your Self And if so Then as I said you cannot chuse but with Tears of Hopes and Joys and Grief and Love Return to him quickly by Repentance and Persevere and Hold on in a New and a Better Obedience Seeing there is upon These Terms Hopes for Thee even Thee too To Examine a little further Hast thou been guilty of an Vtter Willful and Spiteful rejecting of the Gospel of Salvation by the Holy Jesus Hast thou been guilty of This notwithstanding that in thy Conscience thou wert convinced that Jesus is the Christ and that Faith and Holiness is the Way to be Saved Hast thou been guilty of an advised and absolute falling away from the Profession of the Faith of Christ so far that against former Knowledge and Conscience thou dost maliciously Oppose and Blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God in the Word and in the Ordinances of the Gospel Hast thou so far rejected resisted and utterly quenched all the Perswasions and Motions of the Spirit of God working formerly upon your Heart and Affections as out of hatred to Christ to Oppose and Deny and Disown him and his Doctrines Or so far as thus to Crucifie to your self afresh the Son of God and by disowning him to put him to open Shame Heb. 6.6 Treading under foot the Son of God and counting the Blood of the Covenant wherewith you were sanctified an unholy Thing or Thus done despite to the Spirit of Grace Then indeed hadst thou also totally and finally continued in this State and liv'd and dy'd in it hadst thou been Guilty of this Vnpardonable Sin Which Sin by the way is also called the Sin against the Holy Ghost and becomes Unpardonable because 't is against the Office of the Holy Ghost and against the Gracious Operations of the Holy Spirit whose Business and Office 't is to perswade us to receive Christ crucified and the Faith and Doctrine of the Gospel Well Though thou hast then been a Sinner and unkindly Grieved the Holy Spirit of Love yet thou hast been no Apostate That is Thou hast yet been Guilty of no Willing Malicious Total Falling off from Christ and the Faith and Doctrine of the Gospel tendred to thee by the Holy Ghost and against the Light and Convictions of That Sacred Spirit thou hast not yet denied him and by a willful Blindness oppos'd him too If things are thus with Thee Sinner as I verily believe they are Come be so far Comforted as chearfully but yet Quickly and Sincerely to return to thy offended God and Saviour and do not stay in the Confines of Desperation any longer than you Dwell in your Sin Nay for thy Consolation and Encouragement in thy Speedy Return to thy offended Father in the Faith and Name of Jesus I have This further to add concerning the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost That the Sin it self is only upon this Account Vnpardonable because it hath a finally Impenitent Temper joyn'd with it For otherwise were it possible that such a Sinner should Repent by a Sincere and Persevering Repentance there would be no doubt of his Pardon Even the Blasphemer of the Holy Spirit himself Repenting Returning Believing Laying hold on the Mercies of God in the Lord Jesus and Coming in to his Faith and Love and Obedience shall have Mercy Here stop a little Dear Christian and be perswaded to Consider the great Cause you have to Resolve presently and intirely to cast off the Sin that does so easily beset you and to choose Wiser and Better and to Return to the Ways of your Master with Speed and Care and Consolation too Do it Quickly and Sincerely and I do assure you your Case is not yet Desperate Oh that This Consideration might melt thee once more into Tears of Grief and Love and Joy too Tears of Hope and Penitential Tears And how can it choose but do so That there should be Balm in Gilead for thee even Thee too And that for Thee there should be a Physician there Let this make it an evil and a Bitter Thing to thee as the Prophet speaks Jer. 2.19 That thou hast forsaken the Lord. Evil and Bitter let it appear to thee That thou hast held out in any Known Sin against so much Tenderness and Compassion Love and Pity Long-suffering and Forbearance which St. Paul says an Ingenuous Temper would have made another use of Rom. 2.4 Evil and Bitter let it appear to thee That thou hast held out in any Darling Vice so long against so many Gracious Calls and Invitations and Wooings of Thee to be Wise and Happy Evil and Bitter let it appear to thee That thou hast held out so long and taken little or no Notice of the Dying Words of a crucified Master but hast dis-regarded what he left thee in Charge when he went away Evil and Bitter it must needs appear to thee to have Held out so Long against the Calls and Invitations of Agonizing Love Speaking to thee meltingly and Saying If ye Love me keep my Commandments Come Dear Christian after such a Thought as This Try if thou can'st find it in thy Heart to Return to Affront him again as bad as ever by any Known Sin Try