73 Of Repentance. S E R M. being born of God, born of water and of IV. the Spirit, that is, truly repenting and being ''baptized, they do not, they cannot fin, be- caufe the divine fed abides in them ; they do not commit fin, fo as to be its fervants, and under its dominion any more. Neverthelefs, it is a cafe which may be fuppofed, for it is fometimes fad, and the infpired writers themfelves affirm it to be fo, that men under the profeffion of the gofpel fall into thofe courfes, and into thefe prac- tices which are utterly inconfiftent with fin - cerity ; they fin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, and depart from the holy commandment which was delivered unto them. Not only an open and avowed re- je&ing of chriftianity, which fotne in the primitive times were guilty of, and it was extremely difficult to renew them again unto repentance not only this, I fay, but any wil- ful, deliberate finning againft the light and conviaion of men's own minds, any known criminal pratices frequently repeated, any of thofe things for the fake of which the wrath of God cometh on the children of d f - bedience, as adultery, fornication, drunken - nefs, fraud, violence, oppreffion, or others of a like nature and malignity, any of them * Heb. x, 26. knowingly
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