here alleage many other places and some examples out of the holy Scriptures to shew you yet farther that the child of God notwithstanding his many falls may find pardon and that he which is once in the state of grace shall be in the same for ever That which I haue already delivered I hope hath sufficiently cleered this point and overthrowne the doctrine of the Catharists All which I haue delivered for your comforts which haue already sinned not for your encouragements who meane to sinne hereafter For howsoever Grace aboundeth aboue sinne yet cursed shall yee be and that with an everlasting curse if yee sinne that grace and blessing may abound vnto you You may read for this purpose the beginning of the sixt chap. to the Romans there shall you finde an impossibilitie for you that are dead to sinne yet to liue therein knowe yee not that all ye which haue beene baptised into Iesus Christ haue been baptised into his death Why then yee are buried by baptisme into his death that as he was raised from the dead so yee also should walke in newnesse of life You are forbidden to doe evill where you are assured that good may come thereof Rom. 3.8 much lesse may you make the mercies of God a defence for your sins I grant it is true that there is no condemnation to the righteous though he fall seaven times a day but if a man sinne presuming vpon Gods mercies that he shal haue time hereafter for repentance from his former dead workes I must needs say his damnation may be warrantable to be very iust Thou foole how knowest thou Luke 12.20 that this night they will not fetch away thy soule froÌ„ thee I come to my second note to shew you that the sinne against the holy Ghost is not at any time nor can ever be forgiven If I should stand to refute the reasons brought against this doctrine by them who haue given their names to great Babylon that mother of whordomes and abominations I should passe the time limited vnto mee and therfore since one contrarie as in the scholes we learne may be the better knowne by the other let it suffice that at this time I set downe a positiue doctrine without any refutation of the contrary There is a woman cloathed with the Sunne the moone is vnder her feete and on her head is a crowne of twelue stars al shee hath shee hath from Christ all her beauty is spirituall and heavenly all her milke is sweete and comfortable This comely one deciphered vnto you by St Iohns vision Revel 12.1 hath never fainted and taught vs also never to faint in maintaining this doctrine The sinne against the Holy Ghost is not at any time nor can ever be forgiven Shee beleeveth that this sinne not only easily shall not bee forgiven but not at all Her spowse saith neither in this world nor in the world to come Mat. 12.32 St Iohn tels her that there is a sinne vnto death which shee may not pray for 1. Ioh. 5.16 Our Apostle assureth her that such sinners cannot possibly bee renewed by repentance Heb. 6.6 and my text hath there remaineth no more sacrifice for such sin It is a necessary consequeÌ„ce This sinne is not pardonable either in this world or in the world to come we may not pray for it we cannot repent for it there remaineth no sacrifice for it therefore we may truely say as the Church hath truely taught The sinne against the Holy Ghost is not at any time nor can ever be forgiven The latter of all these reasons best fitteth the point we haue in hand No sacrifice can be offered for the sinne against the Holy Ghost therefore that sinne can never be forgiven For the declaratioÌ„ of the force of this reason we may note touching the sacrifices by which the Church of Christ doth liue for the Iewish sacrifices I omit in regard that Christ our redeemer is the very substance of them all touching the sacrifices I say by which Christs Church doth liue we may note that every such sacrifice is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either a propitiatorie sacrifice a sacrifice for sinne a sinne offering or else a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving a peace offering The former of these two maketh most for our present occasion That therefore is either cruentum or incruentum a bloodie sacrifice or a sacrifice without blood The bloody sacrifice is that which Christ our faithfull Saviour did once offer vp for vs vpon the Altar oâ— the Crosse of which sacrifice the necessity the efficacie the vnity the perpetuity are at large laid open to our view by our Apostle in this Epistle to the Hebrewes That other sacrifice without blood not simply propitiatory yet a sinne offering too and in some sort enabled through the propitiation of Christ to procure pardon for our sinnes is the sacrifice of repentance from dead workes proceeding froÌ„ a liuely saith in Christ causing vs to make our most humble suite for pardon even for Christ Iesus sake Here are only two kinds of sinne offerings the one propitiatory able to clense vs from al our sinnes even Christ himselfe once offered vp for the sins of the whole world the other not propitiatory yet effectuall to vs through him that is the propitiation for our sinnes even our repentance from dead workes wherein through a liuely faith we giue vp our selues Rom. 12 1. our soules and our bodies a living a holy an acceptable sacrifice vnto God And these two are so linked the one to the other as that they cannot by any