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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	find_v	great_a	know_v	2,951	5	3.3432	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07286	Grieving of Gods spirit Contayning the summe of a sermon preached at Saint Maries in Oxford. The chiefe points intreated on are, Viz. I. Of grieuing of Gods Spirit. II. Of resisting of Gods Spirit. III. Of blaspheming of Gods Spirit, in the highest degree commonly called, the sinne against the Holy Ghost. By Radford Mauericke, minister in Devon. Reade iudiciously, but iudge charitably.	Mavericke, Radford, b. 1560 or 61.	1620 (1620)	STC 17681; ESTC S102313	17,741	30

Holy Ghost though they bee very fearefull sinnes seeing they haue been committed by GODS owne Seruants and also pardoned vnto them Example we haue of the one in Peter Luke 22.61 1. Tim. 1.13 of the other in Paul both great Apostles of Iesus Christ By this negation or opposition What sinnes are not that sinne against the Holy Ghost we shall I trust the better consider and sooner find out what this peculiar sin against the Holy Ghost is whereof we are now God assisting vs punctually to intreate Two causes why the sinne against the Holy Ghost should bee made knowne And seeing it is so great a sinne yea the greatest sinne and such a sinne as shall not be forgiuen it is most necessarie that it should be distinguished and made knowne from all other sinnes and that for two causes especially The one to this end that we knowing the danger therof should euermore most carefully flye farre off from so deepe Pit of perdition The other which in my opinion is the best vse that may be made now in this time of peace and fun-shine of the Gospell to make knowne vnto Gods people yea euen vnto them which are more simple lest Satan should make any to beleeue or thinke who being fallen or slyding into some other Pit of sinne neere or somewhat like vnto this That they are plunged in this deepe Gulfe of perdition neuer more to be recouered For as we must not be ignorant of Satans slights as the Apostle saith so must Christ his Ministers aboue all other bee as carefull and readie to preuent him and to instruct Gods Children in all such points of sound doctrine as are required either for comfort or instruction Wherefore in my poore vnderstanding they are worthy in this particular to be blamed who though they will not speake against preaching in generall yet will they by no meanes allow all the Doctrine reuealed in the Word of God to bee taught and preached vnto the people of God Some say that Predestination being a chiefe if not the chiefest point in all Diuinitie ought rather to be concealed then publikely to bee taught and preached vnto the people Others hold and these are Papists specially that many sentences of Scripture which indeed are most sweete to repentant and sorrowfull sinners as At what time soeuer a Sinner doth repent and the like are vnfit to be either read or preached to the people for feare forsooth lest some will take thereupon the more libertie of sinning as though because Grace doth abound therefore sin should abound which is onely the fault of gracelesse persons but neuer of any of Gods Children Last of all many are of opinion that this sinne against the Holy Ghost is not at all to bee defined at least not to be declared or spoken of in publike I grant Reuerend Fathers that these as all other points of Diuinitie and some of these aboue many other points of Diuinitie ought very religiously and discreetly to be taught and preached vnto the people but to hold opinion or to labour to maintayne it which is worse that any of these or other like points of Doctrine must bee concealed which God of purpose hath declared in his Word to be opened and reuealed is sarre from all Diuinitie to speake the best of it and nothing agreeing with the rule and practice of Saint Paul Acts 20.35 that great Doctor of vs Gentiles Who boasted and tooke exceeding comfort thereby vnto himselfe that he had reuealed to his Auditorie at times All the Councell of God that is not all that God hath or doth keepe secret to himselfe but all that God hath or had reuealed vnto the Apostle either openly in his Word or by any secret Reuelation from Heauen which points so reuealed vnto that holy Apostle as likewise vnto all the rest of Gods Prophets and Apostles they haue publikely preached and plainly left them in writing vnto posteritie to be seene read and knowne of all not onely for their sakes which are learned but also for their sakes which are more ignorant to bee openly taught and preached vnto them by the succeeding Ministers of Iesus Christ Wherefore if we the Ministers of Christ wil exspect to haue the same comfort