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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	enter_v	sin_n	sin_v	10,991	5	9.5827	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57943	Russel's sermon on the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, or, The sin unto death Wherein is declared, a plain description of it, both negatively what it is not, and also positively what it is; and a plain reason why it is unpardonable. With a word of comfort, and also of counsel, how to avoid it. By R. Russel, in Sussex. Licensed according to order.	Russel, Robert, fl. 1692.	1692 (1692)	Wing R2347L; ESTC R218546	11,034	27

RVSSEL'S Sermon Of the Unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost Or The Sin unto Death Wherein is declared a plain Description of it both Negatively what it is not and also Positively what it is and a plain Reason why it is Unpardonable With a Word of Comfort and also of Counsel how to avoid it By R. Russel in Sussex Hebr. 10.26 If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sin Licensed according to Order 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 HINC LVCEM ALMA MATER 〈◊〉 Printed for the Author and Sold by I. Blare at the Looking-Glass on London-Bridge 1692. The Preface to the READER THE Reason of this following Treatise is because some People have desired satisfaction from me what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is but I could not make a full discription of it in short Therefore it came in my mind to inlarge upon it in a Small Book wherein they may receive full satisfaction about it And this I have done not from the Opinions of others but from the true and written word of God This Sin can be committed but by few and yet sometimes steals into the hearts of them that commit it when they discern it not But the Lord of his Mercy keep us all both from that Sin and also from the reign and dominion of every Sin Which that we may do is the Prayer of Your dear Friend R. RUSSEL ADVERTISEMENT These four Books lately Written by Robert Russel are sold by J. Blare Book-seller at the Looking-Glass on London-bridge 1. THe accepted Time and Day of Salvation shewing the goodness of God towards Mankind in putting an opportunity of Grace into our hands 2. The end of Time and beginning of Eternity shewing that this golden opportunity of Grace will soon have an end and then will follow a long Eternity With Exhortations to Redeem Time 3. The Glory of the Saints in Heaven with Jesus Christ and the Eternal Torments of the Damned in Hell 4. A little Book for Children and Youth exhorting them to resist the temptations of the Devil whilst young With Nine Lessons of Directions how they shall merit Eternal Life 5. The Wedding Garment or The Honourable state of Matrimony Deliver'd in a Wedding-Sermon OF THE Unpardonable SIN Against the Holy Ghost 1. John 5. part of Ver. 16. There is a Sin unto Death THis Sin which St. John calls here the Sin unto Death is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost described by our blessed Saviour Matth. 12.32 ●hat whosoever commits it hath no forgiveness neither in this World nor in the World to come for All manner of Sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven unto Men but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto Men And ●e that speaketh a word against the Son it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven neither in this World nor in the World to come This Sin against the Holy Ghost this is that sin which St. John calls here the Sin unto Death Not because that sin deserves Death for so does all sin deserve Death both Temporal and Eternal for the wages of Sin even all is Death Rom. 6. But this sin against the Holy Ghost is called The Sin unto Death because it binds a man over to Eternal Death without any possibility of recovery Now some there are that go on from one degree of sin to another they heighten and aggravate their sins more and more until they are brought to that height at last as to commit that sin for which there is no forgiveness There is no meer Man since the fall that can live without sin for all are sinners but yet there are degrees of sin some sins in their own nature are small others are more great and hainous Many sins there are that are great yet pardonable and one sin there is unpardonable and whosoever commits that one sin shall have no forgiveness but must for ever bear the weight and punishment both of that and all of his other sins There is such a sin as St. John speaks of here in my Text that is a Sin unto Death And now I come to the Explication of the words from whence I shall raise this point of Doctrine Doct. That amongst other Sins committed by fallen Mankind there is only one Sin that is a Sin unto Death and whosoever committeth that he hath no forgiveness neither in this World nor in the World to come Now for my further proceeding on the Subject I shall lay open to you First What the Sin unto Death is Secondly That all other Sins how great and hainous soever may be forgiven Thirdly That this Sin alone shall never be forgiven Fourthly The reason why that Sin alone is Unpardonable And then Lastly I shall conclude all with a few words of Application I shall begin first with the Discription of this unpardonable sin where I shall endeavour to make as plain a Discription of it as possible