meanes be severed For if Christ hath died for vs then assuredly hee will bee at all times ready to offer vp our broken and contrite hearts our humiliation our repentance from dead workes our prayers praise and thanksgiving yea and all our sacrifices vpon the golden Altar which is before the throne But they for whom Christ hath not died as he hath not died for all can by no sacrifice make an atonement betweene God and themselues and such are all they that haue sinned against the Holy Ghost yea such are all the reprobate For all which TOPHET is prepared of old it is prepared for the noble as well as for the baser sort not one of all such shall bee exempted it is made for them deepe and large the burning thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the LORD like a river of brâ—mstone doth kindle it so saith the Prophet Esai 30.33 And touching them who haue sinned against the holy Ghost departing from their former light and casting behinde them their first vnderstanding I adde yet farther since they are fallen away from repentance impossible shall it bee for them hereafter to repent since they are fallen away from faith towards God never may they hope to beleeue againe since they are fallen away from the doctrine of the baptisme and laying on of hands they are not likely
seene the difference betweene despaire the Sinne against the holy Ghost as also what cōfort what ioy may from thence shine vnto feeble and weake spirits Now seeke we farther into this sinne Let vs first consider what manner of rebellion it is Secondly in what regard it is so named Thirdly what obiect it hath The manner of rebellion namely how farre they fall awaie who haue fallen into this sinne we shall perceiue if we looke vnto the beginning of the sixt chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes There verse 1.2 the Apostle speaketh of repentance frō dead workes of faith towards God of the doctrine of baptisme laying on of hands of the resurrection from the dead and of eternall iudgement All these he calleth the beginning the foundation of Christianity Then verse the 6. he speaketh of an apostacie of a falling away from all these points even from the foundatiō and first beginnings of Christian faith giving vs thereby to vnderstand that they who are holden in this transgressiō haue sinned this sinne haue forsaken all the principles of religiō haue lost their former light haue departed from their first vnderstāding As for repentance they cast it behinde them and the first faith they regard it not they esteeme baptisme no more then the washing of their hands neither care they to be received in to the Church of God the resurrection of the dead that feedes them with many a merry conceit they thinke pleasantly with thēselues what manner of bodies they shal haue of what age these their bodies shall be whether they shall haue haire and nailes and the like But the eternall iudgement the remembrance indeede thereof sometimes frighteth them yet are they incouraged againe when they think how farre of it is So preferre they darknesse before light ignorance before knowledge errour before hope infidelity before faith shame before glory a cursed death before eternall life They are fallen away from repentance and therefore impossible shall it be for them to repent they are fallen away from faith towards God and therefore never may they hope to beleeue againe they are fallen away from the doctrine of baptisme laying on of hands and therfore are they not likly any more by those meanes to be illuminated they are fallen away from the doctrine of resurrection and therefore though they rise againe it shall be to their owne confusion they are fallen away from the doctrine of eternal iudgement and therefore shall eternall iudgement swallow them vp It is no more but thus they haue fallen away wholy from CHRIST they haue despised the sweet graces of the HOLY SPIRIT wherewith they once were lightened and therefore shal they be fed with wormewood and be made to drinke the water of gall and not this only but let all the rivers and streames of fresh water which glad the city of God and comfort the soules of the faithfull runne also into their soules they will resist them and driue them backe they will admit no entrance for any perswasion of the graciousnes and kindnes of the Lord though it be preached a thousand times They haue sinned against the holie Ghost and condemnation is their portion You see in the manner of rebellion how farre they may fall away now for the name It is not called the Sinne against the holy Ghost as if it were against the Godhead of the holy Ghost for the same God is also father and sonne The godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost is all one their glory is equal and their maiesty coeternall nor is it so called as if it were against the person of the holy Ghost for that is no greater then the person of the father and of the sonne The whole three persons are coeternall together and coequall Nunquid alia est offensa filij alia spiritûs sancti saith S. Ambrose De spiritu sancto Lib. 1. cap. 3. His answer is Sicut vna dignitas sic vna iniuria Can the holy Ghost bee grieved and the sonne well pleased No Sicut vna dignitas sic vna iniuria The Father Sonne and holy Ghost haue all one glory therefore an iniurie done to one is done to all Trium personarum non