THE AWFUL STATE OF FINAL APOSTATES;

A SERMON, ON HEBREWS vi. 4-6:

BY THE REV. JONATHAN EDMONDSON, A. M.

(Concluded from page 93.)

If we examine, in their united strength, the observations which have been made on the Character of the persons who had enjoyed the favours which the Apostle here enumerates, it will sufficiently appear that they had been real Christians. The light of the Gospel had shone upon them; their sins had been blotted out; they had received the HOLY GHOST; the word of God had been precious to them; and they had tasted the pure pleasures of grace and glory. What more could be said to prove their conversion to CHRIST? If these blessings are enjoyed by merely nominal Christians, how shall we draw the line between them and the sincere followers of JESUS? The Apostle does not say that they professed to enjoy these benefits, for that would determine the question in favour of their mere formality; but that they had been partakers of them, had tasted them, and had known their worth by a happy experience.

II. BUT THEY HAD WILFULLY FALLEN AWAY.

1. It is allowed by our best writers, that the rendering of this clause, "if these fall away," is not correct. The true reading is, and yet have fallen away. DR. MACKNIGHT, a very learned man, candidly allows the impropriety of our translation. He says, "Our translators, following BEZA, who, without any authority from ancient MSS., hath inserted in his version the word si, if, have rendered this clause, If they fall away; that the text might not appear to contradict the Perseverance of the Saints. But as no translator should take upon him to add to, or alter, the Scriptures, for the sake of any favourite doctrine, I have translated agatoórtas in the past time, Have fallen away, according to the true import of the word as standing in connexion with the other aorists in the preceding verses. Farther, as gameσórtas is put in opposition to what goes before in the 4th and 5th verses, the conjunction xxi, with which it is introduced, must here have had its adversative signification, exemplified in Eph. iv. 11, "And yet have fallen away."

2. But this is not that ordinary backsliding, or falling away from the life and power of religion, which may be healed. There are but few, it may be feared, in the Christian Church, who have not cause to deplore frequent backslidings of heart, even when they have not fallen into open and scandalous sins; but too many have backslidden in life as well as

in heart, to the grief of the pious, and the injury of that holy religion which they once enjoyed and practised. But when these repent and do their first works, the LORD has mercy upon them; and they are restored to his favour and image, through the mediation of JESUS CHRIST. The recollection of such falls humbles them before GOD, and lays them in the dust at his feet; but, having been restored, they can rejoice in him who has healed their backslidings, and who now loves them freely. (Hos. xiv. 4.) It is not necessary for any one to fall away, in any sense of the word; because God gives to all his people sufficient grace to stand: but that many do fall, and afterwards obtain mercy, is matter of fact, well known to all who are acquainted with the things of God.

3. But the falling away, which is stated in our text, is a wilful and total apostasy from the Christian Religion, both in its doctrines and duties, and an open denial of CHRIST and of Christianity. Those unhappy persons who are in such a case, frequently apologize for their conduct, by representing the religion of JESUS as a cunninglydevised fable, and an evil thing which should be abhorred and persecuted. They scruple not to insinuate that they were weak and foolish when they embraced it; that they had discovered it to be a fraud imposed on the credulous; and that, as honest men, they had felt it their duty to renounce it for ever;-and further, that they have returned to their old opinions and course of life, as being far preferable to any thing they had found in the school of CHRIST; that JESUS himself was a vile impostor; and that his followers are either weak enough to believe any thing, or wicked enough to adopt and propagate a system of lies and falsehood. When a person has gone thus far in his fall, there can be but little hope of his recovery; and this seems to have been the state of these early apostates from their Lord and Master.

4. In that degraded state, they "crucified to themselves the SON of God afresh." They had no power, in the literal sense of the words, to crucify him afresh; for when he had "once suffered for sins," he entered into glory, and "for ever sat down on the right hand of God." (Heb. x. 12.) But in a figurative sense, they did that horrid deed, first, by representing him as a guilty malefactor, who was justly crucified for his own crimes; and, secondly, by persecuting his followers unto death. When SAUL persecuted the Church, JESUS said unto him, "SAUL, SAUL, why persécutest thou me?" (Acts ix. 4.) And let it be remembered, to the comfort of believers and the terror of infidels, that whatsoever is done to the Church is done to JESUS CHRIST himself; and, on this principle, he will reward those who "shall give to drink unto one of his "little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple." But if any one offend or injure them, "it were better that a millstone were

hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. x. 42; xviii. 6.)

5. These vile apostates had not only crucified the Sox of GoD afresh, but had put him to an open shame." They openly reproached him by bare-faced lies, gross calumnies, and horrid blasphemies. Among the heathen, they were required to blaspheme CHRIST, as a term of re-admission to the abominable rites of their idolatrous worship; and by that abomination they brought the Christian Religion into contempt. Their false report induced others to blaspheme the holy name of JESUS. They justified the wicked Jews in all their proceedings against the Prince of Life, and used every mean in their power to load him with shame and reproach. Particularly, they misrepresented his doctrines and precepts; and scandalized all his followers, not excepting his holy Apostles. All these things are clearly implied in their putting the SON OF GOD to an open shame. And what more could they do? Or what more could the Devil have done? It is evident, that they were full of malice against the blessed SAVIOUR; that they hated true wisdom and goodness; and that they were filled with a hellish rage against the best men in the world.

