But in doing this, we must not think that we can be always imploy'd in Religion; that we can have our Thoughts tretch'd up always to fuch a pitch, to be continually engag'd in the Duties of De votion, and be thinking that we cannot pleafe God without it. For we have Bodies as well as Souls: We are Men, and not Angels. And therefore though we fhould do our utmost, and with all imaginable Sincerity, yet we fhould not lay too great a load upon our Spirits; for that may be the way, inftead of preventing, to bring on fad and melancholy Thoughts. And 'tis what Almighty God no where requires of us, Who will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice, Hof. vi. 6. and intended his Service for perfect Freedom, and Religion for a Law of Liberty. Jam. i. 25.

3

I have now done with this laft kind of evil Thoughts, (viz.) fad, melancholy, or defpairing Thoughts. And the Rules which have been laid down for the wellgoverning the Thoughts in general, and for the avoiding this Sort, and thofe other kinds of evil Thoughts, difcourfed of in this Treatife, duly obferv'd, will (by God's Blething) have fome good Effect.

But as an Appendix to this Chapter, I fhall endeavour to explain to you what is the Sin against the Holy Ghoft; because the G 5 Fear

Fear that they have committed this unpardonable Sin, hath horribly perplex'd and terrified the Thoughts of many dejected Chriftians, even almoft to Defpera

tion.

Now every Sin is indeed a Sin against the Holy Ghost; and fome are Grievances of him. And therefore we are exhorted not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, Ephef. iv. 30. But the Sin against the HolyGhoft, which is pronounced by our Lord Jefus himself to be unpardonable in this World, and in the World to come, is called alfo Blafphemy against the HolyGhoft by the Evangelifts: In Mat. xii. 31, 32. the Words are thefe: Wherefore I fay unto you, that all manner of Sin and Blafphemy shall be forgiven, i.e. is capable of being forgiven: 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 bim; but whofever speaketh against the Holy Ghoft, it shall not be forgiven; neither in this World, nor in the World to come. In Mark iii. 28. &c. it is thus exprefs'd: Verily I fay unto you, All Sins fhall be forgiven unto the Sons of Men, and Blafphemies wherewith foever they shall blafpheme; but 'be that blafphemeth against the Holy-Ghoft, bath never Forgiveness, but is in danger of

eternal

eternal Damnation. And in Luke xii. 10. there is but little Variation: Whosoever Shall Speak a Word against the Son of Man, it fhall be forgive him; but unto him that blafphemeth against the Holy-Ghoft, it shall not be forgiven.

Now for the clearer Understanding of thefe Places which fpeak of the Great Sin, You are to obferve, That the two former of these Evangelifts, St. Matthew and St. Mark, in the Context, give us an account of our Saviour's having heal'd a Demoniack; and when he had expell'd the Devil by the Power of the Holy Ghoft, (which he had without measure) to the great Amazement of all the People, the Scribes and Pharifees, whofe Hearts were four'd with the Leven of Pride and Envy, notwithstanding their own Convictions, and in fpight of the irrefiftable Evidence of that and other Miracles, which our Saviour did, they blafphemoufly afcribed the doing of them to the Devil; reprefenting our Lord as a Wizard, or a Conjurer: And as abfurdly as impiously faid, He cafteth out Devils by Beelzebub, the Prince of the Devils. The Obstinacy and Malice of this Imputation, our Saviour feverely reflects upon, and publickly declares, That thofe that out of an invenomed Spirit, and wilful Spight, and againft

against the strongeft Convictions, thus bla fpheme the Holy and Eternal Spirit, by the OEconomy of whose Almighty Power thefe Things were done; and thus endeavour to fubvert the whole Structure of the Chriftian Religion, and wilfully dif own Chrift the Saviour; thofe have no other means of Salvation left them; no other Name under Heaven, by which they can be faved. There is no other Chrift, no other Gofpel: And therefore nothing fhall be the Portion of fuch Men, but eternal Damnation.

From all which it is fufficiently plain, That the Sin against the Holy Ghost confifteth in Words; 'tis Blafphemy: And not every Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft neither. Not every one that speaketh against the Holy Ghoft (as fome Hereticks have done, and now do) is guilty of this unpardonable Sin; which is a Blafphemy against the vifible glorious Operations, the immediate Effects and Office of the Holy Ghoft; and fuch too as is utter'd not out of Fear, Infirmity, or Cowardize; but out of an hateful and malicious Heart; not of Rafhnefs, but of fet-purpofe, to do defpight unto Chrift his known Doctrine and Works; being accompany'd with an univerfal Defect ion, or falling away from the whole Truth of

God.

God. So that (if this Sin in its Formality could be committed now) from this short Explanation of the Nature of it, I hope it doth appear, that none of those who are fear'd, and terrify'd with the Apprehenfions of it, can have committed it: And that therefore their Fears, and difmal Thoughts about it, are groundless and un-. reasonable; and stirred up by the common Enemy of our Peace, in order to disquier and hinder them from doing their Duty, or to bring them into Melancholy, or Despair.

"Tis moft certain, that all Perfons that wilfully run on in Sin, and perfift in Impenitency, fhall finally perifh for ever, as furely as if they had committed the great Sin we are fpeaking of. But 'tis alfo certain that thousands do out of Ignorance, or Inadvertence, mistake the Nature of this unpardonable Sin, and are horribly afraid that they have committed it, though they know not what it is. The vileft Action, the greatest Sin of Practice, that can be committed, doth not extend to the Sin against the Holy Ghost. And therefore fuch a Sin calls indeed for the deepest Sorrow, and Humiliation, and moft unfeign'd Repentance: But the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, and Repentance, are Things very inconfiftent. And this arifeth