sunt divisae offensae saith the Master of the Sentences Lib. 2. Dist 43. art 4. It is impossible that a sinne committed against the holy Ghost should not also bee committed against the Father and against the Sonne yet saith he Peccatorum genera distincta sunt you may vse a distinction betweene sinnes where he sheweth that although power wisdome goodnesse be one and the same in all three persons yet sometimes in a more peculiar sort there is ascribed power to the father wisedome to the Sonne and goodnesse to the goly Ghost and hence ariseth this distinction of sinnes If a man sinne through infirmitie he may be said to sinne against the Father for in him is power he is the father of might If hee sinne through ignorance he may be said to sinne against the Sonne for in him is no want of knowledge he is the wisdome of the Father If he sin through wilfull malice hee may bee said to sinne against the holy Ghost for in him is all goodnesse his office is to sanctifie You see then why this Sinne is called the sinne against the holy Ghost not because it is against the Godhead of the holy Ghost nor yet because it is against the person of the holy Ghost but because it is against the goodnesse of the holy Ghost against the goodnesse that is against the graces of the holy spirit given vs to the setting out of the praises of the LORD For whosoever shall despise those good graces turne them to the contempt of Gods maiestie and glory and tread thē vnder foot and account them prophane and purposely and wilfully Heb. 6.6 and malitiously carry them away to all wantonnesse hee crucifieth againe vnto himselfo the sonne of God hee despites the spirit of grace he sinnes against the holy Ghost I shall not need to speake of the obiect which I proposed vnto you in the third place the two former notes haue made it sufficiently manifest that the malice of this sinne is directed against the whole TRINITIE against the very maiestie of God himselfe and against his Christ it directly respecteth the first table of the morall law it is not any particular slipping aside it is a generall defection a generall apostacie from God and that totally Here should I shew you what punishment is provided for such sinners but that discourse is better fitting the later words of my Text. Yet that wee bee not swallowed vp by secure and carelesse living as long as we heare nothing of any punishmēt due for so great a sinne let it not be troublesome to vs at once to take a view of it Certaine it is an end shall come vpon them yet never shall they end death shall take them away yet never
hence is our hope it may be our vaine hope that it shall be as well with vs for all our sinnes as it was with Noah Lot David Peter many other the strongest pillars of the Lords Temple for their many downefalls Here I endeavoured as I could to imprint in our hearts the wholesome doctrine contrary to these three misconceits and withall because it was thereby manifest that Gods chosen children doe sin also willingly I tooke occasion to put some difference betweene them so sinning and the sinfull reprobates and for that purpose I thē remembred you of two evident truthes in Christian Religion 1 The Saints of God may fall grievously dangerously 2 They cannot fall finally in the end not vtterly at any time Touching the third circumstance wherein were obserued the name the nature and the obiect of this sinne we haue heard that this sinne is commonly called the sinne against the holy Ghost not because it is against the Godhead of the holy Ghost for the same God is also Father and Sonne the Godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost is all one their glory is equall their Maiestie is coeternall nor because it is against the person of the Holy Ghost for that is no greater then the person of the Father and of the Sonne the whole three persons are coeternall together and coequall but because it is against the goodnesse of the holy Ghost against the goodnes that is against those good graces of the holy Spirit bestowed vpon vs for the setting forth of the praises of the Lord. For whosoever shall despise those good graces and turne them to the contempt of Gods Maiestie and tread them vnder foot and account them prophane and purposely and wilfully and maliciously cary them away to all wantonnesse he crucifieth againe vnto himselfe the Sonne of God he despites the spirit of grace he sinnes against the holy Ghost Whereby it is plaine that the nature of this sinne is such as we find it to be described Heb. 6.1 2. where the Apostle mentioning repentance from dead workes faith towards God the doctrine of baptisme of laying on of hands of resurrection from the dead and of eternall iudgement and in the same place calling all these the doctrine of the beginning of Christ speaketh vers ◠of an apostacie of a falling away from all these points even from the very foundation and first beginning of Christian faith giving vs thereby to vnderstand that they who are holden in this transgression and haue sinned this sinne haue forsaken all the principles of Christian religion haue lost their former light haue departed from their first vnderstanding From the name and nature of this sinne thus considered wee came to seeke the obiect of it and found the malice of this sin to be directed against the very Maiestie of God himselfe and against