486 The danger ofApoflacy from Chriglianity, Vol. I they commonly expreh the Times of the Gofpel according to that ancient Traditi- on of the Houfe of Elias, which diftributed theduration of theWorld into three dtw "ves, or Ages; theAge before the Law, the Age under the Law, and the Age of the Meflias, which they called the Seculumfuturum, or the Age to come ; and which is likewife in Scripture called, The laß Days, or Times, and the conclufon of the Ages, Concerning which, it was particularly Prophefied, that the Holy Ghoft fhould be poured forth upon Men in miraculous Gifts and Powers. And to this very purpofe the Prophet Joel is cited by St. Peter, Alts 2. i6, 17. This is that which was Pokes: by the Prophet Joel, And it (hall come to pafs in the laß days (faith God) I will pourout of my Spirit upon all Flefh, and your Sons and your Daughters fhall prophejie, &c. From all which it is very evident, that by tailing of the powers of the World to come, is meant being partakers of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, which were poured forth in the Gofpel Age, by the Jews commonly cal- led the World to come. If they fhall fall away; that is, if after all this they (hall apoftatize from this Profeffion, out of love to this prefent World, or from the fear of Perfecutions and fufferings. It is impoJble to renew them again to Repentance ; that is, it is a thing very diffi- cult, hardly to behoped for, that Each wilful andnotorious Apoftates fhould be re- ftored again by Repentance. For the word d ' erov, which we tranflate Impof- fsble, is not always to be taken in the ftri&eft fenfe, for that which abfolutelycan- not be ; but many times for that which is fp very difficult that it feems next to an impoffibility. So our Saviour, that which in one place he calls exceeding hard; viz. for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdomof Heaven, he afterwards calls impof- fble with Men; and fo here I underhand the Apoftle, that thofe whoapoftatize fromChrihianity, after Baptifmand thebenefits of it, 'Tis exceeding hard to recover themagain to Repentance: This Phrafe ad?uv elveusai,i ue eiç µerddvoiav, to renew them again to Repentance, fome underhand of reftoring them again to the. Peace and Communion of the Church, by a courfe of Penance, fuch as was prefcribed in the ancient Church to great Offenders; and then they underhand by ál'tiva7ov, not a Natural, but a Moral ImpoUbility; that which cannot be done according to the Orders and Conftitutions of the Church; that is, theChurch did refute to admit Apohates, and tome other great Offenders, as Murderers and Adulterers, to a courfe of Penance, in order to their Reconciliation with theChurch; This Ter- tullian tells us was the ftri&nets of the Church in his time, Neque Idololatrie, toque Sanguini pax ab Ecclefa redditur; they admitted neither Idolaters, nor Murderers to the reconciliation of the Church. Though they were never fo penitent, and fhed never fo many tears, yet he fays they were jejune pacts lacrime, their tears were in vain, to reconcile them to the Peace and Communion of the Church. He Pays indeed they did not abfolutely pronounce their cafe defperate in refpe& of God's Pardon and Forgivenefs; fed de vent$ Dee rerervamus, for that they re- ferr'd them to God : but they were never to be admitted again into the Church; fo ftri&were many Churches, and that upon the Authority of this Text; though the Churchof Rome was more moderate in this matter, and for that Reafon call'd the Authority of this Book into queftion. But I feeno reafon why thefeWords fhould primarily beunderftood of reftoring Men to theCommunionof the Church by Penance: but they feem to be meant of reftoring Men to the Favour of God by Repentance; of which indeed their being reftor'd to theCommunionof the Church was a good fign. This the Apoftle Pays was very difficult, for thofe who after Baptifm, and the feveral Benefits of it, did Apoftatize from Chriflianity, to be recover'd again to Repentance. Seeing they crucifie to themfelves the Son ofGodafrefh, and put him to an open fhame. This is fpoken by wayof Aggravation of the crimeof Apoftacy, that they who fall off from Chrihianity, in effeEt and by interpretationdo crucifie the Son of Godover again, and expofe him to fhame and reproach, as the gems did; for by denying and renouncing of him, they declare him to be an Impoftor, and confequently worthy of that Death which he fuffered, and that Ignominy which he was expo fed to; and therefore, in account of God, they arePaid to do that, which by their aftions theydo approve; fo that it is made a Crime of the higheft Nature, as if they
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