Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	father_n	ghost_n	spirit_n	4,016	5	5.4768	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07286	Grieving of Gods spirit Contayning the summe of a sermon preached at Saint Maries in Oxford. The chiefe points intreated on are, Viz. I. Of grieuing of Gods Spirit. II. Of resisting of Gods Spirit. III. Of blaspheming of Gods Spirit, in the highest degree commonly called, the sinne against the Holy Ghost. By Radford Mauericke, minister in Devon. Reade iudiciously, but iudge charitably.	Mavericke, Radford, b. 1560 or 61.	1620 (1620)	STC 17681; ESTC S102313	17,741	30

Holy Ghost though they bee very fearefull sinnes seeing they haue been committed by GODS owne Seruants and also pardoned vnto them Example we haue of the one in Peter Luke 22.61 1. Tim. 1.13 of the other in Paul both great Apostles of Iesus Christ By this negation or opposition What sinnes are not that sinne against the Holy Ghost we shall I trust the better consider and sooner find out what this peculiar sin against the Holy Ghost is whereof we are now God assisting vs punctually to intreate Two causes why the sinne against the Holy Ghost should bee made knowne And seeing it is so great a sinne yea the greatest sinne and such a sinne as shall not be forgiuen it is most necessarie that it should be distinguished and made knowne from all other sinnes and that for two causes especially The one to this end that we knowing the danger therof should euermore most carefully flye farre off from so deepe Pit of perdition The other which in my opinion is the best vse that may be made now in this time of peace and fun-shine of the Gospell to make knowne vnto Gods people yea euen vnto them which are more simple lest Satan should make any to beleeue or thinke who being fallen or slyding into some other Pit of sinne neere or somewhat like vnto this That they are plunged in this deepe Gulfe of perdition neuer more to be recouered For as we must not be ignorant of Satans slights as the Apostle saith so must Christ his Ministers aboue all other bee as carefull and readie to preuent him and to instruct Gods Children in all such points of sound doctrine as are required either for comfort or instruction Wherefore in my poore vnderstanding they are worthy in this particular to be blamed who though they will not speake against preaching in generall yet will they by no meanes allow all the Doctrine reuealed in the Word of God to bee taught and preached vnto the people of God Some say that Predestination being a chiefe if not the chiefest point in all Diuinitie ought rather to be concealed then publikely to bee taught and preached vnto the people Others hold and these are Papists specially that many sentences of Scripture which indeed are most sweete to repentant and sorrowfull sinners as At what time soeuer a Sinner doth repent and the like are vnfit to be either read or preached to the people for feare forsooth lest some will take thereupon the more libertie of sinning as though because Grace doth abound therefore sin should abound which is onely the fault of gracelesse persons but neuer of any of Gods Children Last of all many are of opinion that this sinne against the Holy Ghost is not at all to bee defined at least not to be declared or spoken of in publike I grant Reuerend Fathers that these as all other points of Diuinitie and some of these aboue many other points of Diuinitie ought very religiously and discreetly to be taught and preached vnto the people but to hold opinion or to labour to maintayne it which is worse that any of these or other like points of Doctrine must bee concealed which God of purpose hath declared in his Word to be opened and reuealed is sarre from all Diuinitie to speake the best of it and nothing agreeing with the rule and practice of Saint Paul Acts 20.35 that great Doctor of vs Gentiles Who boasted and tooke exceeding comfort thereby vnto himselfe that he had reuealed to his Auditorie at times All the Councell of God that is not all that God hath or doth keepe secret to himselfe but all that God hath or had reuealed vnto the Apostle either openly in his Word or by any secret Reuelation from Heauen which points so reuealed vnto that holy Apostle as likewise vnto all the rest of Gods Prophets and Apostles they haue publikely preached and plainly left them in writing vnto posteritie to be seene read and knowne of all not onely for their sakes which are learned but also for their sakes which are more ignorant to bee openly taught and preached vnto them by the succeeding Ministers of Iesus Christ Wherefore if we the Ministers of Christ wil exspect to haue the same comfort in our Callings that Saint Paul and the rest of the Apostles had we must take the same course in teaching