Fact; fuch an one alfo blafphemes the Holy Ghoft in the fame Kind, tho' in different Circumstances, as the Pharifees did. Fourthly, All Atheistical Perfons, that deny the Being of God or Providence, and scoff at all Religion, and would make others believe that it is a mere Cheat and Impofture; tho' they are not guilty of the Sin against the Holy Ghost, because they do not believe the Miracles of our Saviour, yet they have finned as much, or more, against their natural Light, and are guilty of as great, if not greater Blafphemy than the Pharifees were, namely, the Blafphemy against God the Father: And, confequently, their Sin will be as unpardonable, or more unpardonable than theirs. Fifthly, A total Apoftacy from the Christian Religion, and going over to the Enemies of it, is of all other Sins the nearest to the Sin against the Holy Ghost; and may, fometimes, prove the very fame: And accordingly, as fevere Things are faid against this Sin by the Apoftles, as are faid against the Blafphemy of the Holy Ghost, by our Saviour. Sixthly, There are other Sins, which, tho' they are not of fo horrid a Nature as this I now mentioned, yet have in them a natural Tendency towards this great unpardonable Sin we are speaking of. And therefore every one that has any Regard to his Soul, ought more efpecially to beware of them. them. Such are profane drolling upon Religion, turning into Ridicule the Holy Scriptures, the Matter of Faith: And, laftly, Infidelity, and not believing and owning Christ's Religion, notwithstanding all the Evidence we have of the Truth of it. Thefe, it is true, are none of them directly Blafphemies against the Holy Ghoft, but they have fome Affinity with it: And a fad Account have those Perfons that are guilty of them, to make at the Day of Judgment, unless they prevent it by a timely Repentance. But, Seventhly and laftly, It appears plainly from the Account we have now given, that those Sins that do moft trouble and afflict the Confciences of Chriftians, as taking them to be the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, are far from being what they take them to be; nay, are of a quite different Nature. The general Opinion that People among us have of the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft, is this, that it is any great, wilful, deliberate Sin, committed against Confcience, after a full Conviction, when the Spirit of God in their Hearts teftified that they ought not to do this Wickedness. All thefe kind of Sins are indeed bad enough, and will as certainly damn us, without Repentance, as the Sin against the Holy Ghoft. But yet it is plain, from the Account I have given of that Sin, that they are no ways akin to it, but of a quite different Nature. For the proper Notion of that Sin, as I have often said, is the affirm. 1 affirming our Saviour's Miracles to be Magical and Diabolical; which, it is to be hoped, those that commit these deliberate Sins, are far from doing. There is another Notion of the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, that obtains among fome, which is far more unlikely than this I have mentioned; but it is to be confeffed, that it is only those that are deeply afflicted with Hypochondriack Melancholy that do entertain it. It is this, that wicked, and atheistical, and blafphemous Thoughts are the Sin against the Holy Ghost: But I would afk fuch, Do they encourage these Thoughts, or no? Do they delight in them, or do they vent them as the fixed and fettled Sentiments of their Minds, and that too designingly and maliciously? If they do not, (as I dare fay, of all others those that thus complain are leaft likely to do) they may be affured that they are far from having committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost. Nay, perhaps, (as the Cafe may be) from having committed any Sin at all. Another Notion taken up about the Sin against the Holy Ghoft by fome People, is, that it is not a complying with the good Motions that are fometimes made to their Souls by the Spirit of God. But there is no Occafion to give any further Answer. I have gone thro' all the Points I proposed to discourse on upon this Text. I have no more to add, but that it would please God, who 252 who hath brought us to the Knowledge of the Truth, to the Belief of his Son, and his Miracles and Doctrines, to establish and confirm us every Day more and more in that Knowledge and Belief, that we may never fall away from him, or affront the Holy Spirit, nor ever difhonour his excellent Religion with a loose, vicious, unchriftian Life. This God of his Mercy grant, &c. SERMON SERMON XII. I COR. X. 31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or what- T HE doing all our Actions to the Glory of God, is the great Duty, and ought to be the great Bufi nefs of our Lives; and accordingly, among all Sorts of Pretenders to Religion, there is nothing more talked of than that, and yet perhaps it is a Point that is often misunderstood. For which Reafon I fhall at this Time make it my Bufinefs to inquire into the true Notion and Importance of this great Point, and to give fome Account of those Cafes that are usually put about it To do our Actions to the Glory of God, is to do our Actions fo, as that God may be glorified by them. Now, how that is to be done, we may have a great deal of Light from St. Paul's Difcourfe in this Chapter. He had spent the greatest part of it in refolving fome Cafes of Confcience, about eat 253 |