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A07496
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The sinne vnto death. Or an ample discouery of that fearefull sinne, the sinne against the holy Ghost together with the signes, degrees and preservatiues thereof. In a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse. August 26. 1621. By Tho: Bedford ...
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Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.
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1621
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STC 1788; ESTC S101417
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81,812
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112
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any certainty concerning this matter and thereupon shunne and reiect all meditation vpon this point and Argument as vaine and vncertaine I am not worthy neyther will I take vpon me to censure great and learned men but let it be seriously considered how much and how often mention is made in Gods word of this fearefull fall and direfull plight that men are brought into thereby and we may easily guesse that the Lord would not haue vs vtterly ignorant of it And let vs weigh and obserue the fruit and great benefit which Gods people by a sober and wise meditation hereof may reape and it may be iudged that their labour is commendable who warily and with iudgement write and preach to that purpose For as Mariners cannot easily shunne the gulfe nor rock except they know or at lest can guesse whereabouts the daunger is No more is it likely that a Christian professor should liue absolutely without the perill or feare of this so fearefull a sinne in some probable sort vnlesse he be warned thereof by such as doe study the point of purpose It is more then manifest that the danger of such a relapse is very great and that our vigilancy and care of auoiding it ought to be no lesse and lastly considering the drowsie securitie of this age the present decay of zeale the vtter neglect of the meanes to quicken it that no argument is of more necessary and profitable vse to be preached or published then this at this time wherein many hanging as it were in suspence and expectation are ready whatsoeuer shall ensue with Demas to embrace the present world and so politickly in the meane while doe carry themselues that which way soeuer they shall hereafter thinke good to incline yet they shall not be deemed Apostataes But let them for all that as it were vpon this publique warning examine themselues whether their hearts and Consciences bee not plainely and euidently euinced of the truth of the Gospell against Atheisme Papisme Turcisme Iudaisme or whatsoeuer Gentilisme or other sect and if so then consider whether the reuolt from the knowne truth will not prooue as haynous a fault in Gods sight for all their couert carriage as heauy a clogge to their Consciences as deepe a downefall from Grace and as wilfull a losse of the tast of the power of the world to come as if they had professed it in the forwardest manner or rather let them feare lest whilst they in worldly wisedome vsing cautelous circumspection to prouide for a change doe not palpably bewray that they receiue not the loue of the truth together with the knowledge thereof and so declare plainly that they are of the number of those vpon whom God in his iust iudgement will send strong delusion to beleeue lies The Scribes and Pharisees neuer vndertooke the profession of Christ as of the promised Messias yet because they were euidently conuinced by his word and workes that he it was that was to come Christ spareth not to call their wilfull reluctation and opposition against him blasphemie against the Spirit And I could wish that such wary walkers in neutralitie would vouchsafe to peruse this short treatise which tendeth to admonish them at least that they outstand not the time of Grace but rather feare least being forsaken and lest in a Reprobate sence when they would they shall not bee able to embrace and apply to themselues what they once knew and had learned and so fall to despight both God and good men This let all men know and take notice of that no time nor age since the dayes of the Apostles hath beene more likely to bring forth plentie of peccants in this kinde then this we liue in First knowledge did neuer so abound not onlie amongst the learned but euen amongst the lay-vulgar by the cleere light and plentifull preaching of the Gospell Secondly this knowledge hath begotten an vniuersall profession and forme of outward Godlines wherby men giue consent to the Truth preached and manifested vnto them Thirdly this generall consent hath bred a forwardnesse in many shewing in probabilitie their hearts affected with that which they professe and to haue attained a taste of the heauenly gift as the Apostle speaketh From such a degree and measure of knowledge and Grace if any should fall as if greater heede be not taken it may be feared sâ—me will especially if that should come to passe which those Politicians before spoken of doe prepare for and want of zeale in others doth deserue How deepe should they sinke into this Dungeon and how neere might we iudge them vnto this sinne Cast your eyes back a little and looke vnto the Histories of former times and for want of other bookes concerning more ancient ages of the primitiue Church take notice only of the defection after King Edwards daies How many seeming forward professors during the liberty of the Gospell in a moment almost not only forsooke their sinceritie but also became violent persecutors of that themselues professed whose desperate ends in that their wilfull Apostasie without any remorse at all pronouncing damnation vpon themselues with horrible blasphemies and heâ—lish despight against God declare manifestly that their fall was scarefull and their sinne vnpaâ—donable Now although we haue none other cause blessed bee God giuen to vs to feare or suspect any such defection or change but only our owne sinnes deseruing such a plague yet are not their labours vaine and to no purpose which giue warning before that men looke to their standing and take heede that they fall not Sathan is subtle and mens hearts are deceiptfull out of measure and some without any such cause giuen may be taken with a sudden spirituall Apoplexie and fall headlong at once not only into the loue and practise of sensualitie but also into the hatred of that grace of God which teacheth them to deny all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and to liue Godly righteously and soberly in this present world And some others though they fall not at once like a man that flingeth himselfe downe headlong from the top of a Rocke or steeple may be so carelesse of their estate as by insensible back sliding through the deceiptfulnesse of sinne they may depart away from the liuing God and being once gone fall into Saul his case the sonne of Cis who quite berest of the spirit of Grace had an euill spirit sent to terment him Or become like the Apothecaries Glâ—sse or Gally pet which being emptied by now and then a little of some precious or speciall Cordiall is sitted to receiue venome or poyson And if any doe stand and be preserued out of such temptations these and such like endeâ—uours that exhort admonish and rebuke before hand may truely be said to be the Antidotes and blessed meanes of preuention and they that desire to stand and not to fall ought to vse them reuerently and with thankes to God who of his infinite mercies vseth mens ministeries vnto the preseruation
