whereof they so proudly boast. The Spirit has not given us leave to boast of his favours for our own glory or fame; much less to do it for the sake of preeminence, or to make others look less in comparison. Such affectation of preeminence cometh not from above, but is a sad token, yea, and a fatal symptom, of an earthly and a sensual spirit.

I am aware, that the false pretenders to the Spirit have often laid hold on that text of St. John, warping it unnaturally, so as to draw it to favour their own fond delusions. They first take for granted that they are born of God, (which is their fond presumption,) and then they conclude that they are without sin. This is vilely perverting and abusing the text for they ought first to know that their ways are right, and then to draw their conclusion; and not vainly to presume first that they have the Spirit, and then from thence to conclude that their ways are right. But such has often been the self-delusive method of vain pretenders: and they have sometimes carried it so far as to argue, that since they are saints, and born of God, (that is, in their own fond imagination,) they cannot be guilty of sin; but let them do what they please, the Spirit is to warrant and sanctify all; for God sees no sin in his saints. This is turning the tables much in the same way as the Romanists have often done with respect to their pretended infallibility. Give them a thousand plain proofs that they have erred and do err; and they will answer all by telling you, that they cannot err. In like manner, tell some false pretenders to the Spirit that they are guilty of such and such manifest iniquities, and prove it upon them by plain evidence of fact, they will persist in it that they cannot sin, because (which is their vanity) they are, in their own conceit, born of God, and led by the Spirit. How dangerous a principle this is, how productive of all ungodliness, and of the most shocking impieties, was too sadly seen in the last century, and stands upon record in the histories of those distracted times. But enough hath been said of the rules or marks

whereby to try and detect every false pretender to the Spirit.

III.

And now, for an application of the whole, give me leave briefly to suggest, how much it concerns us to be upon our guard in such cases.

Religion, like all other weighty concernments, is best carried on in the calm, regular, and sedate way; and therefore great care should be taken to keep up the old and well tried methods, rather than to change them for new devices, which will never answer. If sinners will not listen to the Spirit of God speaking by the Scriptures, and by a regular ministry, they will not listen to the same Spirit supposed (but vainly supposed) to speak in the undigested, incoherent, extemporary effusions of raw teachers. It is easy for warm zealots of distempered minds to throw reflections upon the wiser and more considerate guides, who come not up to their degrees of unnatural heat and ferment: but a small knowledge of mankind will suffice to show, that they who will not be converted by the cool, calm, rational methods, will never be wrought upon, as to any good and lasting effect, by eagerness and passion. If sinners, wedded to their darling vices, will not be regularly reasoned into a change of life, we must not become as mad in one way as they are in another, in hopes to recover them to their senses: for that, instead of reclaiming, would but harden them so much the more. The world indeed, generally, is bad enough, always was, and always will be: but still we must not take upon us to use any affected and unjustifiable methods in order to mend it; which in reality would not mend it, but make it worse. We must bring men to God in God's own way, if we hope to compass it at all. The making use of wrong means for the sake of a good end, is nothing else

but doing evil that good may come; which is a dangerous and detestable practice f. I say then, that when the

Rom. iii. 8.

ministers of Christ have done all that is prudent and proper, and the effect does not answer, they must not run wild lengths in order to gain their point: for God will say to such persons, if you could not prevail by methods of my appointment, how could you hope to do it by weak devices of your own? You have run wide and far to make proselytes: but who sent you? or who required it at your hands? There is as much mischief in over-doing as in under-doing: both are equally transgressions of the Divine laws, and deviations from the rule of right. Are they eager and impatient to bring sinners to a sober life? It is well they are, and we commend them for it. But there is one thing of still greater importance to them, which ought to be attended to in the first place, which is, to rest content with God's appointed methods of reforming the world, and to proceed no farther than he has given leave; to make use of sound judgment and discretion in an affair of that high concernment; and to submit to stop where God requires it, as well as to run on where he has sent: otherwise religion will not be promoted, but greatly obstructed and exposed; and the world will not be made wiser or better, but ten times wilder than before.

These things I have here laid before you in as plain words, and in as strong a light, as I could.

Such

May that Divine Spirit, whereof I have been speaking, dwell richly in us, in all wisdom, and in all virtues and graces; particularly in soundness of mind, and in humility of heart, and in purity of life and manners. are the fruits, such the marks of the Spirit's presence with us, and of his love towards us: which, that we may evermore plentifully enjoy, here and hereafter, God of his mercy grant, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

SERMON XXVIII.

The precise Nature of the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.

MATT. xii. 31, 32.

Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

THESE words will lead me to treat of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; a matter which has been much talked of, and not always rightly understood: for which reason I the rather choose to discourse upon it.

It will be convenient, in the first place, to observe how, and upon what occasion, the words of the text were brought in. We have an account in this chapter of our Lord's healing a blind and dumb man who had been possessed by a devil. The Scribes and Pharisees who came from Jerusalem, and observed what was done, very maliciously attributed that great miracle, which our Lord had wrought by the Spirit of God, to the assistance of the Devil. "This fellow," said they, (speaking in contempt of him,) "doth not cast out devils, but by Beel"zebub the prince of the devils a." Our blessed Lord,

■ Matt. xii. 24.

well knowing the spite and venom of that execrable calumny, takes them up roundly for it; first confuting their cavils, and next rebuking their insolence, in very plain and strong terms. He puts them in mind how absurd and contradictory to common sense it must be, to imagine that the devils should be no wiser than to differ and disagree among themselves, in a matter relating to their common interest, which would be destroying their own kingdom. "If Satan cast out Satan-how shall then his "kingdom stand b?" After this, he retorts their own calumny upon them, in order to manifest their grievous partiality and self-condemnation. "If I by Beelzebub "cast out devils, by whom do your children" (your own friends, the exorcists) "cast them out?" If they cast out devils by the help of God, calling on the God of Abraham; why am I, who do the same things, and greater, in the name of the same God, charged with doing them by the help of the Devil? He goes on to a third consideration, drawn from the nature of his doctrine, and from the whole tenour of his life and conduct, as being directly opposite to the Devil's interests, and plainly showing that he was so far from being a confederate with Beelzebub, that he was his most avowed and formidable enemy; binding that strong prince in chains, rifling his house, and spoiling his goods. These things being plain and undeniable, what unaccountable malice must it be in the Pharisees, and how grievous their sin, to impute the miracles wrought by a divine power to the prince of the devils? Our blessed Lord therefore closes his reply with this smart and tremendous rebuke: "Wherefore I "unto you, that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall "be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven-neither in this "world, neither in the world to come."

say

The phrases and idioms of speech (here made use of) may require some explanation, before we come to the