Serm.LXVII. The danger of Apoflacy from Chri/lianity. 4.87 they Ihould crucifie the Sonof God, and ufe him in the molt ignominious manner, even tread under foot the Son ofGod, as the expreffiòn is to the fame purpofe, Ch. TO. a.9. Thus '1 have endeavour'd, as briefly and clearly as I could, to explain to you the true meaningand importance of the feveral Phrafes and Expreffions in theText 5 the fenfe whereof amounts to this, That if thofe who are baptized, and by Baptifm llave receivedRemiffion ofSins, anddo believe the Do&tine ofthe Gofpel, and the Promifes of it, and are endow'd with the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, if fuch perfons as thefe shall after all this apoftatize from Chriftianity, it is very hard, and next to animpoffibility, to imagine how fuch Perfons thould recover again by Repentance, feeing they are guiltyof as great a Crime, as if in their own Perlons they had put toDeath and ignominiou(lyufed the SonofGod, becaufeby reje&ing of him, they declared to the World that he fuffered defervedly. Having thus explained the words, in order to the further vindicationof them from the miftakes and rnifapprehenfions which have been about them, I (ball en- deavour to make out thefe five things. VI, That theSin heremention'd is not the Sin againfi the Holy Ghoft. idly, That the Apoftle does not declare it to be abfolutely impoffible, but only that thofe who are guilty of it are recover'd to Repentance with great difficulty. idly, That it is not a partial Apoftacy from the Chriftian Religion by any par- ticular vicious Pra&ice. 4thiy, That it is a total Apoftacy from the Chriftian Religion, and more efpe- cially to the Heathen Idolatry, which the Apoftle here fpeaks of. 5W,, The Reafonof thedifficulty of the recovery of thofe who fall into this Sin. aft, That the Sin here mention'd is not the Sin againfi the Holy Ghoft, which I have heretofore difcourfed of, and (hewn wherein the particular Nature of it does confift. There are three things which do remarkably diftinguifh theSin here fpoken of in the Text, from the Sin againf the HolyGhoft defcribedby our Saviour. aft, The Perlons that are guilty of this Sinhere in theText, are evidently Inch as had embracedChriftianity, and had taken upon them the Profeffion of it : whereas thofe whomour Saviour chargeth with the Sin againfi the Holy Ghofi, are fuch as conftantly oppofed his Do&rine, and refitted the Evidence he offer'd for ir. adly. The particular Nature of the Sin againfi the Holy Ghoft confifted in Blaf pheming the Spirit, whereby our Saviour wrought his Miracles, and laying he did not do thofe things by the Spirit of God, but by the affiftance of the Devil, in that malicious and unreafonableimputing of the plainEffe&s of the HolyGhoft to thePower of the Devil, and confequently in an obftinate refufal to be convin- ced by the Miracles that he wrought: but here is nothing of all this fo much as intimated by the Apoftle in this place. idly. The Sin againfi the Holy Ghofi is 'declared to be abfolutely unpardonable, both in this World, and in :tut which is to come. But this is not declared to be ab- folutely unpardonable; which brings me to the ad. Thing, namely, That this Sinhere fpokenof by the Apoftle, is not laid to beabfolutely unpardonable. It is not the Sin againfi the Holy Ghoft; and whatever elfe it be, it is not out of thecompafs of God's Pardon and Forgivenefs. So our Saviour hath told us, that all manner of Sin whatfoever that men have committed is capable ofpardon, excepting only the Sin againfi the Holy Ghofi. And though the Apoftle here ufes a very fevere expreffion, that if fisch perfons fall away, it is im- poffible to renew them again to Repentance; yet I have (hewn that there is nonecef- fityof underflanding this Phrale in the ftri&eft fenfe of the word impofble ; but as it is elfewhereufed, for that which is extreamly difficult. Nor indeed will our Saviour's Declaration, which I mention'd before, that all Sins whatfoever are pardonable, except the Sin againfi the Holy Ghoft, ' fuffet us to underftand thefe words in themoo rigorous Senfe. idly. TheSinhere fpokenof, is not a partial Apoftacy fromthe ChriftianReligion byanyparticular viciousPra&ice. Whofoeverlivesin the habitual pra&ice ofanySin plainly forbidden by the Chriftian Law, may be laid fofar to haveapoflatiz'd from Chriftianity ; but this is not the falling awaywhich the Apoftle here fpeaksof. This may bebad enough, and the greater Sins any Manwho profeffethhimfelf a Chriftian lives
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