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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73546	A discourse of the sinne against the Holy Ghost Grounded upon Matt. Chap. 12. vers. 22.-23. Tending to the comfort of such persons as, being afflicted in conscience for their sins, are, by the delusions of Satan, brought to the brinke of despaire, through feare that they have fallen into that unpardonable sinne. Written some space of time since, by that godly and judicious divine M. William Bradshaw, sometime fellow of Sydny Colledge in Cambridge; and publish'd by his sonne Iohn Bradshaw.	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.; Bradshaw, John, 17th cent.	1640 (1640)	STC 3515.5; Wing B4156; ESTC S91179	48,035	158

end the Lord of hi● mercy give us all right understandings humble hearts te●der consciences the feare of h●● Name the love of his truth sincerity of faith and truth obedience that our faylings m● neither become fallings nor o● fallings irrecoverable that 〈◊〉 we sinne we may repent if 〈◊〉 repent wee may be forgiven we be forgiven wee may be a●cepted and if accepted we m● for ever be glorified through IESVS CHRIST our LORD Thine an unworthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN BRADSHAW April 1. 1640. Martii 30 1640. Imprimatur THO WYKES MATH CHAP. 12. VERSE 22. THen was brought to him one posses●ed with a Devill blind and dumb ●nd he healed him so that hee that ●as blind and dumb both spake and ●aw 3. And all the people were amased and said Is not this the Sonne of David 4 But when the Pharisees heard it they said This fellow doth not east out the Devils but through Beelzebub the Prince of Devils 5. And Iesus knew their thoughts and said unto them Every Kingdome divided against it selfe is brought to desolation and every City or House divided against it selfe shall not stand 6. But if Satan cast out Satan hee is divided against himselfe how shall then his k●ngdome st●nd 27. And if I by Beelzebub cast o● Devils by whom do your childr●● cast them out they therfore sh●● be your Iudges 28. But if I cast out Devils by 〈◊〉 Spirit of God then is the Ki●●dome of God come unto you 29. Or else how can one enter in● strong mans house and spoile● goods except hee first binde strong man and then spoile may his house 30. He that is not with me is aga●● me and hee that gathereth 〈◊〉 with me scattereth 31. Wherefore I say unto you * Or All manner of Sinne. 〈◊〉 Sinne or Blasphemy shall bee 〈◊〉 given unto men but the Bla●●●my against the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 not be forgiven unto men 32. And whosoever shall spe●● word against the Sonne of 〈◊〉 it shall be forgiven him but 〈◊〉 soever shall speake against 〈◊〉 Holy Ghost it shall not be f●●●●ven him neither in this W●●●● nor in the World to come OF THE SIN AGAINST THE Holy-Ghost MATH CAP. 12. VER 22 23. THough there be no one thing wherein God hath decreed to glorifie himselfe more than in his ●●rcy in forgiving mans sinnes ●d though the greater the sinnes 〈◊〉 the more his mercy shall shine ●he pardoning and remitting of ●●m yet is there one kinde of sinne ●●ainous and horrible so vile and ●●minable that being once com●●ted it shall never be pardoned it being of that nature that it wo●● staine the mercy of God in 〈◊〉 pardoning and remitting of it 〈◊〉 this is the sinne that is called 〈◊〉 Blasphemy against the H●●● Ghost The nature and quality of 〈◊〉 Sinne is set forth in this part of 〈◊〉 word as also Marke 3.28 1. Io● 16. Hebr. 6.4 5 6. 10.26 27 Of the Doctrine whereof a 〈◊〉 may say as the Philosopher 〈◊〉 sometime of the Edition of 〈◊〉 Physicks The Nature of this S● is set downe in the word of 〈◊〉 and it is not set downe in the 〈◊〉 of God For it is so darkl● downe that those that are not ●●cised in the word cannot at 〈◊〉 to the understanding of it an●● it is so set downe and laid fo●● the same word that those that 〈◊〉 the Scripture worthy their st●● may if they will bestow 〈◊〉 paines come to the understan● of it In this History the Evange●● enjoyned and directed by the 〈◊〉 ●host whose publique Notary and ●●cribe he was to register unto the ●hurch one Example of the same 〈◊〉 which one may receive much ●●ght concerning the Qualiry and ●ature of that Sinne. In handling whereof I will ●mit all other points but those that ●ay tend to the illustration of this ●●nne which I trust will not bee 〈◊〉 profitable unto any in this place ●ough I must confesse in setting on the same I more respected my ●e than any of you in that the ●nt of the distinct knowledge ●●reof hath driven mee to bestow ●●ne meditations upon it So much ●●t therefore of it as this portion Scripture hath given unto mee ●n content to impart unto you ●●ugh if you will have an exact ●●full knowledge of it you must ●row further light from those ●●er places of Scripture that pur●ly also intreat of the same The Drift and Scope then of ●everses is to shew us in a parti●r Example what is the Nature and Quality of that unpardon●● Sinne. The parts whereof wee will ●●sider not as they are in themsel● but as they have reference to 〈◊〉 Sinne that so by that means may the better cut off all ma● that shall not tend to the illustra● of it though in themselves ne●● good and profitable There are therefore six thing● pressed in this History conce●● that particular Sinne that is specified which may give 〈◊〉 light to all other of the same k● 1. The Conception of this S● 2. The Birth of it 3. The Name of it 4. The Nature of it 5. The Conviction of it 6. The Condition of it The first part Of the Co●tion of this Sinne. The Conception of it 〈◊〉 means of a wonderfull miracle our Saviour Christ wrought 〈◊〉 one that was possessed bodily an uncleane spirit That d● beame of light that streamed from this miracle shining upon their Consciences did animate and quicken this hellish Monster in the Scribes and Pharisees as it appeares afterward For it is with the light of Gods Spirit as it is with the rayes of the Sunne shining upon divers Objects it produceth divers Effects it bringeth forth through the variety of the soile not the Rose onely but the Nettle not the Fig-tree onely but the Thistle not the Vine onely but the Brier it animateth and quickneth not cleane alone but uncleane Creatures also as Toads Adders Hornets and such like So the divine Truth of Iesus shining upon divers persons it brings forth divers effects and those cleane contrary in some by the blessing of God it produceth many excellent Graces in other some many foul and hideous Sinnes through the Corruption of the soile Hence may we draw these Conclusions concerning this Sinne. The first Conclusion The Sin against the Holy Ghost is quickned as it were by the light and heate of some speciall divine Truth for so is this particular Sin in this place That light of the divine Truth shining about them was i● that first stirred and tempered their Corruption and wrought and framed that monstrous Sinne that had never been begotten if it had neve● shined on them So that the very cause why thi● Sinne is committed is by reaso● that such or such a divine Truth doth present it selfe to the Eye o● their Conscience which if it di● not they would not commit such a Sinne. For Example These wicked Scribes and Pharisees if neither this nor any such like mean● had been used whereby they migh● have perceived

and his answer confuted them By is it should seeme that the Sinne ●●ainst the Holy Ghost is commit●● in Thought rather than in ●ord Nay by this it appeares that it not committed in word onely in thought also But that they 〈◊〉 thoughts breaking forth in ●●rds also appeares not only by the Name Blasphemy but by the words of our Saviour Whosoever shall speake against c. verse 32. Neither reserving due reverence unto them that may have better reason to judge otherwise doe I take this to bee meant of those thoughts by which together with their words they committed this Sinne which were rather of affection but of some other thoughts of judgement They made no doubt of this in their minds that the Devils that were cast out by Christ suffered manifest violence and that they were not cast out by any voluntary compact or colourable force but by a violent power and strength upon which our Saviour worketh For else his discourse and reasoning that hee here useth wit● them had been vain For he take it as granted that Satan had violence offered that his expulsion was by force c. This then is th● meaning that Christ not onely hearing their blasphemous word● but knowing also the very secre● Imaginations of their hearts goeth about to confound them and by evidence of Reason grounded upon their owne Thoughts and Imagi●ations to convince them of a spitefull and malitious blasphemy The Vse hereof 1 This Sinne shews how hard 〈◊〉 is to convince a man of this Sin ●ee their words and deeds never so ●pightfull and malitious yet you ●●all never make them acknowledge 〈◊〉 except you deale with their ●houghts and wrestle and strive ●ith them Else what need Christ ●ave medled here with their ●houghts If hee had gone no ●●rther than their words one would ●●ink he should have matter enough ●gainst them but he is faine to go ●●ther And therefore though a ●an could dive into the deepest ●●crets of ones Soule that hath com●itted this Sinne though he could ●ll as it were his heart out of his ●●dy though hee could shew him 〈◊〉 the secrets of it as it were in a ●asse how his words and affections are set against his knowledge and conscience yet it will not serve the turne Christ had more advantage of these wretches than wee have and could have gathered more out of their wicked words than wee can and yet notwithstanding hee deales not with words onely but with thoughts and yet cannot bring them to acknowledge this Sinne though 't is likely hee pricked their Conscience with it and in it convinced them of it 2 In that our Saviour deales thus with their Thoughts and the secrets of their Soule and withall is faine to beat upon them with so many reasons to prove them guilty of such a Sinne this shewes the property of those that have committed this Sinne not to acknowledge it when it is committed much lesse to be grieved and troubled that they have committed it So that so farre are they from acknowledging it themselves th●● though Christ Iesus himself should lay it to their charge yet they would not yeeld to it And therefore this is an undoubted signe of one that hath not committed this Sinne to feare and accuse himselfe of the committing of it For 1 This is the property of Sinners to hide and conceale and not to acknowledge a Sinne. And the greater mens Sinnes are the loather are they to acknowledge them But this is the greatest Sinne that is 2 The greater Sinner the harder Heart and the more senselesse of Sinne the harder heart the further from remorse 3 This is a Sinne of malice and spite and we know a man will rather break his heart than acknowledge such a Sinne. 4 They that commit this Sinne ●re most gracelesse But there is ●uch grace in this to feare and sus●ect our selves in this Sinne. Now I come to the particulars ●herein Christ opposeth unto their ●lasphemy not so much labouring therein their conversion as their conviction that from it he might passe to their sentence of condemnation The question that Christ disputes is whether hee did cast out Devils through Beelzebub The first Argument whereby he confutes it and by consequent convinces them of furious spite and malice is this If I through the power of Beelzebub have cast out these Devils then is the kingdome of Satan divided and at war in it selfe But the kingdome of Satan is not divided and at war in it selfe Therefore I cast them not our through the power of Beelzebub The first part is true except they should imagine that herein the Devils plaid one with another and in mockery or some policie made opposition one unto another Which howsoever in words they had been likely to have done if they had had so much cunning then as some in our times now have yet in their Conscience which our Saviour smites at they coul●●●t because it could not possibly suggest unto them the least colour of a reason why the Devils should as it were upon a Stage play their parts in that manner but they discerned a manifest enmity between that Spirit by which Christ did this worke and those that were cast out and therfore Christ proves it not but lets it passe Whence learne we this practicall method of Christ in dealing with desperate Sinners not so much to strive to stop their mouths as to touch their conscience and therfore not to weary our selves with endlesse wranglings brawles as if it were possible to stay their thoughts It 's enough if we can convince their conscience which when we have done let us leave them and their Conscience together to decide the controversie If men could observe but in some measure this Rule the World had not bin so full of endles controversies as it is Christ in this controversies go's no further then so as if he had said you see hear you Scribes and Phari●●● and your consciences tell you and though you bee impudent enough to deny a manifest truth yet you cannot gainsay this that there is betweene that Spirit which I use and those that are cast out a perfect hatred and jarre and a most fiery dissention And therefore if my Spirit as you spightfully and blasphemously affirme against knowledge and Conscience bee Beelzebub then is there hatred division warre tumult and civill dissention amongst the Devils one seeking the ruine and overthrow of another and labouring to cut the throat of another This proposition Christ leaves though it might bee cavilled at and a man may dwell all the dayes of his life in cleering of such a proposition as this if hee would go about to cleer all oppositions and cavils Hee passeth to the second part which is this But the Kingdome of Hell is not divided against it selfe as if hee should say But it is too grosse and absurd for any that are masters of common wit and reason to imagine that Hell is up in armes

