THE world's PROSPECT: OR, A commentary upon the 33 of ISAIAH, and the 14 vers. In these words: The sinners in Zion are afraid. In which words are declared, how far the Saints may sin against Knowledge and Conscience, and yet not sin the sin against the holy Ghost. Delivered, And set forth by JOHN EMERSONE sometime pastr, dispenser of the word in private. LONDON: Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Gamage, and are to be sold at his shop on London-Bridge near the Gate. 1646. The Contents. THe point from the Text is this: That sins against Knowledge and Conscience, are sins of a high nature; and when God doth once set them upon the Conscience, they cause horror and vexation, both in the Saints and Reprobates. From the points, there be these nine particulars derived. 1. All sins committed against Knowledge and Conscience, are not the sins against the holy Ghost; for, sins against Faith, are not this sin. 2. All sins done wittingly and contrivingly, and willingly, are not this sin. 3. The sin of unbelief, which some maintain to be the sin against the holy Ghost, is not that sin. 4. Every for swearing and denying of the truth of Christ, is not this sin. 5. What sins of Knowledge be, and how they come to be the sins against the holy Ghost. 6. A Declaration of this sin against the holy Ghost. 7. A reason given, why it is a sin unpardonable. 8. Who the persons be that commit this sin. 9 With what knowledge they must be endued, that commit this sin against the holy Ghost. In this ensuing Treatise, Every one of these particulars are fully proved; As also, with a word of comfort, spoken in due season to troubled Consciences, showing that they need not fear the assurance of their eternal well-being. With many other points, which are not named in this preamble. THE world's Prospect. ISAIAH 33. 14. vers. The sinners in Zion are afraid. IN these words, there be these three things considerable: 1. The persons who they are, in these words, Sinners. 2. The place they dwelled, which was, in Zion. 3. The effect of sins, in these, Sinners. In the last part of my Text, in these word, They are afraid. From whence, I observe (by the way) this observation; That sin is the original cause of wicked men's fear. In the word sinners, I note only these two sorts of sinners. The first sort of sinners that have the guilt of sin lying upon their souls, which guilt of theirs shall never be washed off with the blood of Christ, for these two Reasons: First, Because Divine wisdom did never set love and mercy on work for the satisfying of Divine Justice in their behalf. Secondly, God the Father did never appoint the blood of his son to wash off the guilt that is upon their souls; and therefore they must die in their guilt which lieth upon their souls. The second sort of sinners, which have the guilt of sin lying upon their souls, yet shall not die in that guilt, for these two Reasons: First, Because God the Father did wisely contrive ways, to satisfy Divine Justice in their behalf. Secondly, God the Father loved them, and did freely wash them in the fountain of his son's blood; therefore, though they were in guilt, yet they shall not die in their guilt. Now, in the handling of my Text, in the forenamed particulars, I shall show from whence, sinners were first derived, viz. Adam was the first man that ever sinned, and thus: The first sin that ever was in man, was first found in our first Parents Adam: And so, I say, by that means, the sin of our first Parents Adam was imputed unto Rom. 5. 12. and so called our sin, Rom. 4. 25. sin was the only cause of Adam's fear, Gen. 3. 9 So in like manner sin is an original of our fear, who are the posterity of sinful Adam. I come now to speak of the place where these sinners dwelled, and that place I told you was in Zion, a place, I say, which God did choose above all other places, there only of purpose to put or place his Name in. This place Zion, is a place unmovable, and therefore in the Scriptures called, Mount Zion, of old, called Salem, being the Mount on which David's house and Castle was placed, being in the City of Jerusalem, to the East part of the same, 1 King. 11. 36. Deut. 11. 7, 11. Psal. 132. 14. Psal. 125. 1. Rev. 14. 1. Zion a place where the means of grace was; out of which place, came also Perfection of Beauty, Psal. 52. 2. Jehovah, there was found in the purity of Ordinances, Zion was the Saints inquiring place in the old time; I say, it was their place of Residence, ☞ there was their hopes in times past in an ordinance-way, and there is still their hopes to enjoy Christ in a visible and glorious way for ever. Though all the earth be mine, yet Zion have I chosen to be the place of my habitation for ever and there will I dwell amongst my people, and will go in and out before them for ever, leading them forth even as a shepherd doth his flock. Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God: Mat. 5. 35. for it is the place and City of the great King (even Christ Jesus) And I heard him say unto me, Ezek. 43. ●, 8. son of Man, this is the place of my Throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever, and then my holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they nor their Kings. These sinners which my Text speaks of, had their names given unto them from the heinousness of their sins. I say, as they were sinners, so they had the names of sinners given unto them; And because they sinned against the gift of grace in Zion, so they were called sinners of Zion, and in the place where they dwelled They were afraid. Sins committed against Knowledge, be sins of a high nature, and cause fear, from these three particulars which were considerable in my Text: From them, I ●ay, are these points derived, which are these: That sin committed against Conscience and Knowledge, be sins of a high na●ure, and when God doth charge them upon the Conscience, they cause terror and vex●tion, both in the Saints, and also in the Reprobates. In the opening of the point, I shall show unto you, how that all sins committed against Conscience and Knowledge, is not the sin against the holy Ghost: 1. All sins committed against Knowledge and Conscience, Luk. 1. 20. are not this sin, Numb. 2. 12. 2 Sam. 12. 9 1 King. 15. 5. sin against faith is not this sin. 2. Sins done wittingly and contri●ingly, against Knowledge and Conscience, are not this sin. 3. All sins against gifts and graces, are ●ot this sin, 1 Cor. 1. 7, 11, 12. 2 Sam. 11. ●, 25. 2 Sam. 12. 