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
with him to Sing Hallelujahs to him that Sits on the Throne and the Lamb for ever and ever SECT IX The CLOSE Two Things necessary to the Holding out in a Christian Course which you Christian Reader that are now assured you have not committed the Vnpardonable Sin should by all Means Presently resolve upon which if you did you would be very Safe and Happy AND now why will not you Christian above all Things labour to be one of these Happy Persons Especially seeing there is so great a Probability that your Labour will not be in vain Come then Dear Christian whenever a Sin or a Strong Temptation shall present it self to you for the Future seeing you have not yet been guilty of the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Or whenever you shall find your self tempted and willing to omit a necessary Duty Do these two Things 1. Whenever a Sin shall present it self Resolve never to venture so much for so Little Seeing your Condition is yet so Hopeful 2. Whenever you are tempted to omit a Duty because 't will cost you something Resolve to venture something here that you may win something in the other World Blessed Jesu Fix these two Things upon the Hearts the Affections and the Resolutions of every one that says he Loves Thee First Whenever a Sin shall present it self Resolve never to venture so much for so Little Never to venture the Loss of the Favour of God The sweet Illapses of his Love The Religious Joys and the Unknown Peace of a Good Conscience The Sweets and Delicacies of a Devout Life All your Future Hopes and Expectations beyond the Grave All these Things which so many Wise Men have liv'd and dy'd for never to venture all This for the vain Delights or the vain Advantages of Sin for a Season But beat off the Temptation by Considering that you venture all This and more than This by a Compliance And if you would be but content to hold out against it a little 't is not long till your Day would be over and your Combat would be ended and you would be put away to the Joys of Peace and Victory That 's the First of the two Things which I would leave upon the Affections of him that says he Loves till he expires into the Element of Love and be ordered there to Live and Love and Reign for ever Secondly The other Thing that would now incline and help you to hold out a Little longer in a Life of Faith and Love and Sanctity is This Whenever you are Tempted to Omit a Duty because 't will cost you something Then resolve to venture something here that you may win something in the other World Come my Soul say with a generous and a Christian Resolution and with an Heroick Bravery of Mind Let others do what they Please I am resolv'd to venture some Pains and Cares and Difficulties and Self-denials And some Watchfulness and Diligence some Labours and Mortifications some Scorns and Reproaches some Losses and Disadvantages now seeing my Condition is so Hopeful for these Hopes and Expectations of Futurity which so many Wise and Good Men have liv'd and dy'd for Tell him whom thy Soul Loves That you think it all Reason in the World That That which cost him an Agony and a Bloody Sweat Wounds and Stripes and a Crucifixion and Death it self should cost you one short Life of Probity and Sanctity Purity and Devotion Faith and Repentance Zeal and Love and a great Obedience Look up to him in a Holy Meditation and tell him with a Humble Love That you think the Rewards of Heaven are so Great and Glorious and his Yoke so Easie His Burden so Light and withall will be so short too that you think it a great Shame to expect so great Glories at a lower and a cheaper Rate than a holy Life Tell him Affectionately and Humbly too That if a Life Eternal be not worth this 't is worth Nothing SECT X. Three Aspirations Or Emotions of the Soul that being joyfully Apprehensive it has not committed this Sin is desirous henceforward to Please God in a Life of Faithful Obedience and Penitential Love ASPIRATION I. O Thou whom my Soul Loves WHat should I have done if thy Mercies had not been Infinite And what should I do if my Saviour's Merits were not Infinite What should I do if thou didst not pity and Love poor Penitents And if you were not Gracious and Merciful slow to Anger and of Great Kindness O my Love What should I do if my Mediator my Advocate my Intercessor were not in a merciful Sense thy Self and Me Partaker I mean both of Thy Nature and my Nature God and Man What should I have done had He not been Low as I Poor as I Weak as I in all Things Sin excepted and tempted as I and yet equal all this while to thee in his Divinity and Majesty and Power and Glory and