Falling Away: Sermon II

By ROBERT TRAILL.

(Continued from page 73.)

Another way to guess at the method of such apostacies, shall be from the words themselves, wherein we have five steps of advancement, and so the apostacy must be from all; and we must begin at the top of this ladder.

1. His tasting the powers of the world to come is fallen from, it may be from carelessness, and the bewitching relish of other things, (see Matt. xiii. 22); and this chokes his further growth. Heaven, the end and scope of all godliness, grows an unsavoury thing with him, for he never had a spiritual saviour of it; and this little taste may be put away by his savouring the things of the earth.
2. His savouring of God’s word decays also naturally, because of the former. He that hath lost his relish of heaven, what taste can God’s good word have unto him?
3. He then comes to lose his partakings of the Holy Ghost: gifts decay either through carelessness, or justly are taken away.
4. His sort of faith decays with it: Christ becomes unsavoury also. He hath now no relish of a Saviour; the tidings of him are tasteless and disgusting.
5. And lastly, he falls from his light and knowledge also, either by struggling with it, and the Lord’s withdrawing thereof, or by his wilfully putting it out—which is a sin possible for a man left of God and given up to Satan to do.

What is the danger of apostacy?

1. This is one of its great dangers, that every declining is restless and tends unto a growth. No man can stand still in this course, unless he is kept by restraining, or brought back by saving grace.
2. Because recoveries are very rare, even from apostacies that are not simply incurable. There is so much provocation in them that the Lord ordinarily recovers not so many plagues of heart; and these so strongly are contracted, that rarely they are recovered from.
3. And because there is a step in apostacy that is incurable, that is the danger which the Spirit of God here propoundeth. And therefore here we shall both show its nature and its irrecoverableness and how it is reasonable that it should be so.

For its nature—there is considerable difficulty here; yet shall we endeavour to walk as warily as we can, to shun inconveniences on both hands. The word gives us no definition; but it gives us the names of this sin. It is a “sin against the Holy Ghost,” that is, against him in his workings and as working is the object of this, if we may so speak, (Matt. xii. 31). He that speaks a word against the Son of Man, having no conviction of his godhead and office, it shall upon repentance be forgiven; but not so this sin, which is against the Holy Ghost’s workings: he hath “done despite unto the Spirit of grace,” (Heb. x. 29). It is also a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and relates to the case where the Pharisees, convinced in their consciences by the Holy Ghost of the appearance of God in Christ’s mighty works, did yet call him a devil; not that it stands simply as words, but only as the blaspheming words proceed from the heart, as in that instance they did. And it is an apostacy that is utter and total: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries,” (Heb. x. 26, 27). And it is a “sin unto death,” (1 John v. 16), and unpardonable; that is, such as never shall be forgiven. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men, (Matt. xii. 31). There is no repentance for such as commit it, (Heb. vi. 6); nothing is left to them but an expectation of vengeance.

The scriptures as they name the sin, so they specify the persons that commit it. They are professors; it is not the sin of heathens: they have “trodden under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace,” (Heb. x. 29). And they have knowledge, illumination and other gifts, as this and the other places we have cited do all prove. It is then a sin to be found in professors of the highest stamp.

The scriptures tell us what the committers of this sin do. They blaspheme against their conscience and knowledge (Matt. xii. 31); they crucify Christ afresh, call him a deceiver and approve of the Jews crucifying him. On that account they “put him to open shame;” they openly renounce his name and give the world to know that they have tried him and find nothing in him worthy to be adhered unto. But Hebrews x. 29 is a further and clearer explication of this. They “tread under foot the Son of God;” that is, openly and basely despise him — “count the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy,” common “thing;” that is, reckon Christ’s blood sealing the covenant wherein once they were externally and so, federally holy, no more than common blood, nay, not so much — and “do despite unto the Spirit of grace;” despitefully reject the Holy Ghost, who was at labour formerly with their hearts, to convert and sanctify them and work grace in them.

This much might satisfy, but we shall now briefly deduce some conclusions from the foregoing, without offering any peremptory definition from them.

1. This sin then, is against Christ as a Saviour and in His office of Redeemer, and that, witnessed unto by the Holy Ghost in the sinner’s conscience; and so, it is called both a sin against Christ and the Holy Ghost in different respects, but the latter more properly; or both thus conjunctly — it is against Christ evidenced to the conscience by the Holy Ghost to be the Redeemer of the world; or against the Holy Ghost witnessing this to the conscience.
2. This sin is an act of the highest contempt and despite and wilful rejecting; and such it must be where the evidence is so pressing.

How can this sin be committed?

