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
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
have done any More or done any worse than This Than to exclude thee from the Favour of thy God the Lovely Mansions of the Upper World and Bind thee over to eternal Infelicities Let this therefore be a just Reproof and Terrour to all that continue in any one Known willful Sin Though they have not been Guilty of the Vnpardonable Blasphemy For if they will make any other Falls any other Sins Vnpardonable to themselves by Impenitently continuing in them and going on in them with open Eyes and a full Consent of the Will it can avail them but little to say they have not committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost And let it prevail with you Christian even you in particular to Turn from Sin to God to cast off your former Evils and instead thereof constantly to set about all those Christian Duties which our Lord was pleased to leave you in Charge when he went away And more particularly to Throw off that Iniquity of yours to which you have most indulg'd and by which you have most frequently faln And to labour to obtain the Contrary Virtue and Live in it For let me most seriously and affectionately ask you as I would a rational Expecter of a Bless'd Resurrection You say you have not been Guilty of the Sin and Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and 't is like you have not Well and will you Christian make any other Known Sin or Fall Vnpardonable to you by your impenitently going on and continuing in it Is it not infinite Imprudence and infinite Pity you should delay your Return to God one Day when your Condition might be so Hopefull Or that you should make your Sin become the Vnpardoned Sin by your Impenitent Living and Dying in it By your being found in it at the Hour of Death and the Resurrection For do but Consider again The Covenant of Grace is not only a Covenant of Faith but of Repentance and Obedience too And that 't is so is not only the plain Language of the Scripture but even of Common Reason that it should be so For what think you Christian Can the Murtherers of Fathers and the Murtherers of Mothers as the Apostle speaks Can the Prophane and the Impenitent the Atheistical and Debauch'd Person expect to be put away to the Society of the Humble Holy Mortify'd and Devout Souls of all Ages Can the Vnjust Person impenitently so continuing expect to be put away to Just Zachaeus and to the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect Is it likely he should be qualified to pass away with them a pleasurable Eternity Can the Prophane Swearer so Living and Dying expect to have his Tongue tun'd in an Instant to the different Notes of Hymns and Hallelujahs and Hosanna's to him that sits on the Throne and the Lamb for ever and ever Can the Impure Adulterer till the polluted Temple of the Holy Ghost be cleansed by the bitter Waters of Repentance expect to be put away to the Chast and Holy Virgin-Mother and to the Chast Souls of all Ages Or is it likely he should otherwise be qualify'd to pass away with them a Lovely Immortality Can the Vncharitable the Bitter and the Implacable Person so continuing expect to be put away to and be qualified to spend a Rapturous Eternity with Charitable St. Stephen Can the Intemperate Person The Drunkard and the Glutton expect to be lodg'd for ever with the Abstemious and the Temperate and be like to be fitted to pass away an Immortality with them Can the Vnmortified the Contentious and the Unpeaceful expect to be put away to the Prince of Peace to the Meek Moses and the Meeker Jesus Can the Wretched Non-Communicant expect the same Lot and Portion with the Frequent and the Devout Communicant and be like to be qualified to pass away a Rapturous Eternity with them Can they who will have such an easie Religion as shall Cost them Nothing expect to be put away to those Devout Worthies who for the Divine Obedience and Love were content to be Destitute Afflicted Tormented not accepting a Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection Can the Impenitent Person that takes No Care to shew the Truth of his Repentance by his Reformation expect to be admitted to Penitent St. Peter and with him to pass away a pleasurable Eternity Say Christian are these Things probable or likely even to Common Reason Though there were no such Thing as Scripture and Divine Revelation No surely Come then take this Second Inference home to thy Self Enter into a close and strict Meditation Shew it to thy Peculiar Sin any Iniquity continued in and then See how it Appears to Thee I 'll mention a Few And among them do you bring in your own and see How that appears to You. You my Horrid Oaths and Imprecations Why shall I venture the Wrath of my God and the Loss of an Immortality for you Why the Sin against the Holy Ghost could have done but This Why then shall I continue in you which if I Impenitently do you will do as much as That You my Injustices by which I make no Scruple to defraud my Brother and when I know that I have done so Refuse to make Restitution You my Lusts and Impurities by which I have defiled the Temple of the Holy Ghost You my Uncharitablenesses my Bitterness and Implacableness of Spirit You my any other known Sin whether of Omission or Commission Why shall I venture the Wrath of my God and the loss of an Immortality for you Why the Sin against the Holy Ghost could have done but This Why then shall I continue in you which if I Impenitently do you will do as much as That See now in this Meditation how thy Peculiar thy darling Sin and Vice appears to thee If it appear Amiable and Lovely and Safe and Desirable you may then e'en return to it again upon the next Temptation But if it appear evil and bitter Infinitely Vnsafe and Dangerous get Instantly out of it and That whatever Self-denial or Mortification or Loss or Disadvantage or Shame or Reproach or Care or Diligence or Watchfulness it cost thee For what Good can it do Thee if thou shouldest be consign'd to the Sorrows of Eternity to remember that thou didst not Perish by the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost but by some other Sin from which Thou wouldest not be perswaded to be divorc'd Come then Christian Cast off the darling Sin as thou wouldst a Coal of Fire out of thy Bosom Let not a Sting so Evil and Bitter so Unsafe and Dangerous so Treacherous and Betraying be imprudently entertain'd and cherish'd a Day longer And seeing the Night comes in which none can work and comes apace comes quickly Remember This There can be no such Wisdom as to make a few Minutes or Days more minister to the Safeties of a Blest Eternity And there can be no such Folly in the World as the venturing so much as Eternity for so little as the small