Holiness Dread yet Dear Father Thou art God and I am Man For his sake who is God and Man united in one Person Let not me a Man be separated from Thee my God by any Thing I have Thought or Spoken or Done or by any Thing which I shall ever Speak or Think or Do in my whole Passage through the World I am griev'd that I have ever done any Thing to unfit me for thy Love I am Griev'd that I have ever done any Thing to displease a Tender Father Griev'd I am that I have done any one Thing contrary to his Commands who said If ye Love me Keep them And I am grieved that I have grieved the Holy Spirit of God by whom I was sealed to the Day of Redemption And as I am griev'd that I have ever Unkindly and Ungratefully affronted him whom my Soul Loves So I grieve because I Love I could Wish to Die before I ever Knowingly and Willingly and Deliberately with open Eyes and a full Consent of my Will do so any More till I come up to thee Particularly Here you may mention any Sin to which you are Tempted as to what I am most afraid of The Sin of Let Nothing O my Love Let Nothing that is Past Let Nothing that shall ever befall me in it Divorce and Separate me from his Favour and his Love whom my Soul Loves and to whom I yet Hope to Sing Hymns and Hallelujahs among them that Love in the Regions of Holiness and Peace and Love for all Ages Dread Majesty and Dearest Lord I bow the Head and beg I may be fitted to be called by thee Thy Affectionate Glorifier Lover and Obeyer ASPIRATION II. O Thou whom my Soul Loves I Desire Nothing in this World with any great Passion but to be Loved by him whom my Soul Loves But if my Sins and Disobediences have lessened or abated thy Love to me O Give me above all Things a Repentance True enough and Acceptable enough to restore me intirely to thy Love and a Reformation great enough
sincere enough and acceptable enough to keep me in that Love till I change Worlds O my Love make me Holy enough Just enough Chast enough Temperate enough Charitable enough Devout enough Penitent enough Universally Obedient enough to fit me to be Lov'd by thee Make me but to Love Thee enough to fit me to be Lov'd by thee and I ask no more Should'st thou tender me an earthly Crown most willingly would I refuse it in exchange for This favour viz. That thou wouldest but make me to Love Thee enough to be fit to be Lov'd by Thee O Thou whom my Soul Loves I would refuse Ten thousand Kingdoms and Ten thousand Worlds were they tendred to me to take my Choice whether to have these or to have the Favour to be made fit to be lov'd by Thee To Love Thee enough to be fitted to be Loved by Thee eternally Lord I Fear and Tremble and Sorrow My Heart is broken enough even to wish my Self intirely annihilated when I think that some sad Recessions from my Love and my Obedience may have caused Great Diminutions of thy Love to me But because a Restitution to thy Favour is not Impossible and I find some Instances of the Continuance of thy Love in great Measures to me O be pleased to fit me to be restored to it as intirely as ever And not only so but O my Love fit me by Repentance Love and Obedience or by something or other of doing or suffering for thee to be lov'd by Thee beyond what I have ever yet been And keep me O Keep me in it till I come up to thy Seraphick Lovers O my Lord some of them sinn'd against Thee and fell sadly too but they Lov'd much and they had much forgiven And I also would Love much because I have much to be forgiven O my Love thou knowest how much I Love and how much I Grieve because I Love no more Oh! let me but Grieve enough or Love enough to be forgiven and to be placed intirely in thy Love and I would part with as many Kingdoms Lives and Worlds as Arithmetick could Number Oh Grant me to be call'd in Heaven Pardon this Ambition dearest Lord and to be made by Thee fit to be call'd There Dread Majesty Thy Faithful Lover Glorifier and Obeyer ASPIRATION III. O Thou whom my Soul Loves HOw easie is it for Thee to Pity where the Temptation is very Violent and Surprizing thy Servant weak and yet sorrowful and grieved for having faln And then Lord how easie is it for Thee to Love where thou Pardonest and how easie is it for Thee to give the full Measure of Grace where thou Lovest and How easie is it for Thee to Glorifie where thou givest Grace Lord I have faln by a Violent Temptation and am infinitely griev'd for having faln O pity I beseech Thee and Pardon and give More Grace to thy griev'd Lover N. N. Pity me that am troubled that I have done or spoken or Thought any Thing Contrary to thy Love and thy Obedience If Omnipotence can pity Loving Dust If the God of Love can pity a Worm that Loves and that