9 The sin of unbelief, which some maintain to be the sin against the holy Ghost, is not that sin; if it had been this ●●nne, then had the Disciples of Christ committed this sin. For, the Lord did oftentimes discover heavenly truths unto them yet notwithstanding, they believed not. 4. Every forswearing and denying o● the truth of the Lord Jesus, are not this sin. Francis Spyra forswore the truth o● Christ, and denied the same, against the Knowledge of Conscience, and against the voice and dictate of the Spirit; yet for all that, some think that he obtained mercy▪ Also, Mat. 26. 70, 72, 74, 75. Peter denied and forswore the truth of the Lord Jesus, yet not damned. 5. I will show you what sins of Knowledge be, and will show you how they come to be the sin against the holy Ghost. 6. I will discover unto you, what the sin against the holy Ghost is. 7. I will discover the Reason, why it is a sin unpardonable. 8. Who the persons be that commit that sin. 9 With what knowledge they must be endued that commit this sin. These nine particulars I shall endeavour to draw into one complete body, as if I had named them one by one. I say, all sins committed against Know●edge and Conscience, are not the sin against the holy Ghost: If it had been that sin, than had David committed the sin against the holy Ghost; for he sinned against his Knowledge and Conscience, wittingly, willingly, and contrivingly. As for instance, in the matter or Uriah: First, he sinned seeingly; Secondly, he sinned by the way of sinful forecast. For the first, he sinned seeingly, in that he saw that Bershebah was with-child, he thought to have fathered the child upon innocent Uriah, although he never knew of the begetting of it; he thought, if that he could have got this good man unto his hands, all had been well, much more if Uriah had been with his wife. Take notice, I pray you, how David seemingly loved this good man, Uriah, 2 Sam. 11. 8, 12. And David said unto Uriah, go down to thine house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the King's house and there followed him a mess ef meat from the king. And David said unto Uriah, camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down to thy house? And David said unto Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. I say, here was David's fair love to Urias for his own self-ends, for the preventing of that open shame which was coming upon him: I am verily persuaded that his Conscience told him then, that he had sinned in this matter of Uriah's wife and that made him by might and policy to seek some cloak to cover his shame▪ for if that he had not known it, it had not been a sin to covet his nighbours' wife, especially to commit adultery with her, he would never have sought out for a cloak to have covered his shame. I say, his knowledge was so effectual by education, that he knew the breach of the seventh and the tenth commandment: the tenor whereof is thus, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife: Also, he knew the breach of the sixth commandment, Thou shalt not kill; Yet I say, by way of sinful forecast, he knew how to act the breach of the sixth commandment, as you may see, how he acted his wicked action by a wicked Agent; he had no better way to contrive the death of so good a man as Uriah was, but only making of Joab an Agent, to make Uriah privily to carry the secrets of his ●wne death, as by this Story at large appea●eth in 2 Sam. 11. 15, 16. And it came to ●asse in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront ●f the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten and die. In these words, you may observe Davids●●nfull forecast, for the bringing about of ●is sinful action; he would not be seen to ●ave a hand in this good man's death: yet the holy Ghost doth to all posterity set ●orth, That this holy man David had a hand ●n Uriah's death, 2 Sam. 12. 9 Thou hast ●●aine Uriah with the sword: As if the holy Ghost had said thus, Though unto the eye of the world thou art not seen to have a and in this good man's death, yet this se●ret act of thine is not hid from the All-seeing eye of Jehovah. I pried into thine heart, and there I saw thy secret intention ●cted, before ever thou didst use the outward means to bring it to pass. Yea, I saw in thine heart the Agent that thou didst assign, for to bring to pass this thy sinful action. I saw all thy turnings and windings concerning Uriah, which by thee▪ were contrived; and because thou didst go so cunningly to work, to make the world believe that thou hadst no hand in this man's death, I therefore thought good to discover to all posterities after thee that which thou didst so secretly act and contrive. I will relate the chief heads of thy proceedings concerning Uriah's death; Although thou didst use Joab as thy Agent to act thy wicked intent and purpose; yet I will lay the guilt of that sin, not upon Joab the Actor, but upon thee the contriver thereof; Thou hast killed Uriah with the sword: I could relate more of it than this, but I stand not upon a public relation, but only to let the world see that thou art not without public sins: I did look upon thee at that very time of sinning, as upon a perfect man, Save only in the matter of Urias, 1 King. 15. 5. David▪ because he would be sure of the death of so good a man as Uriah was, he went politicly to work, That if there were but two or three men slain, Uriah without question might be one of them, as appeared afterwards in the 2 Sam. 11. 17. And it came to pass, when Joab observed the City, that he assigned Uriah unto a place, where he knew that valiant men were. And the men of the city went, and fought with Joab; and ●here fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Uriah the Hittite died also. In the 2 of Sam. 12. 5. see how holy David seemed to be sorrowful when the Prophet Nathan came unto him, and spoke parabolically concerning Uriah's death, and concerning the coveting of his wife. See, I say, how David expressed sorrow for Uriah's wrong (not yet being convinced of his death) until God by the ministry of Nathan did set home the sin, and also the guilt thereof, upon the Conscience of this good man, David. I say, that although this good man, David, did sin grievously, both wittingly and contrivingly; yet he sinned not that sin against the holy Spirit: Yea, although David sinned deeply against his own knowledge and conscience, yet he found and obtained pardon, 2 Sam. 12. 13. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die. I say, that mercy which he obtained from the Lord, Isa. 55. 3. is called in the Scriptures, His sure mercies, Psa. 32. 15 Isa. 55. 3. Jehovah had sworn that he would never fail David. Those whom Jehovah swears to shall never want protection. I say, though this holy man sinned so grievously, yet he found and obtained pardon, and was accounted of God a perfect man; yea, even in that very time of seeing, 1 King. 15 5. saving in the matter of Uriah, 1 King. 15. 