י,

Saints, who decline from the Spiritualnefs and Excellency of their first Ways, but total and final, ending in a malicious Renouncing of the Truth, and the Profeffion of the Name of Christ, which is the very Formality of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghoft. If fuch fhall fall away, it is impoffible to renew them again unto Repentance, Verfe 6. and therefore it is alike impoffible that ever they should be pardoned. For this conditional Propofition, If they fall away, fuppofeth a Poffibility of it, because the Apostle gives it both as a Caution against Security, and a Motive to a farther Progrefs and Perfection. They may fall, and fall away, and fall away to an utter Impoffibility of renewing them again unto Repentance.

Thirdly, He difcovers the woful Perdition of thefe Apoftates. And that he doth by an elegant Similitude taken from barren Ground, to which fuch Apoftates are compared, Verfe 8. For if God hath manured them, and caufed the Dew of Heaven to fall plentifully upon them from his Ordinances, and yet they bring forth nothing but Bryars and Thorns, let them know that they lie under a moft tremendous Doom.

First, They are rejected of God, reprobated and hated of him. If any Man draw back, my Soul shall have no Pleasure in him, Hebr. 10. 38.

Secondly, They are nigh unto a Curse. The dreadful Curfe of God hangs hovering over their Heads; and would they but look about them, they might fee thick and black Clouds gathering, and ready to break upon them and overwhelm them with a Tempeft of the Divine Wrath and Fury, and they would live in a certain fearful Expectation of fiery Indignation to devour and confume them. For,

Thirdly, Their End is to be burned. They are cut out to be Firebrands for Hell; ordained of Old unto this Condemnation, who fo long wilfully withdraw from God, 'till they fall into the Devil's Arms; and recede fo far backward from Chrift, and their feeming Piety and fplendid Profeffion, 'till they tumble into everlasting Fire, and there for ever fuffer the most acute Tortures, the most direful Plagues, that either the infinite Wisdom of God can prepare, or the infinite Power of God inflict ; and lie eternally curfing, and accurfed, under the Revenges of that God whom they have maliciously despited, K 3

But

But now, left any tender-hearted Christian should be difcouraged and dejected by this terrible and startling Doctrine a Doctrine, which might have then, and hath fince, caufed many fad Fears to feize upon the Spirits of those who are true and fincere, but yet timorous and doubting Saints! The Apoftle therefore comforts them in the Words of my Text, and tells them, That though he had fpoken fo fharply against Apoftates, yet they should not apply it to themselves as though he fufpected them for fuch; that his Difcourfe was directed unto them not as Cenfure, but as Caution; not as judging them to be fuch, but forewarning them left they should be fuch. As if he fhould fay, Interpret not what I have fpoken, as if I thought you forlorn and curfed Apoftates from Chrift; these do not appertain to you otherwife than as Matter that deferves your Care and Caution. For though I have propounded to you the Danger of Apoftacy, yet I have great Confidence of the Sincerity of your Profeffion, and the Perfeverance of your Faith and Obedience; we are perfwaded better Things of you, and Things that accompany Salvation, though we thus speak.

From this Coherence of the Words with the Context, we may obferve,

First, That there is great Need to preach roufing and terrifying Doctrines, even to true and real Believers. Thunder is faid to purge the Air, and cleanse it from thofe impure Vapours, with which it is apt to abound when it hath been long ferene and ftagnant. And truly thundring Doctrine is of great Use, not only to convince the Hypocrite, when the Word fhall be applied fo critically that he can no longer hide himself from the Evidence of it, nor any longer lurk under the falfe Difguife of a feeming Sanctity, but his own Confcience will detect him, and deal as roundly with him, as he hath dealt diffemblingly both with God and Man. Nor,

Secondly, To roufe and awaken the Secure, and by alarming them with the Terrors of the Lord, make them ftart out of their fupine Rechiefnefs, and stupid Neglect of their Souls, and eternal Concernments, But,

Thirdly, It is neceffary alfo to make those who are true and fincere Chriftians cautious and circumfpect, to ftand upon their Watch, left they alfo draw back unto Perdition, and bring upon themselves all the Woes and Curfes which they hear denounced against thefe wretched Apoftates.

K 4

ftates. Let him that thinketh he stands, take heed left he fall, I Cor. 10. 12.

And whereas he sweetens this terrible Doctrine, by declaring his good Hopes and Opinion concerning them; obferve,

That fuch roufing and terrifying Truth requires a great deal of holy Prudence and Caution in the delivering of them. Minifters ought not always to denounce Wo and Wrath, nor at all Peradventures to fling abroad Swords, Arrows, and Death; nor like a Company of Whifflers in a Shew, fpit Fire at every Man they meet. For this indifcreet Preaching of Hell and Damnation, not making a careful Diftinction between Perfons and Perfons, doth but,

First, Harden the Wicked, while it puts them into as good a Condition as any others.

Secondly, Grieve the Good, and fadden the Hearts of those whom God would not have made fad; while it rattles out the Terrors of the Lord without any Difcrimination, and leaves them no Means, nor Advantage, of applying thofe Comforts to themselves which of Right belong unto them. And,

Thirdly, Prejudiceth all, in as much as it is apt to beget only a flavish Fear, and that Fear an Averfation to God, and