Grieves for not Loving more Grieves for not having Obey'd more and Grieves for not Grieving more then I am sure my Love can pity me O my Love let the same Love pardon me that pities me And when I am Pardon'd Oh! Let me have Grace and Strength to stand most Acceptably When I have Grace to stand I shall be Loved and when I am Loved I am sure I shall be Glorified But O Pardon every one of my Unfitnesses for thy Pity and thy Pardon Every one of my Unfitnesses for thy Grace thy Love thy Glory Especially * Here you may mention any Particular that of and then for Love's-Sake let me be call'd in Heaven Dread Majesty of Heaven and Earth Thy faithful affectionate devout Glorifier Lover and Obeyer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Books Printed for HENRY BONWICKE at the Red-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard THE General History of the Reformation of the Church Written in Latin by John Sleidan Faithfully Englished To which is added a Continuation to the End of the Council of Trent By E. Bohun Esq in Folio Two Useful Cases Resolved 1. Whether a State of Salvation be attainable 2. What is the Rule by which this certainty is to be attained In 4o. Pia Desideria Or Divine Addresses In Three Books 1. Sighs of the Penitent Soul 2. Desires of the Religious Soul 3. Ecstacies of the Enamoured Soul Illustrated with Forty Seven Copper-Plates Written in Latin Englished by Edm. Arwaker M. A. 8o. A New Description of Paris Containing a Particular Account of all the Churches Palaces Monasteries Colleges Hospitals Libraries Cabinets of Rarities Academies of the Virtuosi Paintings Medals Statues and other Sculptures Monuments and Publick Inscriptions With all other Remarkable Matters in that Great and Famous City Translated out of French To which is added a Map of Paris The Art of Catechising Or The Compleat Catechist In four Parts 1. The Church-Catechism Resolved into Easie Questions 2. An Exposition of it in a Continued Full and Plain Discourse 3. The Church-Catechism Resolved into Scripture Proofs 4. The Whole Duty of Man Reduced into Questions Fitted for the Meanest Capacities The Weakest Memories the Plainest Teachers and the most Un-instructed Learners A Discourse Proving from Scripture and Reason That the Life of Man is not limited by any Absolute Decree of God By the Author of the Duty of Man c. Letters of Religion and Virtue to several Gentlemen and Ladies To excite Piety and Devotion With some Short Reflections on Divers Subjects Country-Conversations Being an Account of some Discourses that Happen'd in a Visit to the Country Last Summer on divers Subjects Chiefly of the Modern Comedies of Drinking of Translated Verse of Painting and Painters of Poets and Poetry
Difference between speaking barely against the Son of Man before he was manifested to be so by Miracles and by the Power of the Holy Ghost and the Speaking against him after he was manifested to be so by Miracles and by the Power of the Holy Ghost The one as I said might be a pardonable Ignorance But the other must be an inexcusable willful Blindness SECT III. The Blasphemy of the Pharisees Vnpardonable no longer than wilfully and Impenitently continued in BUT now consider Christian neither was the Blasphemy of the Pharisees an unpardonable Sin any longer than 't was wilfully and impenitently continued in This I prove from their very Case here who were guilty of this Sin None could deny our Lord more or oppose him more than his very Crucifiers yet even of them his very words are to God Father forgive them That is Deny them not the means of Forgiveness which is Repentance and deny them not Forgiveness if they shall Return and Repent And no doubt Christ was heard in all that he pray'd for So that even they that at first resisted and opposed Christ if afterwards they receiv'd and acknowledg'd him by the convincing Considerations of his Doctrine and his Miracles and with a sincere and humble Conformity of Heart and Life to his Faith and Doctrine laid hold on God's Mercy in Christ even to these Pardon and Remission is not deny'd by the Gospel Something of an Example of this we have in St. Peter in that shameful and wretched and dismal fall of his in denying our Saviour Here was no Ignorance for he knew him and own'd him to be the Messias or the Christ But yet being prevail'd upon by a sudden Fear He deny'd him and not only deny'd the Lord that bought him three Times but swore him away too St. Matt. 26.74 Here was a disowning and denying of him indeed and That too after he had been convinced that he was the Messias by the Power and Influence of the Holy Ghost and had upon That receiv'd him and acknowledg'd