the necessary Foundations of Practical Holiness and We are poor short-sighted Creatures as soon may a Man contain the whole Ocean in the Hollow of his Hand as We comprehend an Infinite Being and his Wise Counsels and Decrees That there are Mysteries in Christianity instead of being a Stone of Stumbling and a Prejudice against our Faith should rather be a Confirmation of it to us and an Argument for it it looks more like a Divine Revelation when some Parts of it are very Profound and Abstruse Revealed Religion like a Picture must have its dark Shades as well as its brighter Colours As to its Practical Part it is and ought to be clear But the Articles that are to be believed must of necessity be Obscure I should expect that the Foundation of so great a Building should be laid under Ground and out of Sight And a humble Person will quickly be convinced that it is his Duty to bow down his Head before Divine Revelation as well as submit his Will to the Divine Command and that a Creature must yield Subjection to his Maker with his whole Man and every Part thereof But yet It is a good thing § IV that the Head be filled with Knowledge that we may be able to give a Reasonable Answer to them who do ask an Account of our Faith and Hope And in a time when the Road is full of Thieves whose Design it is to Rob and Murder us no Man should Travel without a Sword by his Side and every Man should get some skill to manage his Weapon that he may at least defend himself and that Sacred Treasure which is or ought to be dearer to him than his Life I will therefore briefly mention some of those Rational Grounds upon which our Assent to the Christian Doctrine ought to be built and then it will remain firm and unshaken They may be reduced to these two Heads The Nature of Christianity And the Divine Proof of it I. For the Nature of Christianity 't is a Religion every way Worthy of God For it gives us such an Account of the Nature and Will of God as our Reason with great Toil possibly might have found out and cannot but approve and close withal as soon as ever it is proposed to us 'T is a great Advantage to have this Food brought to our Hands and not to be obliged to hunt after it for that at the best would have cost us great Labour and we might have missed of it And these it acquaints us with not to amuse and entertain us with subtile and useless Speculations but as a necessary Foundation for the promoting and encouraging our living Righteously Soberly and Godly in this present Evil World which is the Apparent Design of the Gospel And in requiring Godliness as well as Righteousness and Sobriety it does vastly exceed all the Instructions that we can learn from any of the Heathen Philosophers They have indeed the Second Table written in their Books pretty fairly tho' not without some Blots and Errata's But as for the First Table they have but a few broken Letters of the Duties of it and these too in a very small Character The Gospel mightily insists upon and presses the necessity of Loving God with our whole Hearts and Souls of making his Glory our Chief End in all that we do Doctrines that lie at the Foundation of Practical Holiness which yet the Heathen Philosophers never mentioned nor dream'd of And one may as soon expect to find a Jewel by raking in a Dunghil as to meet with any Passages of this Nature in any of their Writings Again 't is a Religion every way suited to the State of Fallen Man For it plainly acquaints us That we are in a State of Apostacy and how this came about And it would greatly endear the Holy Scriptures to Men if they did but Distinctly know what a perplexing Inquiry this has been among the greatest Wits and the most learned Scholars who have not had the Word of God for their Guide * Stillingfleet's Orig. Sacrae p. 491. how Sin and Misery came to break into this World Some attributed it to Discord and Antipathy a certain quarrelsome pernicious bloody Principle which they knew not what to make of but this is to put us off with mere Words and Sounds Others to the necessary Perversity of Matter Others to some very malignant Spirit that had slily wound it self into it Others to two Gods a Good and a Bad one And tho' it is impossible that more Nonsence and Contradiction should be crowded together in the narrow Compass of so few Words Two Gods whereof one a wicked spiteful and malicious One Yet Plutarch tells us This was the most Ancient Opinion and most Universally received among the Wisest of the Heathen And †Oracles of Reason p. 194. one of these Heads of Brass that pretends to utter Oracles of Reason is of the same Mind For says he as to the Origine of Good and Evil methinks it is less Contradictory and Unreasonable to believe as the Ancient Persians did That there were TWO Beginnings of things the one Good the other Evil For how can Evil proceed from a Being infinitely good and without whom nothing