ledge of the truth and way of salvation. The Pharisees knew that Christ was the heir: "But when they saw the Son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him." The party has knowledge: "But if we sin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." 2d, That knowledge of the thing must not swim only in the head, but there must be some half-heart persuasion of it. "Christ knew the Pharisees' thoughts," and so did judge them, and that the opposite of what they spake was made out upon their heart. There is a tasting which is beyond simple enlightening: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come." Yea, there is such a persuasion ordinarily as leads to a deal of outward sanctification: "Who hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing." 3d, This persuasion must not only be of the truth of the thing, but of the good of it: the party "tasteth the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," and he apprehendeth the thing as eligible. 4th, This persuasion is not made out only by strength of argument, but also by an enlightening work of God's Spirit, shining on the truth, and making it conspicuous; therefore is that sin called, "The sin against the Holy Ghost." The persons are said "to have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost," and "to do despite unto the Spirit of grace," who was in the nearest step of a gracious operation with them.

3. In this description, consider the acting of the party against the object so qualified. It is a rejecting and opposing of it; which importeth, 1st, That men have once, some way at least, been in hands with it, or had the offer of it, as is true of the Pharisees. 2d, That they do reject, even with contempt, what they had of it, or in their offer. The Pharisees deny it, and speak disdainfully of Christ: "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.-They fall away, intending to put Christ to' an open shame." 3d, The men set themselves against it by the spirit of persecution, as the Pharisees did still. They rail against it; therefore it is called "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." They would "crucify Christ again," if they could. They are adversaries.

4. Consider the properties of this acting. 1st, It is avowed, that is, not seeking to shelter or hide itself. The Pharisees speak against Christ publicly: "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils." They would have "Christ brought to an open shame." They forsake the ordinances which savour that way: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ;"—and despise the danger; for "looking for indignation, they trample that blood still." 2d, The party acteth freely. It is not from unadvisedness, nor from force or constraint, but an acting of free choice: nothing doth force the Pharisees to speak against and persecute Christ. They "crucify to themselves," they re-act the murder of their own

free accord, and in their own bosom, none constraining them. They sin of free choice, or, as the word may be rendered, spontaneously: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." 3d, It is acted wilfully. They are so resolute, they will not be dissuaded by any offer, or the most precious means, as is clear in the foregoing Scriptures. 4th, It is done maliciously, so that it proceeds not so much, if at all, from a temptation to pleasure, profit, or honour. It proceedeth not from fear, or force, or from any good end proposed, but out of heart-malice against God and Christ, and the advancement of his glory and kingdom: so that it is of the very nature of Satan's sin, who has an irreconcilable hatred against God, and the remedy of sin, because his glory is thereby advanced. This is a special ingredient in this sin. The Pharisees are found guilty of heartmalice against Christ, since they spake so against him, and not against their own children's casting out devils; and this is the force of Christ's argument: "If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?" They do their utmost "to crucify Christ again, and to bring him to an open shame." They are adversaries, like the devil. 5th, It is done despitefully; the malice must bewray itself. The Pharisees must proclaim that Christ hath correspondence with devils; he must "be put to an open shame, and crucified again;" they must "tread under foot that blood, and do despite to the Spirit :" so that the party had rather perish a thousand times than be in Christ's debt for salvation.

5. The last thing in the description is, the usual attendant or consequence of this sin; it worketh desperate and hopeless fear. They fear him whom they hate with a slavish, hopeless fear, such as devils have: "A certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." They know that God will put out his power against them; they tremble in the remembrance of it; and if they could be above him, and destroy him, they would; and since they cannot reach that, they hate with the utmost of heart-malice, and do persecute him, and all that is his, with despite.

III. As for the third thing proposed, namely, the conclusions to be drawn from what is said, whereby we will speak directly to the objection. 1. As I hinted before, since the sin against the Holy Ghost is so remarkable, and may be well known where it is, none should charge themselves with it unless they can prove and make clear the charge; for it is a great wrong done unto God to labour to persuade my soul that he will never pardon me: it is the very way to make me desperate, and to lead me to the unpardonable sin; therefore, unless thou canst and dare say that thou dost hate the way which God has devised for the saving of sinners, and dost resolve to oppose the prosperity of his kingdom, both with thyself and others, out of malice and despite against God, thou oughtest not to suspect thyself guilty of this sin. 2. Whatsoever thou hast done against God, if thou dost repent it, and wish it were undone, thou cannot be guilty of this sin; for in it heart-malice and despite against God do still prevail. 3. If thou art

content to be his debtor for pardon, and would be infinitely obliged to him for it, then thou cannot, in that case, be guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost; for, as we showed before, they who are guilty of it do so despise God, that they would not be his debtors for salvation. 4. Whatsoever thou hast done, if thou hast a desire after Jesus Christ, and dost look with a grieved heart after him, and cannot think of parting with his blessed company for ever; or, if thou must part with him, yet dost wish well to him, and all his, thou needest not suspect thyself to be guilty of this unpardonable sin; for there can be no such hatred of him in thy bosom as is necessarily required to make up that sin. 5. If thou would be above the reach of that sin, and secure against it for ever, then go work up thy heart to be pleased with salvation by Christ Jesus, and to close with God in him, acquiescing in him as the sufficient ransom and rest, as we have been pressing before, and yield to him to be saved in his way. Do this in good earnest, and thou shalt be for ever put out of the reach of that deadly thing with which Satan doth affright so many poor seekers of God.