Well then art thou Baptized art thou signed with the Idem de Cataclysmate c. 9. Kings Seale beginnest thou to feede at the Table of thy King * Idem Epla ad Arment et Paulin Noli esse Desertor become not a flincher Remember thy Couenant * Quia iam vouisti iam te astrinxisti the vowe hath bound thee wretched art thou if thou break thy vowe to God The Heathen neuer forsake their Gods but feare reuerence and mainly defend them lest by changing their rights they should be taxed with error Illi perseuerant in falso tiâ— non perseuâ—ras in vero Shall they persist in falshood and * Chrysost homil de Ierâ—m Prophet wilt not thou abide in the truth Socrates though a Pagan hauing denied sacrifice to Apollo which was death among the Athenians being aduised by Plato to saue his life by flight said * Bonauent in Luminar Ecclesiae Serm. 5. Absit vt veritatem negem quam asserui farre be it from me to denie that truth which before I professed and therefore Plato hauing pondered with himselfe the basenesse of his Counsaile was ashamed thereof and absented himselfe from his death Who but a mad man would cast away the Anchor of his ship in a tempest who but a desperate wretch would reiect his pardon being before condemned to death or will any pitty him who knowing himselfe vnrecouerably sicke yet would cast off that Physitian who with his owne life hauing purchased a soueraigne Alexetery proffereth him certaine recouery freely if he will vse it and trust vnto him whereas otherwise except he beleeue he must dye because he despiseth the sole meanes of his preseruation Saint * Homil. 25. in oper Imperf in Math. Chrysostome expresseth the state of such persons in a familiar similitude As the house saith he that hath a firme foundation suffereth no great ruine if part of the wall or roofe do fall because it may be repaired againe but if the foundation fall then the ruine is great because the whole tumbleth down So if a Christian commit fornication adultery or manslaughter his fall is not great and vnrecouerable because hee may rise againe by repentance as Dauid did But if the foundation of his faith faile that he turne Pagan and become vnbeleeuer then his ruine is great and vnrecouerable for the whole perisheth And such sinne more heinously then those who neuer knew him or beleeued in him and Christ is more offended at them Truly spake the * Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sophocles There can be no greater sore then a false friend whom a man can neither fugere neque fugare shunne nor banish So Christ complaineth that if an enemie had dishonourea him he Bern. Psalm 55. could haue bare it but his companion and familiar friend to betray him made it execrable He was grieued at the Infidels vnder the Law of Nature but more at the Iewes vnder the Law of Moses because his loue was greater vnto them But most against Iudas vnder the Law of Grace for betraying him it appeareth by the diuersity of their punishments The first he drowned which was an easie death The second Gen. 7. Num. 15. he stoned which was a more greeuous death But Iudas the Traytor hung himselfe which was a most shamefull death and accursed and the rather because hee Math. 27. was of the number of those to whom he had said yee are my Ioh. 15. friends We doe worthily detest Cains iniquity Lamech his cruelty Chams subsannation Ismaelsferity Esaw his pertinacie Absalon his malice the peruersity of Ioseph his brethren But all these are nothing to that incomparable villany of Iudas in betraying his Lord and Master whom he beleeued to be the sonne of the euer-liuing God and the Sauiour of mankind this impiety was aboue all other of an Apostle who should haue bin one of the 12. Iudges sitting in glory to iudge the 12. Tribes of Israell to become a Traytor against him who called him to this high dignity and therefore because of his monstrous ingratitude the diuell entred into his heart and carried him headlong to the acting of his Treason and from thence despairing of pardon to hang himselfe where he brast asunder and his bowels gushed out Surely Iudas committed that Sinne against the Holy Ghost for so great was his malice against Christ that if it had beene possible he would haue had not his flesh onely but his soule and Diuinity also to be destroyed hee betrayed him to death whom he beleeued to be the Lord of life yet such was his most indurate malice that nothing could withhold him from his purpose though Christ vsed many meanes and admonitions vnto him Loue in washing his feete Ioh. 13. Feare when he said woe vnto him by whom the Sonne Luc. 22. of man is betrayed Sorrow when he foretold his betraying Ioh. 13. Math. 26. Shame when he said vnto Iudas Thou hast said Yea so great that he seemed after a sort to doe wrong vnto his Iustice in vsing so great mercy toward him yet hee would not be saued and because he would not he was damned yea if a man may so speake against Christs will Their Sinne who hauing once giuen their names vnto Christ entertained the truth of his