Imatges de pàgina
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the soul should be set anew before the mind, his bounty, his mercy, his forbearance, and his chastisements. The soul may now recollect its wanderings, its ingratitude, its impiety, its impenitence, or its faith and obedience. Now should be ascertained the spiritual state of the soul. Perhaps you have enjoyed a hope of the divine favour, and of your own gracious state. If so, review, re-examine the ground of that hope. Were your convictions genuine? Was your enmity slain? Have you known the joys of pardoned sin, of peace with God, of fellowship with saints? Have you been holy in heart and life? Have you given diligence to make your calling and election sure? Do you know in whom you have believed, and whether he be able to keep what you have committed to him? Can you say not only, that the time of your departure is at hand; but, that you are ready to be offered ?

In ascertaining your spiritual state, it will be necessary to confess before God, and repent of all known sins. Not one sin must be remembered with pleasure. Not one lust must be spared. You must judge and condemn yourself, and repent in dust and ashes, loathing and abhorring yourself. This must be done sincerely, with a deep, affecting sense of God, the day of judg. ment, and eternity on the mind.

Your repentance must be accompanied with a dedication of yourself to God in the name of Jesus Christ. To consecrate yourself to God is proper at all times, but when your soul is on the wing for another world it is necessary. Recollecting your Vol. I. No. 10.

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favourite pursuits, and the dearest objects of your heart, placing all that is most delightful in fair view of the mind, detach your heart from them, give them up, bid them a last adieu, and with the greatest solemnity and cheerfulness give yourself to God, saying, "What have I to do any more with pleasures, with honours, with the praise of men, with the enchantments of sense? I will give myself to God; it is all I can do. Now, oh my God, I am thine, forever thine."

Now, as well as before, it is proper, especially if any doubts or spiritual troubles cloud the mind, to call in a minister of the gospel, or if this favour cannot be enjoyed, some experienced Christian, to counsel and comfort you in your serious situation. His more impartial and dispassionate view of your state may be of immense advantage. Such a minister or Christian may solve distressing doubts, answer perplexing inquiries, relieve from great distresses, and in some sense prepare you to die.

After this, it may be duty to spend the residue of life, chiefly in secret devotion. Your affecting situation, your serious prospects must impel you to make known your desires in "strong cries."

You may, in

sighs and tears express those wants, which cannot be uttered. Your words are the breathings of dependence, of danger, of distress, of affection; "If it be not possible to save me from this hour, O my Father, not my will, but thine be done." Now may you also commit your family to the mercy of God, your friends, ministers of the gospel, the church, and the world.

It may be of infinite importance to leave your dying testimony in behalf of God and religion. The words of the dying are weighty; they command the confidence of listening friends and acquaintance. When depart ing from life, it is supposed men speak as they feel. It is an honest hour. If the power of utterance permit, if light and comfort cheer thy soul; say to your friends, "Now I know that God is good. I have a witness in my self. He is not a barren tree. Praying breath is never spent in vain. My hope is an anchor to my soul. I know in whom I have believed. I am ready to depart. I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith. A crown

of glory is laid up for me."

The last act of a dying man is to commit his soul to God. Stephen, dying, said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The Saviour himself in his last moment cried, "Father, into thine hand I commend my spirit." Reader, may you be enabled to Come, Lord Jesus, come say, quickly," "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace."

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for the remission of other sins. Whatever this sin may be, it certainly is a sin open, notorious, capable of being known; otherwise there would be no ground for the caution against praying for those, who have been guilty of it.

The apostle doubtless alludes to the sin mentioned by our Saviour in the 12th chapter of Matthew. The Pharisees, seeing Jesus cast out a devil, reproached him as casting out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils. Jesus, having shewn the absurdity of this imputation, takes occasion to warn them against the sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost. "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come."

To understand the distinction here made between speaking against the Son of Man, and speaking against the Holy Ghost, we must remember, that Christ, while he was on earth, performed many miracles, and empowered his apostles to perform the same in his name; such as healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out devils; and these were called the works of the Spirit. But he promised them, that after his ascension, he would shed down on them the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost; and that then, not only the works which he had done, but greater works than these should they

do, because he went to the Father. Those greater works were speaking with tongues, interpreting of tongues, prophesying and discerning of spirits. In respect of these it was said, before Christ's ascension, "The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." St. John says, there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood. And there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. He here makes a distinction between the miracles performed while Christ was on earth; and the gifts bestowed after his ascension to heaven; the former he calls the witness of the Spirit; the latter the testimony of the Holy Ghost. The agent is the same, but the operations are different. In relation to works performed by the apostles on others, the divine agent is simply called the Spirit; in relation to internal gifts and endowments he is called the Holy Ghost. Those external miracles were a strong evidence; but these internal gifts were to those who possessed them, and even to those who saw the effects of them, a much stronger evidence of the truth of the gospel. These supernatural gifts were not confined to saints, but often vouchsafed to ungodly men. Some who prophesied in Christ's name, were workers of iniquity. Some, who had all knowledge, and even faith to remove mountains, and who could speak with the tongue of angels, had not charity.

By speaking against the Holy Ghost is intended speaking against this last and highest dem onstration given to the truth of

the gospel in those extraordinary powers, which were communicated after Christ's ascension, and which were eminently called the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

The Pharisees, when they imputed to Christ a confederacy with devils, spake against the Son of Man; but not against the Holy Ghost; for, in the sense intended by our Saviour, "the Holy Ghost was not yet given;" but was to be given after he went to the Father.