is if Evil be not And if Dr. Burnet * Page 207. have proved Genesis but a Parable why may not the Persians be as much in the right as the Jews And yet another of his Brethren tells us †Page 197. That this is the first Head of the Deists Natural Religion That there is ONE Infinite Eternal God Creator of all things And in another place That the generally acknowledged Lapse of Nature and how it came may be discovered by Natural Reason and it is reasonable to conclude without Revelation that it came not from a wicked God but by a Deviation from the right Rule of Reason implanted in us c. When two Deities butt and knock against each other 't is no wonder that these two Authors do the same Only there is this unhappy Difference that of the Two Gods one is a very Good one which makes some Amends for the other who is so very Bad. But both these Epistlers are of the same vile Stamp and Strain Further the Scripture gives us a distinct Account of the State of the Quarrel between God and us what the Issue of it will be if the Controversy be not taken up and how we may be reconciled to him whom we can never successfully oppose tells us of a Mediator altogether such a one as Fallen Man stands in Need of what God requires of us that through him we may escape that Wrath and Vengeance that is due to us for Sin and what we shall receive from him in a way of Reward and Punishment according as we comply with his Terms or refuse so to do And it very much presses the great Doctrine of Regeneration a most God-like Doctrine every way worthy of God and necessary for us
looked odly for him to have been less forward and zealous to provide for God's Worship than his Subjects were But yet for all this Samuel charges him roundly for it and tells him it was Rebellion and Stubborness which are as the Sin of Witchcraft Iniquity and Idolatry And holy Men have been wont to think as ill of their Own as of other mens Sins upon this Account Holy David aggravates his folly from this Circumstance viz. the Person against whom it was committed And he so intently fixed his Eye upon this as tho' none else had been offended by him Against thee Ps 51.4 thee only have I sinned And God himself by the Mouth of Nathan whom he sent to him warmly expostulates with him 2 Sam. 12.9 10. Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord to do Evil in his Sight And agen immediately after Thou hast despised Me saith he to him in the Name of God And this is not only the Language of God in the Scriptures but in his daily Providences too Let any man consider the numerous Calamities wherewith many times the World is covered as with a black Cloud behold the Strugglings of dying Infants listen to the Cries of a wounded Spirit and attend to the Groans of a departing Sinner and then let him judge whether the Sins of Men are Acts of Weakness in God's Account and Esteem Scripture indeed is brought in to countenance this strange Assertion For 't is said * Id. p. 322. he knoweth our Frame Ps 103.14 But if we read on to the end of the Verse it will appear that this is not spoken of the Corruption of our Natures but the Weakness and Frailty of our Constitution For 't is added He remembreth that we are but Dust And the same is the true sense and meaning of that other Text which is press'd into this Service Isa 57.16 For I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth as is evident from the following words which contain the true reason of these not because their Miscarriages are the weak Acts of finite and fallible Creatures c. but because then the Spirit should fail before me and the Souls which I have made I might add This is a Gracious Promise which we know by meer Revelation whereas we are treating of what may be known by the meer Light of Nature and Reason In short no Man would with any Patience bear such a Plea as this in the Mouth of his Servant or Child for their wilful Contempt and Defiance of his Authority And such talk as this is one of the most effectual ways to give a fatal Check to the working of that Repentance which some design so much to extol and which indeed can hardly be extolled too much provided Men do it not so as to justle a Mediator and the Necessity of Faith in him in order to forgiveness out of the World For the chief Consideration that melts down an Ingenuous Spirit into a Godly Sorrow is this the Wisdom Majesty Authority Power Goodness and Justice of God whom he hath displeased So that some Men by endeavouring to advance Repentance do indeed diminish and discourage it as the Sun by raising up Vapours out of a River lessens the Quantity of Water that was in it 6. 