if in this Thought you can go on and still find it in your Heart to Affront him as much as ever by the voluntary Omission of any Known necessary Duty And then presently in a Holy Meditation look up to him with Reverential Love where he is now Preparing a Place for you if you will and say to him with an affectionate Humility Blessed Jesu Long hast thou staid for me and not given me up to a Reprobate Spirit but thou shalt stay no longer Thou hast long look'd for me and not given me up to a Spirit of Desperation but thou shalt look for me no longer I can hold out no longer I will hold out no longer against so much Love and Mercy So much Patience and Forbearance So much Long-suffering and Goodness I will I can hold out no longer Let the Sin promise what it will I will Hold out no longer against thee Let the Duty cost what it will I can hold out no longer against the endearing Calls and Intreaties of Bleeding Groaning Agonizing Dying Love No I cannot But seeing I have this Comfort that I have not Blasphemed thy Spirit or denied Thee and have so great Cause to Hope That I have not Committed the Vnpardonable Sin I am infinitely encouraged to come and to come joyfully to do Thy Will And I will come Quickly for I know the Night comes when none can work SECT VI. The first Practical Inference or Instance of Application from the Consideration of the Nature and Meaning of the Sin against the Holy Ghost Viz. That 't is Matter of great Encouragement for the Faithful Penitent to go on very Comfortably but yet very Sincerely in his Repentances HAving thus finish'd my Three first Heads of Discourse and shewn plainly what this Sin is and How we may assuredly know whether we
Pleasures or Advantages of Sin for a Season SECT VIII The third Practical Inference from the Consideration of the Nature and Meaning of the Sin against the Holy Ghost It Brings Matter of Comfort to all Sincerely Humble Holy Devout and Obedient Persons to Encourage them to Persevere and go on a Little longer with a holy Joy and with a Religious Peace DEar Christian The Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was a Sin which you have sometime been afraid you had committed You knew not what it was and therefore could not tell but that you might sometime or other have been guilty of it And This perhaps has fill'd you full of Doubts and Fears and Tremblings and has check'd and hindred you from going on chearfully in your Christian Course or at least has made you go on heavily in it without Comfort and Holy and Vigorous Resolutions But now let the Sincerely Obedient Person and the devout Lover of Jesus be Comforted For seeing there is so very great Likes nay so great a Certainty that he has not been Guilty of this Sin what infinite Incouragement has he to go on Chearfully in the Faith and Love and Obedience of his Master And in the sincere Performance of all Known Duties to God and Man To be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord for as much as he knows that his Labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 13. Had your labour been like to have been in vain by your having committed This Sin you would have had but little encouragement to have endeavoured to lay up any Treasure in Heaven Had it been like to have been in vain you could have had no Encouragement to take any Care of your Soul for the short Remaining part of your Life With how little Comfort could you have gone on in any of your Holy Purposes of an Early Chearful Sincere Vniversal and Constant Obedience to your Saviour in bearing his Easie Yoke and Light Burden till your Day were ended and your Race over Had it been like to have been in vain with how little Consolation and Encouragement could you have been Content to bear any Thing Do any Thing Suffer any Thing Lay up any Thing for a joyful Resurrection for your safe Landing to a Lovely Eternity and for the Divine Favour which had been unattainable For who would take any Pains or Cares Use any Diligence or Watchfulness Deny himself any Thing Bear any part of the Cross Resist any Temptations Bear any Reproaches Lose any Advantages where all were like to be unsuccessful and to no Purpose Perhaps Christian as I said This has been your Case You have had these Doubts and Fears because you were not sure but you might have committed this Blasphemy And tho' you have always Feared to offend your great Master Desired to please him Kept close to him in the Faith and Love and Obedience of the Gospel and where you have failed of Perfection and have faln a Little have quickly return'd to him by Repentance and Reformation and a new and better Obedience yet all this while perhaps you have been afraid that all this has been in vain Fearing lest you might have been Guilty of the Vnpardonable Sin But now consider dear Christian once more can you choose but go on with Comfort and Encouragement in all that 's Holy Just and Good Seeing your Labour is so far