I can and in doing of it I shall First shew you Negatively what is not this Sin Secondly I shall shew you Positively what it is First I shall shew you Negatively what is not this Sin unto Death or in what degree a man may sin and yet not commit that unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost First It is not every quenching of the motions of the Spirit that is that Sin It is true when the Holy Ghost comes with a still voice and knocks at the doors of sinners hearts for entrance he often comes and strives with them and secretly wooes and beseeches them to leave their Sins and be Converted yet they quench and stifle all his motions and bare up their hearts against him and will not be obedient to his Heavenly Calls now such sin grievously against the Holy Ghost But yet this alone is not the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost for many who have stood it out a long time and have often quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit yet at last they have been wrought upon unto sincere Conversion Secondly A man may commit many hainous and crying Sins and yet not be guilty of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost A man may be an Idolator a Whoremonger a Fornicator a Murderer and work Witch-craft and Sin with a very high hand nay he may live in all manner of filthiness and lewdness and yet not be under the guilt of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost Thus we read 2 Chron. 33. that Manasses sinned with a very high hand he was an Idolator an Inchanter and worked Witch-craft and dealt with Familiar Spirits and wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord And Mary Magdalen had seven Devils cast out of her Luke 8.2 and yet both were pardoned Thirdly A man may Sin presumptuously against great Light and Knowledge and yet not commit this Sin unto Death for Peter when he denyed Christ he did it against great knowledge

of Christ he knew Christ to be his Lord and Saviour he was one of Christs beloved Disciples and for all that how strongly he denyed Christ and that with an Cath too and yet for all that Christ looked upon him with a merciful eye and he Repented and was forgiven Fourthly It is not every malicious Sin that is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost for St. Paul certainly had great malice in his heart when he went on so furiously to persecute the Church of God and yet he was Converted and became a Preacher of the Gospel of Christ which before he persecuted Fifthly and Lastly It is not final Unbelief nor final Impenitence that is the unpardoable Sin against the Holy Ghost though some be of opinion that it is because that Sin is Unpardonable and Christ himself hath said Matth. Chap. 12. Ver. 32. That all manner of Sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven unto Man except it be the Sin against the Holy Ghost But you are to take the words of our Saviour in their true sence and meaning it is all manner of Sin and Blasphemy committed within the compass of a Mans life that shall be forgiven except the Sin against the Holy Ghost for the Sin of final Impenitency and final Unbelief is not compleated until the very moment of a Mans Death and then you all know that there is no Repentance and consequently no Pardon after Death for Christ saith He that Sins against the Holy Ghost hath no forgiveness neither in this World nor in the World to come Now why should Christ say in this World if there be no space to be forgiven in this World but a Man may commit the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost even many years before his death Besides there are many Thousands that dye in Impenitency and Unbelief and are Damned and yet never committed the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost Thus I have shewed you Negatively what is not this unpardonable Sin none of these Sins in particular is that Sin Secondly I come now to shew you Positively what this Sin unto Death is and wherein this unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost doth consist Now there are several Opinions in the World about it some hold one thing some another but I have not time nor room to dispute concerning others Opinions about it but I will endeavour through Gods help to lead you to the plain sight of it by the light of the Holy Scripture Now in the first place you must know that there are two sorts of People that cannot commit this Unpardonable Sin First the True Believers cannot commit it though many times for their Tryal God suffers them to fall fouly into many grievous Sins yet they being Rooted in Christ they are upheld by free Grace and Mercy that they cannot fall into this Unpardonable Sin Secondly the grosly ignorant cannot commit it because it is a Sin against great Light and Knowledge Indeed the greatest part of the World shall be Damned yet among that greatest 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 this 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 against 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 plain by the Example of St. Peter and St. Paul Peter he denyed Christ and forswore himself too and that grievously against great 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 Christs Disciples and 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 denyed him Now if Peter had done this 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 denyed Christ as you may see Matth. 