Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ghost_n	holy_a	sin_n	3,325	5	4.9847	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57945	The sin against the Holy Ghost: or, The sin unto death briefly discours'd of I. Proving what this sin is. And, II. That all other sins, how great and heinous soever, may be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. To which is added, some instructions how a man may walk and not commit this unpardonable sin. By Mr. Robert Russel.	Russel, Robert, fl. 1692.	1700 (1700)	Wing R2348C; ESTC R220884	7,334	18

commit it because it is a Sin against great Light and Knowledge Indeed the greatest part of the World shall be damned yet amongst the greater part there is but few of them that can commit that unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost Some have both Light and Grace these shall not commit the unpardonable Sin Again some have neither Light nor Grace these cannot commit it But there are some again that have Light and no Grace these are they that are liable to commit the unpardonable Sin again the Holy Ghost Now there must be two ingredients to make up this unpardonable Sin that is Light in the head and Malice in the heart without these two the Sin against the Holy Ghost cannot be committed For to sin against great light and knowledge is not that Sin alone nor yet to sin ignorantly out of that Malice is not that Sin but they must joyn both together to make up this unpardonable Sin This we see by the example of St. Peter and St. Paul Peter he denied Christ and forswore himself too and that grievously against Light and knowledge for he knew Christ to be the only begotten Son of God and he knew God in him he was one of Christ's Disciples one of his beloved Disciples too he was taught of Christ and had experimental Knowledge of his Love and Favour and yet he wickedly with an Oath denied him Now if Peter had done his out of Malice and Spight then he had committed that Sin unto Death for which there is no Forgiveness But Peter had no Malice in his Heart all this while even at that time when he denied Christ as you may see Mat. 29. when Christ told him Before the Cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice He answered If I should die with thee I will not deny thee And then denying him thro' Infirmity and Weakness of the Flesh When he considered what he had done he went out and weept bitterly V. 75. And Paul he had great Malice and Spight against the ways and People of God as you may see Acts 9.1 Now here was a great Rage and Malice in Saul against the Ways and People of God but doing it ignorantly he at last hearing a Voice saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And receiving of a Light from Heaven that it was Jesus that he persecuted he was pricked at the Heart and trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Now by these two places of Scripture you may plainly see that Peter sinned against great Light And Paul out of great Malice yet none of them both committed the unpardonable Sin again the Holy Ghost But whensoever Light and Malice meet together in one Man then there is a Sin against the Holy Ghost Now as all other Sins so this Sin against the Holy Ghost may be committed in Thought Word or Action 1. In Thought that is when a wicked Man against his clear Light and Knowledge doth but conceive a malicious Thought or Purpose towards persecuting the Gospel of Christ or of the Saints of Christ to hinder the Work of the Holy Ghost in them This Sin is to be thought was the Sin of the lost Angels for which Cause they were lost without all Hopes of Pardon Now some dispure whether their Sin was a Sin of the thought but I say with all likelihood it was For the Angels being only Spirits without Bodies and so have no use of bodily Tongues it could not be committed in Word nor yet could they commit it in Action because they were cast out of Heaven before they could bring it into Practise therefore it must be a Sin of the Thought Now their Sin was this Their Habitation being in the highest Heavens next under God himself they had exceeding great light and Knowledge they had more knowledge than all the Men in the World ever had and were happy above all other Creatures but when not being contented with this Estate they thought to be as high as God himself therefore maliciously sought to make War against the Son of God and put him out of his Throne for which Cause they were immediatly thrust out of Heaven never more to see the Face of Mercy Thus their Sin being of the same Nature with the Sin against the Holy Ghost they were excluded all hopes of Pardon 2. This may be committed in Word too that is when a Man speaks blasphemously and maliciously of Christ and his holy way This was the Sin of the Scribes and Parisees Mark 3.22 Therefore saith Christ unto them Ver. 28.29 Now the Reason of this Speech of our blessed Saviour is shewed in Vers 22. because they said He hath an unclean spirit which plainly shews that these Scribes had spoken Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost These Scribes were great learned Men and they could know no other but that Christ was the Son of God and they knew that he cast out Devils by the Spirit of God and yet but of spite to Christ maliciously and blasphemously said That he cast ut Devils by Belzebub the Chief of Devils Thus these Scribes committed the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost And that in a Word 3. This Sin may be committed in Action too that is when a Man being once throughly enlightned and entered upon a holy course of Life and tasted the Comforts of God's spirit and had some forettaste of the Joys of Heaven and not only makes Profession of the Gospel but teaches it to others he at last takes a dislike of these holy Courses and thro' spite and malice utterly forsakes opposes and persecutes those good ways of God which he before profest and taught But to sum up this Point This unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost is fully described by the Apostle to the Hebrews Chap 10.29.27.28 Likewise Heb. 6.4.5 6. Now the Sin against the Holy Ghost is briefly this It is a wilful and malicious Opposing of the known Truth 1. This Sin unto Death is an opposing Sin now to oppose a thing is to contradict it or gain say when a Man says so and so denies it and says it is not so when a Man says a thing must be done he says again it must not nor shall not be done but a Man may be an opposing Man and yet cannot commit this sin Therefore 2. It is the Truth that we must oppose that is we must utterly oppose and reject Christ who said I am the Truth John 14.6 He opposeth all his Threatnings and will not believe his promises and counts him to be a Seducer of the People and counts the Blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing nay he also opposes the Spirit of Christ who is the Spirit of Truth So that he will not obey his Motions and will not be led nor guided by him but a Man may oppose the truth and yet do it ignorantly Therefore 3. It must be the known truth thatheopposeth he must be once enlightned But you must know that it