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feffion of that faith which they had embraced; and to arm them against that temptation which Chriftians were then expofed to, viz. the fierce and cruel perfecutions which threatened those of that profession.

And to this purpose he represents to them the excellency of that religion above any other former revelation that God had made of himself to the world, both in refpect of the author and revealer of it, who was the Son of God; and in refpect of the revelation itself; which as it contains better and more perfect directions for a good life, fo likewife more powerful and effectual motives thereto, better promises, and more terrible threatenings, than were annexed to the observation of the Jewish law, or clearly and certainly discoverable by the light of nature. From thefe confiderations, he earnestly perfuades them, all along throughout this epiftle, to continue conftant in the profeffion of this faith, and not to fuffer themselves to be frighted out of it by the terror of persecution chap. ii. 1. Therefore we ought to give the more earneft heed to the things which we have heard, left at any time we should let them flip; and chap. iv. 1. Let us therefore fear, left a promife being left us of entering into his reft, any of you should feem to come fhort of it; and y 23. of this chapter, Let us hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering and to encourage them to conftancy, he fets before them the glorious rewards and recompences of the gofpel, y 35. Caft not away therefore your confidence, Tuv Tapinolar vuwv, your free and open profeffion of Chriftianity, which hath great recompence of reward.

And then, on the other hand, to deter them from apoftafy from this profeffion, he represents to them the horrible danger of it here in the text, But if any man draw back, my foul shall have no pleasure in him.

I fhall briefly explain the words, and then profecute that which I mainly intend in them. If any man draw back, 'Edv voorenT: these words, with the foregoing, are cited out of the Prophet Habakkuk, chap. ii. 3. 4. and they are cited by the Apostle, according to the tranflation of the LXX, which differs fomewhat from the Hebrew; and the difference arifeth from the various readings of the Hebrew word, which is rendered by the LXX, to draw back; but, by the change of a letter, fignifies

fignifies to be lifted up, as we render it in the Prophet: but however that be, the Apostle follows the translation of the LXX, and accommodates it to his purpose. 'Edv WOOTεiantou, if any man draw back; the word fignifies to keep back, to withdraw, to fneak and flink away out of fear, to fail or faint in any enterprize. And thus this word is rendered in the New Teftament: Acts xx. 20. vesnan, I did not with-hold or keep back any thing that was profitable for you: and fo it is faid of St. Peter, Gal. ii. 12. Ev auTÒv, he flunk away, or withdrew himfelf, fearing them of the circumcifion; and the Hebrew word which is here rendered by the LXX, to draw back, is rendered elsewhere exλe, which is to fail, or faint. From all which it appears, that by drawing back the Apostle here means, mens quitting their profeffion of Christianity, and flinking out of it, for fear of fuffering for it.

My foul fhall have no pleasure in him: these words are plainly a picis, and lefs is faid than is meant; for the meaning is, that God will be extremely displeased with them, and punish them very feverely. The like figure to this you have, Pfal. v. 4. Thou art not a God that haft. pleafure in wickedness; which in the very next verfe is explained by his hatred and deteftation of those who are guilty of it, Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity. So that the plain fenfe of the words is this, That apoftafy from the profeffion of God's true religion, is a thing highly provoking to him, and will be most severely punished by him.

In fpeaking to this argument, I fhall confider thefe four things.

1. The nature of this fin of apoftafy from religion. 2. The several steps and degrees of it.

3. The heinoufnefs of it.

4. The great danger of it, and the terrible punifhment it expofeth men to. And when I have spoken to thefe, I fhall conclude all with a fhort exhortation, to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.

I. We will confider the nature of this fin of apoftafy from religion. And it confists in forfaking or renouncing the profeffion of religion, whether it be by an open declaration in words, or a virtual declaration of it by our

actions:

actions for it comes all to one in the fight of God; and the different manner of doing it, does not alter the nature of the thing. He indeed that renounceth religion by an open declaration in words, offers the greatest and boldest defiance to it; but he is likewife an apoftate, who filently withdraws himself from the profeffion of it, who quits it for his intereft, or for fear difowns it, and fneaks out of the profeffion of it, and forfakes the communion of those who own it. Thus Demas was an apoftate, in quitting Christianity for fome worldly interest: Demas bath forfaken us, having loved this prefent world, faith St. Paul, 2 Tim. iv., 10.

And thofe whom our Saviour defcribes, Matth. xiii. 20. 21. who received the word into ftony ground, were apoftates out of fear: They heard the word, and with joy received it; but having no root in themselves, they endured but for a while; and when tribulation and perfecution arifeth becaufe of the word, prefently they fall off.

