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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

very grace by which he was reconciled to God See Gualter Also Perkins his Dialogue on 1 Iohn But to come to Argument In that Saint Iohn sayes it shall not be prayed for it shewes it must needes be some extraordinary haynous crime The Sinne of Simon Magus was very great Act. 8.23 which made Peter say he was in the gall of bitternesse c. Yet the Apostle there wishes him to pray for forgivenesse pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven The Sinne of them that stoned Stephen was great and fearefull it was peccatum aggregatum there was Envie Pride Murder and persecution all conjoyned yet Stephen prayes for them Therefore this sinne to death must exceed Pride Malice Envie Persecution and then what can it be lesse then the sinne against the Holy Ghost Concerning Hebr. 6.4 5 6. who doubts but this sinne is also there understood Yet with these two differences First our Saviour in the Evangelists speakes most especially of sinne in speech that is blasphemie against the Holy Ghost not excluding other kindes of Sinne for as he sayes all sinne and blasphemy shall be forgiven that is blasphemy or any other sinne in thought or deed so here againe this blasphemy shall not be forgiven nor any other sinne against the Holy Ghost in thought or deed It is sottish to thinke that this great sinne is onely confined to speeches sith a man may be as bad or worse in deedes as he can be in words But here in the Hebrewes the Apostle speakes more generally as well of other sinnes against the Holy Ghost as of blasphemy Secondly Musc comment in Mat. 12. Istisunt duplicis generu c. Musculus shewes a second difference Those sayes he that sinne against the Holy Ghost are of two sorts First such as doe oppose and blaspeme that truth which they cannot but inwardly acknowledge but have not at all given up their names to the profession of that Trueth so these Pharisees here in the Evangelists Secondly such as doe the like but have also given up their names to it and made profession of it and of these this Epistle to the Hebrews chiefly makes mention But notwithstanding this difference yet it is still the sinne against the Holy Ghost that is here spoken of which thus I prove The Sinne against the Holy Ghost is a malicious deniall of rage against a fundamentall Evangelicall truth inwardly acknowledged therefore it is contained in Hebr. 6. Heb 6 4 5 6. For the fourth verse containes in it an inward acknowledgement of such a truth aforesaid to which adde the fift verse and for the malicious denyall of it and rage and envy against it it is clearely contained in vers● 6 they fall a way and crucifie c. that is they so fall away as to crucifie Christ and doe what they can to cast all the disgrace and scorne they can upon Iesus Christ and the Christian Religion Not that every falling away is a crucifying for then had Peter been thus farre guilty but sensu diviso they so farre fall as to commit this horrible indignity Therefore I conclude it is clearely spoken of in this sixt Chapter And as clearely is it exprest in the tenth Chapter The 26 verse containes in it this inward acknowledgement of such a truth above mentioned after yee have received saith he the knowledge of the Truth The 29 verse containing a malicious rage against it Who hath sayes the Apostle troden under foot the Sonne of God and done despight to the Spirit of Grace not onely spoken but done not onely to Iesus Christ but to the Spirit of Grace that is the Holy Ghost which leades us forward to the fourth and last Difficulty Why seeing it is against the whole Trinity as all sinnes are and especially against Iesus Christ the maine of the Gospel it 's called a Sin against the Holy Ghost 4. Difficulty Why it is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost which admits of two senses For first either Holy Ghost stands in opposition to man and uncleane spirits to man as it is a Spirit to uncleane spirits as it is the Spirit of holinesse the Holy Ghost and so it must signifie the Holy God Or secondly it is taken for the third Person in Trinity in relative opposition to the first and second Persons the Father and Son The ground of the first sense and interpretation lies thus Our Saviour sayes that all blasphemy against the Sonne of man shall be forgiven but not against the Holy Ghost as if he had said so farre forth as you sin against me appearing but as a man I will forgive you but so farre forth as you sinne against me appearing to be God as well as man I will not forgive you And whereas the word Holy is added to the word Ghost or Spirit that say they is in direct opposition to that unholy and uncleane spirit of Beelzebub to whose power these blasphemers did impute Christs great and gracious worke of casting out devils * Hieronymus ep 149. ut cum videas in virtutib●● Beelzebub calumniera infactis post ea aliud est se Christ●anum nega●e allud Christum diabolum dicere Isidor Pelus epist 39. G●rgon●o circ fi●em 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And certainely what greater blasphemy can be framed by the wit and invention of the most maligne wretch in the world then to say that that is done by Beelzebub which a mans conscience tels him is done by God If nothing be so hateful● to God and distant from God as sinne and if nothing be so polluted with sinne as the Devill an● if amongst all the Devils non● so much as Beelzebub th● prince of Devils what a monstrous prodigious transcenden● blasphemy was this to impute and that wilfully the worke of the most Holy pure God to so fo● and impure a spirit a greater then which a mans thoughts cannot project This sense cannot well stand at least alone For if God in opposition to man b● here understood by Holy Ghost then all sinnes against the first Table are committed against the Holy Ghost The second Interpretation is that it stands in opposition to the Father and the Sonne and is taken properly for the third Person in Trinity Of which the Schooles give this as the reason because this foule sinne is properly against the goodnesse of God For say they power is properly attributed to God the Father wisedome to God the Sonne goodnesse to God the Holy Ghost Consequently sinnes of infirmity are against God the Father sinnes of Ignorance against God the Sonne sinnes of malice and wickednesse against God the Holy Ghost ●pon which notion of theirs they inferre a reason why the sinne against the Ghost is onely unpardonable because sinnes 〈◊〉 Infirmity and ignorance hav● some pretext but the last ha●● none In which positions 〈◊〉 theirs there is more subtilt● then sound verity It 's grant● that Christ is called the Wisdome of