As the fullest evidence had not yet been given of the truth of the gospel, so there was hope, that many might be, and it was a fact, that many were brought to the faith after Christ's ascension, who had been unbelievers before. For after he went to the Father, greater works were done, than had been done, while he. abode on earth. And from the perverseness which the Pharisees discovered in imputing his works to an infernal power, he took occasion to warn them of the fatal consequence of blaspheming that greater evidence, which would afterward be given of the truth, when he should send down the Holy Ghost in spiritual gifts.

This sin, though it begins in impiety and perverseness of heart, is not completed without words. It is called blaspheming, and speaking a word against the Holy Ghost. Simon the magician had vile conceptions of the Holy Ghost; but the apostle exhorts him to repent and pray God, if perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him. They who practise the works, and indulge the lusts of the flesh, defile the temple of the Holy Ghost; but such are advised to

repent of the uncleanness and lasciviousness, which they have committed. The full completion of the sin unto death lies in impious and blasphemous words spoken or written.

The true reason why this sin is irremissible, is because they, who are guilty of it, are incapable of repentance. They have received all the light, and enjoyed all the advantages, which God sees fit to afford them. They have seen the fullest evidence of the truth. They have felt some internal convictions of the weight and power of this evidence. If after all this, they not only reject the gospel, but impiously and maliciously revile and blaspheme it, what more can be done for them? What farther means can be used with thein? They have sinned wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin; but a fearful looking for of judgment. Of such the apostle speaks, when he says, "It is impossible for those, who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to be renewed again to repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves afresh the Son of God, and put him to an open shame." This sin then consists in rejecting and blaspheming the highest evidence which God will give, and the last and most powerful means, which he will use for the conviction and recovery of sinners.

If it be asked, whether any can be guilty of this sin in the pres

ent day? I answer, it cannot be committed under all the same circumstances, which might have attended it in the apostles' days. But certainly even now, there may be such a case, as a man's resisting and rejecting the highest means, the clearest evidence, and the strongest influence that God will afford for his conviction. There are those who reject the counsel of God against themselves, and who rebel and vex the Holy Spirit, until God is turned to be their enemy, takes his Spirit from them, and gives them over to a reprobate mind. And if I should see a man, who had been well instructed in the doctrines of the gospel, who in the former part of his life had appeared to be impressed with a sacred reverence for them, and who had openly professed his faith in them, if I should see this man boldly disavow all regard to religion, mock at spiritual things, treat the scriptures and all divine ordinances with contempt, give himself to profaneness, and use all his influence to corrupt the principles, and vitiate the morals of others, I should conclude, that, if he had not actually committed the sin under consideration, yet he had made awful approaches toward it.

From the account, which we have given of the sin unto death, it appears, that none are to conclude themselves guilty of it, while they retain a belief of the gospel, and feel a disposition in favour of it; or while they are exercised with a sensible conviction of their sins, and a strong desire to obtain an interest in the grace of God.

It appears also, that those

doubts, which people may sometimes feel concerning particular doctrines of the gospel, or the gospel itself, partake not of the nature of this sin; for doubts, which are afflicting while they exist, and are usually removed by humble inquiry, are very different from that perverse and malicious temper, which spurns and blasphemes the gospel.

Nor are we to consider every relapse into stupidity after hopeful convictions, as amounting to this sin; for there may be such a falling away, where no blasphemy is uttered with the mouth, or conceived in the heart; and though such relapses are dangerous, they are not always fatal.

Nor is every deliberate sin against knowledge, the sin unto death; for though deliberation in the commission of sin aggravates guilt, it does not exclude the possibility of repentance and the hope of pardon. David and Peter sinned presumptuously, but they repented and were forgiven.

Nor does a direct opposition to Christianity, where there has not been actual conviction of its truth, implicate men in unpardonable guilt. Paul was a persecutor and blasphemer; was exceedingly mad against the cause of Christ, and compelled men to blaspheme it; yet he obtained mercy, because he did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Least of all are we to suppose, that blasphemous thoughts, horrible suggestions, or temptations to shocking crimes, are the sin, or any evidence of the sin under consideration, for the sin is not completed in thoughts and suggestions. And those thoughts, which people often complain of,

and which fill them with fearful apprehensions of unpardonable guilt, may be their infirmities, rather than real sins. The abhorrence, which accompanies them, shews them to be involuntary.

But then, as there is a sin unto death, every one should be afraid of the least approximation to it. If the sin itself is fatal, every approach toward it is dangerous.

Profane language hardens the heart, begets, first, an indifference, and then an opposition to the truth. He, who begins to indulge it, knows not to what lengths he may run.

Scoffing at religion, and at the exemplary piety of those, who profess it, is scoffing at the fruits of the Spirit, and may lead on to real despite against the Spirit itself.

He, who wilfully suppresses the convictions awakened in his conscience, and deliberately violates the resolutions formed in a serious hour, opposes, resists and grieves that Spirit, which Christ has sent to convince men of sin, and renew them to repentance.

Let none dare to make light of the holy scriptures. They were given by inspiration of the Spirit to make men wise to salvation; and he, who mocks these, mocks that Spirit by whose inspiration they were given, and that salvation of which these are the means.

Finally. Let every one be afraid to continue in sin; for sin of any kind, persisted in, is unto death. Considering how short and uncertain the time of probation is, every sinner should be afraid to delay his repentance for a single day. Who would not

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