Gospell and resolued their consciences thereof yet shall after fall away from the same is like vnto that which Iudas the Traytor committed for such Crucifie to themselues againe the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him and are said to despite the Spirit of Grace which is the true sinne against the Holy Ghost By faith we are made the sonnes of God which faith is wrought in our hearts by the Holy Ghost and is called in this respect the Spirit of Adoption whereby we crie Abba Father bearing Rom. 8. witnesse with our Spirit that we are the Children of God by this Spirit wee are sealed vnto the day of Redemption Ephes 4. Some Translations haue it in the day of Redemption the Fathers expound it in the day of Baptisme and the reading and exposition is good for the Holy Ghost sealeth vs in Baptisme by faith and maketh vs to be de Regio grego nor suffereth Théophylact vs to stand among the guilty and damned and hath seperated vs to Redemption Noli ergo Signaculum illud dissoluere If thou fall away from thy faith thou doest despite the Holy Ghost who did worke this in thee thou haddest receiued a Benefit and reiectest it after thou despisest the giuer he made thee the Sonne of God thou wilt be the Seruant of the Diuell he came to saue thy Soule and thou doest thrust him out of dores and seeke to bring him to confusion thou doest herein resist plainely and persecute the Holy Ghost and like Iudas art a Traytor vnto him The Second Circumstance IT sufficeth not a Christian to haue Faith to Beleeue but hee must haue Vnderstanding and Knowledge ioyned to his
they reuile the Spirit of Grace Verse codem And at length as open Enemies to Christ and his Truth they manifest it in Action Treading the Sonne of God vnder Ibid their feete saith the Apostle And although the Sinne against the Holy Ghost bee the Speaking of a word against him yet it causeth no doubt in this point For a man may speake diuersly * Caictan in CoÌ„ ad 2â— 2 Aquin. quest 13. Art 1. saith one Optatiue in heart Enunciatiue vocally Imperatiue wilfully compelling other to the like This appeared in Iultan the Apostata Hee * Socrat. lâ—br 3. Eccl. hist cap. 1. secretly detested CHRIST and imitated the Religion of Libanius the Sophist and Maximus the Philosopher his Masters at Nicomedia Secondly hee vsually termed Christ in contempt Galilaean bellowing forth euen at his Death also this Blasphemy * Theodo lib. 3. Eccl. hist cap. 25 Vicifti Galilaee thou hast vanquished mee Galilaean And lastly being enraged by the Christians of Antiochiae at the * Russin libr. 1. Eccles hist cap. 35.36 fetching home from Daphne the Corpes of Babilas the Martyr whose propinquity silenced their Oracle for that they sang with Ioy and exultation Let all bee confounded that worship carued Images He resolued to imitate the cruelty of Diocletian against the Christians commaunding Salustius his President in the meane time to torture those who did sing at that time And among other they afflicted * Socrat. vbi suâ—ra cap. 16. 17. Theodorus a young man with paines most cruell and of long continuance This is the condition of the persidious Apostata for as when the life of the Body is taken away all the Members are depriued of their due disposition So when the life of the Soule which is Faith as the Apostle saith is extinguished there appeareth a disorder in all the powers and faculties of Rom. 1. the same and the Members of the Body In the Heart which conceiueth hate against God In the mouth which blasphemeth him In the Motiue Instruments which persecute him So that the wordes of Salomon are verified of him Prouerb 6. Virnequam or Apostata as the vulgar translation soundeth it ambulat peruerso ore c. The wicked Apostate walketh with a froward mouth He maketh a signe with his eyes hâ—e signifieth with his fingers leude thinges are in his heart hee imagineth Euill at all times and raiseth vp Contentions and his Iudgement is annexed Therefore shall his destruction come sodainly without recouery To deny him were with the Greekes to repute him foolishnes and argueth damnable pride To renounce him whose seruice would yeeld thee a Kingdome aeternall were monstrous Ingratitude But if farther thou doest calumniate and reuile him Opprobriously and falsely either by vniust Detraction or imputation or labour to ruinate his Kingdome by persecution thou art a Blasphemer and Sinnest against the Holy Ghost The Subiect of this Sinne The Will Wilfully MAN being created by GOD * Benanent Brâ—uiloâ— pt 3. Cap. 1. Vt ageret opera sua a Deo secundum Deum propter Deum to performe his actions by the power of Gods might according to the Direction of his wisedome and to the aduancement of his Glory had for the full and perfect execution hereof his Soule endowed with three principall faculties termed by the School-men Actuum humanorum principia Aquin. 