vestigation of it must be attended with considerations that will bring your profession to the test. Our aim will be, not to theorize, but to illustrate, by a reference to the word of God. May the illuminating unction of the Holy One be given, together with "the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," that we may not "darken counsel," "but by manifestation of the truth," "they that have erred in spirit may come to understanding, and they that murmured may learn doctrine."

Apostacy in general is either a total falling away from the faith of the gospel, by denying the truth or divine authority of its doctrines; or, by a practical renunciation of its holy principles and influence in the life and conversation. Of the former kind, apostacy is less frequent than of the latter. The instances are not many in which a professed belief of the gospel has been followed by an apostacy into naked and avowed infidelity. There may be thousands, who were trained up in what is reputed a religious education, who are now the disciples of deism; finding in its principles a gratifying license for the unrestrained indulgence of their depraved lusts and appetites. But these can scarcely be entitled to have been of the number of believers by profession. Their reason and conscience had nothing to do with the religious principles in which they were instructed. They received them with no more regard to God and his glory than they did the first lessons of the alphabet. Their infidelity, therefore, implies no abandonment of conviction, or of an enlightened judgment; but is an expedient of accommodation to the vicious sensualities and diabolical passions of the heart. Real apostacy from the faith must always imply a previous profession, founded on conviction; a profession voluntarily entered into and avowed; and in some degree evidenced by a separation from the world and a union to the church. The instances of falling away into direct infidelity, after such a profession, are rare; but the total renunciation of truth in its influence upon the heart and conduct, is a fact of too frequent occurrence. It is this fact chiefly which we intend to illustrate. In doing this it will be necessary to take a scriptural view of the nature of that profession which issues in final apostacy, with the extent to which it may be maintained; and how nearly in many instances it resembles, in its principles and appearance, the experience and practice of regenerate believers.

The serious nature of the subject requires us to treat it with caution; lest we should speak to the wounding of such as are of a fearful heart. With a view to avoid this evil, it may be useful to advert to the falls and backslidings of the regenerate, and shew the impossibility of their drawing back unto perdition, that so the partial and temporary defections of the elect may not be confounded with the apostacies of others; nor the full and final apostacy of unrenewed professors, be mistaken for falling from grace;-a mistake which some have fervently embraced, and thought themselves in possession

of a substantial argument against the infallible conservation of the saints through grace to glory.

It is a melancholy truth that the regenerate children of God are guilty of many, and grievous backslidings: they fall into sins which destroy their peace, defile their consciences, harden their hearts, and give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

The falls of some are by surprise and suddenly. In an unguarded moment they are tempted and overcome. Secret, and seemingly mortified corruption is kindled into action, and for a transient gratification they entail upon themselves, upon the church, and upon the name of our Lord Jesus, an infamy which time itself and restoring mercy will scarcely remove. Thus, David yielded to the impulse of adulterous affections, and plunged himself into the most detestable crimes. But generally the backslidings of believers are more secret and slow. They imperceptibly cool in their affections and zeal; lose the blessedness of their first love; and gradually slide into carelessness, fleshly ease, and formality. Their secret declension is marked before God, who leaves them to their course, that his word may not be broken, "the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways."

One backward step is followed by another. Defection in the heart, from the liveliness and sweet actings of grace, is succeeded by indifference to the spiritual exercises of worship. Secret prayer is attended to from custom and conscience, rather than as a privilege. The holy pleasures of communion with God are lost in the drudgery of duty. Languid, insensible, and in the bonds of corruption, the heart is wandering, busy in the world, acting over its lusts, or motionless in sloth and weariness; while the tongue is repeating mere words which it has been accustomed to utter. The infinitely blessed God is offended at being treated so much like an idol of wood or stone, and withdraws himself from this scene of abominable prayer.

The depravities of the closet are carried into public ordinances, and profane them. The Lord's day is wasted in sleep, carnal indulgences, or light and worldly conversation. Late attendance at the house of God; a cold and careless behaviour when there; absence from it when the shadow of excuse can be found; and a prevailing barrenness under the ministry of the word, evidence that the heart is far gone from God, and is going back with a perpetual backsliding.

The spiritual taste is diseased. The truths which once refreshed the heart and gladdened the conscience; that proclaimed liberty to the captive; free forgiveness, and everlasting righteousness to the guilty; that unveiled the Redeemer's grace, salvation, and glory; that lay open to the view of faith the unwasting sources of the church's happiness in the love, counsels, and covenant of the Triune God;-truths that bulwarked the soul in its conflicts, and made it triumphant in its affliction, are heard, indeed, but not felt, not re

ceived gladly, not enjoyed. They may be contended for in the letter, but their experimental savour is not realized.

Such, we fear, is the state of many in our churches. They hold fast the form of sound words delivered to them; but indicate by many plain symptoms, that they are living without being influenced in their experience or conversation, by the soul-reviving, heartliberating, sin-subduing efficacy of sovereign truth. Through them the gospel is despised by such as seek occasion; and the enemies of truth take a warrant from their empty notional profession, to vilify the precious doctrines of free grace salvation, as the non-essentials of a party who lay more stress upon points of doubtful disputation, than upon the weightier matters of the law. Happy should we be if this stone of reproach were rolled away, and the saving virtue of discriminating truth witnessed in the heart by joyous experience, and manifested in the life by a savoury spiritual conversation, and godly walk.