29. when Christ told him Before the Cock Crow thou shalt deny me thrice He answered If I should dye with thee I will not deny thee And then denying him through infirmity and weakness of the flesh when he had considered what he had done he went out and wept bitterly ver 75. And Paul he had great Malice and Spight against the ways and People of God as you may see Acts 9.1 Paul breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord and desired of them Letters to Damascus to the Synagogues that if he found any of this way whether Men or Women that he should bring them bound to Jerusalem Now here was great Rage and Malice in Saul against the ways and People of God but doing it Ignorantly he at last hearing of 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 against the Holy Ghost But whensoever Light and Malice meets together in one Man then there is the 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 First 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 dispute 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 practice 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

to doe despite to 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 thus willfully and maliciously to oppose the known truth is always joyned with final and total Apostacy for he that is so far enlightned as to see the evil of sin and the excellency of Christ and Holiness and been made partakers of the Holy Ghost of his Graces and Comforts and tasteth of Gods love and favour in Jesus Christ and has some fore-taste of the Joys of the World to come now for such a one Willfully Spitefully and Maliciously to fall away he so falls as never to rise more It is true the Children of God fall and that often and yet rise again but when they fall through weakness of infirmity and not willfully and maliciously but these wicked wretches fall willfully and maliciously and so fall finally Against such the door of mercy is for ever shut concerning such St. Peter saith It had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness then after they have known to turn from the Holy Commandement delivered unto them But it happened unto them according to the true Proverb The Dog is turned to his vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire 2. Pet. 2.21 22. There is such another dreadful place of Scripture against these kind of Apostates that is Heb. 10.26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sin but a fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery Indignation Thus I have given you five steps as so many links in a Chain all which makes up the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost It is a Willful and Malicious oppoling of the known truth joyned with final Apostacy Thus I have shewed you as Plain as I can what this sin unto death is Now to proceed Secondly The next thing to be considered is that all other Sins or Blasphemies whatsoever may be forgiven be our sins never so great and many tho' we be the vilest wretches that ever lived yet there is hopes of pardon upon Repentance Manasses was the vilest Sinner that ever we read of yet he Repented and was pardoned also Mary Magdalen was the Chief of sinners for out of her came seven Devils yet because she loved much much was forgiven her A Man may be a Whoremonger an Adulterer and work Witch-craft and deal with Familiar Spirits and yet at last he may Repent and be saved and yet I have heard talk of some that are so foolish as to take the sin of Fornication to be a sin Unpardonable for from Gods own words in the fourth Commandment I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the Sins of the Fathers unto the third and fourth generation From whence they say that Children that are base born are not saved unto the third and fourth generation But this is a most erronious Interpretation of Gods Word it is them that hate him and continue hating of him that he will visit their Iniquities upon for Fornicators and Adulterers themselves may repent and be saved much more the Children who knew nothing nor could help nothing For Christ with his own Mouth tells the Scribes and Pharises Matt. 21.13 that the Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdom of God before them for there is no Sin but is pardonable except the sin against the Holy Ghost But Thirdly The sin against the Holy Ghost is alone the sin unto Death that is a sin Unpardonable never to be forgiven neither in this World nor in the World to come Not because the Merits of Christ is not sufficient to pardon it for this sin as well as for all other sins are but Finite whereas the Merits of Christ are Infinite Object But what is the reason then that this sin cannot be forgiven Answer This Question brings me to the fourth thing considerable do but mind me a little and I will as plain and as clear as I can tell you what the Reason is The Reason arises from the Nature of this sin for this sin by whomsoever it is committed burdens the heart and sears the Conscience so that there is no place for Repentance to be wrought neither for that nor for any other sin This Sin is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost not because it is a Sin against the Person of the Holy Ghost for so is all Sin against his Person but it