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sin_n distinction_n mortal_a venial_a 4,934 5 12.1153 5 false
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A07496 The sinne vnto death. Or an ample discouery of that fearefull sinne, the sinne against the holy Ghost together with the signes, degrees and preservatiues thereof. In a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse. August 26. 1621. By Tho: Bedford ... Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653. 1621 (1621) STC 1788; ESTC S101417 81,812 112

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matter of this Epistle it is various But the thing that he chiefly aymeth at is Puritie in life Charitie in affection In this fift Chapter hee setteth downe the force and efficacie of Faith the seuerall fruits and effects which it produceth a speciall one whereof is Assurance to bee heard in our prayers verse 14. The which Assurance teacheth vs that whatsoeuer wee aske the same shall be nay is alreadie graunted Wee know that we haue the petitions that we haue desired of him prouided alwaies that it be according to his will Whereupon the Apostle builds an exhortation that if any one doe see his brother going astray sinning a sin which is not vnto death he should pray for him and the Lord would giue li●e for them that sinne not vnto death By which wordes hauing intimated a difference of sinnes and thereby giuen just occasion of a doubt of a question he annexeth the solution the answere of it in this Text shewing plainely that there is a sinne vnto death for which hee will not haue prayers to be made There is a sinne vnto death I say not that thou shouldest pray for it For the cleering of which words which I must needs doe before I can come to the matter I note first the Terme that is vsed secondly The number that is insinuated A word or two of either The Terme is not Mortall but sinne vnto death The Schoole men and their followers the Iesuits haue a distinction of sinne into Veniall and Mortall Some sinnes say they are sua natura in their owne nature veniall others are mortall But one that hath but halfe an eye may see the reason of this distinction For you must know that when Purgatorie was found out lest that it should haue beene lost againe and so the Popes Kitchin haue wanted fire fuell and other vtensilles it was conuenient nay in a manner necessary that some sins should be accounted veniall that so though a man should die in them without repentance yet there might be some hope to helpe him But not daring to make all sinnes veniall lest they might seeme to haue reversed the judgement of God they left some to be mortall Little considered they that Death is the wages of all sinne Paul speaketh indefinitely and Moses more distinctly Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them And how can it be otherwise since that All sinne is a rebellion against God transgression of the Law of God Excellent to this purpose is the saying of an Ancient n Wee must not vse deceitfull ballances in censuring sinne but the iust and true waight of Gods holy word Neither is the distinction so absurd but the application of it is farre more grosse For while they reckon vp these mortall and deadly sinnes hence haue they excluded the breach of the first Table hence also the breach of their two last our tenth commandement So that Idolatrie Superstition Swearing Prophanation of the Sabboth together with the inordinate lusts and concupiscence of our corrupted nature are not mortall with them The aspersion of holy water will wash them away especially if committed after Baptisme The Sorbonists o sayth Calvin acknowledge no sinne to bee mortall except it be Aegyptian darknesse filthinesse that may be felt and palpably perceiued Obiection But no learned Papist doth build that distinction vpon this Text True indeede yea I grant that some doe here manifestly distinguish betwixt mortall sinnes and sinnes to death But who knowes whether hereafter it may not be true that as this generation is worse then the former so the next may be more absurd then this And as they decay in learning so fayle in vnderstanding and in the end come to that which their forefathers would haue blusht at None before Boniface the eighth could picke the Supremacie out of Gen. ● 1. Nor any out of Deut. 17. 6. before Innocentius the third Whereas all things duely considered this Text is a farre fitter place to proue the distinction of veniall and mortall then the other to build vp the Supremacie And yet if we marke it Haymo is not farre from it when speaking of the words of Paul Stipendium peccati mors est The wages of sinne is death he addeth this is not to be vnderstoode of all sinnes but onely of Criminall of which sayth hee S. Iohn speaketh saying There is a sinne vnto death But if any hereafter should so farre forget himselfe as to vrge this place for it Let him withall consider what S. Iohn addeth viz. That for this sinne wee must not pray So that if this Text shall patronize the distinction of Mortal sinne it shal also exclude all Mortall sinne from the Churches prayers for Sain● Iohn sayth I say not that thou shouldest pray for it Nay sayth Bellarmine that followeth not He forbids vs not but onely he doth not encourage vs to pray for such Why then it seemeth S. Iohn did approue of the sluggards saying ● There is a Lyon in the streete I shall be slaine Because it was somewhat difficult therefore the safest course were to giue it ouer Would a Captaine so speake to his souldiers A Physition to his patient A Master to his schollers A Minister to his people How much better is that noble consequence of our blessed Sauiour The way is narrow and the gate streight Ergo not giue it ouer but striue to enter But if neither the consent of Authors thus vnderstanding this Text nor the coherence of the Text it selfe could guide the Cardinall to the truth yet the rule of Logicke might haue taught him For contradictories haue contrary consequences Now St Iohn before had said If any see his brother sinne a sinne not vnto death let him pray for him doth it not hereupon follow If he see him sinne a sinne vnto death let him not pray for him But I loose time Obserue also the number here vsed ● A sinne For howsoeuer the singular number doth not alwayes imply an individuall vnitie as may appeare out of ver 17. yet here it doth For there is found onely one sinne so deadly so mortall that it may not be prayed for and to which the Lord will shew no mercie One such there is called A sinne vnto death First because it hangeth vppon a man even to death Secondly It giueth death possession of him surrenders vp his damnable life to a cursed death a Now so long as any place is left for pardon death hath not taken possession but when all hope of pardon is excluded then death which is the wages of sinne claimes his right calls for his due Onely one such there is and that we hang no longer in suspence it is that heauie that hainous that deadly that mortall that irremissible and vnpardonable sinne viz. The sinne against the holy Ghost which is a sinne with a witnesse a lump of sinne