5. All sins committed against great gifts and graces, are not this sin against the holy Ghost. If it had been this sin, than had Solomon also committed this sin against the holy Ghost; The Reas. for he sinned against the graces and estate of a Saint-seeing spirit, 1 King. 11 9 who was angry with him. 1 King. 11. 9 God appeared unto him three several times, and did discover himself unto him in an abundant manner, as you may see in 2 Chro. 1. 7, 11, 12. 1 King. 3. 5, 12. 1 King. 9 3. chap. 11. 9 I say, Solomon sinned in a high nature against the largest requests that ever man had granted unto him; yea, he sinned against all those graces which Elshaddai the strong Omnipotent God infused into him. He angered the Lord; yea, he did evil in the sight of the Lord, 1 King. 11. 6. He is said, To walk contrary unto the good ways of David his Father; and as Solomon angered the Lord, even so the Lord was angry also with him, vers. 9 who had then appeared unto him twice. He was a man endued with more knowledge than ever any mere creature was endued with; yea, he dived into the nature and use of Plants; yea, into the very hyssop that sprung upon the wall. I am persuaded, if that the writings of Solomon had not been lost (in the Capitvity) which he had written upon the nature and use of Plants and Herbs, than our physicians would have been (next under God) able to have cured all manner of diseases whatsoever, except Hereditary diseases. If God did furnish him with so much human knowledge and skill in natural things, then much more did God endue him with all heavenly graces. I say, Jehovah, the strong Omnipotent God, gave unto him abundantly all wisdom and graces, at his request, 2 Chro. 1. 7. He had a great enlargement of graces; yea, grace I say, as large as the waters in the Ocean Seas: He had the largest stock of grace that ever any man had, save the Lord Jesus, who was God and Man in one Person. If any man shall ask me the question, Quest. whether ever any mere man shall attain unto the like measure of gifts and graces as Solomon did? I answer, Answ. Solomon was a Type and figure of our Lord Jesus; and therefore, it was necessary that he should be endued with more gifts and graces than any other after him saving the Lord Christ, whom he Typified, that so he might, in that age of the world, represent the Substance of him, of whom he was the shadow, Solomon was a true figure of Christ, as he was a subject of grace, and not as he was a subject of foul sins. I say, that all these, and such like typical representations of Christ, are now, since his coming in the flesh, ceased, he being the Substance of all those Types, figures, and shadows. But as the ceremonial Law was a figure of Christ in its typical observations, as S. Paul speaketh, Heb. 10. 1. Saying: Now the Law is the shadow of good things to come. Therefore, although believers now do not enjoy such a large measure of grace as Solomon did, yet they shall enjoy as true grace (according to measure) as ever he did. I say, no man shall ever enjoy such a large measure of common grace as he did; yet there's the same measured fullness, as is by Christ measured out for his Saints, without being figures as Solomon was, though he most grievously sinned against so large a stock of grace as he possessed; yet not withstanding, he obtained pardon, 2 Sam. 7. 15. Psal. 89. 24. 3, 34. 2. Sam. 12. 24. according to this promise of Jehovah himself, in these words: My loving kindness will I never take away from him, my truth also and my mercy shall be with him, he shall cry unto me, thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth. ☜ Although in truth, these words of David do most truly and properly allude unto Christ himself, as the Substance, with whom the everlasting covenant was made by the Father, for the work of Salvation in due time; yet they are shadowed out unto us by the person of Solomon, who was the shadow of the Substance, Christ; and whose very Name, Solomon (being wisdom) carries in itself the true portraiture of Christ the Substance, who is the true Solomon, the true wisdom of the Father. In these words is the purpose & promise of Jehovah confirmed, from his former resolution in the showing and bestowing mercy on Solomon; notwithstanding, all his sins committed against God's great love and mercy showed unto him. He sinned deeply and in a very high measure, and did, as it were, outlive grace (in regard of the life and sweet sense and being of grace.) Yet, I say, he enjoyed the former sense and sweet enjoyment of grace again. I might abundantly confirm the truth of this point more fully, but I have other matter to deliver. Francis Spyra, Though he denied the truth of the Lord Jesus against his Knowledge and Conscience, and against a secret Dictate and a sudden voice, which forbade him not to do that which he was resolved to do. I say, a secret Dictate bad him take heed unto himself, and to look back unto his former estate, and not to deliver up all into the hands of those that would bring both him and his into bondage, and not to yield unto that Legate, who told him that if he would forswear the truth of the Lord Jesus, and yield to them in all points, he and his should be maintained. When this Francis Spyra, was going about to subscribe unto their wicked assignment then, even then, he heard a secret Dictate, which forbade him not to go against that truth which he formerly had professed: yet notwithstanding, he did wilfully deny the truth of the Lord Jesus, yet afterwards he had remorse of conscience, and was deeply wounded in his soul and conscience: Yea, he afterward made Recantation, and was deeply wounded, and his conscience tormenting him, he made a large Confession of his sins, and the heinousness of them, and withal, acknowledging, that there was abundance of mercy in God if he could repent, saying, If I could but Repent, than there would be mercy for me, but I cannot Repent of my present state & condition, it being like the state of Cain, Saul, and Judas. I confess, that if God should damn me, he might be just in all his dealings with me: When those which were about him bade him pray, he told them, that he could not pray; yet afterward they got him to pray, and it is reported of him, that he prayed in the Latin tongue, and expressed such heavenly expressions, that no Reprobate could express the like heavenly expressions. ☞ If you do but look into the book, called, The Relation of Francis Spyra, therein you may see more fuller of him than my tongue shall express at this time, my conscience bidding me keep within the compass of Christian charity, judging him to be a glorified Saint in heaven; using, in I say, the time of his distress, such unexpressable words, which I in all the days of my life never heard nor read of, could be in any dying or living Reprobate. I do also bring in S. Peter, who with him denied the truth, forswore that he never knew him, whom formerly he professed, yea, wittingly, though not willingly, he denied the Lord Jesus, who by his most precious blood bought him, yet he for all that found and obtained pardon: For, it is said, that the Lord Jesus, after he had denied him, looked back upon him; Then saith the Text, Peter remembered the words of Christ, who said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice; Then he remembered the words of Christ and went out, and wept bitterly. I say, Christ told him, that Satan had a desire for to winnow him, as wheat was sifted: But Christ told him, that he had prayed him, that his faith should not fail, Luk. 22. 