Printed for H. Bonwick at the Red Lion in St. P. Ch. yard I. Savage sculp A Practical DISCOURSE OF THE SIN against the Holy Ghost Shewing Plainly I. What it is II. How any Person may certainly know whether he has been Guilty of it DESIGNED To bring Incouragement to the Faithful Penitent Tranquility of Mind to the Obedient Joys to them that Love and the Returning Sinner from Desperation Nihil ardet in Inferno nisi propria Voluntas S. Bernard LONDON Printed by J. L. for Henry Bonwicke at the Red-Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCV THE Author's DEDICATION AND PRAYER Blessed TRINITY FRom an Affectionate and willing Spirit from a Heart desiring to please Thee and to be in all things right toward Thee I humbly Dedicate this Discourse to the Uses of thy Glory Love and Obedience begging this only for my self That I may not Preach to others and be my self a Cast-away For thy Faithful People begging Pardon and Peace That they may be cleansed from all their Sins and serve Thee with a quiet Mind through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Amen St. MATTH xij 31 32. Wherefore I say unto you All manner of Sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him THE CONTENTS Sect I. THE Occasion of this Discourse Sect. II. What the Sin or Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is Sect. III. The Blasphemy of the Pharisees unpardonable no longer than willfully and impenitently continued in Sect. IV. How any Person may assuredly know whether he has been guilty of the Sin against the Holy Ghost Sect. V. The great Likelihood that the Christian Reader has not yet been Guilty of this Sin 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 Incouragement for the faithful Penitent to go on chearfully but yet very sincerely in his Repentance Sect. VII The Second Practical Inference from the Consideration of the Nature and Meaning of this Sin viz. That 't is just Matter of Reproof and Terrour to the Careless and the Prophane Person that goes on any known Sin and takes no Care to come in and Return to God by Repentance and to labour for the Vertue that is contrary to his Sin and live in it Sect. VIII The Third Practical Inference from the Consideration of the Nature and Meaning of this Sin It is Matter of Consolation to all Sincerely Humble Holy Devout and Obedient Persons to incourage them to persevere and go on a little longer with a Holy Joy and with a Religious Peace The CLOSE Sect IX Two Things necessary to the Holding out in a Christian Course which you Christian Reader that are assured you have not yet committed the unpardonable Sin should by all Means presently resolve upon which if you did you would be very safe and happy 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 A Practical Discourse OF THE Sin against the Holy Ghost SECT I. The Occasion of this Discourse BEfore I come to the more particular Enquiries in shewing what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is and the several Uses which I would draw from the Consideration of the Nature and the Meaning of this Vnpardonable Blasphemy and leave them upon the Affectionate Thoughts of those who have not yet quitted all their future Hopes and Expectations nor desire to do so I will stop a little to mention some of the Reasons and charitable Designations and Intentions of my Publishing a Discourse on this Subject I am perswaded and perhaps I have observ'd That there are some devout Christians who for want of a Right and True Account and a full Knowledge of what this Sin is have been discouraged from a Christian Course or else have gone on heavily in their Devotions and Obedience and in accomplishing with Sincerity those few Duties to God and Man which our Ascended Saviour was pleas'd to leave us in Charge when he went away Fearing that They have been Guilty of this Sin And therefore that all that they do or suffer is to no Purpose And tho' they truly aim at Immortality at a Blest and Joyful Resurrection and at the Divine Glory Love and Obedience and from an affectionate and a willing Spirit and a Heart right towards God Desire nothing so much as to please him and to be train'd up and fitted and trimm'd and disciplin'd for an Admittance to a New World of Blessed Spirits and to come away and spend a Rapturous Eternity at the Feet of Jesus yet all this while are afraid they may have committed this Sin And this cools their Love of God Hinders the Liveliness and the Chearfulness of their Duties and keeps them off from a Religious Peace and from the Prosecution of some Christian Actions which they would otherwise chearfully Perform For their Sake therefore in the first Place and to invite them to persevere with a Holy Constancy and Joy in the Commands of their Ascended Saviour I will shew plainly and truly what this Sin is A Second Sort of Men there are That by the Prevalency and Power of a Strong Temptation have made some dismal Recessions from their Baptismal Innocence and are Sensible that they have faln into a Sin and have displeas'd their God But they would quickly and humbly return to their offended Father with the Penitent Prodigal were they not afraid they had been guilty of the Vnpardonable Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost And for this Reason they are discourag'd in their Repentances and their Return to the Ways of God or at least go on very heavily in them with no Joy or Chearfulness or holy Purposes and Resolutions Which they say they would Quickly and Thankfully and Sincerely do were they sure they had not been Guilty of this Sin For their sakes also will I plainly shew what ' t is A Third Sort I find there are that have been very great Sinners Have long liv'd in a State of great Inconsideration and Carelesness Prophaneness and Neglect of the Soul and Immortality And they conclude That among so great a Heap and Conjugation of Sins which they have committed 't is ten to one but they have been guilty of this too And therefore That 't is to no manner of Purpose to return and seek a Reconciliation with their God For their day they think is over And if they should return to the Ways of God and choose better and live the Holy Life which is much the easier and the sweeter Life of the two yet they suppose all 's in Vain They have committed this Sin and the