him and own'd him A Denial of them therefore against his own Light Knowledge and Conviction And what you 'll say was not this a Sin against the Holy Ghost To this I Answer Had he obstinately persisted in it wilfully continued in it and liv'd and dy'd in it it had been the Sin against the Holy Ghost But in St. Peter's Case there are always three Things very Considerable First 'T was by a sudden Fear a sudden Surprize of That Passion that he fell Secondly The Quickness and Bitterness of his Repentance His Master look'd about upon him and He considered what he had done and recall'd himself and went out and wept Bitterly Thirdly What was most considerable The truth of his Repentance appear'd by the Truth and Perseverance of his Reformation For no Fears could afterward any more prevail upon him For he had the Courage to die for him whom he had before deny'd These were three Things that were infinitely Considerable And here Dear Christian give me leave to stop a little to bring them home to your own Case even yours in particular Perhaps with St. Peter thou hast faln and faln too Knowingly and Wittingly against Knowledge Light and Conviction If so Consider what he did and go do thou likewise and like him do it Quickly Sincerely and Perseveringly and you shall not fail of Mercy Perhaps a sudden Fear or a sudden Passion or a sudden Surprize has betray'd thee to a Sin Nay perhaps 'thas not only been sudden but deliberate with open Eyes and a full Consent of the Will However do thou as he did Return to thy offended Saviour with Penitential Sorrows By Faith lay hold on God's Mercies in him Shew him the Truth of thy Repentance by the Sincerity of thy Reformation Crown 〈◊〉 Perfect thy Repentance by 〈◊〉 to obtain the Contrary Virtue 〈◊〉 Living in it But withall do it 〈◊〉 as he did and persevere sincereâ—â— too and doubt not of the Mercies of Eternity He did it Quickly He did not stay till his Death-bed fill'd him with variety of Distractions Pains and Agonies and unfitted him for it He did not stay till the worst of his days those which lay upon his hands and were good for Nothing He did not keep those for God which he knew not what to do with himself but He did it Quickly He did it Sincerely next As appeared by the Shower of Penitential Tears which could not have dropt so soon had he not been in good Earnest with his dearest Lord and had they not proceeded from a heart swollen equally with Grief and Love And Last of all he did it Perseveringly And in this Respect go and do thou likewise Shew him thy Love in the sincere Permanency of thy Reformation as he did who having thrice following deny'd him did in a little time after say to him thrice following these Affectionate words and made them good too Lord thou knowest that I love thee St. Joh. 21.15 16 17. Hast thou faln Why oh why wilt thou for any Hopes or Expectations Any Fears or Desires any Delights or Advantanges continue a day longer in thy Sin Do but look yonder in a holy Meditation to that Lovely Futurity which so many wise Men have been content to live and content to die for and then see if you can be the Person that can think fit to venture so much for so little Look in a quick and a piercing Thought Look yonder to what eye has not seen nor ear heard nor the Heart of man conceiv'd and think then whether a wise Man should be able to find it in his Heart to venture all this for some unsatisfactory and dishonourable Iniquity Once more do but raise your Meditations Dear Christian to the lovely Regions of beatified Spirits Regions which cost thy Saviour an Agony and a Bloody Sweat a Crucifixion and Death it's self to purchace you the Hopeful Possibility of them and then see in That Thought if you can alway be content they should cost you Nothing Nothing of Penitential Sorrows Nothing of the Pains of Subduing a Temptation Nothing of the Self-denial of being without the Pleasures of a Sin Nothing of the Diligence and Watchfulness and Care of a Reformed State Come then O come my Soul say Seeing our Case is yet Hopeful at least not Desperate let us from this moment be content that one short Life should cost us as much as 〈…〉 to till all be over and ended 〈◊〉 we are consign'd to our Nâ—w 〈◊〉 unknown and eternal State and Condition SECT IV. How any Person may assuredly know whether he has been Guilty of the Sin against the Holy Ghost HAving seen what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is That is what it was in the Pharisees I shall Presently shew what it is in them who have been baptized and have been Believers But before I come to That I will stop a little to shew how any Person may assuredly Judge whether he have committed