THE VVORLDS PROSPECT OR A Commentarie upon the 33 of ISAIAH and the 14 vers. In these words The sinners in Sion are afraid In which words are declared how farre the Saints may sinne against Knowledge and Conscience and yet not sinne the sin against the holy Ghost Delivered And set forth by JOHN EMERSONE sometime pastr Dispencer of the word in private LONDON Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Gamage and are to be sold at his shop on London-Bridge neere the Gate 1646. The Contents THe poynt from the Text is this That sinnes against Knowledge and Conscience are sinnes of a high nature and when God doth once set them upon the Conscience they cause horror and vexation both in the Saints and Reprobates From the poynts there be these nine particulars derived 1. All sinnes committed against Knowledge and Conscience are not the sinnes against the holy Ghost for sinnes against Faith are not this sinne 2. All sinnes done wittingly and contrivingly and willingly are not this sinne 3. The sinne of unbeliefe which some maintaine to be the sinne against the holy Ghost is not that sinne 4. Every for swearing and denying of the truth of Christ is not this sinne 5. What sinnes of Knowledge be and how they come to be the sinnes against the holy Ghost 6. A Declaration of this sinne against the holy Ghost 7. A reason given why it is a sinne unpardonable 8. Who the persons be that commit this sinne 9. With what knowledge they must be endued that commit this sinne against the holy Ghost In this ensuing Treatise Every one of these particulars are fully proved As also with a word of comfort spoken in due season to troubled Consciences shewing that they need not feare the assurance of their eternall wel-being With many other poynts which are not named in this preamble THE Worlds Prospect ISAIAH 33. 14. vers. The sinners in Sion are afraid IN these words there be these three things considerable 1. The persons who they are in these words Sinners 2. The place they dwelt which was in Sion 3. The effect of sins in these Sinners In the last part of my Text in these word They are afraid From whence I observe by the way this observation That sinne is the originall cause of wicked mens feare In the word sinners I note onely these two sorts of sinners The first sort of sinners that have the guilt of sinne lying upon their soules which guilt of theirs shall never be washed off with the blood of Christ for these two Reasons First Because Divine Wisedome did never set love and mercy on worke for the satisfying of Divine Justice in their behalf Secondly God the Father did never appoynt the blood of his Sonne to wash off the guilt that is upon their soules and therefore they must dye in their guilt which lyeth upon their soules The second sort of sinners which have the guilt of sinne lying upon their soules yet shall not dye in that guilt for these two Reasons First Because God the Father did wisely contrive wayes to satisfie Divine Justice in their behalf Secondly God the Father loved them and did freely wash them in the fountaine of his Sons blood therefore though they were in guilt yet they shall not dye in their guilt Now in the handling of my Text in the fore-named particulars I shall shew from whence sinners were first derived viz. Adam was the first man that ever sinned and thus The first sinne that ever was in man was first found in our first Parents Adam And so I say by that meanes the sinne of our first Parents Adam was imputed unto Rom. 5. 12. and so called our sin Rom. 4. 25. Sinne was the onely cause of Adams feare Gen. 3. 9. So in like manner sinne is an originall of our feare who are the posteritie of sinfull Adam I come now to speake of the place where these sinners dwelt and that place I told you was in Sion a place I say which God did choose above all other places there onely of purpose to put or place his Name in This place Sion is a place unmoveable and therefore in the Scriptures called Mount Sion of old called Salem being the Mount on which Davids house and Castle was placed being in the City of Jerusalem to the East part of the same 1 King 11. 36. Deut. 11. 7 11. Psal. 132. 14. Psal. 125. 1. Rev. 14. 1. Sion a place where the meanes of grace was out of which place came also Perfection of Beauty Psal. 52. 2. Jehovah there was found in the puritie of Ordinances Sion was the Saints inquiring place in the old time I say it was their place of Residence ☞ there was their hopes in times past in an ordinance-way and there is still their hopes to enjoy Christ in a visible and glorious way for ever Though all the earth be mine yet Sion have I chosen to be the place of my habitation for ever and there will I dwell amongst my people and will goe in and out before them for ever leading them forth even as a Shepheard doth his flock Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God for it is the place and City of the great King even Christ Jesus And I heard him say unto me Sonne of Man this is the place of my Throne and the place of the soales of my feet where I will dwell in the middest of the Children of Israel for ever and then my holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile neither they nor their Kings These