'T is urged That for * Peccata Hominum non tam in Dei contumeliam quà m in propriam utilitatem sub boni alicujus apparentis obtentu fieri plerumque ac licet in eo Nomines fallerentur nihil tamen infenso in Deum animo patratum fuisse Herbert ubi supra the most part Mens Sins are not committed so much in Despight to God as for their own Advantage under the plausible shew of some Appearing Good And if this be all that a Thief or a Murderer have to say for themselves That the one robbed and the other assassinated his Neighbour not out of any direct Design to affront the Law or Government but meerly to get a good Sum of Money or to be reveng'd on his Enemy which to them did seem very desirable this would never prevent the pronouncing or executing the Sentence of Death upon them 7thly Lastly 'T is yet further argued That 't is Worthy * Dr. Whichcot's Serm. p. 313. of God to Pardon Penitents It is more effectual to the Purpose of God's Honour and Glory For when he Pardons he procures himself Love and gains the Heart and Soul of his Creature But if he punish the Party endures because God is Stronger and the Creature cannot make Resistance And again 'T is †P. 318 319. a greater Excellency to win and reconcile by Gentleness and Fairness than to overcome by Power and Force To win and overcome by fair Means by Reason and Argument by Courtesy and Gentleness these shew Wisdom and Goodness but to crush and subdue may be done by Power and Subtilty by Power because the Person cannot make Defence by Subtilty because the Person was surprized and taken at unawares But the Case is not very fairly put Here is mention made of the invidious Words of Power and Force and Subtilty and the Creatures Weakness which are not the Springs of God's punishing Men but not a word of Holiness and Justice Preservation of Publick Order the Honour of the Divine Law and Government or the Desert of the Offender which are the true Causes of it Men do not suffer because God bears them down by main Force as an Oppressor or outwits and over-reaches them by Craft but because they have deserved Punishment and these valuable Ends which I am sure 't is Wisdom effectually to secure do call for the inflicting of it And as for Goodness it never was the Intent of God nor can it be for his Glory as Governor of the World to represent himself as a Being of meer Clemency and Kindness No Creature would be more despicable than a living King resembling his own Marble or Brazen Statue with a Scepter in its Hand which it never stirs and a broad Sword lifted up in a very threatning Posture as tho' it would cleave any Man in two that came near it but this terrible Instrument is in a dead Hand that never gives a Stroke and therefore is fit only to take up so much Room and stand for a Shew in a Publick Place where the smallest Bird or Insect would quickly make bold with it and pitch upon it without any Fear or Concern And God may tho' he Chastize the Guilty be for ever secure of the Reputation of that his Goodness having given abundant Demonstrations of it towards all his Creatures and knowing further how in a glorious manner to display it towards those who never offended him And Sinners having abused that Attribute 't is but rational to fear that his other Attributes should be employed to repair the Injuries and Dishonours which have been cast upon it But he adds to the same purpose The Creatures suffering
worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God c. 'T is further evident from the Nature of the Sin here mentioned that the Apostle is speaking of the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost The formal nature of that dreadful Sin I take to be this A malicious reproaching our Blessed Saviour as an Impostor and Deceiver imputing the Miracles which he wrought by the Spirit of God for the Confirmation of his Holy Doctrine and Mission to the Power of the Devil A man would wonder if there were not a thousand Instances of the like kind how so many Learned Men could make a shift so much to mistake this clear and plain notion of this Sin and give us so many Extravagant Opinions concerning it as widely distant from each other as all of them are from the Truth who doth but consider how St. Mark closes the Speech of our Saviour concerning it For he winds up all with these remarkable words Mark 3.30 Because they said he hath an Unclean Spirit which give us a clear Light whereby to discern the nature of this Sin But some rather chuse as an Evidence of their great Strength to endeavour to break through the Walls than turn the Key that is very plainly in the Door and would easily open it and let them into the House Now that 't is this Sin viz. the Reproaching Christ as a Deceiver the Apostle is here speaking of will appear from the Expressions which he useth concerning it He calls it a Crucifying the Son of God afresh Ch. 6.6 Ch. 10.29 and putting him to an open Shame A treading him under foot and counting his Blood an unholy thing and doing Despite to the Spirit of Grace All which do amount to this That they esteemed Christ to be a Vile Malefactor a wretched Impostor that his Miracles which for the Matter