31. intimating thereby, that this fall of blessed Peter was but a permission of Satan's temptation and trial of his faith (rather then eternal rejection) to show unto after-posterities that Satan may sometime (by permission) have power given him to batter the faith of the strongest Saint, and to make him sometime lie down in sorrow, as the holy Ghost useth the phrase in Esaiah, 50. 10, 11. This Peter, after his Conversion, or after the manifestations of pardon, he was more courageous than before: And the reason why blessed Peter fell so grievously, was (as I conceive) only to let him know, that the strength he had was not his own, neither could he stand by that strength, but only in, and by the strength of a stronger than himself was, and afterward to make, and to cause him to wait on the Lord, that so he, in the time of want, might renew his strength as the holy Ghost doth use the phrase in Isaiah, 40. 31, 32. The sin of unbelief, which some maintain to be the sin against the holy Ghost, is not this sin; If it had been this sin, than had there some of God's Worthies committed this sin. As for instance, Moses, although a believer, and faithful in his place, Heb. 3. 2. 5. yet in the very time of trial, was found unbelieving, Numb. 20. 11. And to show, that he was found unbelieving, the Lord told him, that he should not bring the people into the Land of Canaan, as the 12 vers. tells you. Zachariah, though a just man, as the word testifieth, Luk. 1. 6. yet he was found unbelieving, vers. 20. and to show unto all posterity this, that it was a sin, God did inflict a temporal judgement upon his body. Also, blessed Thomas, although a believer, yet he was found unbelieving, Joh. 20. 25. And to confirm that which I have spoken, read to the 26. vers. In which verse. the Lord Jesus stoops unto the act of Thomas his unbelief, and and confirming his faith with his willingness to cure his unbelief. I will but give you one instance more, to confirm what I have hitherto spoken concerning this sin of unbelief, which is also supposed of some to be the sin against the holy Ghost. I will bring in these places, which they unskilfully name, to prove this sin of unbelief, to be the sin against the holy Ghost. I say, the Disciples of Christ were in the main point of Faith, found unbelieving, questioning the truth which Christ did formerly, and at that time discover unto them, Mark. 9 10. Luk. 24. 21. And to show that it was a sin not to believe, he gently reproves their unbelieving spirits, v. 25. 26. and afterwards labours by the expposition of those Prophets which had before prophesied of him, was now since his resurrection manifested to be a clear truth which they before believed not, vers. 27. And thus I have proved, ☜ that the sin of unbelief, which some maintain to be the sin against the holy Ghost, is not this sin. I come now to handle their proofs, which they produce for their consequences, Ioh. 8. 24. If you believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Upon these words, I thus paraphrase▪ The Lord Jesus convinces the Jews of their unbelief, because that they believed not that he was the Christ: And the reason of their unbelief, was, because they believed not that it was he that was to come, even the Messiah; but they looked on him with a carnal eye, being▪ I say, more carnal than spiritual, looking only for a King, whose kingdom and reign shall be altogether temporal. And so I say, dreaming to reign with him in this world, they looked that he should have established and restored that their kingdom. But then, they seeing the personal presence of Christ, so contemptible (as the Prophet Jeremiah saith, and also the Prophet Isaiah, His presence shall be by us not desirable (or) contemptible: When we see him, he shall have neither form nor beauty. Therefore, these Jews, when they saw Christ with their natural eyes only, they did not believe that he was he which was to come. And in the 18. vers. There the Lord Jesus tells the Jews. That he was one that did bear witness of himself, and that the Father did also bear witness of him. And in the 19 vers. They had a ●esire, that he would show them his Fa●her. Whereupon he tells them, That if ●hey had known the Father, they would also have known him: And from hence did 〈◊〉 second cause of their unbelief arise: And ●ur Saviour Christ tells them plainly, That ●f they did not believe he was that Christ, ●hey should die in their sins. Another place is the 1 of Judges, 5 vers. How that the Lord having saved the people out of the Land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. Also, Mark. 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned. Joh. 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already, because he believeth not in the Name of the only begotten son of God. Unto this place I do thus reply: That our Lord Jesus doth not absolutely speak of an eternal condemnation, if it were spoken of an eternal estate of condemnation, then must the Elect themselves be in that estate, for their is no difference, Rom. 3. 23. The Elect themselves, before they be in the estate of faith, are first in the estate of unbelieving, 2 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you, but now ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in t●● Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Sp●●● of our God. In these words, you may see the cond●tion of believers set forth unto you, ho● that they are prone unto all manner of sin● as well as the sin of unbelief, but no● you see a blessed change in them: Ther●●fore the sin of unbelief cannot be 〈◊〉 sin against the holy Ghost, as some ide●● have affirmed. I now will in a word or two show yo● how that the Saints of God can fall into 〈◊〉 unpardonable sins, though they may fa●● into many great sins (as you heard.) Yet say, for the comfort of all distressed consciences that are encumbered with false fear from false grounds; whose fear, becau●● their sins appear great in their apprehension, and so from a false ground as said before. Therefore, from hence they conclude that they have sinned against the holy Ghost, and that thus, their sins are unpardonable. Therefore, for the helping o● such poor distressed consciences out of these false fears, and to satisfy their consciences that they have committed this unpardonable sin. I adds these two reasons ●●r their satisfaction. The first Reason is this, because all the ●●ints of God, are all borne of God, Joh. 5. 