or fpeaks Evil of me, who am more than an ordinary Perfon, a Prophet fent from God, difparaging either my Perfon, or my Preach ing; yet even this fhall be forgiven him: But whoever fpeaks against the Miracles that I do, and faith they are done by the Power of the Devil; this is fo horrid a Blafphemy, that it fhall never be forgiven him, either in this World, or in the other.

If any one afk, Upon what Account it is that the fpeaking against the Miracles of our Saviour, is of fo heinous and damning a Nature above all other Blafphemies; I answer, there is great Reafon for it; because the Miracles that our Saviour wrought, were the principal Evidence that he gave, or could give, of his being fent from God; and, confequently, the great Means for the converting the whole World to his Religion. And therefore, to speak against them, and to attribute them to the Power of the Devil, muft needs be, as the most spiteful and malicious, fo alfo the most mifchievous Blafphemy in the World; because it was the most effectual Way to hinder People from believing on him, and, confequently, to defeat all God's gracious Ends, of bringing Men to Salyation by the Gofpel, than which the Devil himself cannot do a worfe Thing

I pafs on to the Third Difficulty in this Text, which is the Importance of that Phrafe, neither in this World, nor in the World to come. Our Saviour is not content to fay, in the

former

former Verfe, that the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft fhall not be forgiven; but he adds in the latter Verfe, that it shall never be forgiven in this World, nor in the World to come. Which Expreffion fome of the Church of Rome would fuborn, for the proving their Doctrine of Purgatory; they would conclude from hence, that a Man may in the other World make Satisfaction for his Sins, fo that they fhall then be forgiven him, tho' they were not forgiven in this Life: But this is without any Ground at all. All that our Saviour defigns to exprefs is this; That this Sin of the Blafphemy of the Holy Ghost shall be grievously punished, both in this World; and in the other: And the Phrafe, by which he expreffeth it, was very well known and familiar to thofe he spoke to; it was a common and received Doctrine among the Jews, that, for fome Sins, a Man was pardoned presently upon his Repentance; that other Sins were not pardoned, 'till the folemn Day of Expiation, which came once a Year: That other Sins, which were yet greater, were not to be expiated but by fome grievous temporal Affliction. But all Sins (thofe that could not be pardoned these Ways) were yet expiated by Death, fuppofing the Man was an Ifraelite; the Life of an Ifraelite was a fufficient Atonement for his Sin; and no Ifraelite, but fuch an one as renounced his Faith, could be punished in the other World. To this Opinion of theirs,

which is very common in their Books) our Saviour in this Expreffion feems to have refpect; as if he had faid, Flatter not yourfelves with a Conceit, that you Ifraelites fhall have all your Sins purged either in this Life by your Sufferings, er at the farthest by your Death. No, I affure you, this Blafphemy and open Affront that you put upon the Spirit of God, is a Crime of so high a Nature, that it shall not be expiated either in this Life, or at your Death; but those that are guilty of it, shall have a miserable Portion, both in this World and that which is to come. This seems to be the full Importance of this Expreffion.

But there is a greater Difficulty behind, which is, that I am to speak to in the fourth Place; and that is, Whether from what is here faid concerning the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, it may be concluded that that Sin is abfolutely unpardonable to all Perfons that are guilty of it.

I must confefs, this is an Inquiry more curious than neceffary, fince which way foever it be determined, it will not much concern any of us, who cannot be supposed to have finned the Sin against the Holy Ghost, or to be ordinarily capable of fo doing: However, for the giving further Satisfaction to timorous and hypochondriack Perfons, it will not be amifs, if we fay fomething to this Point; leaving it in the mean time to every VOL. III. R Perfon

Perfon to receive or reject, as in his Difcretion he fhall fee Caufe.

It is the Opinion of feveral moft eminent and learned Divines, that our Saviour's Words here are not to be taken in an abfolute, but in a comparative Senfe; that is to fay, that when he says, All manner of Sin and Blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto Men, but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft shall not be forgiven unto Men, his Meaning is no more, than that all other Sins and Blafphemies shall sooner be forgiven, than this Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. For, fay they, if his Words be to be taken in an abfolute Sense, without this Comparison, then the firft Part of his Propofition is not true: For it is certain, that all other Sins and Blafphemies fhall not actually be forgiven to all Men; but fome shall perish in their Sins and Blafphemies. They fay therefore, that our Saviour makes ufe of an Hebrew Form of Speech, which is very frequently to be met with in the Scriptures, when the Difficulty of a Thing coming to pass is defigned to be expreffed by the Jewish Authors. Thus they will fay, Such a Thing fhall come to pafs, but another Thing fhall not come to pafs; where it is not their Defign to affirm of the former Thing that it fhall really come to pass, but only to exprefs the much greater Difficulty there is, that the latter Thing fhould ever come to pass. An Instance we have of this way of Expreffion, in the 5th

Chap

Chapter of St. Matth. where our Saviour fays, Heaven and Earth fhall pass away, but my Words fhall never pass away. Now certainly his Meaning there is not, that Heaven and Earth fhall really pafs away, but that they should fooner país away, than his Words fhould: And fo indeed St. Luke expreffeth it. So that, according to this Interpretation of my Text, (which I must confefs I think the true one) it appears that our Saviour doth not here fpeak either of the Pardonableness of fome Sins, or the Unpardonablenefs of others: But only comparatively, of the much greater Danger and Difficulty of obtaining Pardon for the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, than for any other Blafphemy.

But, if we are unwilling to take the Words in this comparative Senfe, and think they fhould rather be understood pofitively and abfolutely, as they are expreffed, let us take them fo: So let the Senfe of them be, that all other Calumnies and Blafphemies may be forgiven unto Men, but this particular Sin, the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, fhall never be forgiven unto Men. Yet I defire it may be observed, in the first Place, that it will not follow from hence, that there is any Sin that shall not be pardoned upon Repentance: No, ftill this will be a true Propofition, namely, that there is no Sin fo great, but if the Sinner do fincerely repent, may hope for Mercy at God's Hands. And,

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