sinners which my Text speakes of had their names given unto them from the hainousnesse of their sinnes I say as they were sinners so they had the names of sinners given unto them And because they sinned against the gift of grace in Sion so they were called sinners of Sion and in the place where they dwelt They were afraid Sinnes committed against Knowledge be sinnes of a high nature and cause feare from these three particulars which were considerable in my Text From them I â—ay are these poynts derived which are these That sinne committed against Conscience and Knowledge be sins of a high naâ—ure and when God doth charge them upon the Conscience they cause terror and vexâ—tion both in the Saints and also in the Reprobates In the opening of the poynt I shall shew unto you how that all sinnes committed against Conscience and Knowledge is not the sinne against the holy Ghost 1. All sinnes committed against Knowledge and Conscience are not this sinne 2 Sam. 12. 9. 1 King 15. 5. sinne against faith is not this sinne 2. Sinnes done wittingly and contriâ—ingly against Knowledge and Conscience are not this sinne 3. All sinnes against gifts and graces are â—ot this sinne 1 Cor. 1. 7 11 12. 2 Sam. 11. â— 25. 2 Sam. 12. 9. The sinne of unbeliefe which some maintaine to be the sinne against the holy Ghost is not that sinne if it had bin this
â—â—nne then had the Disciples of Christ committed this sinne For the Lord did oftentimes discover heavenly truths unto them yet notwithstanding they beleeved not 4. Every forswearing and denying oâ— the truth of the Lord Jesus are not this sinne Francis Spyra forswore the truth oâ— Christ and denyed the same against the Knowledge of Conscience and against the voice and dictate of the Spirit yet for all that some thinke that he obtained mercy Also Peter denyed and forswore the truth of the Lord Jesus yet not damned 5. I will shew you what sinnes of Knowledge be and will shew you how they come to be the sinne against the holy Ghost 6. I will discover unto you what the sinne against the holy Ghost is 7. I will discover the Reason why it is a sinne unpardonable 8. Who the persons be that commit that sinne 9. With what knowledge they must be endued that commit this sinne These nine particulars I shall endeavour to draw into one compleat body as if I had named them one by one I say all sinnes committed against Knowâ—edge and Conscience are not the sinne against the holy Ghost If it had been that sinne then had David committed the sinne against the holy Ghost for he sinned against his Knowledge and Conscience wittingly willingly and contrivingly As for instance in the matter or Uriah First he sinned seeingly Secondly he sinned by the way of sinfull fore-cast For the first he sinned seeingly in that he saw that Bershebah was with-child he thought to have fathered the child upon innocent Uriah although he never knew of the begetting of it he thought if that he could have got this good man unto his hands all had beene well much more if Uriah had beene with his wife Take notice I pray you how David seemingly loved this good man Vriah 2 Sam. 11. 8 12. And David said unto Vriah Goe downe to thine house and wash thy feet And Vriah departed out of the kings house and there followed him a messe ef meat from the king And David said unto Vriah camest thou not from thy journey why then didst thou not goe downe to thy house And David said unto Vriah Tarry here to day also and to morrow I will let thee depart I say here was Davids faire love to Urias for his owne selfe-ends for the preventing of that open shame which was comming upon him I am verily perswaded that his Conscience told him then that he had sinned in this matter of Uriahs wife and that made him by might and policy to seeke some cloake to cover his shame for if that he had not knowne it it had not beene a sinne to covet his nighbours wife especially to commit adultery with her he would never have sought out for a cloake to have covered his shame I say his knowledge was so effectuall by education that he knew the breach of the seventh and the tenth Commandement the tenour whereof is thus Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife Also he knew the breach of the sixth Commandement Thou shalt not kill Yet I say by way of sinfull fore-cast he knew how to act the breach of the sixth Commandement as you may see how he acted his wicked action by a wicked Agent he had no better way to contrive the death of so good a man as Uriah was but onely making of Joab an Agent to make Vriah privily to carry the secrets of his â—wne death as by this Story at large appeaâ—eth in 2 Sam. 11. 