18. That is, they are Regenera●●d, and thus made new creatures, Joh. 3. 3. ●●d so are saved, Tit. 3. 5. and cleansed, Cor. 6. 11. by the Spirit of their God, ●●d so enter in with the Lord Jesus, who is ●●e door, Joh. 1. 10. and enter into the ●●ait gate, Luk. 13. 24. who is the Way, the truth, and the life, Joh. 14. 6. You Saints that are full of false fears, ●●t me speak unto you, I say, that you cannot commit this unpardonable sin, be●●use the Father gave his son unto this ●●ery end and purpose, for to redeem his ●●ople from their sins, Tit. 2. 14. I say, ●ehovah hath for his own names sake for●●ven all your sins, Isa. 43. 23, 44, 22. ●er. 31. 22, 32, 31, 33, 33, 6. And Heb. ●. 12. Mich. 7. 18, 19 Psal. 103. 13. Who 〈◊〉 a God like unto thee, that will pardon the ●●iquities of the remnant of his heritage, and ●ill subdue them into the bottom of the Seas? The second Reason is, The Lord Jesus ●nd his Saints have all one oneness, ● Cor. 5. 7. They that be joined unto the Lord Jesus, they be one Spirit, yea, one ●● union, one in love, one with the Lord Jesus, and with all the three Persons in all the glorious trinity. See to this purpose Ioh. 17. 23, 25, 26. I in them, and they ●● me. I say, God is abundantly glorious unto believers, yea, to multiply pardon Isa. 55. 7. And for a farther Relation of God's fro● mercy, in pardoning of those that turn unto him, I note these several places 〈◊〉 Scriptures for confirmation, 2 Chron. 30▪ 9● 33, 12, 13. Gen. 18. 15. Exod. 6. 1, 9, 11, 26, ●, 7, 20, 6, 34, 7, 8. Numb. 20. 8. Deut. 4. 30, 31, 5, 10, 17, 18, 28, 1, 15, v. 30, 1, 11, 32, 4, 3, 6, 10. 2. Sam. 7, 8, 9, 15, 12, 13, 24, 10, 11, 13, 1 King. 8. 23. Levit. 20. 5, 10. Nehem. 9 17. Psal. 21. 7, 35, 5, 7, 5, 10, 86, 5, 10, 111▪ 4. Psal. 145. Isa. 30. 18, 54, 8, 9, 10, 55, 3, 7. Ier. 12. 15, 16, 18, 8. Ezek. 18. 32, 33, 14, 15, 16. Hos. 2. 14, 19, 23. Ioel. 2. 13. Ion. 4. 2. Ier. 3. 2, 12, 14, Luk. 1. 50, 58, 72. Luk. 18. 4, 6, 36. Luk. 7. 47, 23, 34, 43. Rom. 4. 7. 2 Cor. 1. 3. Ephesi. 2. 4. 1 Tim. 1. 13, 15, 16, 18. These places of Scripture do set forth the freeness of God's love unto all believers: Yea, I say, they do show the freeness of God's love in his showing of mercy, and in manifesting of it unto all believers, who, I say, shall never come into condemnation, because the Lord Jesus Christ hath cast out of them the sin of condemnation, Rom. 8. 1. Thus you may see, that all believers be happy and blessed. Oh! the blessedness of that man, as it is in the original, Rom. 8. 32, ●9, vers. Who shall lay any thing unto the charge of God's chosen? It is God that justifieth: Who shall condemn? It is Christ which is dead, yea, rather, which is risen from the dead, who is also at the right hand of God, and maketh request for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall Tribulation, or Anguish or Persecution, or Famine, or nakedness, or peril, or Sword? As it is written, for thy sake are we killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. In these words, the sure state of the saints is set forth unto us, to show God's Omnipotent will and purpose which never changes: It is not the devil, nor any belonging unto him, can alter God's ●ove to his Saints or do them any wrong. Christ, I say, hath set them in a glorious liberty, Gal. 5. 1. Ioh. 8. 38. Now I come to show unto you what the sin against the ●oly Ghost is. The sin against the holy Spirit i● when a man hath been enlightened with the heavenly truth (Christ Jesus) by the holy Spirit of the Father, What the sin against the holy Ghost is. who is that Spirit of truth spoken of, Ioh. 14. 26. Whose office is to seal us unto the day of redemption▪ Ephesi. 4. 30. And then, not only strive against that truth, but also blaspheme that truth, as the Jews did, saying, He casteth out Devill● by Belzebub the Prince of the devils. And thus shall wittingly and willingly against the checks of his own conscience, persecute that truth in his members, the Saints▪ because he knows, that it is the truth therefore he is of purpose resolved to oppose that sacred truth, and to despise that sacred light wherewith he was enlightened; & also, esteeming that sacred blood of Christ as nothing, treading it under foot: And thus, out of a pernicious spirit, most wickedly persecutes the truth in his members, even the sons and daughters of truth, because he knows, that they are the subjects of that sacred truth. This is the sin against the holy Ghost. I say, The persons that commit this sin, must be knowing persons, and men of knowledge. Such a one was Julian the Apostate, ☞ who notwithstanding his certain knowledge of Christ to be the son of God, yet against knowledge, fell off and became a great persecutor of Christ. They must be such as are acquainted with the Truth, even the Lord Jesus, being enlightened with the saving Light of the holy Spirit; such were the Scribes, and Judas, and many other Reprobates, which the Scripture speaks of in many places. Judas sinned against his Knowledge and Conscience; Cain also in like manner against Knowledge and Conscience, his Conscience at that very time informing him, that Elshaddai, the strong and omnipotent God, had respect unto the offering of righteous Abel; and that his person was accepted, according unto the rule of the Law, perfect shall it be accepted. Although Cain knew, that God had a respect unto his brother Abel, and to his offering; yet notwithstanding, he did against his knowledge persecute his brother: as S. John saith, Abel's works were good, and Cains evil. Sin against Knowledge is this: as when a man or woman is informed of divers Truths, and by the judgement of their understanding give an approbation unto those Truths discovered unto them, and yet notwithstanding will sin; this is called by me, sins against Knowledge. Sin against Conscience is, when a man's Conscience is enlightened with Knowledge, concerning the acting this thing or that thing, which is evil, and yet is resolved to do it; this is called, sin against Conscience. I say, all that be damned sin not against Knowledge, openly discovered unto them; as the Heathen, who knew God no farther but only by the instinct of Nature, having the Law written in their hearts, Rom. 2. 