is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost because it is against the Office and Work of the Holy Ghost Now every one of the three Persons have their particular Work the Work of the Father is to Create the Work of the Son is to Redeem lost Sinners and the work of the Holy Ghost is to enlighten Convince Sanctifie and Convert them Now a Man committing this Unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost Rejects all this work of the Spirit Now for a Man to be throughly enlightnell by the Holy Ghost that he comes to know the evil of sin and of his lost and undone condition without Christ and that none but the Merits of Christ can save him then for him willfully and maliciously to oppose him and the work of his Spirit and will not be beholding to him for Salvation now for such a one to be forgiven is utterly impossible Object But why is it Impossible nothing is Impossible with God Answer Nothing is Impossible with God that does not imploy a Contradiction but for God to Forgive the sin committed against the Holy Ghost imploys a Contradiction for how can he have Pardon given him that utterly rejects it As for instance A Man through Ignorance may deny Christ and maliciously fall from the profession of the truth into all kind of wickedness as did Saint Paul and the Jews that Crucified Christ and yet not falling against Light and Knowledge there is room for the Holy Ghost to work upon him to enlighten him and to convince him of his Folly and so makes way for Conversion And besides a Man after he hath been enlightned and ●et falls back through infirmity and the weakness of the flesh as Peter did and doth not fall willfully and maliciously then the Holy Ghost may work upon him and renew him again and work in him a deep sorrow for abusing so much love and mercy and so carry on his good work unto Salvation But for a Man when he is once enlightned by the Holy Ghost and has had some taste of Gods Love and Favour and some foretaste of the joys of Heaven and then at last utterly opposing this illuminating work of the Spirit and willfully and maliciously to fall away and so to reject the Spirits renewing work Alas then the Holy Ghost has done he has nothing more that he can work in him for this wretched creature has utterly rejected him his enlightning work his convincing work his Sanctifing work he has utterly rejected Christs pardon Heaven and all Now this poor wretch is past all hopes of Mercy all hopes of Pardon nay for such a one we are forbidden to Pray as you see in the verse whereof my Text is a part Now Christ prayed for them that maliciously Crucified him Luke 23.34 saying Father forgive them for they know not what they do Alas they knew not what they were doing for had they knew it they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory 1. Corinth 2.8 But if they had known and yet Crucified him Christ would not have spent his breath to pray for them for it would have been utterly in vain for when a Man has committed this Unpardonable sin all the prayers of Heaven nor Earth can do him no good for as the Text saith There is a Sin unto Death I shall conclude all with a few words of Application and I will be as short as possible because this Discourse will be to large for so small a Book Here is first a word of Comfort Secondly a word of Counsel First A word of Comfort It may be with reading and hearing of this terrible Discourse your hearts begin to ake with fear that you have committed this Unpardonable sin But I think I have sufficiently proved to you what it is and I tell you again that there are but few that can commit it nay there are millions that are tormented in Hell yet never committed this Sin Nay further an ignorant Protestant may through weakeness and out of a slavish fear turn Papist and renounce his profession and yet not commit this Unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost for doing it out of ignorance and infirmity there may be matter left for the Holy Ghost to work upon whereby he may yet be Converted and Saved Consider this also● if you are afraid that you have committed 〈…〉 with that you had not committed it if it were to do again 〈…〉 is a ●●de sig●●hat you have not committed ●● Secondly I must conclude also with a word of Counsel First watch very deligently against all sin but above all take especial heed of those sins that come near to the sin against the Holy Ghost and they are these Hypocrisie taking only the outward profession of Religion and so dissembling and mocking of God sinning willfully against Conviction of Conscience and against great Light and Knowledge sinning presumptuously and with an high hand these sins tho' none of them are the direct sin against the Holy Ghost yet they will come very near to it therefore take especial need of them least they in time should bring you to the committing of that Uunpardonable Sin And Lastly Labour to be Sincere in Religion and by a true Faith ingraft your selves into Christ for they that be with Christ can never commit this Unpardonable Sin For know this that amongst all the Sins committed by fallen Mankind there is one Sin that is a Sin unto Death which is the Unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost which whosoever commits it hath no forgiveness neither in this World nor in the World to come Consider what has been said and the Lord give you Understanding FINIS