cy of his Doctrines, that he was fo far from working them, by Collufion or Confede racy with the Devil, that, on the contrary, he was the greatest Enemy the Devil had; nay, that he was his Superior, and overcame him, binding the ftrong Man, and fpoiling his Houfe, doing all the Mischief that was poffible to his Kingdom. This is the Sum of the two Verfes before the Text. And thus, having by these three Arguments vindicated himself from their Slanders, The comes, in the fecond Place, to teftify against their Sin, and to warn them of the Punishment that attended it, in the Words of the Text; Wherefore I fay unto you, All manner of Sin and Blafphemy shall be forgiven unto Man; but the Blafphemy of the Holy Ghost fhall not be forgiven unto Man. As much as to fay; Since, from what I have faid, it appears fo evidently, that your Charge against me is altogether groundless, and that there is no Colour for your faying, that I caft out Devils by the Help of the Devil: Nay, you yourselves are convinced, that you flander my Works; (for it is faid a little before, that Jefus knew their Thoughts) and, if you would fpeak your Hearts, you cannot but confefs, that they are true Miracles, and done by the Spirit of God: I fay, Since this is your Cafe, pray think what a grievous Crime you are guilty of, in thus traducing and calumniating this good Spirit of God, and calling him a Devil. All other

Sins and Blafphemies shall be forgiven unto Men; but this Blafphemy of yours is of fo horrible a Nature, that whoever is guilty of it shall never be forgiven, but is in Danger of eternal Damnation. as St. Mark expreffeth

it.

Thus do the Words of the Text plainly lie with relation to the foregoing Words; and whoever will not violently rend one Part of our Saviour's Difcourfe from another, muft of Neceffity put this Conftruction upon them. So that there will be no need of many Words to perfuade you, that the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, and the Speaking against him here mentioned, was spoken wholly with relation to the Pharifees; and that this Blafphemy, this Speaking against the Spirit, was neither more nor less than their afferting, that our Saviour caft out Devils, and wrought his other Miracles, by Beelzebub; or thus, their afferting, that the Spirit, by which he did thefe Works, was an impure Spirit; than which there cannot be a greater Blafphemy of the Holy Ghoft, or worfe Words Ipoken against him.

That this is the true and only Account of the Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghost, if what I have faid do not perfuade us, let St. Mark's exprefs Affirmation do it: He, in the parallel Text in the iiid of his Gofpel, Verf. 28, 29. having fet down this Paffage of our Saviour, That all other Sins and Blafphemies fhall be forgiven unto Men; but he that

blaf

blafphemeth against the Holy Ghost, hath never Forgiveness, but is in Danger of eternal Damnation; in the very next Verfe adds, as the Reason why our Saviour had fo faid, Because, faith he, the Pharifees faid he had an unclean Spirit.

If any one ask, Why should not this Calumny of the Pharifees be rather accounted and styled a Blafphemy against our Saviour, than against the Holy Ghoft? the Answer is eafy to any one that understands the Scripture Language; for there all Miracles and extraordinary Works, whether performed by the Prophets, or by our Saviour, or by his Apostles, are conftantly attributed to the Holy Spirit, and accounted the Effects of his Power and Operation; and therefore to fay that our Saviour's Miracles were done by the Devil, was most properly an Affront put upon the Holy Ghoft, by whom he wrought them.

1

I know not what further to add towards the clearing of this Point, unless it be to take notice of that Paffage of our Saviour, which follows three or four Verfes after my Text, where he is ftill upon the fame Subject; I Jay unto you, faith he, that every idle Word that Men fhall Speak, they shall give an Account thereof at the Day of Judgment. What is here meant by an idle Word? Is every light, and foolish, and unprofitable Speech in Conversation, that doth not tend to Edification, an idle Word? God forbid: For who

is there then, that fhall not be called to an Account? No; the idle Words here, are falfe and fcandalous Words: Juft as, to fwear vainly and idly, is the Scripture Term to exprefs Swearing falfly: And the Tongue that fpeaketh Vanity or Idlenefs, is the Tongue that speaketh Lyes. And feveral other Inftances there are in Scripture, where the Word is used in the fame Senfe.

This then feems to be our Saviour's Sense; Verily I fay unto you, that for every Slander or Calumny that ye vent against any Man, ye fhall be called to a severe Account; and therefore much more may ye expect to be fo, when ye calumniate and flander the Holy Ghoft, by afcribing his Works to Beelzebub.

But I proceed to the Second Thing I am to give an Account of in this Text, and that is, what is meant by those other leffer Sins that are here set in Oppofition to the Sin against the Holy Ghoft; and which, it is faid, shall be forgiven unto Men, whereas the Sin against the Holy Ghost shall not. There are in the first Class in the Text, expreffed gene-* rally all manner of Sin and Blafphemy; and in the latter Clafs, more particularly the speaking a Word against the Son of Man: Thefe, it is faid, shall be forgiven unto Men.

As for the first Expreffion, All manner of Sin and Blafphemy; I must confefs I like their Account beft, who expound it not of all kind of Sins indiscriminately, but of Sins

of

of one particular fort, namely, fuch Sins as he was here reproving, that is to fay, Sins that were committed against others. So that, in this Senfe, the Sins here mentioned will be much the fame thing with the Blafphemies; and then all manner of Sin and Blafphemy will be no more than all manner of Affronts and Slanders. This Interpretation feems; beft to fuit with the Scope of the Places for our Saviour here is not difcourfing of any Sins but Slander and Blafphemy: And his Bufinefs is to fhew, how much the Slander and Blafphemy of the Holy Ghost doth exceed all other Slanders. And it is obferveable, that in the parallel Text of St. Luke there is no mention of Sins, but only of. Blafphemy.

And then, as for the leffer Clafs in the Text, the peaking a Word against the Son of Man, without Doubt, by the Son of Man, we are to understand our Lord Jefus Chrift; and to fpeak a Word against him, will be to talk Lightly and reproachfully of him; as calling him a Glutton, or a Wine-bibber, as he himself tells us feveral of the Jews did. So that these Words are a new Propofition, and exprefs a farther Senfe than the former Verfe did: That is, to this Effect; I fay unto you, that all manner of Slanders and Blafphemy, wherewith Men flander others, fhall be forgiven them; but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft fhall not be forgiven them: Nay, I fay further to you, Whoever flanders,

or