15. Which Law shall not leave them without excuse at the last day: for they know so much of God, as shall be a means for to condemn them, their Consciences bearing witness against them, and so leaving their Consciences void of all excuse; telling them, that there is a God before whose Judgement-Seat they must one day appear. I am persuaded, that the Consciences of the Heathen cannot choose but sometimes cast forth some light of terror unto them, and so cause an amazement unto them; although they as Heathen be without the knowledge of Conscience towards God and man. I say, sins committed wittingly and willingly, are the original cause of sorrow both in the Saints and Reprobates. The sorrow of the Saints for sin, comes from an apprehension of God's love in the Lord Jesus, looking upon the love of God and his holiness, and then casting back his eye upon his own sinfulness, which produceth a mourning in them; whereby, from an apprehension of God's abundant goodness towards him, he is enforced with blessed Paul to cry out, saying, Rom. 7. 24 O wretched man that I am! O, how unlike unto God am I in holiness! O that God would once lift up upon me the light of his countenance, and smile graciously upon my soul, in the face of the Lord Jesus! O that God would but go into my soul, and discover Christ there unto me, and go out again by the manifestation of his holy Spirit, that so my soul may be acquainted with the comings in of the Lord Jesus. The sense of a Reprobate, is only from an apprehension of God's wrath for sin▪ and so, out of a slavish fear, confesses hi● sin, because he sees the wrath of God appearing ready to be poured out upon him for those sins which he hath committed against God: and so cries out, as being void of all hope of mercy, like Cain, Saul, and Judas, concluding that their sins are unpardonable. I say again, the persons that commit this sin against the holy Ghost, must be such persons as in some measure knew the main fundamental grounds of Religion, and withal they must have some soul-taste of heaven, yea of heavenly things, as blessed Paul speaketh in Heb. 6. 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gifts, and were made partakers of the holy Ghost, and have tasted of the Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify unto themselves the son of God afresh, and put him to open shame. In these words you see, that those that commit this sin, must be knowing persons: they may have a taste seemingly of the holy Ghost; I say, the holy Ghost may seemingly discover Truths unto them, yet they shall never taste of them savingly; yet they shall taste of them so fully, as to their thinking they shall be, as it were, elevated into heaven, and ravished with a kind of sweetness so far, as that they shall conceit themselves to be in a heavenly condition. Judas tasted of the heavenly gifts seemingly, and was endued with great light; yea, with such a measure of gifts, that he was enabled by them to walk so warily, that he was not found out to be an hypocrite until he made a discovery of himself: he had the same power given unto him as the rest of the Disciples had, Mat. 10. 2: He had a legal faith, but not a saving faith: he possessed a common enjoyment from the holy Ghost in regard of gifts, I say, a common taste; he enjoyed not such a taste as the Saints do taste, it is impossible for wicked men to enjoy that true inward taste, and sweet saving enjoyment of the holy Ghost, as the Saints do; Yet the common enjoyment of the Spirit of God they do possess, which shall leave them without excuse. Sometimes a wicked man may go in some things beyond the Child of God, and may find more comfort in the way of Ordinances, than the true child of God doth (for a time.) Yea, he may also walk more warily, than those who have more truer relation unto God, even as the Scribes and Pharisees did, who in hypocrisy lived more precisely than the true Children of God, for that none could tax them of any thing, but only Christ, who knew their hypocrisy and corruption of their hearts; as also the vanity of their traditional works. The Disciples of Christ knew not Judas to be an hypocrite, until he discovered himself. And as I said before, the persons that commit this sin against the holy Ghost, must be knowing persons, such as Judas was, and the Scribes and Pharisees. I told you, that the heathen could not commit this sin against the holy Ghost, nor can any infant commit this sin, although God may justly damn infants, for the original sin of their first parents. It follows now, Why it is called the sin against the holy Ghost. that I must according to my power, show unto you the Reason, why this sin against the holy Ghost is an unpardonable sin. It is called the sin against the holy Ghost, because he discovers and reveals truth: And it is unpardonable, so long as those do commit sin against him, who is called the third Person, and is the representative power of the whole deity: when they sin against the holy Spirit, they sin against the whole trinity, as it is said, They grieved the Spirit of God, even him, whose office is to seal the Saints unto the day of redemption. Men, I say, by sinning against this Person, confirm their guilt upon their own souls. To give you a bigger Reason than I have yet done, why this sin against the holy Ghost is unpardonable, I say, the full Reason is, Because it is his place to reconcile, or work reconciliation between the other two Persons and the sinner, which before were unreconciled: By this means the sinner comes to stand before the other two Persons the Father and the son, and thus finds acceptance. And on the contrary, when this Person will not reconcile the sinner unto God the Father, not he himself pleased to be reconciled unto the sinner; I say, it is then a very sad and heavy time with that soul. It cannot be, but that soul must remain in a state of guilt, and that for ever, and it must be guilt of a deep dye, that cannot be washed (and in respect of the majesty and honour of the trinity) must not be washed off with the blood of the Lord Jesus, because so decreed by Jehovah from all eternity. I say, unto all you that stand to hear me this day, That it will prove a very sad time with you, if that the Lord Jesus hath not by his blood washed off your guilt, that doth as yet lie upon your souls: sad will it be with you, and black will be your day, when God comes to avenge the black sins of guilt, besides your other sins; There is therefore but two ways with you, either to be purged from your guilt, or else for ever to die in your guilt of sin. Sad will be your condition, if ever God should say unto you now, or at the last day, What make you here among these, whose guilt of sin, my hath son by his most precious blood washed off? What do you here? Depart, I know you not: my son never died for you, nor