But alas! when the experimental relish of truth is lost, the backslider generally proceeds further in "his own ways." From indifference to that which is spiritual, he becomes indifferent to the society of the saints. He feels no longer the sympathy of heart with heart, the mingling of spirit with spirit, which is the essence and life of the fellowship of the faithful. He is cold and shy; a stranger with his mother's brethren. He shuns them, and probably assigns as a reason that they are not friendly and affectionate to him as formerly; blaming them for a fault which is wholly his own.

Other society is sought after and relished. He mixes himself with the people and speaks the "language of Ashdod." He spends his leisure with the worldly, imbibes their spirit, and joins them in their pursuits, their pleasures, and their iniquities. Sin gains upon him, he casts off all fear, and restrains prayer before God. The last fearful sentence of the backslider is upon him, " He is joined to idols, let him alone." Conscience ceases to reprove, and he gives himself without remorse to his covetousness, his blasphemies, or uncleanness.

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Conduct so provoking and criminal, justly entitles him to indignation and wrath; and he would inevitably perish, if his salvation depended on any thing lower than the sovereign will and unforfeitable love of God. But in his worst state, in his foulest falls, he is (O wonder of grace!) a sinner beloved; without regard to the evil he has done, that the purpose of God according to election may

stand.

It is difficult to say how far a backslider may go in "his own ways," ," but we are confident he can never pass beyond the limits of his pardon by the blood of the Lamb; nor his free grace predestination to life and glory. He who hath chosen him as a vessel of mercy will heal his backslidings, and still love him freely. Fearless of the reproach which may be cast upon us by legalists, and the patrons of conditional salvation, we shall contend earnestly for this

inestimable truth, as long as we retain the consciousness of our utter corruption, our impotence, and the treacheries of the heart; as long as we have any just conceptions of the nature of grace, the covenant of salvation, the character of God, the efficacy of Immanuel's obedience and sacrifice, and the immutability of truth.

What must we think of the infinitely perfect Jehovah, if we should suppose him first to form a design to save his people, and afterwards revoke his intention because of their ingratitude and revoltings? Can he change his mind without changing himself? Can his will be separated from his essence? and, if not, can he alter his purpose without casting off his immutability? But what will become of Deity itself, if he be subject to change? The sentiment which would attribute_mutability to the divine design of saving the elect, must impute the same imperfection to the Divine Being! Can atheism conceive a thought more horrid and blasphemous ? Or is the sin of his people, which occasions this change of purpose something that he did not foresee when he passed his decree to save them? . Let his omniscience speak for him; and let his own word say whether his will is regulated by the conduct of his creatures, or his decree to save founded upon their foreseen righteousness and fidelity: "For I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb. For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off." Isa. xlviii. 8, 9.

What shall be said of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, if it can be forfeited or defeated by our unfaithfulness? For the transgressions of his people was he smitten; and then he "finished the transgression, and made an end of sin, and made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness." He was made sin for us by the imputation of our foulest backslidings after conversion, as well as of our sins before conversion; and under the curse of both he died, and "perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Can the sin, which by dying he put away, be charged against us to condemnation ? Is his blood to be less available than our iniquities? Is his grace to have less efficacy than our corruptions? Can we undo the redemption he has purchased, turn the immense ransom price into a cipher, and throw ourselves from the bosom of a finished salvation, into the jaws of everlasting destruction? This would indeed make hell triumphant, and cover the cross of Jesus and the throne of grace with the infamy of pitiable weakness and disappointment.

What shall be thought of regeneration if it is a work that can be undone and destroyed? By regeneration, something is brought into being, which did not before exist; a new creature in Christ Jesus. An effect is produced by the Almighty energy of the Holy Spirit, which denominates a sinner by nature, a new man." Agreeably to its nature, this change is described a being born from above;" and it is as clearly the dictate of reason as it is the doctrine of scrip

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ture, that the soul which, is truly born of God is never unborn of him. He cannot now be an heir of grace, and hereafter a son of perdition. As a man once alive in the natural world cannot become a non-entity without violating the invariable law of his being; so the spirit which is once regenerated, and born of the Holy Ghost, cannot lose that divine nature of which it partakes, and which is its inherent life as a child of God, without nullifying the constitution of grace. Shall our natural life be indestructible? Are we immortal by the decree of our creation? And shall it, can it be imagined that our spiritual being, which is above the course of nature, is perishable? Shall nature be immortal, but grace die? Or can we, who have not strength enough to crush a moth without the energy of God to sustain us in the act; and to whom the power to annihilate the smallest particle of matter never has been given, nor ever will be-can we annihilate the most illustrious effect of the Spirit's operations; undo the work of God; uncreate his creation; and prove ourselves stronger than He? If we can think so, it will be difficult to set bounds to the presumption to which our folly and arrogance may lead us.

But should it be deemed possible that the spiritual life may become extinct, and the regenerate may perish, what credit is to be given to the plainest testimonies of God? such for instance as these: "And they shall be my people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them; and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." Jer. xxxii. 38-40. "Can'a woman forsake her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee! I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Isa. xlix. 15, 16. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy upon thee." chap. Îiv. 10. "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John x. 27, 28. To these, several hundred texts of the same import might be added. But what salve can be found for his veracity in these sayings of God, if nevertheless, his elect may sin away his love, annul his purpose, break his covenant, and perish? It is but adopting propriety of language, in asserting that the doctrine is false, and the system blasphemous, which can be maintained only upon the supposition that infinite grace may falter and fail, and the words of God prove untrue.

We leave it to the advocates of defectible grace-of a redemption that can be forfeited-of an election that can be frustrated, to vindicate their system with what reason they may, and to enjoy the work of their hands; but not having "" so learned Christ, if so be that we