12. â— quâ—sâ— 78. art 1. Compend Thâ—olâ—â— lâ—b 2. Cap. 49. The first is Voluntas the Will by Albertus termed Imperuâ—ix potentia the commaunding power The Second Intellectus the vnderstanding termed Consultrix potentia the aduising or directing power The Third Appeâ—itus sensitiuus the Appetite Sensitiue termed Affectiua potentia the desiring power The Will was giuen as a powerfull Potentate to conforme the whole Man to the will of his Maker But forasmuch as this could not bee effected vnlesse the will of God were first made knowne vnto her therefore the Vnderstanding was giuen to enlighten with the manifest knowledge of the first Truth and the Vertue appetitiue which could not bee satisfied but with the perfect loue of the chiefe Good But through Adams Sinne the powers of the Soule were so peruerted and crazed Euen as an Instrument of Musick which when it is crackt and out of Tune in steed of sweete Melody annoyeth the Eare with harsh sound Hence commeth it to passe that the Will before so potent in her command and absolute in Dominion ouer Spirituall and Carnall concupiscence findeth in her kingdome so many Contradictions Rebellions Conflictations Contrarieties and Oppositions Briefely herselfe to bee infected with Malice prone vnto euill ouer-ruled by Sensuality and therby drawne vnto Carnall desires The Vnderstanding which was so prudent an informing Counsailour vnto the will is so blinded with Ignorance that it cannot discerne the Truth but is quickly deceiued and prone vnto Error And the Appetite Sensitiue before a prouident and faithfull Subiect is now infected with Infirmity and concupiscence rebellious against reason and inclining vnto all manner of euill kindling in vs an vncessant desire to Sinne. All whatsoeuer Sinnes proceed from a corruption in one of these principall faculties Sometime by default of the Vertue Appetitiue when we fall into Sinnes through Infirmity and notwithstanding all our resistance wee cannot fully auoyde them but with Humiliation wee acknowledge them and accuse our selues for the Commission Sometime by default of vnderstanding when we incurre sinnes through error and commit euill because we thinke it to be good being deceiued by the vayle of a false opinion which causeth in vs deniall of those sinnes Sometime by default of the will when we commit sinnes of meere iniquity knowing them being able to resist them and yet of purpose committing them with contumacie in the commission contempt of God in the transgression and impudence in the factitation of them Such are said to be sinnes of malice In which sence the word wilfully is vsed in my Text and so much the Greeke Aduerbe soundeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluntarily wittingly and of set purpose without any compulsion And in this sence Aquine expoundeth the Latine word voluntary in my Text for the deliberate malice of the will distinguishing it from volens which signifieth a seduction through passion without obstinacie For a man may sinne in blasphemy against God by feare compulsion and constraint drawne vnto it by the infirmity of the flesh which declineth the horrour of torments as did St. * Tom. 1. concil conc Synuessae Peter and Marcellinus Bishop of Rome and many other in the Primitiue Church who notwithstanding did after repent and became glorious Martyrs of whom saith that glorious Martyr * Cyprian Ser. de Lapsis Bishop of Carthage Non animus sed corpus in dolore defecit the flesh fainted but their heart did not vtterly faile vnder those tortures Or thus may a man sinne of ignorance as many of the Iewes did when they passed by Christ and nodded
their Math. 27. heads at him in derision as he did hang on the Crosse and as St. Paul did who persecuted Christ ignorantly and through 1. Tim. 1. vnbeliefe Or thus may a man sinne of malice and wilfully of meere hate against Christ with a full purpose to sinne in this kinde without any outward cause mouing thereunto but ex industria as the Schoolemen speake with earnest desire to performe it and without all coaction for seeing that whatsoeuer is voluntary is caused either * Bonauent part 3. Breuil cap. 11. per violentiam or ignorantiam by violence or ignorance The first for want of power the second by defect of knowledge when the will is so corrupt that though it could resist and likewise did know the sinne being not drawne vnto it by any passion or infirmity in the appetite sensiâ—iue or error in reason or the vnderstanding but performe it Elicite a se immediatly from it selfe Ibi inest plenâ—ssima ratio peccati saith * Scotus super 2. Sent. dist 43. one It is the extremity of sinne this is peccare ex certa malitia say the Schoole-men To sinne of set malice To the farther vnderstanding whereof know that malice in the will hath it's degrees The first kinde is simple malice a taynt of originall corruption Bonauent super 2. Sent. dist 43. from which no man is wholy quit Sometime is ioyned hereunto an actuall peruersity of the will and this is termed certa malitia set malice A man may sinne of set malice two wayes * Aquin. secunda secundae q. 13. art First by the inclination of a vitious habite and this is a generall