against it selfe and that there is deadly feud amongst the Devils of Hell that they warre and fight in this maner as you are eye-witnesses of one against another among themselves This our Saviour Christ proves by a short reason For then Satans Kingdome could not stand and remaine but should be neere unto an end For that is the state of all Kingdomes rent with civill dissensions So that by this reason either they must herein speake malitiously and against Conscience or else they must of necessity maintaine the former absurdities And they were no doubt speciall positions of the Pharisees which Christ here frames his Argument of The second Argument is thus conceived By that Spirit which your Children cast out Devils by doe I cast out Devils But your Children cast not out Devils through Beelzebub Therefore neither do I cast them out by him In this Argument there is some doubt what is meant by their Children The best of our Interpreters hold it to be meant flatly of our Saviour Christs Disciples But I must crave leave to dissent with reverence from them For 1 there is no more reason to call his Disciples their Children than himselfe 2 In holding that Christ cast out Devils through Beelzebub they must needs hold that his Disciples must doe it by the same Spirit For it were senselesse to imagine that the Disciple should doe it by the Spirit of God and the Master by the Devill 3 By Children are not unusually meant Scholers and Disciples Hence by the Children or Sonnes of the Prophets are meant those that sate at their feet to learn as Paul might be called one of Gamaliels Children or Sonnes And therefore I take it that Christ means it of some of the Pharisees owne disciples and scholers that were no professed Disciples of Chris● which as it seemes in those times had speciall Gifts to cast out Devils for the grace and countenance and confirmation of the true Religion which the Pharisees sitting in Moses chaire professed and taught And of these I 'am perswaded Christ speaketh in this place 4 Hee speaketh of some neere unto them when hee saith They shall bee your Iudges meaning such as they could not with any honesty appeale from whereas they might from Christs Disciples 5 Some such are mentioned Mar. 9.38 Luke 9.49 whom the Disciples found casting out Devils 6 Except this be the meaning I am not able to discern what force in the world there should be in this argument For any man may see that our Savior taketh it as granted that the Pharisees did hold and maintaine that the dispossession that their Children used was the act of God and done by the finger of God And if it bee so understood there is great force in the Reason and it 's a stronger than the former And this is the sense of it If I cast out Devils to no other end and purpose in substance than many of your honored and renowned Schollers doe then I doe it not by Beelzebub But I doe it to no other end than they but to confirme the same doctrine and faith Therefore I doe it not by Beelzebub The proposition is evident for els their ends would have been as contrary as their Spirits The assumption no doubt was as evident For Christ wrought these Miracles to confirme no other Religion or Doctrine than what in substance the Exorcists did set downe in Moses and the Prophets howsoever there were some difference in the manner So that if the Miracles of Christ were as effectuall against the kingdome of Satan as their Exorcists were and as power●ull to confirme the Kingdome of God and had no other apparent ●se this Argument must needs be very good howsoever in their ●ormes there were some diffe●●ces ●or is it not absurd to imagine that Christ should use the very same●hing against Satan that the Iewes ●id and to the very same end to ●onfirme the Kingdome of God ●nd yet doe it by a contrary Spirit ●hough it were done after a diverse ●anner Suppose two persons set ●pon some notorious Thiefe the ●ne smites him with a Sword the ●ther with a Pistoll and both have ●o other end but to save men from ●bbing now were it not absurd ●hat for the very act doing the one ●f them should bee justified and the ●her condemned as a friend and ●elwiller to Thieves