that Grace, in labouring to perform every Part of our Duty; for we are to work out our own Salvation, becaufe God worketh in us, both to will and to doa.

a Phil. ii. 12, 13.

SER

SERMON IX.

MATTH. xii. 31, 32.

Wherefore I fay unto you: All Manner of Sin and Blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto Men: but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghost fhall not be forgiven unto Men.

And whofoever fpeaketh a Word against the Son of Man, it jhall be forgiven him: but whofoever fpeaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this World, neither in the World to come.

HESE Words of our bleffed Lord

TH

feldom, if ever, fail to excite a peculiar Attention and Alarm in the Minds of all, who read or hear them: and the Doctrine, which they contain, appears to fome, either fo difficult to be understood, or fo improper to be admitted; and fills others with fuch Terrors, or finks them into fuch Defpon

dency;

4

dency; that, for the Sake of great Numbers, it should be well explained from Time to Time. And Men ought to have the Nature of this Crime laid before them, when they are not disturbed within by the Imagination of having committed it. For when they are, the Agitation of their Minds too commonly disqualifies them from judging rightly concerning either the Sense of the Text, or even their own Actions.

Now there are feveral Sins against the Holy Ghost, mentioned in Scripture; Lying to", refifting, tempting, grieving, quenching the Spirit: yet none of these is ever said to be unpardonable; and therefore, we may be fure, none of them is fo: because, if it had, undoubtedly the Word of God would have givenus that Warning in Relation to it: whereas on the contrary, the Text itself, in the plainest Words, affures us, that every Sin is pardonable, excepting one, which is different from all thefe. If then either the wicked, reflecting on their Guilt, or the innocent, overcome with groundlefs Fears, are apprehenfive, that they have committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost, as

a Acts v. 3. Eph. iv. 30.

ь Acts vii. 51,
с i Theff. v. 19

€ Acts v. 9.

they

they usually call it, and therefore cannot be forgiven they fhould, in the firft Place, be afked, or ask themselves, and answer diftinctly, what Sin against the Holy Ghoft they have committed? What the particular Thing is, that weighs fo heavy upon them? For unless it be precifely Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, there is no Pretence for faying, they cannot be forgiven. There are but three Paffages in the Bible, that mention this Matter: the Text; Mark iii. 28, 29. and Luke xii.'10: in every one of which, the very fame Word, Blafphemy, is ufed; and no other. So that, of whatever Sin elfe againft the divine Spirit they may have been guilty, if they have not been guilty of that, they may undoubtedly be forgiven. And this fingle Obfervation, duly attended to, is fufficient to preferve, or even reftore, the Quiet of Multitudes. But ftill for Want of understanding the Nature of the Blafphemy which our bleffed Lord here means, may falfely conceive them felves to be chargeable with it: whilft others, of a different Turn, may wonder, or be much offended, at finding fo terrible a Denunciation against it and a third Sort, if they perceive no Danger of actually incurring this ConVOL. I. demnation,

too many,

N

demnation, may by no Means confider, fot seriously as they ought, how near it they may come. I fhall therefore endeavour to fhew, I. What the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, mentioned by our Saviour, is. II. What is intended by his Declaration, that it shall not be forgiven, neither in this World, nor that to come.

III. Why he paffes fo heavy a Sentence on

this one Sin.

IV. What Things do, or do not, approach

towards it.

I. What the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghost, mentioned by our Saviour, is.

Now the Term Blafphemy, in the original Language of the New Teftament, whence we have derived it into our own, fignifies Nothing clfe, than fpeaking evil of any one unjuftly. And it is frequently used to denote fpeaking evil of our Equals; but more peculiarly, of our Superiors; and therefore, moft eminently, of God the Father Almighty, his Son and Spirit: to which three alone this Expreffion is confined in our vulgar Tongue. Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft therefore is fpeaking irreverently and injuriously of the Holy Ghoft: which may be done, by vilifying