15 16. And it came to â—asse in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab saying Set Uriah in the fore-front â—f the hottest battell and retyre ye from him that he may be smitten and dye In these words you may observe Davidsâ—â—nfull fore-cast for the bringing about of â—is sinfull action he would not be seen to â—ave a hand in this good mans death yet the holy Ghost doth to all posteritie set â—orth That this holy man David had a hand â—n Uriahs death 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou hast â—â—aine Uriah with the sword As if the holy Ghost had said thus Though unto the eye of the world thou art not seene to have a and in this good mans death yet this seâ—ret act of thine is not hid from the All-seeing eye of Jehovah I pried into thine heart and there I saw thy secret intention â—cted before ever thou didst use the outward meanes to bring it to passe Yea I saw in thine heart the Agent that thou didst assigne for to bring to passe this thy sinfull action I saw all thy turnings and windings concerning Uriah which by thee were contrived and because thou didst go so cunningly to worke to make the world believe that thou hadst no hand in this mans death I therefore thought good to discover to all posterities after thee that which thou didst so secretly act and contrive I will relate the chiefe heads of thy proceedings concerning Uriahs death Although thou didst use Joab as thy Agent to act thy wicked intent and purpose yet I will lay the guilt of that sinne not upon Joab the Actor but upon thee the contriver thereof Thou hast killed Uriah with the sword I could relate more of it then this but I stand not upon a publique relation but only to let the world see that thou art not without publique sinnes I did looke upon thee at that very time of sinning as upon a perfect man Save onely in the matter of Urias 1 King 15. 5. David because he would be sure of the death of so good a man as Vriah was he went politickly to worke That if there were but two or three men slaine Vriah without question might be one of them as appeared afterwards in the 2 Sam. 11. 17. And it came to passe when Joab observed the City that he assigned Vriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were And the men of the Citie went and fought with Joab and â—here fell some of the people of the servants of David and Vriah the Hittite dyed also In the 2 of Sam. 12. 5. see how holy David seemed to be sorrowfull when the Prophet Nathan came unto him and spake parabolically concerning Vriahs death and concerning the coveting of his wife See I say how David expressed sorrow for Vriahs wrong not yet being convinced of his death untill God by the ministry of Nathan did set home the sinne and also the guilt thereof upon the Conscience of this good man David I say that although this good man David did sinne grievously both wittingly and contrivingly yet he sinned not that sin against the holy Spirit Yea although David sinned deepely against his owne knowledge and conscience yet he found and obtained pardon 2 Sam. 12. 13. And Nathan said unto David The Lord hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye I say that mercy which he obtained from the Lord is called in the Scriptures His sure mercies Isa. 55. 3. Jehovah had sworne that
unto you hoâ— that they are prone unto all manner of sinâ— as well as the sinne of unbeliefe but noâ— you see a blessed change in them Therâ—â—fore the sinne of unbeliefe cannot be 〈◊〉 sinne against the holy Ghost as some ideâ—â— have affirmed I now will in a word or two shew yoâ— how that the Saints of God can fall into 〈◊〉 unpardonable sinnes though they may faâ—â— into many great sinnes as you heard Yet say for the comfort of all distressed consciences that are incumbred with false feare from false grounds whose feare becauâ—â— their sinnes appeare great in their apprehension and so from a false ground as said before Therefore from hence they conclude that they have sinned against the holy Ghost and that thus their sinnes are unpardonable Therefore for the helping oâ— such poore distressed consciences out of these false feares and to satisfie their consciences that they have committed this unpardonable sinne I addes these two reasons â—â—r their satisfaction The first Reason is this because all the â—â—ints of God are all borne of God Joh. 5. 18. That is they are Regeneraâ—â—d and thus made new creatures Joh. 3. 3 â—â—d so are saved Tit. 3. 5. and clensed Cor. 6. 11. by the Spirit of their God â—â—d so enter in with the Lord Jesus who is â—â—e doore Joh. 1. 10. and enter into the â—â—ait gate Luk. 13. 24. who is the Way the truth and the life Joh. 14. 6. You Saints that are full of false feares â—â—t me speake unto you I say that you cannot commit this unpardonable sinne beâ—â—use the Father gave his Sonne unto this â—â—ery end and purpose for to redeeme his â—â—ople from their sinnes Tit. 2. 14. I say â—ehovah hath for his owne names sake forâ—â—ven all your sinnes Isa. 43. 23 44 22. â—er 31. 22 32 31 33 33 6. And Heb. â— 12. Mich. 7. 18 19. Psal. 103. 13. Who 〈◊〉 a God like unto thee that will pardon the â—â—iquities of the remnant of his heritage and â—ill subdue them into the bottome of the Seas The second Reason is The Lord Jesus â—nd his Saints have all one onenesse â— Cor. 5. 7. They that be joyned unto the Lord Jesus they be one Spirit yea one â—â— union one in love one with the Lord Jesus and with all the three Persons in all the glorious Trinitie See to this purpose Ioh. 17. 23 25 26. I in them and they â—â— me I say God is aboundantly glorious unto beleevers yea to multiply pardon Isa. 55. 7. And for a farther Relation of Gods froâ— mercy in pardoning of those that turn unto him I note these severall places 〈◊〉 Scriptures for confirmation 2 Chron. 