despite to the Spirit of Grace. That is, he hath treated that good Spirit, which was graciously bestowed on him, for gracious purposes, as if he was a most vile and hateful enemy. Diodati expounds it thus, "Do despite-by secret or open blasphemies, with thoughts, deeds, and words, against God's truth which hath been. revealed unto him, and the certainty whereof hath been REVEALED IN HIS HEART BY THE HOLY GHOST."* Dr. Whitby says, "To do despite unto the Spirit of grace, cannot well signify less than that which our Lord stiles the sin against the Holy Ghost, which men cannot commit, and in their hearts be Christians." Grotius says, Vides hic etiam eos qui Spiritum acceperant, qui nisi justificatis non dabatur, defectores fieri posse : You see here also, that those who had received the Spirit, which was not given to any but the justified, may become APOS *Diodati on the place. the place. Grotius in loc. † Whitby on TATES. The continuators of Pool expound the words thus, "Injuring, wronging, despising, greatly griev ing, not a creature, but God the Spi rit, the quickening Spirit of dead sinners, who fits them for union with GOD, and in order to it uniteth them to Christ and his body, and animateth them; who graciously communicated to THESE APOSTATES the knowledge natural and SUPERNATURAL, which THEY HAD and ABUSED. 994 Again; that it is TOTAL and FINAL apostasy which is here spoken of, is evident, secondly, from the conse quences of it which relate to the apostate himself. These are, 1. That GOD looks on the apostate as an adversary. This is evident from verse 27th, where he is expressly called an adversary. He had acted the part of an adversary in treading under foot the Son of God, in counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and in doing despite unto the Spirit of * Pool's Comment grace: and, therefore, GoD judged of him according to what he was. 2. There remained no more sacrifice for 'his sins. As he had rejected, yea, trampled on that sacrifice which GOD had provided for him; so God, in righteous judgment, determined that he should have no other. 3. Instead of having another sacrifice, a fiery indignation was provided to devour him. 4. This indignation was to come upon him in a sorer manner than that which came on those who despised the law of Moses, and who died without mercy. I therefore conclude upon the whole that the apostle could not here intend any thing less than TOTAL AND FINAL APOSTASY. And the truth of this conclusion is so evident, that the most learned Calvinists, as well as Arminians have been constrained to acknowledge it. Pool quotes not only Erasmus, but Beza also, and other divines, who say that the apostle speaks, "De peccato apostasia a fide et religinone Chritsand quo quis ex professo, et in universum resilit a Christo" of the sin of apos TASY from the faith, and the Christian religion, whereby a man openly, and TOTALLY falls back from Christ.*. Mr. Sam. Clarke, on the place, saith, "It concerns us to use all means to PERSEVERE, because APOSTASY is SO dangerous." King Edward's Bible hath it, For if we sin wilfully" That is, forsake JESUS CHRIST, as Judas, Saul, Arius, Julian the APOSTATE did."-The Assembly of Divines say, "The apostle doth speak here, not of all kinds of wilful sin, or falling away; but only of that which our Lord CHRIST calleth blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." So Diodati: "I exhort you to take heed of the first degrees of impiety, for by them yOU MAY 66 FALL INTO THE EXTREME, WHICH IS THE IRREMISSIBLE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. He adds on the word, "wilfully, by a TOTAL APOSTASY and extinction of the Holy Ghost, done *Syn. Crit. in loc. Note on the place. tations. + Clarke's Comment. { Assembly's Anno purposely and through malice with delight."* To the same purpose are the words of Professor Dickson, on verse 29. "Another motive to constancy in the truth of religion, taken from the fearful case of wILFUL APOSTATES, who sinning the sin against the Holy Ghost, are secluded, FOR EVER, from mercy. I say, the sin against the Holy Ghost; because we shall find the sin here described, not to be any particular sin against the law, but against the gospel: not against some point of truth, but against Christ's whole doctrine: not of infirmity, but wilfulness: not of rashness, but of deliberation, witting ly and willingly; not of ignorance, but after illumination, and profession: such as Jews turned Christians, revolting from Christianity, back again to their former hostility against Christ, did commit." By sinning wilfully, Dr. Gill says, "The apostle * Diodati on the place. |