and Rob●rs The third Argument is this If I in your Conscience cast out Devils by the power only of Gods Spirit then have you spightfully blasphemed the Holy Ghost in avowing this publiquely that I did it by Beelzebub But I in your owne Conscience have ●●st out Devils onely by the power of Gods Spirit You have therefore in so saying spightfully blasphemed the Holy Ghost The proposition is cleere and cannot be denied The Assumption hee thus proveth That Spirit that offereth violence unto the Devill and by strong hand casteth him against his will out of his strong holds and possessions is only the Spirit of God But you in your Conscience know that that Spirit whereby I cast out Devils is no other than the Spirit of God And by consequent you herein wilfully fight against God and his Kingdome which in my workes have shined before you and have offered themselves unto you The Assumption he setteth forth by a plain and familiar comparison ●●sembling that Spirit to a strong and mighty man that goeth into another mans house and by force in ●espight of him binds him and robs ●im The fourth Argument is contai●ed in this Sentence Hee that is not ●ith me is against mee c. and is ●●us framed If the Spirit of God were not ●ith mee and did not build with ●e in the work that I labour in then ●ould the Holy Ghost set himselfe ●gainst me and destroy whatsoever doe But the Holy Ghost is not a●●inst mee nor destroyeth what build The Spirit of God therefore is ●●th me and buildeth with mee in ●y worke And this Argument must needs unanswerable if it be considered that if Christ had been an Imposto● indeed and a deceiver hee had bee● the most abominable Blaspheme● upon Earth and exercising these tricks only in the Church to pu● men from Religion the Spirit o● God would never endure it All these Considerations the● laid together it is too too apparen● that these Scribes and Pharisees di● most spightfully and malitiousl● revile and blaspheme the Hol● Ghost And thus you see how palpably our Saviour Christ by stron● and evident Arguments convince● them thereof Now this is the generall an● main use of this point To imita●● our Saviour Christ 1 In judging of the true nature of this Sin in generall 2 In being able to detect it i● speciall in those persons that sha● commit it Without the former man cannot doe the latter and wit●out the latter a man hath no use 〈◊〉 the former Now the knowledge of the Nature of this Sin hath these uses 1 It serves to shew us the horrible corruption

this Truth they had never committed this Sinne but as it is apparent they committed it because of that Truth The Vse whereof may be 1 For information of ou● Iudgment concerning this Sin We see many commit many strange and desperate Sinnes against the light of Gods Word of Conscience yea of Nature it selfe and that also most wilfully and stubbornly obstinately yea with this height of desperate resolution that though they were sure they should goe to hell for it yet they would doe it Though such Sinnes be a fighting against the Truth yet are they not this unpardonable Sinne except the first and principall motion of it doe arise from that divine Truth in such a manner that he would not commit that Sinne but for that divine Truths sake For this is a Sin the very first motions whereof are conceived by the sight of a divine Truth so that it is a Sinne not only committed in the light and against the light but by means of it and even for the Truths sake 2 Sith by reason of the Corruption of Mans minde the divine Truth of God the principall Organ or Instrument of all grace and goodnesse in the Soul of Man especially the Doctrine of the Gospell may work and breed such monsters in the Soule it behooves us to doe our uttermost endeavour to purge and sweep our Soule as much as we can especially when we are in such places where these divine Truths shine and appeare most For else a thousand to one but some Monster will arise in the Soule Neither is there any divine Truth that present● it selfe to the eye of the Conscience but doth breed some Monster or other in a corrupt Soule though not so huge a one as this yet that which may be a spawne a fry and seed to this As therefore in the mud of Aegypt cast up by the overflowing of Nilus are ingendred many vile and filthy creatures by the beames of the Sunne so by the overflowing of Sinne there being as strange mud cast over the Soule strange Monsters will arise out of the same by occasion of the divine light of Truth shining thereupon 3 Hence observe the persons that are most