Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	heart_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,544	5	9.4687	5	false

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

is not only a Notional Knowledge and Humane Learning He may know much of God and of his will in the Letter of the Word and yet not capable of committing this unpardonable Sin But he must be so far enlightned as to see the Evil that is in Sin and the Excellency of Christ he must taste of the Heavenly Gift and be made partaker of the Holy Ghost and taste of the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come and by the Blood of the Covenant which he counts as an unholy thing he is in part sanctified and cleansed from many Sins he must have sweet Comunion with God in his Word and Sacraments he must have some Taste of the Love and Favour of God and Comforts of his Spirit and be refreshed by it and taste of the Love and Favour of God and Comforts of his Spirit and taste of the Joys of Heaven and have some Fore-taste of the Happiness of the World to come 4. He must oppose the known Truth willfully he must willfully fall away after he hath received the Knowledge of the Truth Other sins are committed through Infirmity but this sin is wilfull the Will is the chief Actor in it And to compleat and make up this unpardonable Sin there is 5. Malice in the Heart without this this sin cannot be committed it must be a malicious opposing of the known Truth Now a Man having gone thus far he comes in the last place to be an Apostate Now for such a one willfully spitefullly 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 riseth again but when they fall through Weakness of infirmity and not willfully and maliciously but these wicked Wretches fall wilfully and maliciously and so fall finally Against such the Door of Mercy is ever shut Concerning such St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 2 21 22. There is such another dreadfull Place of Scripture against these Apostates that is Heh 10 26. Object But what is the reason then that this Sin cannot be forgiven The Reason arises from the Nature of this Sin for this Sin by whomsoever it is committed hardens the heart and fears the Conscience so that there is no place for Repentance to be wrought neither for that or any other Sin This Sin is called the sin against the Holy Ghost because it is a sin against the Person of the Holy Ghost 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 enlightned 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 wilfully and maliciously to oppose him and the Work of his Spirit and Will not be beholding to him for Salvation now for such one to be forgiven is utterly impossible Object But why is it impossible Nothing is impossible with God A Man through ignorance may deny Christ and maliciously fall from the Profession of the Truth into all 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 yet falls back thro' Infirmity and the weakness of the Flesh as Peter did and doth not fail willfully and maliciously then the Holy Ghost may work upon him and work in him a deep sorrow for abusing so much Love and Mercy and so carrie 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 fore-taste 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 sanctifying 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 wherein my Text is apart Now Christ praved for them who 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 known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2 8. But if they had known 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 neither the Prayers in Heaven nor Earth can do him any good for as the Text saith There is a Sin unto Death I shall conclude with a few words of Application I. Watch very diligently against all sin but above all take special 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 presumptuosly and with an high hand These Sins tho' none of them are the direct sin again the Holy Ghost yet they will come very near to it therefore take especial heed of them lest they in time should bring you to the committing of that unpardonable Sin And II. 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 I desire you for to take your Bibles and search the places of Scriptures here cited And the Lord give you understonding in all these things FINIS