from being like to be in vain and this has been none of your Sin Can you now find it in your Heart to lay down any part of the easie Yoke and Light Burden of your Dearest Lord who said If ye Love me Bear it Is it not an infinite Encouragement to your Alms and Devotions your Self-denial and Mortification your frequent Communicatings and Penitential Offices All that you can do and all that you can suffer for the Faith and Love and Obedience of the Holy Jesus that you are satisfied that if you go on and hold out but a Little longer none of them will be in vain Oh! who would give out and Fall back from any known Duty or Shrink from the Yoke of Jesus whatever it cost him to bear it a Little longer when he has such an Assurance of his Freedom from the Guilt of this Vnpardonable Sin and that if he do but persevere a little all will be well with him to Eternity And Say Christian whatever others intend to do are not you he that are Infinite willing all Things should be well with you to Eternity Are not you he let others do what they please that are infinitely willing to fill one of the vacant Seats of the faln Angels And when the Crowns and Palms of Eternity come to be disposed of to have one of them bestown upon you even you in Particular for all Futurity Are not you he That are infinitely Willing to be in a Little Time plac'd above the Reach of Hopes and Fears Sin and Misery Enemies and Temptations Doubts and Scruples Poverty and Want Sickness and Death and every Thing that we call uneasie here And in that State to pass away a Pleasurable Eternity a Rapturous Eternity with the Beatify'd Spirits of an Upper New a Better and a Lovely World Yes you are I Know you are Well then Seeing 't is so likely that your Short Labour will not be unsuccessful and in vain and that you have not derived upon your self the Vnpardonable Blasphemy what should now hinder you from Persevering chearfully and resolvedly a Little longer till all be finish'd and over and ended in a Holy Life and a Happy Death The Just Man will not find it to have been in vain that he has been so when he finds himself admitted to Just Zachaeus and to the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect and shall be consign'd to pass away with them a Lovely Immortality The Charitable and the Forgiving Person will not find it to have been in vain that he has been so for one short Life when he finds himself admitted to charitable St. Stephen and shall be sentenced to pass away with him a joyous Perpetuity The Meek and Peaceful Person will not find it to have been in vain that he has been so for one short Life when he finds himself admitted to the Meek Moses and the Meeker Jesus the Prince of Peace and shall be secur'd to pass away with them a Pleasurable Eternity The Pure and the Chast Soul will not find it to have been in vain that he has been so for the short Hour of this Life when he finds himself admitted to Chast Joseph to the Chast and Holy Virgin Mother and the Prince of all chast Souls the holy Jesus and shall be consign'd to pass away with them a rapturous Immortality The Devout and Faithful Penitent will not find it to have been in vain that he has been such for one short Life here when he finds himself Admitted to Penitent St. Peter and shall be Sentenc'd to be with him for ever And
Door of Mercy is shut against them And that now they had e'en as good let all run against the Rocks and let alone the Soul and take no more Care about it But take their fill of Sensuality and Wickedness and lie down in a State of Inconsideration and Prophaneness And for the Sake of these also will I plainly truly and clearly shew what this Sin is That so the one Sort may see infinite Cause to return to their offended Father quickly And tho' it be with Fear and Trembling yet may do it also with a holy Hope great Encouragements and a Religious Chearfulness too provided it be with a Present Vniversal and Permanent Change And the other Sort Namely the Person of a sincere Probity and Sanctity of Life may go on in a Course of Faith and Devotion Piety and Charity Divine Love and Obedience with a Holy Joy and a Religious Peace SECT II. What the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is THat I may make the present Discourse as Satisfactory as I can to every Reader and as Vseful as I can for the Designs and Purposes and Needs and Desires of every Christian That the Sinner may be encouraged and invited to return to his God and his own truest Interest by a Speedy a Sincere and a Persevering Repentance and all may be encouraged and endeared to go on chearfully in a Religious Course in the Ways of Pleasantness and the Paths of Peace Prov. 3.17 I will plainly insist on these three Things I. First Shew what this Sin is II. Secondly Give a Rule how any Person may assuredly know whether he has been Guilty of it or not III. Thirdly Shew the very great Likelihood that you Christian Reader have not yet been Guilty of this Sin From all which three Particulars I shall draw three Practical Inferences or Instances of Application 1. Shew What this Sin is The Sin or Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was as appears in this Chapter St. Matth. 