God but he is also call●● the power of God in the sa●● place 1 Corinth 1.24 Y●● the Holy Ghost is called the po●er of God Luke 1.35 the po●er of the Almighty shall ov●● shadow thee Neither is it clea● how the Holy Ghost is prope● the goodnesse of the Godhe● sith the goodnesse of God is m●nifest to the world-ward also Christ the Sonne of God tak● our Nature and laying down life for us out of whose fuln●● we all receive and grace 〈◊〉 grace Secondly were it so that th● attributes were proper to 〈◊〉 three Persons as is mentioned and that in matter of expression towards the world for so they understand it acknowledging all the persons to bee in themselves qually powerfull wise and good I say admit this to be true yet how are sinnes of Infirmity against the power of God or sins of Ignorance against the wisedome of God What can we make of this If sins of Infirmity be sins against the power of God then it must either respect the Infirmity as Infirmity or the sin as sin if the Infirmity as infirmity or weakenesse it is no more against the power of God then all naturall infirmities and weaknesses are in any creature whatsoever but if sin as sin then it is more properly against the Holinesse of God then his power Besides when we say such a sin is against such an attribute we meane it doth especially di●honour that attribute and ta●● it in vaine as desperation is sin against the mercy of God b●cause it dishonours his mercy 〈◊〉 limiting it presumption is a s●● against the justice of God b●cause it is abused by it But si● of Infirmity doe not abuse or l●sen the power of God but rathe● illustrate it But if they say th● they meane a bare passive de● contrariety such as is betwe●● blacke and white light and dar●nesse or the like then it is gra●ted but in the meane time the● give us a very lame and unev●● trichotomy of three sorts of sin● For they cannot deny but the si● against the Holy Ghost is mo●● then a bare passive contraries to the holinesse and goodness● thereof for it comprehends in 〈◊〉 an active opposition resistance repugnancy abuse dishonour despight against the Holy Ghost Therefore to conclude this fourth thing It is called the sin against the Holy Ghost because although it be equally a transgression against the whole Trinity who as they are equall so in every sin are equally offended yet it seemes most to reflect upon the Holy Ghost by which Christ as man did all his great workes Matth. 12.28 If I by the Spirit of God cast out Devils c. by which to this day things are wrought that tend to the reparation and sanctification of man fallen by which Christ is made ours and we Christs therefore it is called the Spirit of Grace and despight is said to be done to the Spirit of Grace Neither doth this thwart what is specified in the ensuing Discourse where it is said t● have this name because it i● committed against the grace and gifts of the Holy Ghost fo● I grant that too but as it is a● offence it is properly against 〈◊〉 person They sin indeed agains● those gifts and graces by repe●ling them and making themselves for ever uncapable of thē but yet herein they offend properly the Spirit of God Chrysos● in Mat. Spiritus antem sancti gratia multis magnis parvulis signis se ipsam manifestaverat ●am prophetae per spiritum omnia locuti sunt omnes illi vatere● multa de ipso acceperant documenta by wh●● properly and immed ately tho●● graces are to be wrought in them And though the Pharise● knew not distinctly whethe● there was an Holy Ghost or 〈◊〉 as a third person in Trinity proceeding from the Father and th● Sonne yet notwithstanding th● could not but acknowledge a divine holy spirituall power proce●ding from God and closing wit● men by which the Prophets formerly and Christ now among●● them did and spake so many holy and great things See 1 Kin. 22.24 Thus have I good Reader as briefly as well I could laid open those foure things which seeme hard in this matter and that I hope without any intrenching upon the ensuing Treatise My aime herein is thy satisfaction if I misse of it it may be it is either thy prejudicate thoughts or slight perusall of what is written But if thou hast duely weighed all things in the ballance of the Sanctuary found any thing too light tell me of it and I will either satisfie thee if I can or crave pardon of God and thee if I cannot However cover the failings of me thy brother from others so long as they doe not endammage others and Iesus Christ for ever cover thine For my part I could doe no lesse then I have done in publishing this small Worke following I was told by a late friend a little before his decease that some Divines of his acquaintance in the West of this Kingdome had Copies of the same a● intending if I had none to publish theirs I thought it therefore very convenient to precede them in that Worke. First that none might be more forward to continue the memory of my deceased Father in any thing that might be usefull to the Church then I my selfe and next to prevent other Copies that happily written at the second and third hand or more might be much different from the originall In inditing wherof I know the Authors ayme was at these things mainely First to comfort such afflicted mindes as thinke they have committed this sinne but have not Secondly * Quod non probatur ab aliquo esse commissum nisi cum de corpore exlerit Au●ust Epist 50. To prevent all rash judgement of the persons of others whom we are apt to judge guilty of this sin but are not Thirdly to admonish men of it and to teach them to avoyd the way that leades to it Fourthly to instruct all concerning the true guise and nature of it What acceptance other Treatises of his those especially of Iustification and preparation have found in the world is knowne to the world this also may finde some offence I know it can give none The Author desires not thy prayers who hath been dissolved and beene with Christ now full twenty two yeares those that he cannot enjoy for his sake bestow on me how short soever I fall of him how unworthy soever I be of them I have beene somewhat too large and perhaps the Reader seeing the Treatise little and the Preface long will be ready to say as he that seeing a little City and a great paire of Gates said the City perhaps will run out of the Gates The Apophthegme is common But to prevent such a thing I will shut up the Gates closing up all with my prayers that this fearefull sinne may a seldome be committed if it b● Gods will as it is pardoned To which