which they haue done namely to publish the secrees of the Gospell that is all which God hath reuealed in his Word so farre as our knowledge may attayne vnto And truly the confideration of the premises did partly induce my minde at the first to determine vpon this Text and to speake of this finne against the Holy Ghost for my Text directing mee to speake of leffer sinnes against the holy Spirit of God me thought and God I trust directed my thoughts it should be to some purpose to speake of the greater or greatest of all Obseruing this not by the way worthy to be remembred that though the sinne against the Holy Ghost may be knowne and is reuealed in the Scripture yet the Sinner is not easily rather not at all to be pointed at nor to bee iudged of men but to bee left to the iust Iudgement of God one reason hereof may be because finall impenitencie must accompany this sinne which cannot easily bee discerned of men One note more before we enter into the description of this sinne would bee obserued which a learned man hath well noted and therefore I will vse his owne words Blasphemia in Spiritum Sanctum non referri debet ad Spiritus essentiam simpliciter sed ad gratiam qua donati sumus which is That this Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost is not simply to bee referred to the Essence of Gods Spirit nor to his person for so in sinning against the Holy Ghost wee sinne in like manner against the Father and the Sonne but it is to bee vnderstood that in so blaspheming wee sinne against the good gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit wherewith wee haue formerly beene inlightned Now come wee in Godsfeare to speake of the sinne it selfe What the sinne against the Holy Ghost is not wee haue alreadie partly noted to wit That it is not properly not onely blasphemie against God the Father not against the Sonne nor euery Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost as grieuing of Gods Spirit nor refisting of Gods Spirit nor back-sliding or falling from God and his Truth through feare or any other infirmitie nor persecuting of Gods Church and Children through ignorance neither is it any particular fin committed against the first or second Table neither is it final impenitencie as some of the Fathers haue affirmed for there be thousands which neuer tru ly repent which neuer yet commit this sinne Therefore if one saith well Qui impenitentiam esse definiunt nullo n●g●tio refelli possunt But rather it may bee said to be such a sinne which contayneth in some sort all these sinnes and more too

because who so committeth this sinne against the Holy Ghost shall hardly acquit himselfe of any sinne whereunto finall impenitencie must be added before this sinne can be iudged by man to bee at the highest Now what this peculiar and proper sinne against the Holy Ghost is shall best be discussed and defined Mat. 12.31 out of the Gospell where our Sauiour Christ speaketh of the Sonne if wee duly and thorowly confider it as we should And first we must note and well obserue who and what manner of persons they were to whome our Sauiour obiecteth this sinne which is easily to bee collected out of the Historie it selfe For there it appeareth that they were of the worser sort of the Pharisies to whome Christ obiecteth this sin for when Christ Iesus by his diuine Power had dispossessed a Deuill out of the dumbe man these worser I meane more malicious sort of the Pharisies being present prying into his actions and being by no meanes able to reprehend him yet to the end the people should not beleeue in Christ they coyne a Blasphemie in the highest degree of meere malice and enuie and contrarie to their owne knowledge and conscience they spew out the same euen in despight of Gods Spirit saying and affirming with brazen browes that Christ had cast out that Deuil Mat. 12.24 through Beel●zebub the chiefe of Deuils which cursed calumnie and most slanderous Blasphemie after that our Sauiour had fully confuted for the godlies sake which stood by heard him hee presently turneth his speech to those Blasphemers And with sterne countenance no doubt as in such a cause was meete he reprooueth them with a propter hoc for this I say vnto you Euery sinne and Blasphemie shall bee forgiuen vnto men but the Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost shall not bee forgiuen vnto men and with all more sharply reprooues them calling them a generation of Vipers as doubtlesse they were of the vilest kind And Saint Marke in his discourse setteth out their sinne more plainly and fully Marke 3.36 saying For they said Hee that is Christ had an vncleane or impure spirit whereby that Euangelist would intimate vnto vs that it was they Pharisies that had blasphemed and so sinned against the Holy Ghost Howbeit