shed one drop of his blood to wash off your guilt. If my son had shed but one drop of his most precious blood for you, then should you have been, at this time, made partakers of it: For my part, I would never have detained that blessedness from you, that should have accrued unto you by it, one drop of it being able to have washed off all your guilt: But seeing it is not so, therefore you have no part nor portion in the son of my love: Away therefore from me you Reprobates, go along with the rest of your fellows the Reprobates, into the lake that burneth with the flames of my eternal vengeance, and there remain for all eternity: Yea, I will enable you to suffer eternal torments, so long, as I am, which is, God, blessed for ever; yea, I will hold you up in torments so long as I remain amongst my Saints in glory, which is, for evermore. And as I do delight to fill my Saints full of joy and glory unspeakable; so will I in like manner delight to satisfy the justice of my eternal malediction upon you, that those guilty souls and consciences of yours, unto all eternity may undergo the portion of my wrath assigned them, For I know your works, Isa. 6618. Hos. 7. 2. I remember all their wickedness. And so Hos. 9 9 Therefore he hath remembreth their iniquities, he will visit their sins. Ezek. 9 10. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare them, neither will I have pity; but I will recompense their ways upon their own heads. And so, Ezek. 7. 9 Hos. 12, 14. the 9, 15. I say, The sin against the holy Ghost is unpardonable, for this one Reason more, which is more consonant than any which I have given you hitherto. I say, this sin is an unpardonable sin, because the holy Sanctifying Spirit doth, as it were, prefer a Bill of Indictment against the sinner that hath sinned against him. By the way, give me leave to bring in a Supposition (which shall never be brought to pass.) Suppose I say, That God the Father should take a sinner that had committed the sin against the holy Ghost, and set him before the bar of his justice, and there should appeal unto his justice in the soul's behalf, saying, Justice, I am come unto thee in this sinner's behalf, what sayest thou unto me? Art thou willing to be reconciled to this sinner? he is a great sinner. Justice gives in (as it were) his answer unto God the Father, saying, I am willing to be satisfied in this sinner's behalf, be his sins never so great; yea, even the sin against the holy Ghost. Then God (as it were) goeth unto the Lord Jesus, and tells him, that he hath been with Justice, and Justice is willing to be reconciled in this sinner's behalf: What sayest thou unto me? Art thou willing to bind thyself over to satisfy my Divine justice in this soul's behalf? Art thou willing to become a fountain of blood, to wash off the infiniteness of this soul's guilt, that so this sin against the holy Ghost, which this soul hath committed, might be forgiven, and for ever pardoned? I am, saith Christ, (as it were) unto God his Father, very willing to yield unto this, concerning this soul that stands here at the bar of justice, for mercy. Father, if it be thy will, to have this soul's guilt washed off, I am willing to give consent, that so this soul's guilt by my blood might be washed off, that so this unpardonable sin which this soul hath committed against thy holy Spirit might be forgiven, and for ever pardoned, that so he might not for ever die in his guilt. If this were so indeed, as I have said, than were there some possibility of mercy to that soul, that stands thus at the bar of Justice. But if the third person comes not in like manner with a proposition, and so answers the supposition; then I say, is that (which was only supposed to be) quite overthrown: for, a supposition dependeth upon a proposition. God goeth (as it were) unto the third Person, and (as it is only supposed) asketh him in like manner, saying: I have been with Justice, and I have been with my son, and asked his consent, and he is willing to satisfy me and my Justice, and we are all agreed, and have given in our consents concerning this soul, and in his behalf we want the consent of none, but only thy consent; Art thou willing to seal unto this soul's pardon, if I wash off his guilt with the blood of my son, wilt thou do thy office, and seal to him the assurance of his pardon? If thus the sinner's guilt be pardoned, the holy Ghost then looking upon the guilty soul, appeals unto God the Father (in this supposed manner saying) What have you done here? You gave in your consents to appease Justice. Is there a pardon by blood granted, and do you want nothing thereunto, but only the seal, to give assurance to that pardon? I say, you want nothing but my consent in this sinner's behalf. If that you had but my consent equally unto yours, then might this soul's sins be pardoned, though he hath sinned against me in such a high manner as he hath done. I say, it is not with my consent, that this sinner should ever find pardon, for he hath been a very great sinner against me wittingly, as also against those divine discoveries which I according unto my office did discover unto him; against all which he hath most wittingly and wilfully transgressed, yea, he hath out of a pernicious spirit sinned against me and all those forenamed discoveries which I did infuse into him. If that he had not sinned against me out of malice, and out of a set purpose; it would never have grieved my holy Spirit so much as now it doth: he strove against that Light which I enlightened him with. Shall I give in my consent to have the sins of such a soul as this pardoned? I can in no wise yield, and so go against Justice. Justice, according unto truth, must be a subject unto me, because I am the very Spirit of Truth itself, and have a proper relation and dependency upon the other two Persons in the most sacred and glorious trinity; And therefore, I say, Justice must yield unto me as well as to you. You know, that soul that sinneth, that soul shall die: But this soul hath sinned, therefore this soul shall die. And because thy Divine wisdom did never appoint thy willed act wisely to set thy love and mercy on work, to contrive a way for such wilful sinners, that so their guilt might have been washed off: Therefore, as they are in guilt, even so let their guilt remain to all eternity. This sinner hath outlived grace, and the day of redemption is past, and all hopes of mercy is now expired. Shall therefore such a soul find mercy, who hath thus wilfully opposed me, and turned from me? Shall he, I say, find pardon? He that hath often sent me away sad, shall such a soul as this find mercy? This soul, I say, that hath more than once or twice sent me away sad, whensoever I came to execute