of Fact they could not deny were wrought by the help of the Infernal Powers and therefore he was deservedly put to death and had it been to do again they would as readily have done it as ever the Malicious Jews did Moreover the Sin here spoken of in one of the Places Ch. 6.6 is called a falling away and that from the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ which in the Verses immediately foregoing he had newly mentioned Ver. 1 2. i. e. a total Renouncing of the Christian Faith and Returning either to Judaism or Paganism which these Hebrews were in great danger of and which 't is the apparent Design of this Epistle to fortify them against And tho' in the other place it be called only in the General a Sinning Wilfully or Willingly Ch. 10.26 yet thereby the same thing is meant For just before the Apostle had been exhorting them to hold fast the Profession of their Faith without wavering Ver. 23 and cautioning them against forsaking the Assembling of themselves together as the manner of some was Ver. 25 which was the natural Means and the Ouvert-Act and Sign of their Apostacy And then these Words are brought in For if we sin wilfully c. i. e. If we cast away the Profession of our Faith forsake the Christian Assemblies and renounce the Doctrine of Christ Now it is worthy of our careful Observation that the Heathens but especially the Jews were so implacably bent against our Blessed Lord that tho' a Christian did desert the Assemblies of the Faithful and offer to join with them in their Judaical or Pagan Religion and Worship yet this alone would not suffice But besides this they required an express Abjuring and Reviling and Blaspheming Christ as an Impostor And without this their Rage was never satisfied and to speak in the modern Language they never thought they had fully performed all the necessary Duties of New Converts Acts 26.11 St. Paul tells us that when he persecuted the Christians 1 Tim. 1.13 being exceeding mad with Rage he compelled them to Blaspheme as he Himself also did And giving the Corinthians a Character whereby to distinguish between Divine and Diabolical Spirits 1 Cor. 13.3 I give you to understand Saith he that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus Accursed which doth plainly imply that it was very usual for men to do so in that Age for otherwise this Note of his would have been of no manner of Service to them Pliny in his Epistle to Trajan informs him what was the Ordeal Fire by which he tried those who were suspected and accused whether they would disown Christianity not only by proposing to them to worship the Heathen Gods and the Image of the Emperor but also by demanding of them whether praeterea Christo maledicerent they would also revile Christ And he further adds concerning those that fell in that hour of Temptation that they not only worshipp'd the Pagan Idols and Trajan's Image but also that Ii Christo maledixerunt they reviled Christ And Justin Martyr * Apol. 2d p. 72. Edit Paris tells us That Barchochebas the Ringleader of the Jewish Rebellion did order the Christians to be severely punisht unless they would not only deny Christ but blaspheme him too And Polycarp being required in order to save his Life to reproach †Euseb Hist l. 4. c. 15. Christ replied How can I Blaspheme my King and Saviour And our Learned †Harm of N. Test p. 289 290. Vol. 1. Lightfoot saith That as early as about the 10th or 11th Year after our Saviour's Ascension Rabban Gamaliel and the Sanhedrin appointed a new Prayer in which was a Petition to God to destroy the Hereticks i. e. the Christians and this he set among the Common Prayers and appointed it to be in every man's Mouth And that the Jews had their Emissaries every where abroad that to their utmost cried down the Gospel and blasphemed it and Christ that gave it Of this saith he there is Testimony abundant in the New Testament and in their own Writings So much shall suffice to prove that 't is the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost but a more Aggravated one than that of the Pharisees that is meant in both these Places And if any of our Modern Deists have been maliciously guilty of this Sin unto death I leave them to God But provided a man hath not gone so great a Length as this is how many soever his Sins and Back-slidings from God have been yet on a renewed deep and Sincere Repentance and a lively Faith in the Blood of Christ they shall be remitted Tho' I must add in the words of Moses Exod. 8.29 Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully with God any more For if this Grace be turned into Wantonness tho' God forgive Men Ps 99.8 yet he may and will take vengeance upon their Inventions And this naturally leads me to the Last thing which remains to be spoken unto VI. § VI Mere Natural Light and Reason cannot assure us to what Degree God will pardon those whom he does forgive It