And there is likewife a partial apoftafy from Chriftianity, when fome fundamental article of it is denied, whereby, in effect, and by confequence, the whole Chriftian faith is overthrown. Of this Hymeneus and Philetus were guilty, of whom the Apoftle fays, that they erred concerning the truth, faying, that the refurrection was past already; and thereby overthrew the faith of fome, 2 Tim. ii. 17. 18.; that is, they turned the refurrection into an allegory, and did thereby really destroy a moft fundamental article of the Chriftian religion.

So that, to make a man an apoftate, it is not neceffary that a man fhould folemnly renounce his baptifm, and declare Christianity to be falfe: there are feveral other ways whereby a man may bring himself under this guilt; as, by a filent quitting of his religion, and withdrawing himself from the communion of all that profess it; by denying an effential doctrine of Chriftianity, by undermining the great end and defign of it; by teaching doctrines which directly tend to encourage men in impenitence, and a wicked course of life; nay, to authorise all manner of impiety and vice, in telling men that whatever they do, they cannot fin: for which the primitive Chriftians did look upon the Gnofticks as no better than apoftates from Christianity; and though they retain

ed

ed the name of Chriftians, yet not to be truly and really fo. And there is likewife a partial apoftafy from the Christian religion, of which I fhall speak under the

II. Second head I propofed; which was, to confider the feveral forts and degrees of apoftafy. The highest of all is, the renouncing and forfaking of Chriftianity, or of fome effential part of it, which is a virtual apoftafy from it. But there are feveral tendencies towards this, which they who are guilty of, are in fome degree guilty of this fin: As,

1. Indifferency in religion, and want of all fort of concernment for it; when a man, though he never quitted his religion, yet is fo little concerned for it, that a very fmall occafion or temptation would make him do it he is contented to be reckoned in the number of thofe who profefs it, fo long as it is the fashion, and he finds. no great inconvenience by it; but is fo indifferent in his mind about it, (like Gallio, who minded none of those things), that he can turn himself into any other shape, when his intereft requires it: fo that, though he never actually deferted it, yet he is a kind of apoftate in the preparation and difpofition of his mind. And to fuch perfons, that title which Solomon gives to fome, may fitly enough be applied, they are backfliders in heart.

2. Another tendency to this fin, and a great degree of it, is, withdrawing from the publick marks and teftimonies of the profeffion of religion, by forfaking the affemblies of Chriftians for the worship and fervice of God; to withdraw ourselves from thofe, for fear of danger or fuffering, is a kind of denial of our religion. And this was the cafe of fome in the Apostles time: when perfecution grew hot, and the open profeffion of Chriftianity dangerous; to avoid this danger, many appeared not in the affemblies of Chriftians, for fear of being obferved, and brought into trouble for it. This the Apostle taxeth fome for in this chapter, and fpeaketh of it as a letting go our profeffion, and a kind of deferting of Chritianity, y 23. 25. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; not forfaking the affembling of ourfelves together, as the manner of fome is. He doth not fay, they had quitted their profeffion; but they had but a-loofe hold of it, and were filently ftealing away from it.

3. A light temper of mind, which easily receives impreffions from thofe who lie in wait to deceive and seduce men from the truth. When men are not well rooted and established in religion, they are apt to be inveigled by the crafty infinuations of feducers, to be moved with every wind of doctrine, and to be easily fhaken in mind, by every trifling piece of fophiftry that is confidently obtruded upon them for a weighty argument.

Now, this is a temper of mind which difpofeth men to apoftafy, and renders them an eafy prey to every one that takes a pleasure and pride in making profelytes. It is true indeed, a man fhould always have a mind ready to entertain truth, when it is fairly propofed to him: but the main things of religion are fo plainly revealed, and lie fo obvious to every ordinary capacity, that every man may discern them; and when he hath once entertained them, ought to be ftedfast and unmoveable in them, and not fuffer himself to be whiffled out of them by an infignificant noife about the infallibility of a vifible church; much lefs ought he to be moved by any man's uncharitableness and positiveness, in damning all that are not of his mind.

There are fome things fo very plain, not only in fcripture, but to the common reafon of mankind, that no fubtilty of difcourfe, no pretended authority, or even infallibility of any church, ought to stagger us in the least about them as, that we ought not, or cannot believe any thing in direct contradiction to fenfe and reafon; that the people ought to read and study the holy fcriptures, and to ferve God, and pray to him, in a language which they understand; that they ought to receive the facrament as our Saviour instituted and appointed it, that is, in both kinds; that it can neither be our duty, nor lawful, to do that which God hath forbidden ; as he hath done the worship of images in the fecond commandment, as plainly as words can do it. Upon any one of these points, a man would fix his foot, and ftand alone against the whole world.

4. Another degree of apoftafy is, a departure from the purity of the Christian doctrine and worship, in a grofs and notorious manner. This is a partial, though not a total apostasy from the Christian religion; and there have

teen,

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