\ preserve it. So it isin this matter. The extraordinary miraculous
gifts of the Spirit were used in the erection of Christ’s kingdom, but it is continued by ordinary gifts; which therefore also belong unto the “ powers of the world to come.”
From the consideration of this description in all the parts of it, we may understand what sort of persons it is that is here intended by the apostle. And it appears, yea, is evident,—
1. That the persons here intended are not true and sincere be-
HEB. VI. 4-6 EXPLAINED, 33
zevers in the strict and proper sense of that name, at least they are not described here as such; so that from hence nothing can be con- cluded concerning them that are so, as to the possibility of their total and final apostasy: for,—(1.) There is in their full and large deserip- tion no mention of faith or believing, either expressly or in terms equi- valent. And in no other place of the Scripture are such intended, but [except where] they are mentioned by what belongs essentially _ to their state. And, (2.) There is not any thing ascribed to these persons that is peculiar to them as such, or discriminative of them, as taken either from their especial relation unto God in Christ, or _ any such property of their own as is not communicable unto others. For instance, they are not said to be called aecording to God’s pur- pose; to be born again, not of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God; not to be justified, or sanctified, or united unto _ Christ, or to be the sons of God by adoption; nor have they any other characteristical note of true believers ascribed to them. (3.) They are in the following verses compared to the ground on which the rain often falls, and beareth nothing but thorns and briers. But this is not so with true believers; for faith itself is an herb peculiar to the enclosed garden of Christ, and meet for him by whom we are dressed. (4.) The apostle, discoursing afterwards of true believers, doth in many particulars distinguish them from such as might be apos- tates, which is supposed of the persons here intended, as was in part _ before declared§ for,—[1.] He ascribes unto them in general “better _ things,” and such as “accompany salvation,” as we observed, verse 9, [2.] He ascribes unto them a “ work and labour of love,” as it is true faith alone which worketh by love, verse 10, whereof he speaks not one word concerning these. [3.] He asserts their preservation, on the account,—Ist. Of the righteousness and faithfulness of God, verse 10; 2dly. Of the immutability of his counsel concerning them, verses 17, 18. In all these and sundry other instances doth he put a difference between these apostates and true believers. And _ whereas the apostle intends to declare the aggravation of their sin in falling away by the principal privileges whereof they were made _partakers, here is not one word, in name or thing, of those which he expressly assigns to be the chief privileges of true believers, Rom. ‘viii, 27-30.
2. Our next inquiry is more particularly whom he doth intend; ‘and,—(1.) They were such as not long before were converted front Judaism unto Christianity, upon the evidence of the truth of its doctrine, and the miraculous operations wherewith its dispensation was accompanied. (2.) He intends not the common sort of them, but such as had obtained especial privileges among them; for they had received extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, as speaking with
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34 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
tongues or working of miracles, And, (3.) They had found in themselves and others convincing evidences that the kingdom of God and the Messiah, which they called “The world to come,” was come unto them, and had satisfaction in the glories of it. (4.) Such persons as these, as they have a work of light on their minds, so, according unto the efficacy of their convictions, they may have such a change wrought upon their affections and in their conversation, as that they may be of great esteem among professors; and such these here intended might be. Now, it must needs be some horrible frame of spirit, some malicious enmity against the truth and holiness of Christ and the gospel, some violent love of sin and the world, that could turn off such persons as these from the faith, and blot out all that light and conviction of truth which they had received. But the least grace is a better security for heaven than the greatest gifts or privileges whatever.
These are the persons concerning whom our apostle discourseth; and of them it is supposed by him that they may “ fall away,” xa? raparesiyvrag. The especial nature of the sin here intended is after- ward declared in two instances or aggravating circumstances. This word expresseth the respect it had to the state and condition of the sinners themselves; they “ fall away,”—do that whereby they do so. I think we have well expressed the word, “ If they shall fall away.” Our old translations rendered it only, “ If they shall fall,” which ex- pressed not the sense of the word, and was liable unte a sense not at all intended; for he doth not say, “If they shall fall into sin,” this or that, or any sin whatever that can be named, suppose the greatest sin imaginable,—namely, the denial of Christ in the time of danger and persecution. This was that sin (as we intimated before) about which so many contests were raised of old, and so many canons were multiplied about the ordering of them who had contracted the guilt thereof. But one example, well considered, had been a better guide for them than all their own arbitrary rules and imaginations. But Peter fell into this sin, and yet was renewed again to repentance, and that speedily. Wherefore we may lay down this, in the first place, as to the sense of the words: There is no particular sin that any man may fall into occasionally, through the power of temptation, that can cast the sinner under this commination, so that it should be impos- sible to renew him to repentance. It must, therefore, secondly, be a course of sin or sinning that is intended. But there are various de- grees herein also, yea, there are divers kinds of such courses in sin. A man may so fall into a way of sin as still to retain in his mind such a principle of ight and conviction as may be suitable to his recovery. ‘To exclude such from all hopes of repentance is expressly contrary to Ezek. xviii. 21, Isa. lv. 7, yea, and to the whole sense of