capable of this Sinne they are such as are most capable of divine Illumination and most apprehensive of all Truth A dullard a blinde person that hath no eyes to looke above that which is humane cannot commit this Sinne but those that are able to see and behold the divine Truth So that in this respect Ignorance is an advantage to a man For a narrow braine will not suffice to conceive this Sinne. The Scribes and Pharisees Iulian the Apostata and those that come neerest to this Sinne the grand Arch-persecutors of any divine Truth they are men admirable for gifts There are indeed many insolent Dunses and Sots that are malirious but they receive this malice from the spirits of great wits themselves are but axes and beetles in their hands So that it is not a Mouse that can bring forth this Elephant nor a Wren that can lay and hatch this Eagle 4 Learn hence how to prevent this Sinne. Many there bee indeed that take a most vile course to prevent it they will not know the divine Truth because they will not wilfully resist it and so desperately perish through their wilfull want of it But let our course be for the preventing of it to adore every divine Truth that we receive and not to admit of the least thought against the same Of all Sinnes this should be killed in the wombe For other Sinnes may be cast out of possession and Kingdome this never The second Conclusion The Sinne against the Holy Ghost is not conceived by means o● every divine Truth but of a supernaturall divine Truth that is to say an Evangelicall Truth So that a● every light is not a means to produce and quick●n things but the light of the Sunne onely so every Truth is not a means to breed and animate this Sinne but some Evangelicall Truth onely The Truth hereof appeareth in this Example That divine Truth that here stirred up this Sinne was this that Christ Iesus the Sonne of Mary was the true Messias This it was that stirred up their minds to this Sinne. So that a naturall Truth cannot stirre up such a Sinne as this unpardonable one but as it is plaine Hebr. 6.5 it must be a Truth concerning the Life to come Vse 1 Hence wee may observe the Climate of this Sinne in what Region it is begotten and hatched for the most part if not altogether even in the Church of God it is a Church-Sinne As therefore the greatest Sinner that ordinarily is in the World even that man of Sinne sitteth in the Temple of God so the the greatest Sinne that can bee committed by man is committed in the Church where onely or specially those beames doe shine that stirre up this Sinne in the Soule of Man For as the deadliest Serpents abound in the hottest countries so the deadliest and desperatest Sinnes in those places where the Gospell of God shineth forth in its greatest strength 2 In Temptation the Childe of God may make use of this Conclusion For let the Sinne that he is troubled in Conscience for be never so hainous and desperate against Conscience yet if by the light of the Gospell they have not been stirred up unto it it is not this unpardonable Sinne. The third Conclusion This Sinne is not engendred and stirred up by every Evangelicall Doctrine and Truth but by the maine and fundamentall Doctrines of the Gospell For this was it that begat this Sinne in them that this Christ whom they so horribly revile is that Messias and Saviour of the World This was it that made them spit out this blasphemy because they saw he was so Though therefore there is no Legall nor Evangelicall Truth but it hath this property through the Corruption of mans nature to stirre up the minde to Sinne yet no Truth but a maine and Fundamentall Truth the excellentest Truth and that which being presented to the Soule of an elect Childe of God doth stirre up in him the most principall Graces of God and beget in him an unspeakable Love of God the same Truth it is that begets in the reprobate if God leave them so far unto themselves the highest and most horrible Sinne. For that which is an Instrument of holinesse to the good is an Instrument of impiety to the wicked and so by degrees that Illumination which is the means of the greatest Grace in Gods Children is the means of the greatest Sinnes in the Reprobrate The Doctrine of the Law begetteth many Graces in the heart of Gods Childe the Doctrine of the Gospell more Every Evangelicall Truth is a means of much Grace the Fundamentall and high points thereof much more So on the contrary It is therefore an high Evangelicall Truth that is the stirrer up of this high Diabolicall Sinne. Vse 1 This should admonish us