in the Gospell may further bee confirmed by our owne obseruation viz. That wheresoeuer there is any mention of this sin in the new Testament there comes with it some intimation of the workes of the Mediator In Mat. 12. They opposed Christ himselfe in his miracles In Heb. 6. Paul instanceth in their crucifying againe of Christ c. And in Heb. 10. Of their trampling vnderfoote the Sonne of God c. So that this Truth is the doctrine of the Gospell the faith of our saluation through the bloud of Christ The which Piscator confirmeth by the Antithesis betwixt the contempt of the Law and the contempt of the Gospell handled in Heb. 10. 28. This Truth must be knowne to the partie he must be enlightened hee must haue a competent measure of knowledge before he falleth into this sinne For confirmation of this to omit that of Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after wee haue receiued the knowledge of the truth let vs consider how he enlargeth this point Heb. 6. 4 what phrases the Apostle vseth to set forth the measure of grace to which they had attained Marke his wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is impossible that they which were once inlightned c. Wee shall not lightly finde a more plaine more full more pithie place Ergo let vs heere stay and demurre a little and labour to vnderstand the same There are two diuerse applications of this place if they may bee called Diuerse which all tende to the same ende For some doe apply each phrase to signifie some particular thing Thus Hemingius and Iunius First heare Hemingi◠Praecedunt peccatum in spiritum sanctum sayth hee there goes before this our sinne fiue things first An illumination Secondly A tast of the heauenly gift Thirdly A participation of the holy Ghost Fourthly A tast of the good ward of God Fiftly A tast of the powers of the world to come These hee thus explaineth This Illumination is the knowledge of Christ and his benefits The taste of the heauenly gift is the participation of these benefits by faith The communion of the Spirit is the Testimony of the Spirit in the hearts of the faithfull concerning the truth of God The good worde of which they tasted is the instrumentall cause of the former for by the word comes knowledge by knowledge faith the holy Ghost being powred into our heartes The powers of the worlde to come is that blessed Immortalitie which the faithfull and beleeuers doe tast of through the holy Ghost who doth renew their hearts Thus farre Hemingius very well and to good purpose if withall you note the Emphasis and and force of the word Gustaverunt haue tasted hee sayth not Deglutiverunt haue swallowed downe much lesse Concoxerunt haue digested it For it is one thing to beleeue truely and plenarily as did Lidia whose heart the Lord opened another thing to haue onely a tast Piscator handleth these fiue phrases thus They containe saith he first The benefits of God bestowed which are two viz illumination and a tast of Gods fauour Secondly The causes of them viz. The word and the Spirit Iunius not an Author to bee contemned goeth an other way to worke for hee makes these fiue phrases to answere to the fiue heads of the Apostles Catechisme spoken of in the beginning of the chapter that as by the knowledge and profession of those hee was aedified and builded vp in Christianitie so now in his relapse and Apostacy he did vndoe all and quite destroy the former building The first head of Catechisme was Repentance from dead workes to which answereth the first phrase were once enlightned idest were called from darknesse yea death to light yea life by the renouncing of themselues and their dead workes The second was faith towardes God to which answereth the second phrase Haue tasted of the heauenly gift which gift is faith receiued from God The third ground was the Doctrine of Baptismes not Baptisme onely but Baptismes as well the inward of the Spirit whereby we are made the members of Christ the sonnes of God and inheritors of the kingdome of heauen as the outward of the Minister by which wee are receiued into the Church and acknowledged members thereof To this answereth the third phrase were made partakers of the holy Ghost id est receiued the Spirit a most constant witnesse of their adoption and redemption The fourth head was the Doctrine of the Imposition of hands a ceremony vsed at that time to admit and consecrate by a publicke consent those who vpon tryall were found sufficient either to the common profession of Christianity in the comunion of the Sacrament or to some speciall office or function in the ministry To which answereth the fourth phrase Haue tasted of the good word of God which is the nourishment of those who doe liue by the Spirit and who by the Imposition of hands were called to the offices of a Christian life The last ground of the catechisme was the Doctrine of the resurrection and aeternall iudgement to which answereth the last phrase Haue tasted of the powers of the world to come id est That hope of life and immortalitie which is layd vp for them in the heauen Hitherto Iunius laudably indeede if there be tantum certitudinis quantum subtilitatis so much certainety as subtilty in this his application And this is the former The second kinde of Application is of them who do apply all these fiue phrases to signifie one selfe same thing Thus Caluin the Coriphaeus of our Diuines Notandum est saayth hee wee must heere marke with what Elogies the Apostle doth set forth the knowledge of the Gospell For hee calleth it first Illumination intimating that men doe grope in darkenes till Christ the day-starre doe arise in their hearts Secondly The tast of the heauenly gift teaching that the benefits of Christ doe transcend the heauens and yet by faith are tasted Thirdly The Participation of the Spirit because hee it is that distributeth to each one as he listeth Fourthly The tast of the good word of God signifying that in the Gospel the will of God is so manifested to vs as that it doth most sweetely delight vs. Fiftly The tast of the powers of the world to come insinuating that by faith wee are admitted into the heauenly kingdome beholding thorow faith that blessed immortalitie which is layd vpp for vs in the heauen Thus Caluin To the same effect Zanchius who thus explaineth himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enlightened viz. by the holy Ghost to know the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est haue tasted in some measure of the diuine bounty manifested in the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. id est haue in some measure perceiued themselues renewed by the holy Ghost through the doctrine of the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tasted of the good word of God id est the