his Christ directly to respect the first table of the morall law to be not a particular slipping aside but a generall apostacie a generall falling away from God and that totally Here I came to the first reason vsed by our Apostle to disswade vs from committing so vile a sinne contained in these words there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne Out of which words because Novatus hath made a collection void of comfort namely that if a man sinne after he is once baptised to him there remaineth no hope of pardon for his sins first I applied my selfe to establish comfort in our hearts by setting downe the contrary doctrine and secondly I came to the consideration of the truth of that which these words doe naturally afford did proue vnto you that the sinne against the holy Ghost is not at any time nor can ever be forgiven There remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne Hauing thus repeated vnto you the summe of that which heretofore I haue delivered I come now to the second reason in my second generall part to speake of this fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall devoure the adversaries The doctrine grounded vpon the first reason of our Apostle in this place might haue sufficed to make all that loue God to looke to their steps that they fall not away by committing so grievous a sinne But there is a generation of men monstrously mishapen in the powers of the soule who like the Kings and Princes of the earth i Psalm 2.2 banding themselues and taking counsaile together against the Lord and against his annointed are ready to breake the cords of religion asunder and to cast her yoke from them and to say with those in Tully lib. 1. de natura Deorum Totam de dijs immortalibus opinionem fictam esse ab hominibus sapientibus reip causâ vt quos ratio non posset eos ad officium religio duceret iudging the service of God to be a meere devise of man for the better governement of the common wealth wherein inferiours since they will not be ruled by reason must bee ordered by religion Tell such of Scriptures you may as wel vrge them with Lucians narrations of repentance they cast it behinde them of faith they regard it not of baptisme they hold it of no greater price then the washing of their hands of the resurrection this feeds them with many a merry conceit they thinke pleasantly with themselues what maner of bodies they shall haue at that day of what proportion their bodies shall bee whether their nayles and haire shall rise againe I only note them as I passe by the way whom were they vsed for their deserts the preacher should k Levit 13.44 pronounce and the Prince proclaime the foulest leapers that ever yet sore ranne vpon well worthy to bee excluded the host and to haue their l Levit. 13.46 Num. 5.2 2. Kin. 15.5 habitation alone and more then so to be exiled the land to be expelled from nature it selfe which so vnnaturally they striue to bring to naught For though the Lord God of hosts by his Ministers and servants doe call them vnto weeping and mourning to baldnesse and girding with sackcloath as he called the Iewes Esai 22.12 Yet behold with them is ioy gladnes slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine for say they to morrow we shall die Now if our Apostle to disswade such men from sinning willingly should vse this as a reason because there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne what would it advantage them being fully perswaded that the dead are not raised vp that in death there is no difference betweene them the vilest worme that ever they could tread vpon Therefore to meete with these mē also our Apostle bringeth a second reason able at some time or other to affright the hardest heart that ever yet Atheisme had infected telling them that for them which sinne willingly though there remaineth no more sacrifice which they regard not yet there remaineth something which shall touch them neere even a fearefull looking
best endeavours that your preaching be not turned into dumbnes your hearing into deafnesse your beliefe into infidelity Since you haue confessed your sinnes be ye not vnwilling to forsake them also For to confesse your sins with your lips and say with Pharaoh Saule Iudas We haue sinned will nothing profit you vnlesse your hearts also be ready to say with Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Dan. 3.18 We will not sinne For it is most true which SolomoÌ„ hath Prov. 28.13 He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper it followeth but he that confesseth forsaketh them shall haue mercy Not he that confesseth only but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall haue mercy And last of all since you haue beene sanctified with the blood of the Testament beware O beware that you account not that blood an vnholy thing for so doing you tread vnder foote the Sonne of God and despite the Spirit of grace It is without controversie better for vs 2. Pet. 2 21. never to knowe the way of righteousnesse then after we know it to turne from it THE SEAVENTH SERMON HEBR. 10. VER 29. 