30 9â— 33 12 13. Gen. 18. 15. Exod. 6. 1 9 11 26 â— 7 20 6 34 7 8. Numb. 20. 8. Deut. 4. 30 31 5 10 17 18 28 1 15 v. 30 1 11 32 4 3 6 10. 2. Sam. 7 8 9 15 12 13 24 10 11 13 1 King 8. 23. Levit. 20. 5 10. Nehem. 9. 17. Psal. 21. 7 35 5 7 5 10 86 5 10 111 4. Psal. 145. Isa. 30. 18 54 8 9 10 55 3 7. Ier. 12. 15 16 18 8. Ezek. 18. 32 33 14 15 16. Hos. 2. 14 19 23. Ioel. 2. 13. Ion. 4. 2. Ier. 3. 2 12 14 Luk. 1. 50 58 72. Luk. 18. 4 6 36. Luk. 7. 47 23 34 43. Rom. 4. 7. 2 Cor. 1. 3. Ephesi 2. 4. 1 Tim. 1. 13 15 16 18. These places of Scripture doe set forth the freenesse of Gods love unto all beleevers Yea I say they doe shew the freenesse of Gods love in his shewing of mercy and in manifesting of it unto all beleevers who I say shall never come into condemnation because the Lord Jesus Christ hath cast out of them the sin of condemnation Rom. 8. 1. Thus you may see that all beleevers be happy and blessed Oh! the blessednesse of that man as it is in the originall Rom. 8. 32 â—9 vers. Who shall lay any thing unto the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth Who shall condemne It is Christ which is dead yea rather which is risen from the dead who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall Tribulation or Anguish or Persecution or Famine or Nakednesse or Perill or Sword As it is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long we are accounted as sheepe for the slaughter In these words the sure state of the saints is set forth unto us to shew Gods Omnipotent will and purpose which never changes It is not the Divell nor any belonging unto him can alter Gods â—ove to his Saints or doe them any wrong Christ I say hath set them in a glorious libertie Gal. 5. 1. Ioh. 8. 38. Now I come to shew unto you what the sinne against the â—oly Ghost is The sinne against the holy Spirit iâ— when a man hath been inlightned with the heavenly truth Christ Jesus by the holy Spirit of the Father who is that Spirit of truth spoken of Ioh. 14. 26. Whose office is to seale us unto the day of redemption Ephesi 4. 30. And then not onely strive against that truth but also blaspheme that truth as the Jewes did saying He casteth out Devillâ— by Belzebub the Prince of the Devills And thus shall wittingly and willingly against the checks of his owne conscience persecute that truth in his members the Saints because he knows that it is the truth therefore he is of purpose resolved to oppose that sacred truth and to despise that sacred light wherwith he was inlightned also esteeming that sacred blood of Christ as nothing treading it under foot And thus out of a pernicious spirit most wickedly persecutes the truth in his members even the sons and daughters of truth because he knowes that they are the subjects of that sacred truth This is the sinne against the holy Ghost I say The persons that commit this sinne must be knowing persons and men of knowledge Such a one was Julian the Apostate ☞ who notwithstanding his certaine knowledge of Christ to be the Sonne of God yet against knowledge fell off and became a great persecutor of Christ They must be such as are acquainted with the Truth even the Lord Jesus being enlightened with the saving Light of the holy Spirit such were the Scribes and Judas and many other Reprobates which the Scripture speakes of in many places Judas sinned against his Knowledge and Conscience Cain also in like manner against Knowledge and Conscience his Conscience at that very time informing him that Elshaddai the strong and omnipotent God had respect unto the offering of righteous Abel and that his person was accepted according unto the rule of the Law perfect shall it be accepted Although Cain knew that God had a respect unto his brother Abel and to his offering yet notwithstanding hee did against his knowledge persecute his brother as S. Iohn sayth Abels
workes were good and Cains evill Sinne against Knowledge is this as when a man or woman is informed of divers Truths and by the judgement of their understanding give an approbation unto those Truths discovered unto them and yet notwithstanding will sinne this is called by me sinnes against Knowledge Sinne against Conscience is when a mans Conscience is enlightened with Knowledge concerning the acting this thing or that thing which is evill and yet is resolved to doe it this is called sinne against Conscience I say all that be damned sinne not against Knowledge openly discovered unto them as the Heathen who knew God no farther but onely by the instinct of Nature having the Law written in their hearts Rom. 2. 