in our Callings that Saint Paul and the rest of the Apostles had we must take the same course in teaching which they haue done namely to publish the secrees of the Gospell that is all which God hath reuealed in his Word so farre as our knowledge may attayne vnto And truly the confideration of the premises did partly induce my minde at the first to determine vpon this Text and to speake of this finne against the Holy Ghost for my Text directing mee to speake of leffer sinnes against the holy Spirit of God me thought and God I trust directed my thoughts it should be to some purpose to speake of the greater or greatest of all Obseruing this not by the way worthy to be remembred that though the sinne against the Holy Ghost may be knowne and is reuealed in the Scripture yet the Sinner is not easily rather not at all to be pointed at nor to bee iudged of men but to bee left to the iust Iudgement of God one reason hereof may be because finall impenitencie must accompany this sinne which cannot easily bee discerned of men One note more before we enter into the description of this sinne would bee obserued which a learned man hath well noted and therefore I will vse his owne words Blasphemia in Spiritum Sanctum non referri debet ad Spiritus essentiam simpliciter sed ad gratiam qua donati sumus which is That this Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost is not simply to bee referred to the Essence of Gods Spirit nor to his person for so in sinning against the Holy Ghost wee sinne in like manner against the Father and the Sonne but it is to bee vnderstood that in so blaspheming wee sinne against the good gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit wherewith wee haue formerly beene inlightned Now come wee in Godsfeare to speake of the sinne it selfe What the sinne against the Holy Ghost is not wee haue alreadie partly noted to wit That it is not properly not onely blasphemie against God the Father not against the Sonne nor euery Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost as grieuing of Gods Spirit nor refisting of Gods Spirit nor back-sliding or falling from God and his Truth through feare or any other infirmitie nor persecuting of Gods Church and Children through ignorance neither is it any particular fin committed against the first or second Table neither is it final impenitencie as some of the Fathers haue affirmed for there be thousands which neuer tru ly repent which neuer yet commit this sinne Therefore if one saith well Qui impenitentiam esse definiunt nullo n●g●tio refelli possunt But rather it may bee said to be such a sinne which contayneth in some sort all these sinnes and more too

of God in the bowels of Iesus Christ be offered vnto them neuer so freely let the windowes of Heauen be set wide open not fortie dayes but twice fortie yeeres and all the Blessings of God bee powred downe vpon them neuer so bountifully yet there will no remorse of conscience mooue them to consider as they ought of these innumerable benefits of God bestowed vpon them And what is the cause of all this deadnesse and dulnesse in them is it not the hardning of their hearts against the Word of God whereby they doe as much as in them lyeth resist the Holy Ghost in contemning and despising those good gifts and graces which he offereth vnto them Wherefore it may not vnfitly bee said vnto many of them as blessed Steuen said vnto the Iewes Ye haue alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost Acts 7.51 But take they heed this sinne as I said is a great sinne and if it bee continued in without Repentance a very fearefull sinne and such a sinne as from whence they may ascend or rather descend for in sinning wee rather descend then ascend vnto the highest degree of sinning which is the sinne against the Holy Ghost Of which sinne comming now to our last point or part that I may speake truly religiously and soundly I most humbly bessech the most holy and blessed Spirit of God to guide me with his grace THe sinne against the Holy Ghost The third part of this Sermon viz. of Blaspheming of Gods Spirit Matth. 