my Office: This vild wretch, that hath made flight of me, and of those Sacred Dictates which I discovered unto him, at such a time, and at such a time. Surely, as I am God, equal with you this soul that hath thus and thus sinned' he shall never find mercy. If he find mercy, if he be washed in thy son's blood from this his guilt, then where is the unity in us? The glorious trinity, and the most glorious conformity in our unity? If that this souls sins be pardoned, where then is the firmness of our Decree? If this soul's sins be pardoned, than is our unity in trinity, and conformity in unity overthrown, and the word of truth is falsified, which showed unto the world, what oneness there was with us before these worlds were created. What, shall all our oneness be disjoined for this soul's sake? Upon this (supposed) speech, the other two Persons give in (as it were) their consent against the soul then standing at the bar of justice, and God speaking to that guilty soul in this manner, As a judge doth unto a Malefactor, being cast by the the jury that goeth upon life and death; The judge telling the Malefactor, that he can do no less than the jury of life and death hath done: And therefore I must, and do pronounce sentence of death against thee, according unto the juries' Verdict, it being according to righteous judgement. I say, God in like manner speaks unto the guilty soul, saying (as it were) in this manner: I have pleaded hard in thy behalf, and we cannot prevail in a full consent for thy personal recovery, because we cannot attain unto the third Persons consent. The Sentence of death is passed upon thee, according unto the Sentence of a Divine Law, and according unto our everlasting Decree, written and established in our Divine Law, and sealed by all our unanimous consents. Upon this one Sentence, we hold all in oneness, we cannot disjoint our unity in trinity, and unity in a glorious conformity. The Law of the third Person, is also the Law of the first Person, and the Law of the first Person is also the Law of the second Person; and so a general stability in a blessed and glorious trinity. And thus the Law of the three glorious Persons is in one seam; like unto the laws of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Now, because I would not have the Consciences of men troubled, because I have showed you the sad condition of the soul, that hath the guilt of sin upon it; I will, I say, speak a word in due season unto those distressed Consciences, and I will a little enlarge myself; although, in regard of the weakness of body, I am almost spent. My beloved friends, I speak unto all of you, but especially unto believers: I say, there is abundance of mercy in God for you; I say it lieth hid, and treasured up in the bowels of Divine goodness, and thus to be revealed in due time unto you in the Lord Jesus, when God his Father breaks out in the sweet influences of his Love, in the object of his Love, who is the Lord Jesus. The breathings out of the manifestation of the Lord Jesus, shall be the breathings out of thy Graces, and of thy Solaces; and the in-coming of the Lord Jesus shall give light unto all those manifestations of thy soul's pardons, which thou hadst ever since that thou wert estated in Christ, which for a long time hath lain hid in the Hive of thy unbelief, and hath been the original cause of making you to call in question your estate in Christ, and your interest in the Lord Jesus, and that object upon whom your ever-bing dependeth. There is, I say, this one thing, which is the only cause which makes many a distressed Conscience to call in question his soul's interest in Christ, because he finds in his own apprehension a world of soul's-deadness, and weakness in his growth of grace. I say unto thee, whosoever thou art, that standest to hear me this day, that thou, in thy soul's distress, art altogether unfit to be thine own judge in the want of thy soul's comfort, thou wilt be ready to say that, which thou wilt be again ready to unsay, in thy enjoyment of true comfort, as David did, Psal. 116. 11. You know, that there may be in the midst of Winter abundance of Bees in the Hive, although unto the eye of our sense and reason there be but two or three playing about the Hives mouth: Even so I say, although there but a few graces in thy soul now in the time of this thy affliction; I say, this time of thy affliction hath not lessened any of thy former graces which thou formerly didst enjoy. I say, it hath but covered over those thy graces in thy sense and feeling: Thy graces be all still where they were in thy first instalment into the state of grace. We have a Proverb, That the Spring brings forth all those Herbs and Plants which lay dead all the Winter before: Even so I say unto thee, That the Spring, which is the Morning of the in-coming of the Lord Jesus, shall receive all those bosome-discourses which lay dead in thy soul. In the time of thy ascension, the son of righteousness shall arise, and shine upon thee by the blessed force and glorious power of God the Father, and so cause the Spirit of God to cast into thy soul a glorious discovery of the interest of thy well-being. It is not thy want of grace that is the cause of thy soul's complaints, but it is the only want of thy discovery of them, that is the cause of thy soul's grievance: There's but a curtain (as it were) drawn between thee and thy enjoyments of all thy graces, all thy graces are within that curtain, as the Priests of the old Law were sometimes within the holy place. When this curtain is once drawn, then will all thy enjoyments appear, then shalt thou be swallowed up in the very life of discovery. I confess, Sometimes the life of discovery may be disjointed from the life of enjoyment for a small time. The Saints have an absence in the midst of their enjoyment. Yet blessed be that Divine absence, which afterwards wins us unto a Divine enjoyment of him, who for a time was pleased to absent himself. I say, here is the comfort of believers, that a temporal absence is not an eternal withdrawment. Blessed be God, who though he doth sometimes withdraw the sense and feeling of a Divine presence in their enjoyment, yet in the want of that enjoyment, the Saints enjoy a Divine enjoyment of the Lord Jesus. Although the Lord Jesus, in thy sense and feeling, be withdrawn from thee, yet note this one Consequence; It is impossible that he should ever withdraw himself from thee. Thou dost enjoy the same presence now, which thou didst enjoy ever since thy very first estatement in the state of grace. Yesterday thou didst enjoy the Lord Jesus, and so thou shalt enjoy him in like manner for ever; Yea, with an eternal, most glorious, unspeakable enjoyment. So much for this time. FINIS.