The vvay to heaven discovered: and, the stumbling-blocks (cast therein by the world, flesh, and devill) removed. Or, The ready way to true happines

XV.

The fifteenth stumbling block; I have sinned that unpardonable sinne against the holy Ghost, that God will

not pardon in this life, nor in the life to come, there is no hope for me, Mat. 12. 31, 32. I have sinned against my light, and the checks of mine own conscience; I have sinned against the experimentall tastes of spirituall things; I have cruci∣fied Christ afresh; I have had many blas∣phemous thoughts in mine heart; I have fearfully fallen away from my first love; and I finde my heart as hard as a stone, without all repentance for all this.

Answ. Originall sin is the proper seed, spawn and fountain of this sin, aswell as of any other, but every sinne against the light of minde, and checks of con∣science is not that sinne, Rom. 7. 15, 19. nor every falling away from the first love, Revel. 2. 4. Nay farther, the sin against the Holy Ghost is not every blasphe∣mous temptation, for the dearest Saints and servants of God, have been so, as frequent experience doth prove: not every sinne against knowledge is that sin against the Holy Ghost, for the best of Gods people have so done, Rom. 7. 19, 20. Peter knew he ought not to deny his Lord and Master; David knew he ought not to commit adultery, nor kill: yet strength of corruption drew

him into both: not every sinne against the truth of Christ and the Gospell is the sinne against the Holy Ghost, as those in the Church of Corinth, that denyed the Resurrection, 1 Cor. 15. 12. and those in the Church of Pergamus, that held the Doctrine of Balaam, and the Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, yet are not accounted hopelesse, but invited to re∣pent of their opinions: Neither is it every sinning against the gracious mo∣tions, strivings and operations of the Holy Ghost: for it is possible men may thus sinne, and sometimes with an high hand, and yet not sinne against the ho∣ly Ghost, Act. 7. 51, 52. Neither is it sinning against grace received; for the most heavenly and gracious souls, are daily perplexed with inseparable and invincible infirmities, as doubts, fears, distracting thoughts, distempered passi∣ons, they may and doe too often quench the spirit, 1 Thess. 5. 19. and grieve him, Ephes. 4. 29, 30. by suppressing his good motions: nay, a man may grosly fall and break his bones, yet not quite fall away: as Noah to drunkennesse, Gen. 9. 21. Lot to incest, Gen. 19. 33. David to murther and uncleannesse. I suppose

that these are recorded to caution them, that stand, that they fall not, and to com∣fort them that are fallen, that they despair not.

Now the Judgements of men are va∣rious, as to the nature of this sinne; some say it is despair, others that it is presumption, or an obstinate purpose of continuing in sinne, or a fixed will never to repent: an opposing of the known truth, and an envying of our brothers graces, &c. Others say that the sinne against the Holy Ghost is this, viz. An universall, finall, and wilfull falling away from the truth and common graces of the Ho∣ly Ghost once received and professed, &c. to a malicious, obstinate, and incurable opposition thereof, &c.

• (1) Here is the general nature of this sin [a falling away].
• (2) Here is the properties of this falling away.
  • 1. An Universall.
  • 2. Finall.
  • 3. Wilfull.
• (3) The good from which he fals;
  • 1. From the truth, once received and professed.

• ...
  • 2. From the common graces of the Spi∣rit or Holy Ghost.
• (4.) The evill into which he backslides, which is threefold.
  • 1. Blasphemous despiting of the Spi∣rit of grace.
  • 2. Horrid contempt and malice against the Son of God.
  • 3. Violent persecution of the way of Christianity.

Now where these particulars dwell joyntly, and act vigorously, mark that man or woman; for in Scripture sense, that man doth commit the sinne against the Holy Ghost; and this is the highest sinne against the saving remedy; this is to sin wilfully, m••liciously, incurably; this is to crucifie Christ afresh, and to put him to an open shame, and to tread him under foot, and to count his bloud of the Covenant an unholy thing, &c. This sinne never can possibly be repen∣ted of, for so the Apostle tels us, Heb 6. 4, 5, 6.

Again, this sinne is impardonable, so Christ tels us, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, n••ither in this world, neither in the world to come, Mat 12. 32. Heb. 10. 26. & Mar. 3. 29.

