We will not multiply words: the great God of heaven and earth hath sovereignly commanded all relief to betake themselves who see their need of unto Christ Jesus, and to close cordially with God's device of saving sinners by him, laying aside all objections and excuses, as they shall be answerable unto him in the day he shall judge the quick and the dead, and shall drive from his presence all those who would dare to say, their sins and condition were such as that they durst not adventure upon Christ's perfect righteousness for their relief, notwithstanding of the Lord's own command often interposed, and in a manner his credit engaged. CHAP. IV. Of the Sin against the Holy Ghost. Object. I SUSPECT I am guilty of the "sin against the Holy Ghost," and so am incapable of pardon; and therefore I need not think of believing on Christ Jesus for the saving of my soul. Answ. Although none should charge this sin on themselves, or on others, unless they can prove and make clear the charge according to Christ's example, "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, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Yet, for satisfying the doubt, I shall, 1. Show what is not the sin against the Holy Ghost, properly so called, because there be some gross sins which people do unwarrantably judge to be this unpardonable sin. 2. I shall show what is the sin against the Holy Ghost. 3. I shall draw some conclusions in answer directly to the objection. I. As for the first, There be many gross sins, which although, as all other sins, they be sins against the Holy Ghost, who is God equal and one with the Father and the Son, and are done against some of nis operations and motions; yet are they not "the sin against the Holy Ghost," which is the unpardonable sin. As, 1. Blaspheming of God under bodily tortures is not that sin; for some saints fell into this: "And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme;"—much less blaspheming of God in a fit of distraction or frenzy: for a man is not a free rational agent at that time: and "he that spareth his people, as a father doth the son that serveth him and pitieth them that fear him, as a father pitieth his children," so doth he doth he spare and pity in these rovings; for so would our fathers according to the flesh do, if we blasphemed them in a fit of distraction. Much less are horrid blasphemies against God darted in upon the soul, and not allowed there, this unpardonable sin; for such things were offered to Christ, and are often cast in upon the saints. so 2. The hating of good in others, whilst I am not convinced that it is good, but in my light do judge it to be evil; yea, the speaking against it, yea, the persecuting of it in that case, is not the sin against. the Holy Ghost; for all these will be found in Paul before he was converted; and he obtained mercy, because he did these things ignorantly. 3. Heart-rising at the prosperity of others, in the work and way of God whilst I love it in myself; yea, the rising of heart against Providence, which often expresses itself against the creatures nearest our hand; yea, this rising of heart entertained and maintained, (although they be horrid things leading towards that unpardonable sin, yet) are not that sin; for these may be in the saints, proceeding from selflove, which cannot endure to be darkened by another, and proceeding from some cross in their idol under a fit of temptation-the most part of all this was in Jonah. 4. Not only are not decays in what once was in the man, and falling into gross sins against light after the receiving of the truth, this unpardonable sin; for then many of the saints in Scripture were undone but further, apostacy from much of the truth is not that sin; for that was in Solomon, and in the church of Corinth and Galatia: yea, denying, yea, forswearing of the most fundamental truth under a great temptation is not this sin; for then Peter had been undone. 5. As resisting, quenching, grieving, and vexing of the Spirit of God by many sinful ways, are not this unpardonable sin; for they are charged with those who are called to repentance in Scripture, and not shut out as guilty of this sin; so neither reiterating sin against light is the sin against the Holy Ghost, although it leads towards it; for such was Peter's sin in denying Christ; so was Jehoshaphat's sin in joining with Ahab and Jehoram. 6. Purposes and attempts of self-murder, and even purposes of murdering godly men, the party being under a sad fit of temptation; yea, actual selfmurder, (although probably it often joins in the issue with this unpardonable sin,) which ought to make every soul look upon the very temptation to it with horror and abhorrence, yet it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost. The jailer intended to kill himself upon a worse account than many poor people do, in the sight and sense of God's wrath, and of their own sin and corruption; yet that jailer obtained par don; and Paul, before his effectual calling, was accessary unto the murder of many saints, and intended to kill more, as himself granteth: "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme: and, being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities." Although all these are dreadful sins, each of them deserving wrath everlasting, and not being repented of, bring endless vengeance; especially the last cuts off hope of relief, for aught that can be expected in an ordinary way; yet none of these is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost: and so under any of these there is hope to him that hath an ear to hear the joyful sound of the covenant. All manner of such sin and blasphemy may be forgiven, as is clear in the Scripture, were these things are mentioned. Let us see what the II. As for the second thing. sin against the Holy Ghost is. act of transgression, but a combination of many mischievous things, involving soul and body ordinarily in guilt. We thus describe it: "It is a rejecting and opposing of the chief gospel-truth, and way of salvation, made out particularly to a man by the Spirit of God, in the truth and good thereof; and |