by it, and taste of the joys of heaven, and have some foretaste of the happiness of the world to come.
This is that light and knowledge that ⟨lays⟩ a man open to the committing of that unpardonable sin: but yet a man may sin against all this light and experimental knowledge, and yet do it through the weakness of the flesh, or through some violent temptations, as Peter did when he denied Christ: Therefore,
4. He must oppose the known truth wilfully; he must wilfully fall away, after he hath received the knowledge of the truth; other sins are committed through infirmity, but this sin is wilful, the will is the chief acter in it; and to compleat and make up this unpardonable sin, there is,
5. Malice in the heart; without this, this sin cannot be committed; it must be a malicious opposing of the known truth; that is, when a man being once enlightened and having tasted of the heavenly gift, and the good word of God, and hath been made partaker of the Holy Ghost, and hath had some sweet relish and foretaste of heaven, he comes to take a dislike, and to hate the holy ways of God, and maliciously oppose and persecute them, in despite of the Spirit of grace, crucifying afresh the Son of God, and putting him to open shame.
Now a man having gone thus far, he comes in the last place to be an apostate; for thus to oppose wilfully and maliciously the known truth, is always joined with final and total apostacy; for he that is so far enlightened as to see the evil of sin, and the excellency of Christ and holiness, and hath been made partaker of the Holy Ghost, of his graces and comforts, and tasted of God’s love and favour in Jesus Christ, and has some foretaste of the joys of the world to come; for such a one wilfully, spitefully, and maliciously to fall away, he so falls, as never to rise more. 'Tis true, the children of God falls and that often, and rise again:but
