There must be three ingredients to make up that fin. 差 1. It muft be wilful. Heb. x. 26. "If we fin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more facrifice for fin." . 2. 2. It must be against light and convictions, after we have received the knowledge of the truth. 3. It must be destinata malitia, in refolyed malice. "Blafphemia in spiuitum fanctum ea eft qua quis deftinata malitia contraproprium animi fui fenfum spiritus fancti gratiam & virtutem deique gloriam oppugnat." Luc. Brug. in Mat. xii. Now you fhall find all thefe ingredients into the fin of the Pharifees. Mat. xii. 22. Christ heals one that was poffeffed with a devil; a great work which all the people wonderedat, ver. 23. But what fay the Pharifees, feever. 4. "This fellow cafteth out devils by the prince of devils:" Now that this was the fin against the Holy Ghoft, is clear; for it was both wilful and malicious, and against clear convictions; they could not but fee he was the son of God, and that this work was a peculiar work of the fpirit of God in him, and yet they fay he wrought. by the devil; whereupon Chrift charges them with this fin against the Holy Ghost, ver. 31. 33. compare this with Mark iii. 28, 29, 33. Now thefe Pharifees were a fort of great profeffors; whence I gather this conclufion, that it is the profeffor of religion, that is the fubject of this fin, not the open carnal finner, not the true believer, but the formal profeffor. Not Here Not the finner, for he hath neither light nor grace; not the believer, for he hath both light and grace; therefore the formal' profeffor, for he hath light, but no grace. then is the greater danger of being but almoft a Chriftian, he is liable to this dreadful unpardonable fin. 6 This being but almost a Chriftian, fubjects us to apoftacy; he that gets no good by walking in the ways of God, will quickly leave them, and walk no more in them: This I gather from Hofea xiv. 9. "Who is wife, and he fhall understand thefe things? prudent and he fhall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the juft fhall walk in them; but the tranfgreffors fhall fall therein." The juft fhall walk in them: He whofe heart is renewed, and made right with God, he fhall keep clofe to God in his ways. But the tranfgreffor fhall fall therein. The word in the Hebrew is, (pefhangim) from a word that fignifies to prevaricate; fo that we may read the word thus, "The ways of the Lord are right, and the just fhall walk in them; but he that prevaricates, that is a hypocrite in the ways of God, he fhall fall therein." An unfound heart will never hold out long in the ways of God, John v. 35. “He was a burning and a fhining light, and ye were willing for a feafon to rejoice in that light." For a feason, pros choran, for an hour, a fhort fpace, and then they left him. It is a notable queftion Job puts concerning the hy Q3 pocrite, pocrite, "Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he he always call upon God?" Job xxvii. 10. He may do much, but these two things he cannot do. He cannot make God his delight. He cannot perfevere in duties at all times, and in all conditions. He will be an apoftate at last: The scab of hypocrify usually breaks out in the plaguefore of apoftacy. Converfion-ground is standing ground, it is terra firma; but a graceless profeffion of religion is a flippery ground, and falling ground. Julian the apoftate, was first Julian the profeffor. I know it is poffible, a believer may fall, but yet he rifes again, the everlasting arms are underneath. Prov. xxiv. 26. Deut. xxxiii. 27. But when the hypocrite falls, who fhall help him up? Solomon faith, "Wo to him that is alone when he falls." Ecclef. iv. 10, that is, without intereft in Chrift: Why wo to him? For he hath none to help him up. If Jefus Chrift do not recover him, who can? David fell, and was reftored; for he had one to help him up But Judas fell, and perished, for he was alone. 7. This being but almost a Christian, provokes God to bring dreadful spiritual judg ments upon a man. Barrennefs is a fpiritual judgment: Now this provokes God to give us up to barrennefs. When Chrift found the fig-tree had leaves, leaves, but no fruit, he pronounces the curfe of barrenness upon it. Matth. xxi. 19. Never fruit grow on thee more: And fo Ezek. xlvii. 11. "The miry places thereof, and the marifh places thereof, fhall not be healed, they fhall be given to falt." A fpirit of delufion is a fad judgment, why? This is the almoft Chriftian's judgment, that receives the truth, but not in the love of it: "Because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be faved; for this caufe God fhall fend them ftrong delufions." 2 Theff. ii. 10, 11, 12. To lofe either light, or fight; either ordinances, or eyes, is a great fpiritual judgment, why? This is the almoft Chriftian's judgment: He that profits not under the means, provokes God to take away either their light, or fight; either the ordinances from before his eyes, or else to blind his eyes under the ordinances. Luke xix. 42. To have a hard heart, is a dreadful judgment, and there is no hypocrite but he hath an hard heart. My brethren, it is a dreadful thing for God to give a man up to fpiritual judgment. Now this being almoft a Chriftian, provokes God to give a man up to spiritual judgment; furely, therefore it is a very dangerous thing to be almoft a Chriftian. 8. Being almost, and but almost a Chrif tian, will exceedingly aggravate our damnation. The higher a man rifes under the means, the lower he falls if he miscarries: He that falls falls but a little short of heaven, will fall deepeft into hell: He that hath been nearest to converfion, being not converted, fhall have the deepest damnation when he is judged. Capernaum's fentence, fhall exceed Sodom's for feverity, Matth. xi. 23, 24. because she exceeded Sodom in the enjoyment of mercy; fhe received more from God, fhe knew more of God, fhe profeffed more for God, and yet was not right with God; therefore the shall be punished more by God. The higher the rife, the greater the fall; the higher the profeffion, the lower the damnation; he miscarrieth with a light in his hand; he perifheth under many convictions; and convictions never end but in a found converfion, as in all the faints; or in a fad damnation, as in all hypocrites. Praying ground, hearing-ground, profeffing ground, is of all the worst ground to perish upon. Now then, to fum up all under this head. If to be almoft a Chriftian hinders the true work of conversion; if it be easily mistaken for converfion; if it be a degree of blafphemy; if this be that which quiets confcience; if this fubjects a man to commit the unpardonable fin; if it lays us liable to apoftacy; if it provokes God to give us up to fpiritual judgments; and if it be that which exceedingly aggravates our damnation, fure then, it is a very dangerous thing, to be almoft, and but almost a Chriftian. O! labour to be altogether Christians, to go farther than they who have gone fartheft, and |