of Abel rather than his But it was a worse signe in Saul who knowing that Dauid was the man in whom the kingdome should be established did fret and grudge murmur and repine against it labouring by all meanes to ouerthrow the decree of God So when men come to that passe that hauing receiued in themselues the seale of Gods curse euerlasting vpon their soules they cannot endure to heare that any should fare better then they doe but rather wish that all might with them be damned it is a shrewde signe of an Apostata Fourthly Blasphemy against God whom hee hateth and accuseth as an vniust Iudge in that the Lord hath giuen him vp to the power and dominion of Sathan Fiftly want of good affections when hee neyther loueth good nor desireth it but rather continueth in a violent hatred and malice against God the which also breaketh forth against those who labour his good his conuersion his saluation whom he cannot abide but hateth and detesteth These are vehement causes of suspition when a man bewrayeth his malice against the Spirit of Grace when he impugneth each poynt of the Gospell when hee professeth an enuying of Grace and Gods fauour towards any when he spareth not to blaspheme the God of heauen when he is altogether destitute of all good affections it is ten to one this mans case is desperate and I may iustly leaue such an one to the iudgement of God and as to imprecatiō I dare not proceede because I may fayle in the vnderstanding of his cause Yet since I cannot haue faith nor warrant to be heard I dare not by name recommend his cause absolutely in my prayers and supplications On the contrary side we may more easily obserue in whom this our sinne is not First being a generall Apostasie it is not in those who hold fast the foundation and reioyce in the knowledge of the truth Much lesse in those who labour against corruption least of all in those who hold on a constant course in holy exercises These may be in great offences but of this they are not guilty Secondly being a oalicious opposition and persecution of the truth It is not in those who hunger and thirst after Righteousnesse not in those who loue any of the good meanes of Saluation Much lesse in those who doe loue the brethren for the truths sake Thirdly being voluntary it is not in them who are afrayde of it not in those who albeit their hearts perhaps are hardened yet this disposition of their heart doth not please them Wherefore let this be the comfort of all poore soules who are vehemently troubled with this feare lest they haue thus fallen They may be ouercome by many weakenesses but yet into this sinne they are not fallen Yea hearken to this all you that are weary and heauie laden so long as you stand in feare of falling into it be assured for your comfort you are far from it Wherefore let not the Deuill busie though he be perswade you that so you haue offended for it is but an illusion yea a stratagem of Satan whereby hee laboureth to make shipwrack of your soules Now to stop our Censure This is not the sinne of such who neuer attayned to the knowledg of the Truth neyther Turkes nor Infidels neyther Atheists nor Epicures neyther Pharaoh nor Rabshekah neyther Herod nor Pylate did or could euer fall into it A curse indeede and an heauy one hath gone out against them and all like to them bondslaues are they of Satan and strangers from the Common wealth of Israell Aliens from the couenant of Grace but yet an heauier curse is for those who haue sinned this sinne and far more miserable is their estate Secondly Not of all that fall being constrayned through feare in the time of persecution Thirdly No not of all that doe persecute the Truth vnlesse they be found to carry a malicious minde against not only man but God The next vse is for exhortation to take heede of falling into this there is no recouery it is like the lawes of hell if once man be slipt downe thither there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great gulfe to hinder all passages of returne Wherefore it is the wisedome of a Christian to to take heede how he traceth in these steps for the paths thereof are the paths of death Quest. What are the steps and degrees of this descension by which a man doth decline till hee come to this finall Apostasie Resp. In the answering of this we are to distinguish for there are two kindes of this Apostasie or falling away not much vnlike to the two kindes of Epilepsy or falling sicknesse which the Physitians haue obserued The one is seated eyther in the brayne or the heart and this taketh suddenly and so suddenly that wheresoeuer it taketh them it casteth them into the fire or into the water bereauing them of all meanes to help themselues The other beginneth in the externall parts as in the Armes or Legs and here by frication it may be stayed at least wise some time gayned that the parties may prouide for their owne security Euen such is our Apostasy there is a praecipitation when a man doth suddenly fall headlong into this sinne and of this there can be giuen no signes nor degrees Of this kinde was the sin of the Angels who suddenly fell into this Apostasie in which they are There is also a certayne Pedetentim and leasurely declining so that from one step to another doth a man descend till he come to the gates of death Neyther is this distinction so newly deuised but that it hath beene disputed in the Schooles Aquinas among other questions of this subiect moueth this Whether a man may primo at the first fall into this and sinne against the holy Ghost He is a Schooleman and his answere is not to seeke his answere is this That two wayes may a man sin against the holy Ghost First by inclination of habit this he saith is not incident at the first for an habit must be acquired gotten by many and frequent actions Secondly by a wilfull reiecting of that by which he might bee kept from sinne and of this he saith that howsoeuer it doth most an end praesuppose former sinnes viz. that men walke in the councēll of the vngodly and stand in the way of sinners before they sit downe in the seate of the Scornefull yet he affirmeth that it is possible that at the first a man may thus sinne and that saith he for one or all of these causes First for the freedome of his will Secondly for many praeceding dispositions Thirdly for some great motiue Fourthly for the weakenesse of affection to that that is good Whereupon he inferreth that this hardly or neuer befalleth those who haue attayned to any good perfection according to the saying of Origen in briefe his answere is this that against the holy Ghost by finall Impaenitency man cannot sinne at