saith, habetur propositum, viz., every sin doth not pre-suppose an error, or ignorance in the understanding. If he that sins out of malice, hath an universal knowledge only, then he that sins ignorantly shall have equal knowledge with him that doth sin maliciously; for he that sins ignorantly hath an universal knowledge that every just thing is to be done, and that every good thing that pleaseth God is to be done; but he that sins out of ignorance, hath not equal knowledge with him that sins out of malice; and therefore he that sins out of malice, must have both an universal and a particular knowledge; and if so, then every sin doth not pre-suppose an error and ignorance in the understanding as the cause thereof. But,

Suppose that some ignorance in the understanding be the remote cause of the sin, yet malice may be the next and chief cause. As for example: suppose that a man hath taken up some prejudice against another, through a mistake and error; yet now he hates him, and out of hatred kills him; shall not this murderer be said to kill him out of malice, because the malice was founded upon a mistake or error? Yes, surely. But why is he said to kill him out of malice? Because malice was the next cause of this murder. So that though ignorance be the remote cause of a sin, yet malice may be the next cause thereof; and being so, he shall be said truly to sin ex malitia, though with some precedent ignorance, as the remote cause thereof.*

Yet if you ask, how it can be that the will should be

* Secundum omnes theologos aliquid est peccatum ex malitia. Ocham. Lib. 3. in Sent. Quest. 12.

Quid est peccatum ex malitia? est communis sententia patrum et Theologorum.-Suarez de pecca. ex. pass. ignor. malitia Disput. 4. Sect. 1.

Peccatum ex malitia communiter dici peccatum ex certa scientia.-Vasquez 12. Tom. 1. Q 78. act.

Tunc quæro an peccans ex malitia habet notitiam tam universalem quam particularem aut tam universalem, si primo habitur propositum, quod habens notitiam tam universalem quam particularem potest ex malitia facere contra utramque, si ducenti ita peccans ex ignorantia habet notitiam universalem sicut peccans ex malitia, quis peccans ex ignorantia scit tales majores, omne justum est faciendum, omne bonum est faciendum quod Deo placet, &c. sed ignorat minores puta hoc est justum, hoc est Deo placitum, &c. si ergo peccans ex ignorantia non tunc plus sciret æqualem scientiam haberet peccans ex malitia et ignorantia. Ocham in Sent. Lib. 3. Q. 12.

* Quo ex militia? an eousque amentiæ prosilire queant homines ut Dei gloriam oppugnare scientes et volentes non dubitent? Resp. audacium istam prodire

always carried out upon what is good, and yet a man sin maliciously? Plainly thus: from what hath been said, the will of man is an universal appetite, willing that which is naturally good, as well as that which is honestly good if it be carried out upon that which is naturally good, it will hate all that spiritual good which is contrary to the obtainment of it, and the man will oppose and blaspheme what the will hates. Now because the hatred and malice of the will, is the cause of that blasphemy and opposition, the man is truly said to oppose and blaspheme out of malice, though the will be carried on upon that which is naturally good at the same time; which was the case of these pharisees: for they sought their own honour and greatness; Christ and the truth opposing, they did hate him and the truth; and because they hated him, the truth, and that light which reproved their sins, they did oppose and blaspheme, and that out of malice, and so the sin against the Holy Ghost is a malicious sin, or that sin whereby a man doth oppose and blaspheme the proper and peculiar work of the Spirit out of malice. Yet this is not all. But,

It is that sin against God, whereby a man doth maliciously oppose and blaspheme the peculiar work of the Holy Ghost, after he hath been convinced thereof by the Holy Ghost; for possibly a man may oppose and blaspheme, even maliciously, the work of the Holy Ghost, and yet not be convinced of it by the Holy Ghost, but otherwise; but those that sin this sin, are such as are enlightened, and made partakers of the Holy Ghost in the gifts and common graces of it, Heb. vi. And so these pharisees were convinced, by the Spirit which did work that great work before them; and yet after such a convincement wrought by the Spirit, they did maliciously oppose and blaspheme this work of the Spirit. So that I say, the sin against the Holy Ghost, is that wilful sinning against God, whereby a man doth maliciously oppose and blaspheme the proper and peculiar work of the Holy Ghost, and that after he hath been convinced thereof by the Holy Ghost. Or if you will, thus: it is that deliberate sinning against God, whereby men do oppose the work of God, which their own conscience and conviction tells them is quidem ex cordis cæcitate sed in qua malitia exsuperet, ut clarum est hoc loco de Pharisæis Lucas Brugensis in Matt. 12.

wrought by the Spirit and finger of God, in order to man's salvation, yet out of malice do blaspheme the same.*

Secondly, But why is this sin, above all other sins, unpardonable?

Not in regard of difficulty only, or because it is hardly pardoned, as some would; for many sins are hardly pardoned, and yet are not the sins against the Holy Ghost; for, as Zanchy doth well observe, if this sin were only unpardonable, because it is hardly pardoned, then a man might pray for those that sin this sin: but the apostle saith, "There is a sin unto death, I do not say that ye shall pray for it," 1 John v. 16. Therefore the unpardonableness of

it, doth not lie here.†

Neither is it unpardonable only in regard of event, because in event it shall never be pardoned; for there are many sins. which in event shall never be pardoned, which yet are not the sins against the Holy Ghost. There is many a wicked man that goes to hell, whose sins in event are not pardoned, and yet he did never sin against the Holy Ghost. So that this sin is not unpardonable only in regard of event.