29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be worthy whâ—â—h â—reâ—deth vnder foot the Sonne of God and couÌ„teth tâ—e â—â—â—od of the Testament as an vnholy thing wherewith he was sanctified and doth despite the Spirit of grace IN my former Sermon the despiser of Christ and his Gospell was out of this 29 verse discovered by certaine markes First to bee somewhat like vs that loue Christ Secondly to be much vnlike vs. He is somwhat like to vs that loue Christ for hee is sanctified with the blood of the Testament Againe he is much vnlike to vs that loue Christ for 1. He treadeth trampleth vnder foote the Sonne of God 2. Hee accounteth the blood of the Testament a vulgar a coÌ„mon an vnholy a prophane thing 3. He despites the spirit of grace The consideration of such his markes may occasion vs to touch two questions 1 Because the reprobate not all of them but such only as are deepest in Gods displeasure such as doe sinne against the holy Ghost are in this place said to bee sanctified with the blood of the Testament it may be asked How farre forth a man may be so sanctified how farre a man may goe in the profession of the Gospell and yet be a reprobate 2 Because they that haue giuen their names to the strumpet of Babylon do vpon this place build their doctrine for the finall relapse of the Saints of God I shall not erre from the meaning of my text if I answere this second demande whether a Sonne of God sanctified with the blood of the covenant may fall away Of these at this time The first marke wherewith men swallowed vp of so monstrous a sinne are here noted is common to them together with the elect and chosen of God They may bee sanctified with the blood of the covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some read it per sanguinem foederis in the Vulgar and Erasmus it is per sanguinem Testamenti Wee may not disallow of either of these readâ—ngs For though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe properly signifie a testament and is often so vsed Heb. 9. yet also it fitly answereth to the Hebrew woâ—d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth pactionem viventiuÌ„ conventionem inter â—iâ—entes an agreement or covenant betweene the living In which sense it is vsed by the expositors of the Old Testament in many places I cite only one 1. Sam. 11.1 When Nahash the Ammonite had besieged Iabesh Gilead the men of the citie said vnto him as the Seaventie doe expound it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make a covenant with vs and wee will be thy servants These two significations of this word doe very fitly agree with the respects of that covenant which God hath made with his people For it respecteth God it respecteth man God was displeased because man had sinned Hence was it necessary that an agreement should be made God was to be appeased man was to make satisfaction God required and that worthily the paine of death for satisfaction of which durst man haue adventured to make payment needs must he haue been swallowed vp thereof Nothing then remained for the making of this agreemeÌ„t betweene God vs but that the Sonne of God very God very man should interpose himselfe Which already is performed For he being in the forme of God Phil 2 6. and thinking it no robbery to be be equall with God hath made himselfe of no reputation hath taken on himselfe the forme of a servant was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and being thus humbled hee hath vndertaken to satisfie his angry Father for vs and in fulnesse of time became obedient to the death to that death of the Crosse and so hath wrought our reconcilement And now hee sitting at the right hand of his Father in the highest heauens holdeth for vs in possession an eternall inheritance and because the right of this inheritance is purchased by him for no lesse price then the shedding of his most pretious blood hence it commeth to passe that the agreement reconciliation and atonement the covenant made betweene God and vs that he will be our God and we shall be his people may beare the shew haue the name of a Testament For he that made it was dead though now he liueth and liueth for evermore It was not the blood of buls nor of calues nor of goats nor the ashes of a heyfer that could make vs acceptable to the Lord but the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God that is it that purgeth our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God And for this cause is Christ the mediator of the new Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.15 in which chapter this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often vsed in the same signification for this cause I say is Christ the mediator of the new Testament that through death which was for the redemption of the transgressions in the former Testament they which were called might receaue the promise of eternall inheritance In regard of Christ theÌ„ whose death hath made the covenant betweene God and vs to bee of force this covenant may very fitly be called a Testament and this respect of him that dyed for vs warranteth both those expositions that for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may read either Covenant or Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The blood of Christ which in the conceite of the Nestorians differeth nothing from the blood of any other creature and is in the iudgement of such as sin willingly after that they haue received the knowledge of the truth but common blood as it were the blood of any other man this blood of Christ is here called the blood of the CovenaÌ„t or the blood of the