As it is thus defined, many question its possibility, and that, because of these circumstances: it is a sin above that of the devils, who are greater and older sinners than men: it is such an avowed rushing on eternal misery, when man’s reason and self-love should struggle against it;— and there is no temptation to it. In answer to these objections, we shall give some general reasons to obviate them and prove the possibility of committing it, explain scripture instances and give a more particular reply. In general, we give for answer, that the heart’s wickedness is an unsearchable depth and our reason will soon be aground in searching it; nor can it well be told what may be produced of such a creature as man is, when these things concur — total desertion on the part of God; the being utterly left unto Satan’s temptations and the irritating power of scriptural challenges and convictions. As for the scripture instances, we need only allude here to that of the Pharisees, who knew that Christ was led by the Spirit of God and yet they fell into this blasphemy. But to answer particularly, it is no absurdity to say that there are some aggravations in the sin of men, which are not in that of devils; as all gospel sins, which flow not so much entirely from sinful nature in itself considered, as from it when suitable circumstances draw it out. As for the rushing on eternal misery which it implies, it is a question, if they always know this when they commit it: belike the Pharisees themselves knew not all their danger. In ordinary sins against knowledge, somewhat of this madness is found, and there is no wonder if it should be found in this. Their stupidity of conscience is come to that height, that it is no wonder they run on. As for the want of temptations to commit this crime; if by a temptation you mean an offer of advantage, that should take with a reasonable man, it is true, there is none here as in other cases. But if we take temptation so largely, as to comprehend Satan’s diligence in stirring up, the heart’s inclination to yield, some fancied satisfaction to move, then, the sinner against the Holy Ghost sins not without a temptation. His fancied advantages may be many, as was the case with the Pharisees and as it is with the worst of apostates at all times; yet in such high acts of raging madness against God, man acts rather like a devil than a reasonable creature.

The Unpardonableness of this Sin and its Reasonableness

We are now to show the unpardonableness of this sin, and the reasonableness that it should be so. And though it might be enough to satisfy us that God saith it, yet we may consider its reasonableness, which will appear from a consideration of these points;
1. This is the highest affront unto the Son of God who hath undertaken our redemption. To neglect His salvation through carelessness is damning (Heb. ii. 3); to contend with Him and His offers in pursuit of our lusts, is yet worse; to stand out against Him to the last breath in the madness of rebellion, is terrible. But after some acquaintance and professed subjection, deliberately to pour out contempt on His sacrifice of atonement and thus give the defiance to God, is intolerable.
2. This is the highest and utmost opposition unto such operations of the Holy Ghost, as may be saving and that, after the clearest and most convincing evidences that can be given.
3. This is the highest ripeness of sin; this is sin in its own proper colours; thus the man who commits it is like the devil, or like one in hell.
4. It is the full ripeness of spiritual plagues that do highly indispose unto all returning. Hardness of heart is great and ripe, like the devil’s; conscience is stupid, or filled with hopeless fear and that indeed no pleasure to the man and yet not heavily his burden.

Because we cannot now enter on the further handling and applying of this terrible purpose, I shall now only draw these inferences from what is said.

1. Then there is no ground for Satan’s disquieting of any with their having committed this sin, who are displeased with anything they have done in opposition to Christ and His Spirit; who have any honest longings to be at peace with God in Him; who find any longings of love and liking towards Him; and who can intreat the Holy Ghost to work yet more within their hearts.
2. We see then that there is great reason to beware of any thing that leads towards this dreadful sin, that it may be escaped; such as long continuance under the offers of the gospel without making up a hearty peace and closing with Christ, which is our security against this sin; and sins against knowledge and conscience, even against the law. These are sad preparatives and lead on to this sin against the Holy Ghost.
3. Walking in the way and course that is not good. This is more than the former, for this is deliberate and resolved; whereas the violence of a temptation by a surprise may draw Peter and David into the other.
4. Beware of the pardonable sins against the Holy Ghost, if you would escape that which is unpardonable. These are four in scripture terms, which I shall only apply unto our present purpose:
   1st. Resisting the saving assaults of the Holy Ghost, (Acts vii. 51), a dreadful sin! which yet all in some measure are guilty of, who yield not their hearts at the first calls of the gospel; and indeed, the unpardonable sin itself, is a high degree of this.
   2nd. Quenching of the Spirit (1 Thess. v. 19), which whatever be in it as it stands in that chapter, this is in it as to our purposes—when awakening, heart-warning, sin-consuming operations are quenched; when men cast water thereupon, as if they were in hazard of being burnt up thereby.
   3rd. Grieving of the Holy Ghost (Ephes. iv. 30), which though it be a sin, as the former, that the godly may and often do fall into, yet we rather apply it in this sense to the ungodly; and thus it is, when the Spirit of God is at work and is in some joyful, hopeful temper of having gained somewhat on the heart, the man immediately provokes and proves all to be lost labour.
   4th. Vexing of the Spirit of God, (Isa. Ixiii. 10). That is the sin of rebellion and it hints, as it were, the Spirit of the Lord being put to irresolution and vexation how to guide and gain them, when one mean after another is used and all in vain: O, Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O, Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away,” (Hos. vi. 4). Love is tried and that prevails not; terror and that works not, (See Matt. xi. 16). None of His dealings please them; but as it was with Israel, they find fault with everything.

We have thus been handling as dreadful truths as are to be found in the Word—that men of unsound hearts may attain to great things in godliness, or in the appearances of it; and that hypocrites of the highest attainments may fearfully fall. But it may be said, “This is the way to dishearten us in religion to tell us such things.” I answer, if God do not tell you them, do not believe us. Besides, there is not the least discouragement in all this, but rather matter of humility and searching and awakening and therefore do we use it. Its design is not to discourage and it is abused if this be felt. And what hazard, say you, are you in of apostacy like this in the text? You are in hazard of heart-declining, which may be damning. You know not what temptations you may be exposed unto, of renouncing the truth of the gospel; and the prevailing of such temptations may accomplish all the misery spoken of here. May apostates go far forward to heaven? Then search yourselves and see how far you go beyond them.