wee must obserue that our Sauiour Christ doth not say openly and plainly though he gaue them so much to vnderstand closly by the conclusion of his speech that these Pharisies were sinners against the Holy Ghost By whose example we are admonished as before I haue noted not rashly rather not at all to iudge of such sinners howsoeuer the sinne doe appeare vnto vs what it is but our Sauiour like a sound Teacher and skilfull Logitian plainly putteth downe the maior Proposition What the sin of the Holy Ghost is The minor they themselues knew being conuicted in their own consciences that they had committed the same sinne The conclusion therefore followed of course such a sinne or blasphemie saith Christ is sinne against the Holy Chost Such a sinne or blasphemy saith their consciences haue we commited Therefore surely wee haue sinned against the Holy Ghost Moreouer we may not forget to note that these filthy Pharisies were before this time inlightned with some externall beames of Gods Spirit yea conuicted in their owne consciences by former Prophesies and by the Doctrine and Miracles of Christ concerning the Truth which he taught yet notwithstanding willingly maliciously and of purpose they did hate the knowne truth fearing or rather knowing and sometimes confessing so much that if Christ his Truth and Doctrine should be once publikely receiued then their Errours and Traditions like our Popish Traditions now should bee reprooued their couetousnesse and Hipocrisie discouered their credit and gaine diminished and finally all their worldly pompe and glorie should vtterly be extinguished and cleane put out Rather then this should come to passe they will euen oppose themselues Gigantum more to fight against God and therefore with indurate obstinacie renounce they the manifest truth and withall their might and malice oppose themselues against it by blasphemous and sophisticall cauilling and that not seruing their turne by most cruell threatnings excommunicating and persecuting vnto death euen Christ himselfe after him his Apostles as the Prophets before with many other of Gods deare Saints and Children professing Gods Truth How neere the practice of the Church of Rome hath and doth agree with the Synagogue of these high Priests Scribes and Pharisies euen a blind man may well see and perceiue Vpon all this that hath beene said and collected out of the Text and course of Scripture where Christ intreateth of this sinne ioyned with the practice of these proud Pharisies It shall not be ouer-hard to define what the sinne against the Holy Ghost is Peccatum in Spiritum sanctum saith a learned Diuine est veluntaria veritatis euidenter cognitae The fin against the Holy Ghost defined renunciatio rebellio ex odio veritatis nata coniuncta cum tyrannica sophistica hypocritica oppugnatione Sinne against the Holy Ghost is a voluntarie or wilfull renouncing and rebelling against the euident and knowne truth proceeding from hatred of the same truth ioyned with tyrannicall sophisticall and hypocriticall fighting and striuing against the same and against the true Professors and Confessors thereof This briefe definition haue I chosen among many other both for the persipicuity and plainenesse thereof as also for the congruitie and agreement that it hath with that which hath beene before spoken of this sinae They which sinne against the holy Ghost may be known by foure marks From which definition wee may obserue that they which commit this sin against the Holy Ghost haue foure speciall markes to be knowne by First they haue some knowledge of the Truth Secondly for some sinister respect or other they conceiue a deadly hatred against the same Truth Thirdly they willingly renounce and fall from the knowne Truth Lastly they striue and fight against it and against the constant Confessors thereof both with tongue pen heart and hand spuing and belching out all Blasphemies to depraue the Truth vsing all Hypocrisie and Sophistrie to colour their falshood with executing all rigor and tyrannie against the true Professors thereof and this they doe with all the despight they can against that Spirit of grace which did first illumine their mindes with some knowledge of the Truth which they had once receiued If any doe thinke that no mortall man would oner oppose himself with such despight against God his Creator we must yeeld that none will or dare so to doe but onely such gracelesse Cast-awayes as through long custome of presumptuous sinnings ioyned with double Hypocrisies haue their hearts hardned their consciences seared and themselues altogether giuen vp into a reprobate sense For that their so greut boldnesse cannot but proceed from a ●r●●●ike blindnesse where in malice and poysonfull furie hath gotten the victorie Therefore we may see that it