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	spirit_n	3,926	5	5.5026	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

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

is not without great cause that Saint Paul who was once a Blasphemer 1. Tim. 1.13 but ignorantly distinguisheth that his sinne from wilfull Blasphemic which sin whosoeuer doth wittingly and willingly commit shall cuermore bee barred from Repentance because hee despiseth that Spirit of Grace which should worke Repentance in his heart turning the Gifts and Graces of God reuealed vnto him for the setting forth of Gods Glorie euen to the hinderance and slander of the same and therefore for this his so great obstinacie and wilfull Blasphemie shall be punished with most wofull and endlesse miserie For he is past all hope of recouerie that turneth the onely medicine of his sauing health into deadly Poyson and being once fallen into this gulfe of Perdition can neuer be renewed againe by Repentance Heb. 6.5.6 as the Holy Ghost in the Epistle to the Hebrewes saith It is impossible that they which were once inlightned and haue tasted of the heauenly gifts and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good Word of God making mention of tasting still no eating or good digesting and of the power of the World to come If they fall away saith the Text meaning by falling finall Apostasie not falls of infirmitie it is impossible they should bee renewed by Repentance seeing they crucifie againe to themselues the Sonne of God and make a make of him And after in the tenth Chapter of that Epistle the Holy Ghost saith If any sinne willingly meaning no doubt this sinne against the Holy Ghost Heb. 10.26 for euery one of vs commit other finnes willingly and wittingly If any so sinne there remayneth no more sacrifice for such a sinne but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall denoure the Aduersarie And forth with the reason is yeelded drawne a minore ad maius applyed by way of comparison He that despiseth Moses Law dyeth without mercy of how much sorer punishment Suppose ye shall hee be worthy off which treadeth vnder foote the Sonne of God and counteth the blond of the Testament an vnholy thing where with he was sanctified and doth despight the Spirit of Grace So then to resolue our selues drawing to conclusion touching this point This sinne against the Holy Ghost must bee a generall voluntarie totall and finall Apostasie or falling from God and all goodnesse not through any infirmitie or weakenesse but of meere malice and boldnesse It is in a word for I desire to be vnderstood of the meanest a froward and wilfull Rebellion striuing and spurning against the knowne truth and euen against the knowledge and conscience of him that doth it Howbeit all this in a sort may bee compared but to the roote and stemme of this sinne the sap and naturall fruit that it yeeldeth forth is oftentimes fearefull swearing voluntarie periurie wilfull blasphemie both in word and writing poysoned Hypocrisie withall sinfull pollution of the flesh coupled with most tyrannicall crneltie if there be power ioyned to the will and finally a hellish kind of furie pointing out as it were with the finger from whence this sinne ascendeth and whether such finners must descend euen to the bottome of Hell to their cursed Captaine the Deuill whom in this point they haue precisely imitated and followed Therefore some draw an example of this sinne from the Deuill himselfe who albeit hee knew well enough that Iesus was that Christ yet neuer ceased with all his might and power to impugne the sacred Maiestie of God together with the Kingdome of Iesus Christ and as farre forth as he could sought vtterly to supplant the same Whose steps and traces these Pharisies which blasphemed Christ did directly tread on vpon the sent or sauour thereof our Popish Pharisies and Pharisaicall Papists haue most kindly hunted not onely to the vtter perdition of their owne soules but also by their sinfull perswasions and tyrannous compulsions they haue and still doe labour with all their might to draw thousands of soules with them vnto Hell For how many multitudes of people since Poperie first began and fithence that Mysterie of Iniquitie was first hatched they haue caused by tyrannie to abiure and renounce the knowne truth contrarie to their knowledge and consciences is most apparantly to bee prooued and more lamentable to bee read in the seuerall Histor●es of many particular Nations Of whome I meane of such as haue abiured through Popish tyrannie we ought to hope well seeing they fell backe of feare not of malice and therefore there sinne was not the sinne against the Holy Ghost Yet notwithstanding the malicious crueltie of so cursed a crue is neuerthelesse to bee detested because they doe as much as in them lyeth indeuour not onely to draw such silly soules into that sinke of si●ne wherein themselues are plunged but also into the same damnation wherin they shall be for euermore tormented or punished Neither is their Deuillish dealing euen in one point which I will briefly touch to bee passed ouer in silence namely that when these Popish Persecutors either through perswasion and faire promises either through rigor and threatnings they had caused O cursed causers many poore soules to denie with their tongues the Truth of their Sauiour and being thereupon escaped their hands haue confessed Christ againe according to the intent and meaning of their mindes These greedie Woolues haue soone caught againe those simple Lambs and after they haue compelled them by a new kind of tyranny the second time to abiure haue presently they being in such lamentable case condemned them for relapse as they call it to bee most cruelly burned meaning therby for what other meaning could they haue to send them through the fierie torments of this life to the flaming fire that burneth for euer in Hell But the tender Mercies of our good God through the rich Merits of their Sauiour in whom they might beleeue and for their sinnes repent did pardon I hope the greatnesse of their sin committed no doubt through feare and humane infirmitie and the same God I feare hath or will double requite their punishment vpon the heads of those pestilent pesecutors who sought not outly the shedding of their bloud but the vtter damnation of their soules and bodies for euermore So that now to conclude with the time with heartie thankes also vnto God for inabling me thus farre and to you reuerend and worthy Auditorie for your patience in hearing mee hitherunto It is I trust very apparant with what Hellish Furies they are possessed which are the persecutors of Gods Church and Children who if they haue once tasted and confessed Gods Truth and be after Persecutors of the same Truth and the Professors thereof as Iulian the Apostata and many other haue beene they shall neuer be able to acquit themselues of this sinue against the Holy Ghost nor shall euer be forgiuen thereof but eternally shall be punished in the flames of Hell And so much for that sinne and the punishment thereof Now let vs all prayse God for that which hath beene spoken at this time and pray wee his diuine Maiestie for Iesus Christ his sake to giue vs a true feeling of the same and grace to auoyd those sinnes we haue spoken off That we his Children may not henceforth as heretofore grieue the holy Spirit of God by our sinfull and carelesse liuing That the wicked also who are not yet effectually called may now at the last yeeld obediēce vnto Gods mercifull calling and no longer to resist the holy Spirit of God which daily together with the preaching his Word calleth them vnto Repentance And finally that none may euer bee giuen ouer into so reprobate a fense as to fall into small Apostasie and so to commit that great finne against the Holy Ghost neuer to be forginen Now to God our heauenly Father who in his Wisedome hath created vs. To God the Sonne who in great Mercie redeemed vs. To God the Holy Ghost who laboureth continually to sanctifie vs. To God I say immort all inuisible and onely wise bee rendred of vs and all Saints and Angels in Heauen Earth all Honour Glorie Prayse Power and Maiestie through Christ Iesus from age to age and in all Eternitie Amen FINIS