condition of sinne Secondly when a man runneth on to sinne sub ratione peccati saith * Jac. Almayn moral cap. 27. Aquine because it is sinne and that quia offensiuum Dei saith another because it offendeth God And this is the highest height of iniquity which if it be ioyned to Apostacie from Christ the sinner doth * Aug. praefat in Epist ad Rom. Pro. 2. sciens peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum committere wittingly commit that sinne against the Holy Ghost and such doe laetaeri cum malefecerint reioyce and take pleasure in doing it so that malice is in the spirit of such * Bonauent vbi supra Math. 12. secundum se subiectiuely which our Sauiour termeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the blasphemie of the Spirit which words an ancient Diuine expounding saith it is Affectus desiderium vituperationis diuinae a strong Rich. de Sancts ' vict tract de Spi. blasp desire to diffame God And * Bucan another expoundeth it more familiarly Blasphemia spiritus in spiritum Actiuely and passiuely the blasphemy of the spirit of man against the Spirit of God and * Caietane accordeth Maligna machinatio aduersus Deum a malicious intention against God Ientac 8 q. 1. So that the malice of the will is the formall distinguishing it from all other sinnes A dreadfull case when a man is growne to that height of malice that he should take pleasure in disgracing God and this is true blasphemy I beleeue the iudgement of Richardus Quid est blasphemia nisi vituperatio diuina Blasphemy is nought else but Vbi supra a disprasing of God the word soundeth the same It may seeme strange and happily incredible to some that any should be so peruerse but let those who are so conceited heare what Christ speaketh of such persons New haue Ioh. 15. they hated me and my father Hence it came to passe that the blasphemous Pharisies who were such persons would haue falsly fastned on Christ this dishonour that hee had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an vncleane Mar. 3. spirit I am of this opinion that no sinne be it neuer so haynous is that sinne against the Holy Ghost vnleast it proceede from the malice of the will as aforesaid And againe I suppose that in whomsoeuer this malice of the will doth remaine in him also is that euill and vnfaithfull Heb. 3. heart to depart away from the liuing God And therfore though one should baptize an Image adore the deuill scorne the blessed Sacrament turne Turke or commit other most horrible sinnes either for gaine or because he would know some secret from the diuel or through madnes or feare so that it be not done of wilfull malice against God it maketh not guilty of this sinne though otherwise it make him an haynous sinner So that wee may vsurpe the words of * Lib. 1. retract cap. 15. Augustine for a conclusion of this point That now the will is principall if not totall Actorheerein Vsque adeo peccatum est vt sinon esset voluntarium non esset peccatum It is so farre forth a sinne against the Holy Ghost that were it not maliciously wilfull it were not a sinne of this kinde for this malice directly impugneth the most appropriate effect of the Holy Ghost which is the loue of God which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost without which loue no man can Rom. 5. 1. Cor. 12. Tract 74. super Joh. say that Iesus is the Lord Nemo fic dicit nisi qui diligit saith Augustine The Obiect of this Sinne the Euangelicall Truth THE holy Scriptures doe often vnder the name of truth expresse vnto vs Christ for he is * Aquin. 2. 2. quaest 1. art 1. veritas prima say the Schoolemen the first Truth and the obiect of our faith in as much as he is the word of his Father as he hath testified of himselfe and his Testimony is true I am the Truth and Ioh. 14. thus is he that Truth that maketh vs all true for he teacheth vs all Truth He is the most finall and formall obiect of our knowledge leading vs vnto knowledge neither can any Truth be possibly knowne but by the insplendencie of this eternall Truth whom the Spirit testifieth to be the Truth The Truth for that we haue all the promises of truth performed and exhibited in him In his body a Communion in his Blood the expiation of all our sins in his Soule the price of our Redemption in his Spirit August apud Albert. Ratisp Sup. 6. cap. Ioh. viuification and a perfect restauration of our spirituall life which was once lost in his Deity and Godhead the full perfection and complement of all grace But for as much as this Truth is made manifest vnto vs in the old and new Testaments Therefore the Scriptures are termed that Truth because Christ is reuealed vnto vs in them and so our Sauiour stileth them in his prayer to his Father Sermotuus veritas Ioh. 17. est thy word is thy Truth And St. Paul distinctly termeth them that Truth that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to Tit. 1. Godlinesse consisting in vnderstanding the Law and the Prophets and beleeuing the Gospell for they expresse vnto vs that Truth whereby we must