So this sinne is damnable, for if it can never be repented, and if it will never be pardoned, it must needs alwaies be punished with eternall death and dam∣nation, but such is the love of the Al∣mighty God, that he hath placed that sinne in so high a degree, that most men cannot commit that sinne if they would, for there must be knowledge in the minde, and malice in the heart, and that not in an ordinary but in an ex∣traordinary measure, or else thou canst not commit that sinne: Peter had know∣ledge in his minde, but no malice in his heart, when he denied his Master; again, Paul he had malice in his heart, but no knowledge in his minde; so that neither Paul nor Peter, sinned against the Holy Ghost; but take the malice in Pauls heart, and the knowledge in Peters, and joyne them both together in one man, if that man deny Christ with cursing and swearing as Peter, and persecute the Church of Christ with Paul; then we may safely say, that man hath sinned that unpardonable sinne. But we may take notice by the way, that those persons that are truly rege∣nerate and born again, cannot sinne

against the Holy Ghost, for the Scrip∣ture saith, that the regenerate sinne not this great sinne, Whosoever is borne of God, sinneth not, as in 1 Joh. 5. 16, 17, 18.

For if the regenerate might sinne against the Holy Ghost, then they might totally and finally fall away from God, but that it is impossible, as that Gods Promises, Covenant, and faithfulnesse should fail, or that Gods Spirit, grace, and power preserving them should be overcome, or that Gods immutable de∣cree for their salvation should be sha∣ken, so that there is a vast difference, between the sinning of a regenerate per∣son, and their sinning that sinne against the Holy Ghost.

1. They that sinne against the Ho∣ly Ghost, are not, nor cannot be in any fear or trouble, because they have sinned, but are wickedly hardened; for no person that ever sinned against the Holy Ghost, either was or could be afraid, perplexed, or troubled in spi∣rit about it, such trouble being incon∣sistent with the nature of that sinne which leaves no place for any religious fear, suspicion, jealousie, or trouble of

heart about it, for they sinne wilfully, obstinately, maliciously, and blasphemous∣ly, without all colour, shadow, or possi∣bility of remorse or repentance: the proof, Mat. 12. 31, 32. & Heb. 6. 4. & 10. 6. to the 31.

2. They that sinne against the Holy Ghost, are such as are under the raign and dominion of sinne, such as never had any power of godlinesse but only a forme, &c.

3. They that sinne against the Holy Ghost, apostatize and fall away finally, but although regenerate persons, some∣times fall wofully, as we have proved before, yet they never fall finally, they alwaies rise again.

4. They that sinne against the holy Ghost, were never advanced beyond the degree of hypocrites, as hath been evi∣denced by regenerate persons, for they partake of the truth of grace, pow∣er of godlinesse, and life of God: and men nor Devills cannot pluck them out of Christs hand

5. They that sinne against the Holy Ghost, universally fall away both from profession and approbation of truth and grace; but the new born never fall away thus universally.

6. They that sinne against the Ho∣ly Ghost, so sinne, that it is impossi∣ble to renew them again unto repen∣tance; but they that are regenerate, re∣pent of every sinne, that they fall into before they die either in generall or par∣ticular.

7. They that sinne against the Holy Ghost, sinne wilfully, and maliciously; but as hath been cleared, regenerate persons sinne out of weaknesse and in∣firmity, not of malice or wilfull obstina∣cy: they hate the evill which they doe, Rom. 7. 15.

Mr. Francis Roberts in his Book called A Beleevers evidence for eternall life, saith it is possible that men may fall total∣ly, and finally, and yet not commit this sinne, unlesse they also fall malicious∣ly: these three properties of this grand apostasie, 1. Universall, 2. Finall, 3. Ma∣licious, must be joyntly all together, not disjoyntly or severally one from ano∣ther, if by them we would describe the sinne against the Holy Ghost, and rightly understand the Scripture a∣bout it.

Wherefore to close up my answer for the removing of this stumbling block,

let all poor souls forbear a little their hard conceits of themselves, and suspend their censures; for they that have worst thoughts of themselves, are not alwaies in the worst condition; every one that feareth he hath sinned against the Holy Ghost, must not presently be concluded to have committed that horrid sinne of sinnes; for such sinnes may arise first from the weaknesse, not knowing thy state, or the nature of this sinne truly and distinctly, and partly from Satans wickednesse abusing thy weaknesse, that so, if it were possible, he might drive thee to despair; but credit neither thy own weaknesse, nor Satans wickednesse, lest thou bar the door of mercy, that God hath opened so wide to thee, and all other trem∣bling misgiving babes; lay these things to∣gether, and enter into a serious searching of thy owne heart, and take the answer of thy own conscience, so farre as it is regu∣lated by the Word, and thou wilt pre∣sently finde, that thou hast not commit∣ted this unpardonable sinne, neither in thought, word, nor deed, &c.