very hard for thofe who are guilty of them, to recover themselves again to repentance; yet to be fure, for the common frailties and infirmities of human nature, there is an open way of pardon in the gofpel, and they are many times forgiven to us upon a general repentance; fo that upon account of thefe, which is commonly the cafe of the perfons I am fpeaking of, there is not the leaft ground of defpair; and though it be hard many times for fuch perfons 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; fo that the first thing that fuch perfons, who are so apt to judge thus hardly of themfelves, are to be convinced of (if poffible) is this, that they ought rather to trust the judgment of others concerning themfelves, than their own imagination, which is fo diftempered, that it cannot make a true representation of.

things.

things. I know that where melancholy does migh tily prevail, it is hard to perfuade people of this: but till they be perfuaded of it, I am fure all the reafon in the world will fignify nothing to them. 1

4thly, This fhould make men afraid of great and prefumptuous fins, which come near apoftacy from Christianity; fuch as deliberate murder, adultery, grofs 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 thefe fins which I have mentioned, particularly murder and adultery, were ranked in the fame degree with apo ftacy by the ancient church; and fo fevere was the difcipline of many churches, that perfons guilty of thefe crimes were never admitted to the peace and communion of the church again, whatever teftimony they gave of their repentance. I will not fay but this was too rigorous; but this fhews how inconfi. ftent with Chriftianity thefe crimes, and others of the like degree of heinoufnefs, were in thofe days thought to be. They did not indeed, as Tertullian tells us, think fuch perfons abfolutely incapable of the mercy of God; but after fuch a fall, fo notorious a contradiction to their Chriftian profeffion, they thought it unfit afterwards that they fhould ever bé reckoned in the number of Chriftians.

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

till they came to ly upon their death-beds: and in cafe of other fcandalous fins, not till after the humiliation of many years. This perhaps may be thought too great feverity; but I am fure we are as much too remifs 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 Chriftians 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 Chriftians hath long fince broke thefe bounds, and 'tis morally impoffible to revive the ftrictness of the ancient difcipline in any meafure, till the world grow better; but yet we ought to reflect, with fhame 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 Chriftians; and upon this confideration to be provoked to an emulation of thofe better times, and to a reformation of thofe faults and mifcarriages, which in the best days of Chriftianity were reckoned inconfiftent with the Chriftian profeffion, and to remember that though the difcipline of the church be not now the fame it was then, yet the judgment and feverity of God is; and that thofe who live in any vicious courfe of life, though they continue in the communion of the church, yet they fhall be fhut out of the kingdom of God. We are fure that the judgment of God will be according to truth, against them which commit fuch things.

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

ly

ly refemble the old Pagan idolatry. And what the Apostle here fays of the Apoftates of his time, is proportionably true of thofe 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 apoftacy hath driven fome to defpair; as in the cafe of Spira, who, for refifting the light and convictions of his mind, was caft into thofe 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 thofe horrors, he breathed out his foul.

Let us then hold fast the profeffion 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 Apoftle 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 dreffed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which "beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing, whofe 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 falvation, though we thus fpeak.

SER