There cannot be a doubt of their open enmity to the Cross. Their malice against CHRIST and his Church was deeply rooted, and knew no bounds. They seized every opportunity to injure both, by violent persecution, which they carried on with a savage ferocity. Their temper and conduct strongly resembled that of the wicked Jews, when in their rage and madnes against the true MESSIAH "they cried out, Away with him, away with him; crucify him." (John xix. 15.) Before a fallen Christian arrives at this pitch of wickedness, every spark of grace in his soul must have been extinguished; and his corrupt nature, in all its strength, being under the control of the Devil, hurries him on to the most shameful and disgraceful actions. A more frightful character, than that of such an apostate, does not exist on earth. He is two-fold more a child of hell than he was before; and his last state is worse than his first. (Matt. xii. 45.)

6. These remarks, as before observed, do not apply to any person who makes a profession of Christianity. That there are professors, whose state is truly awful and alarming, cannot be denied; but while the HOLY SPIRIT Continues to strive with them, and while they still retain some regard for CHRIST and his cause, they are not out of the pale of mercy. They may be destitute of the life and power of religion; they may be vain and foolish triflers; and they may live in wilful sin but they do not deny CHRIST; they do not crucify him afresh, by persecuting his followers; nor do they put him to shame by calumnies, lies, and blasphemies. Nevertheless,

if they die in their present state, they will, without doubt,' perish everlastingly but there is this difference between their situation and that of final apostates;—they may be saved, because the door of mercy is still open; but the others are given up to a reprobate mind, and cannot escape the damnation of hell. For,

III. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RENEW THEM AGAIN UNTO REPENTANCE. 1. All who are renewed unto repentance, after having fallen by their iniquity, mourn under a sense of sin, flee from it, and turn unto the LORD as they did at first, when their sins were forgiven through the merit and mediation of JESUS CHRIST. This will appear indispensably necessary, when we consider, that no sin, either of omission or commission, can be pardoned without repentance. DAVID sinned" in the matter of URIAH the Hittite;" but when he repented, and made this humble confession, "I have sinned against the LORD," the Prophet NATHAN said unto him, "The LORD also hath put away thy sin: thou shalt not die." (1 Sam. xii. 13.) PETER denied his Lord and Master; but as a true penitent he wept bitterly, and, being converted by grace, was required to strengthen his brethren. (Luke xxii. 32.) It is our wisdom to prevent the recurrence of the necessity for such repentance, by keeping "a conscience void of offence toward GoD and toward men." (Acts xxiv. 16.) But if we have unhappily fallen, in an evil hour, the sooner we are renewed to repentance the better; for he who perseveres in his backsliding is in great danger of being "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. iii. 13.)

2. This was the case of those unhappy persons whose fall we are now considering. They had proceeded so far in a course of disobedience, that it was impossible to renew them to repentance. The Apostles of our LORD could not do it for them, either by public instructions or by private warnings; because they had renounced the truth, and forsaken the ministry of the word. They had left the company and conversation of the pious, and walked with unreasonable and wicked men. In that state, the truth of God had no influence on their hearts; the ministry of the word, which is the usual mean of renewing men to repentance, could not produce that effect on their minds; the example of the saints, which frequently leads men to repentance, was lost to them; and the company of depraved and hardened sinners led them on in the paths of vice. And have we not reason to fear, that some in our day who have renounced Christianity, and embraced infidelity, are in similar circumstances? They do not openly persecute the Church, but their malicious and blasphemous publications afford sufficient proof that, if they had the power, they would extirpate Christianity by acts. of violence and cruelty.

3. But was it impossible for GoD to renew them to repentance? It is often said, He can do all things; but what He can do, must be

limited to those things which are fit and proper to be done. It is a fallacious method of arguing, that every thing within the reach of almighty power may be done, without any reference either to wisdom or justice; for all the attributes of the Deity are in perfect harmony, and his power is never exercised, or put forth, but in that way which is consistent with his wise and equitable government. We might as well affirm, that, because he is omnipotent, He can make truth a source of error, and vice a source of holy obedience. When a thing is fit and proper to be done, being calculated to promote both the honour of GoD, and the happiness of man, we may argue that it will be done, because the ALMIGHTY has power to do it but in every other case, the argument arising from mere power is weak and foolish. Therefore, when we affirm that it was impossible for GOD to renew those vile sinners to repentance, we mean that it was not fit or proper for him to do it, as it was not agreeable either to his infinite wisdom or his awful justice.

4. It is certain that their day of gruce was past. Every thing had been done for them which was necessary to save their souls from death; and infinitely more than they deserved or had any right to expect. The SAVIOUR, whom they rejected, had made atonement for their sins. (1 John ii. 2.) He had called them by his Gospel to a holy calling; but they had renounced that Gospel, and returned to their sins. They had received the SPIRIT in his gifts and graces; but had grieved and vexed him by an abuse of his precious gifts. They had tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come; but had cast that word behind their back, and given up the glories of heaven for the pleasures of sin. What other means could be used to save them from the wrath to come? Could it be expected that God would work a miracle to save the most abandoned sons of perdition? It is more agreeable to truth, and the fitness of things, that after having sinned so grievously, and after so many shameful abuses of divine goodness, they should be filled with their own ways, and perish in their aggravated crimes.

5. Christian Believers, who now stand in the LORD, should carefully examine the commencement and progress of this sad apostasy; that they may be ever on their guard against the dangerous snares which are laid for their feet by wicked men and evil spirits. And though the tempers and circumstances, the trials and temptations of men, are so various, that we cannot exactly ascertain, in every case, how they fall away; yet the following general observations may, perhaps, cast some light on this dark and perplexing subject.-Every departure from God begins with some temptation, either from the world, the flesh, or the Devil; and the first step towards a fall is, entering into temptation, by suffering it to take hold of the heart. Then unbelief, or a suspicion either that sin will not do us much harm, or that holiness will not do us much good, immediately follows. When