affectation of it, that will be nothing more than talk. And with the cooler part of mankind, attempting to perfuade them of the contrary to what, in many cafes, they fee and feel, is lofing all credit; and making every thing that is faid to the advantage of right conduct fufpicious, by infifting on more, than can poffibly be true. The real ftate of the cafe is plainly this. A temper and behaviour of piety, justice, benevolence, and rational felf-government, is fitted in its nature to make our lives here as happy, as we can make them. And therefore, though we had no farther prospect, our prefent intereft would, generally fpeaking, confift in these things: and would always confift in them, if no particular circumftances happened, to make exceptions. But the misfortune is, that fuch circumstances do frequently happen. Some men have, from their very conftitution, peculiarly ftrong propenfities to fin, which give them long and painful exercise; and, after all, can barely be kept under, not rooted out, let them do what they will. Is this a ftate of enjoyment, and its own reward? Or a state of warfare, that requires a future recompence, proportionable to the fufferings of it, to make it eligible? but others are yet more unhappy. They have added evil habits to evil inclinations: and, if they will amend their ways, must feel deep remorse for what they have done amifs already; and go through infinite difficulties to do right for the time to come, in contradiction. to all their bad customs, their inflamed paffions, their vicious. friends must bear great reproach, perhaps undergo much loss, in making reparation for the injuries they have committed: when the whole of this might poffibly have been avoided, by perfifting in their former courfe. And, it may be, after all, they have a profpect at most, barely of living long enough to accomplish the change, but not to enjoy it. Who is there now, that can well be more miserable, than fuch a man's refolution of amendment makes him, if in this life only be bath hope? Here then is a plain cafe, in which the belief of a future ftate is able to defend the caufe of virtue, and every thing else unable. But that, already mentioned, of perfecution, is a plainer ftill. When men are to fuffer fhame and infamy, penalties and imprisonments, pains and tortures, for the fake of true religion, as multitudes have done; or of moral honesty, as has been been the cafe of too many: what is there in the fullest conscioufnefs of doing their duty, fufficient to compensate for thefe things, to fouls of any common make, if fuch confciousness alone be all the comfort they are to have, and even that very foon, perhaps inftantly, to die with them? Undoubtedly the fenfe of acting as we ought is a powerful fupport. But, in cafes of extremity, it is mocking the miferies of the good, to propose that fingle remedy, as enough for them. And though it may happen but seldom, that they fuffer a great deal for righteousness fake*; yet they very often fuffer more or less for it. And whoever doth not fee, how happy it is in every inftance of this fort, and how neceffary in moft, that the encouragements of futurity fhould come in to the affiftance of the prefent motives to do well: hath either very little attention to the weakness of human minds; or very little concern to have virtue practifed, how vehemently foever he may plead for its being applauded. I will not enlarge on a farther confideration, though an exceedingly material one, that the sufferings, which mankind in general have to go through, are fo frequent and fo heavy, that there is much need of a better profpect to alleviate them; and though the pious and virtuous were never to be the most miferable of all men, yet all men, in one part or another of their days, would be miferable more than enough, if they had hope in this life only. The expectation of future bleffednefs, therefore, even when it was more doubtful, was a light shining in a dark place†, to cheer the fainting hearts, and direct the wandering steps of the children of men. Yet still to have happiness in their view, with fuch uncertainty, as former ages were in, whether it could be attained or not, muft unquestionably mix great anxiety with their expectations; and leave their circumstances, on the whole, very pitiable. But God, in his mercy, hath removed all doubts from us; not only by exprefs promifes, but an experimental proof alfo, of a refurrection to life everlasting, in the perfon of our bleffed Lord: that through him we might have the Strongest confolation, when we fly for refuge to lay bold on the hope fet before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the foul, Jure fure and ftedfaft, and which entereth within the veil; whither alfo the forerunner is already entered for us, even Jesus*. You cannot but fee then, of what great confequence it is for all wife men to encourage this faith, and all good men to have frequent recourfe to it. For the principal reason, why we are fo faulty and fo wretched in this life is, that we attend fo little to the rewards of another. We ourselves perhaps do not fufpect, how little it is. Would God that every one who hears me, would make a diligent examination, what share of his defires, his hopes, and his fears, the unfeen world takes up; and feriously ask himself, whether it can poffibly be fit, that the infinitely most important part of his condition fhould be allowed Lo very much the least part of his thoughts. But then to think of our condition to good effect; we must be fure, not to fet our minds more on the privileges, than the duties of it; but remember, that as the virtuous would fometimes be the most miserable of men, if there were no expectation of futurity; fo the vicious must be always the most mife rable, if there be any. Every promife of the gofpel is a threatning to them; and the doctrine of falvation will only condemn them to feverer punishments. Let every man therefore, who bath hope in Chrift, purify himself, even as he is puret. And let every man, who defires to do so, remember, that he can do it only, by a ftedfast belief, that Christ died and rose again on our account; for this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faitht: by an humble dependence on grace from above, to be obtained by our prayers; for we are not fufficient of our, felves to do any things: and by a dilgent and conftant use of that grace, in labouring to perform every part of our duty; for we are to work out our own salvation, because God worketh in us, both to will and to do. • Heb. vi. 18-2ɔ. ↑ John iii, 3. Phil. ii. 12, 13. ‡ 1 John v. 4, SER. SERMON LI. OF THE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST, AND THE DANGER OF RASHLY APPLYING IT TO OURSELVES OR OTHERS. MATTH. xii. 31, 32. Wherefore I say unto you; All manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto men: but the blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft fhall not be forgiven unto men. And whofoever Speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghoft, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world neither in the world to come. THESE words of our bleffed Lord 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 defpondency; that, for the fake 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 several fins against the Holy Ghoft, mentioned in fcripture; lying to*, refiftingt, temptingt, grieving§, quenching, the Spirit|| yet none of these is ever faid 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 • Acts v. 3. † Acts vii. 51. ‡ Acts v. 9. § Eph. iv. 30. 1 Thef, v. 19. have given us that warning in relation to it: whereas on the contrary, the text itself, in the plaineft words, affures us that every fin is pardonable, excepting one, which is different from all these. If then either the wicked, reflecting on their guilt, or the innocent, overcome with groundlefs fears, are apprehenfive, that they have committed the fin against the Holy Ghoft, as they ufually call it, and therefore cannot be forgiven: they should, in the firft place, be asked, or ask themselves, and answer distinctly, what fin against the Holy Ghost 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. 1o: in every one of which, the very fame word, blafphemy, is ufed; and no other. So that, of whatever fin else against 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 preserve, or even restore, the quiet of multitudes. But ftill too many, for want of understanding the nature of the blafphemy which our bleffed Lord here means, may falfely conceive themselves to be chargeable with it: whilst others, of a different turn, may wonder, or be much offended, at finding fo terrible a denunciation against it: and a third fort, if they perceive no danger of actually incurring this condemnation, may by no means confider, so seriously as they ought, how near it they may come. I shall 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 I. What the blafphemy against the Ghoft, 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 else, than speaking evil of any one unjustly. And it is frequently used to denote speaking evil of our equals ; but more peculiarly, of our fuperiors; and therefore, moft emi nently, |