15. Which Law shall not leave them without excuse at the last day for they know so much of God as shall be a meanes for to condemne them their Consciences bearing witnesse against them and so leaving their Consciences void of all excuse telling them that there is a God before whose Judgement-Seat they must one day appeare I am perswaded that the Consciences of the Heathen cannot chuse but sometimes cast forth some light of terror unto them and so cause an amazement unto them although they as Heathen be without the knowledge of Conscience towards God and man I say sinnes committed wittingly and willingly are the originall cause of sorrow both in the Saints and Reprobates The sorrow of the Saints for sinne comes from an apprehension of Gods love in the Lord Jesus looking upon the love of God and his holinesse and then casting back his eye upon his owne sinfulnesse which produceth a mourning in them whereby from an apprehension of Gods abundant goodnesse towards him hee is inforced with blessed Paul to crie out saying O wretched man that I am O how unlike unto God am I in holinesse O that God would once lift up upon me the light of his countenance and smile graciously upon my soule in the face of the Lord Jesus O that God would but goe into my soule and discover Christ there unto me and goe out againe by the manifestation of his holy Spirit that so my soule may be acquainted with the Commings in of the Lord Jesus The sense of a Reprobate is onely from an apprehension of Gods wrath for sinne and so out of a slavish feare confesses hiâ— sinne because he sees the wrath of God appearing readie to be poured out upon him for those sinnes which he hath committed against God and so cryes out as being void of all hope of mercie like Cain Saul and Iudas concluding that their sinnes are unpardonable I say againe the persons that commit this sinne against the holy Ghost must be such persons as in some measure knew the maine fundamentall grounds of Religion and withall they must have some soule-taste of heaven yea of heavenly things as blessed Paul speaketh in Heb. 6. 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gifts and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted of the Word of God and the powers of the world to come if they fall away to renew them againe vnto repentance seeing they crucifie unto themselves the Sonne of God afresh and put him to open shame In these words you see that those that commit this sinne must be knowing persons they may have a taste seemingly of the holy Ghost I say the holy Ghost may seemingly discover Truths unto them yet they shall never taste of them savingly yet they shall taste of them so fully as to their thinking they shall be as it were elevated into heaven and ravished with a kind of sweetnesse so farre as that they shall conceit themselves to be in a heavenly condition Iudas tasted of the heavenly gifts seemingly and was endued with great light yea with such a measure of gifts that he was inabled by them to walke so warily that he was not found out to be an hypocrite untill he made a discovery of himselfe he had the same power given unto him as the rest of the Disciples had Mat. 10. 2 He had a legall faith but not a saving faith he possessed a common enjoyment from the holy Ghost in regard of gifts I say a common taste he enjoyed not such a taste as the Saints doe taste it is impossible for wicked men to enjoy that true inward taste and sweet saving enjoyment of the holy Ghost as the Saints doe Yet the common enjoyment of the Spirit of God they doe possesse which shall leave them without excuse Sometimes a wicked man may goe in some things beyond the Child of God and may find more comfort in the way of Ordinances then the true child of God doth for a time Yea he may also walke more warily then those who have more truer relation unto God even as the Scribes and Pharisees did who in hypocrisie lived more precisely then the true Children of God for that none could tax them of any thing but onely Christ who knew their hypocrisie and corruption of their hearts as also the vanitie of their Traditionall workes The Disciples of Christ knew not Iudas to be an hypocrite untill he discovered himselfe And as I said before the persons that commit this sinne against the holy Ghost must be knowing persons such as Iudas was and the Scribes and Pharisees I told you that the heathen could not commit this sinne against the holy Ghost nor can any infant commit this sinne although God may justly damne infants for the originall sinne of their first parents It followes now that I must according to my power shew unto you the Reason why this sinne against the holy Ghost is an unpardonable sinne It is called the sinne against the holy Ghost because he discovers and reveales truth And it is unpardonable so long as those do commit sinne against him who is called the third Person and is the representative power of the whole Deitie when they sinne against the holy Spirit they sin against the whole Trinitie as it is said They grieved the Spirit of God even him whose office is to seale the Saints unto the day of redemption Men I say by sinning against this Person confirme their guilt upon their owne soules To give you a bigger Reason then I have yet done why this sinne against the holy Ghost is unpardonable I say the full Reason is Because it is his place to reconcile or worke reconciliation betweene the other two Persons and the sinner which before were unreconciled By this meanes the sinner comes to stand before the other two Persons the Father and the Sonne and thus finds acceptance And on the contrary when this Person will not reconcile the sinner unto God the Father not he himselfe pleased to be reconciled unto the sinner I say it is then a very sad and heavy time with that soule It cannot be but that soule must remaine in a state of guilt and that