Neither is it unpardonable because it is so great as doth exceed the power and mercy of God; for God's mercy and power, in forgiving sins, is like himself, infinite. If that be a good argument that David useth, "Forgive my sin, for it is wondrous great ;" then the greatness of the sin cannot be the only reason of the unpardonableness of it. There is nothing greater than that which is infinite, but God's mercy is infinite.

Neither is it unpardonable because it is against the means of pardon; for then the sin against the free love of the Father, and the sin against the Son, should be unpardonable.

Neither is it unpardonable because a man doth not repent thereof; for then all sins unrepented of, should be sins against the Holy Ghost. It is true, that those who commit this sin cannot repent, as the apostle speaks, It is impossible

* Tunc aliquis maxime peccat in spiritum sanctum quando contra divinitatis opera stupenda ordinata ad nostram salutem aliquis convitia jactat cum proposito perseverandi in illo peccato usque ad mortem, abjectis procul spe et timore Dei Domini.-Bannes, 22. Q. 14. Art. 1.

† Peccatum dicitur irremissibile septem de causis. Tract. 30. in Sent.

Altissidorens. Lib. 2.

that they should be renewed to repentance, Heb. vi., because God doth give them up to impenitency: but we do not find in Scripture, that their not repenting is made the reason of the unpardonableness of this sin.*

But the sin is unpardonable because there is no sacrifice laid out by God's appointment for it; "If any man sin wilfully, there remaineth no more sacrifice," Heb. x., and without blood and sacrifice there is no remission. He that sinned ignorantly, Numb. xv., was pardoned; why? because there was a sacrifice laid out for him; but if any man sinned with a high hand, he was to bear his own sin; why? because there was no sacrifice laid out for him. But why was there no sacrifice for that sin? Not because the man did not repent after it; but because that in the committing of that sin, he did despise the commandment of God. So now, God hath declared that every sin and blasphemy against the Father and Son, may be forgiven; but if men come to that height of sin, as maliciously to oppose and blaspheme that very way and work of God's Spirit, which they have been convinced of by the Spirit, then there shall he no sacrifice for that, and so no remission and pardon.*

And thus now ye have seen what the sin against the Holy Ghost is; in what respects it is not, and in what respects it is unpardonable; and so the doctrine cleared and proved, That the sin against the Holy Ghost, is the unpardonable sin, which shall never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.

The application follows:

If the sin against the Holy Ghost be the unpardonable sin, then surely the Holy Ghost is God, very God, true God, as the Father is for can it be a greater evil, or more dangerous, to sin against a creature, than against God the Father? It is God that is sinned against, now the Holy Ghost

:

* Nunquam remittetur, quod intellige regulariter, nam nec divina potentia nec divina miserecordia alligata est ad non remittendum, spiritus blasphemiam, sed secundum regularem cursum eveniet non remissio quod comitem semper habet obstinationem.-Cajetan. in Matt. 12.

Duplicitur dicitur peccatum irremissibile, dicitur uno quod nunquam remittetur, alio dicitur irremissibile quod remitti non potest et sic non sequitur iste est similiter impenitens ergo habet peccatum irremissibile.-Holcot de imputabilitate peccati.

is sinned against; yea, the unpardonable sin is against the Holy Ghost. The Socinians say, That if he be a person, he must needs be God, true God: but ye see by this scripture, that he is joined with the other person of the Son; so also he is joined with the Father and the Son, in Matt. xxviii. in whose name we are to baptize. He who hath a name, and in whose name something is to be done, must needs be a person. And I pray you, what is proper and peculiar to a person? Is not understanding, willing, and speaking? these are all given to the Spirit. 1 Cor. ii. 11; 1 Cor. xii. 11; Rom. viii. 26, 27; Acts xiii. 2; and xx. 28. But I need go no further than this text; here the Spirit is joined with the Son, and the sin against the Holy Spirit is made the unpardonable sin. Surely, therefore, he is verily and truly God as the Father is.

If this doctrine be true, then what a necessity is there upon us all, to know and understand what this sin against the Holy Ghost is; for if a man have sinned this sin, we are to forbear praying for him, 1 John v. 16. Therefore we may know what this sin is, and we may know that another hath committed the same; for how can we forbear prayer for him, if we do not know and understand what this sin is? The not knowing what this sin is, makes many men fall into it before they are aware. When the laws of a nation are written in an unknown tongue, the people break them before they are aware, because they do not know them. So the not knowing what this sin is, makes many a poor soul to fall into it; yea, the not knowing what this sin is, breeds many scruples, doubts, and fears in new converts. Oh, saith one, I have sinned that great sin against the Holy Ghost; and I, saith another, have sinned the unpardonable sin and why? but because the man doth not know what this sin is! Oh, what a necessity, therefore, is there upon us all, to know and understand what this sin is, and wherein it doth consist.

:

If the sin against the Holy Ghost be the unpardonable sin, what mercy and what grace is it, that the Lord hath kept us from this great sin; that though ye have fallen into great and heinous sins, and the Lord hath suffered you to fall into such sins that you may be humbled; yet that the Lord should keep you from this sin, this unpardonable sin, for