12. the Sin of the Pharisees and in short 't was this They Blasphem'd the Holy Ghost in affirming That those Miracles which the Holy Jesus wrought by the Power of the Holy Ghost were done by the Power of the Devil And consequently deny'd him who did them to be the Christ. And the Heinousness of it consisted in This By these Miracles which he wrought by the Power of the Holy Ghost he design'd to convince them that he was the Messias And would by this Light manifest to them plainly that he acted by the Power of the Holy Spirit of God He charitably designed those very Miracles which they reproachfully imputed to the Devil to be a convincing Testimony from God that he must be the Messias the Christ the Saviour of the World No they would not be perswaded would not come in to his Faith and his Love and his Obedience but would wilfully resist and oppose the Power of his Doctrine and his Miracles The convincing Light of which plainly and clearly manifested that he acted by the Power of God And rather than they would acknowledge them to be done by the Power of the Holy Ghost they affirm'd That he did them by the Power of the Devil v. 24. Upon this Christ to convince them is pleased to tell them That the Miracle of Casting out Devils which he had wrought just before could not be done by the Power of the Devil For a Kingdom divided against its self could not stand v. 25. And therefore 't was not likely that Satan should cast out Satan And if Satan could not or would not cast out Satan then surely it must be by the Power of the Holy Spirit of God that he cast out Devils and wrought Miracles And if so how could they choose when they saw the Miracles that he did but be convinc'd that he acted by the Power of God And consequently how could they Resist and Oppose Deny and Disown him to be the Christ the Messias the Saviour of the World 'T was all as one They would not be convinced by the holy Doctrines which he Taught by the Miracles that he wrought and Wonders that he did And rather than believe on him and become Wise and Happy they obstinately affirm'd That what he did by the Finger of God and the Power of the Holy Ghost was done by the Power of the accursed Spirits of Darkness Now this was not only a Great Blasphemy indeed against the Holy Ghost But 't was a wilfull shutting their Eyes against the Light Against the Light I say it again of that Doctrine and those Miracles which were done on Purpose to Convince them that he was the Christ whom notwithstanding they Deny'd and Disown'd Resisted and Oppos'd Upon this Christ tells them That if they continued in this Blasphemy and would obstinately go on to impute those Miracles to the Devil which were done by the Power of the Holy Ghost and would not be Convinced and come in and Receive and Believe on the Lord of Glory but deny and oppose him and maliciously and with a wilful Blindness hold out against the visible Work of God That this must needs be to them that continue in it unpardonable And well indeed might it be unpardonable when the Apostle says Act. 4.12 There is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved That his Name and Person His Revelation and his Love His Message and his Designs His Doctrine and his Miracles should be Denied and Disowned Opposed and Rejected and their Eyes obstinately shut against all the convincing Arguments of his Doctrine and his Miracles that he was the Saviour of the World But here may be one Material and Important Question ask'd How comes it to pass that 't is said in the Text Whosoever speaketh against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven How comes it to pass that the Speaking against Christ should be more Pardonable than the Speaking against the Holy Ghost To this I Answer To speak against the Son of Man i. e. against Christ only before he was manifested to be the Messias by the holy Spirit of God and the convincing Miracles which he did This might be a Sin of Ignorance and therefore Pardonable upon a general Repentance But to speak against the Holy Ghost i. e. to resist the holy Spirit of God which manifestly appear'd in the Miracles which Christ wrought on Purpose to convince them this could be no excusable Ignorance but must be a willful Blindness Nay to impute them to the Devil on Purpose because they would not be convinc'd by them to come in to Christ and receive and own him Surely such an Opposition and Resistance such a contradicting and crossing his gracious Ends and merciful Designations to them could be no other than an obstinate willful Blindness and a shutting their Eyes against the Light And therefore if continu'd in could not but be Vnpardonable And that 's the