12.31 Marke 3.28 Luke 12.10 is that kind of sinne or blasphemie whereof our Sauiour speaketh plainly in his Gospell and is recorded at large by three Euangelists Matthew brings in our Sauiour saying But I say you Euery sinne and and blasphemie shall bee forgiuen vnto men but the blasphemie against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiuen vnto men And whosoeuer shall speake a word against the Sonne ●f man it shall be forgiuen him but whosoeuer shall speake against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiuen neither in this World neither in the World to come that is as Saint Marke saith shall be culpable of eternall damnation Here then there are two things to be noted out of this Text and generally to be obserued in this Discourse Two Obseruations The first is that there are many kind of Blasphemies Secondly what is the greatest with the reason thereof That there are many sorts or kinds of Blasphemies appeareth plainly in that Christ saith Many kinds of Blasphemies Euery Sinne or Blasphemie so that in a generalitie wee may say there is Blasphemie against God and Blasphemie against men created after the Image of God Blasphemie against men as against Magistrates against Parents against good men and against the whole Church of Christ Magistrates and Parents are blasphemed not onely when they are not obeyed and honoured as they should but also rather when they are slandered cursed or euill spoken off It is written in the Law Thoushalt not speake euill of the Ruler of the people Exod. 22.28 Exod. 21.17 He that curseth Father or Mother shall dye the death Good men in particular or the whole Church in generall are blasphemed The whole Church in generall When shee is called the vngodly Syuagogue impious foolish seditious sacrilegious or the like The Saints either liuing or dead may bee blasphemed when they are called Seducers Disturbers Schismatikes Heretikes and such like Blasphemie against God may be Against the Father Against the Person of the Sonne Against the Holy Ghost God the Father is blasphemed many wayes When that which is due to the Creator is giuen to the Creature as dinine worship as well that which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remission of sinnes and when false gods and Superstition is preferred before the true God and true Religion This was the sinne of the Pharisies and now of the Papists therefore that Beast of Rome is marked and branded in the Renelation Reuel 13.1 with the Name of Blasphemie Secondly God the Father is blasphemed when any shall doubt of his Power or suppose any impotencie to be in God or any inabilitie to performe any thing that pleaseth him or that he hath promised Shall God promise Numb 23.19 and not performe Hath hee spoken and shall he not accomplish it Is the arme of the Lord shortned Esay 59.1 that it cannot helpe This was the Israelites sinne in the Wildernesse Can God prouide flesh and bread for his people Psal 78.20 It was the sinne of that Noble man in Samaria Who said after the Prophet had prophesied of that plentie of Come Though the Lord would make windowes in the Heauens 2. King 7.2 could this thing come to passe Lastly God the Father may be blasphemed when any are brought into so great extremitie that they fall into Cursing and Blaspheming of the Name of God This was the sinne that the foolish Wife of Iob perswaded her Husband to commit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Curse God and dye For though the word Curse in the originall doe signifie sometimes to blesse yet Iobs reproose of his Wife doth argue that she meant it in the worse sense So much for blaspheming against God the Father Next the Sonne of God was also oftentimes blasphemed when he was here on Earth by the Iewes but of many of them no doubt ignorantly not knowing that hee was the Sonne of God This Blasphemie against the Sonne of God is as if one should see the Kings eldest Sonne and Heire apparant to the Crowne clothed in poore and vile ragges and not knowing who hee is should call him beggerly Rogue or the like this is blasphemie against the Kings Sonne but is pardonable because it proceeded of ignorance So Paul or rather Saul was a Persecuter and a Blasphemer of Christ and his Church but found pardon for that hee did it ignorantly as himselfe coufesseth For this cause Christ prayed for some of his Persecutors Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe 1. Tim. 1.13 Therefore Saint Peter saith vnto some of the Iewes Luke 23.34 Acts 3.17 that crucified the Lord of life I know Brethren that through ignorance ye did it Now come wee to speake of Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost wherein wee must first obserue That euery sinne or Blasphemie against the Spirit of God is not that sinne against the Holy Ghost which shall neuer bee forgiuen As namely griouing quenching and resisting of the Hely Ghost whereof wee haue spoken though they are great sinnes and some of them farre greater then the other yet are they such sinnes as are and haue beene pardoned therefore none of them are that sinne which wee call The sinne against the Holy Ghost Moreouer there are greater sinnes then these as denying of God or his knowne Truth through feare or any other infirmitie Also persecuting of Gods Church and Children through ignorance yet neither of these is that sinne against the