perfons the text I have juft repeated, founds often a dreadful alarm. If any blafphemous thought should cross their minds, tho it receive not the least harbour-or if they fhould be fo unhappy as to be furprized into some wilful fin, tho they had fincerely repented of it-efpecially if fuch a fin had been committed after receiving the facrament, their confciences are immediately up in arms-they had committed the fin against the Holy Ghoft-and could neither be forgiven in this world; nor in the world to come,-I have more than once feen the tranquility of a dying hour discompofed with thefe dreadful apprehenfions.

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God's peace reft on all fuch tender confciences as thefe !If any under fuch apprehenfions, are now my hearers, I should be glad to convince them, that no well-meaning people can commit this dreadful fin: and that their very fears of being guilty of it, make it evident, that they cannot be guilty of it. In fact, none could be guilty of it, but thofe hardened wretches, who were guilty of it.

But I fhall endeavour to explain the fubject to you, by confidering first what is meant by the fin against the Holy Ghoft fecondly, what is meant, by its being neither forgiven in this world,

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nor in the world to come and lastly, what obfervations may arife from the whole.

That we may the more easily discover what is meant by the fin against the Holy Ghoft, it will be proper to explain the paffage of fcripture, with which the words are connected.

Our Saviour had caft out a devil from a man, who had been deprived of his fenfes, his fight, and hearing; to all which he was perfectly restored. The common people, who faw the miracle, were aftonished at the greatness of it; and in the candor of their honeft hearts, acknowledged Jefus to be the Meffiah. But the Pharifees, with that rancour, they had always fhewn, were determined to cavil. The miracle however was fo plain, it could not be denied. The man, whom they had feen, a moment before, raving with madness, and terrifying the croud, with all those frightful convulfions, which were the confequences of fo dreadful a poffeffion; was now perfectly calm; and took a rational notice of every thing, that paffed. But tho the miracle was evident, yet to own it, was to join the common people in owning Jefus to be the Meffiah, which at any rate was not to be admitted. What ftep then was to be taken? Malice rarely wants a refource,

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refource. The miracle itself, it was true, could not be denied; but the authority on which it was pretended to be wrought, might be queftioned. And indeed, this was the eafieft, and fureft way to vilify the religion, which the miracle was intended to establish. The Pharifees therefore told the people they had been deceived by mere appearances-that Jefus had indeed performed the appearance of a miracle, as if from God; but in fact he had performed it in league with the devil.

Jefus grieved at their hardened, impenitent hearts, fhewed the people the impoffibility of for wicked a fuggeftion. Is not my doctrine, faid he, wholly oppofite to the works of the devil? and would the devil wifh to fupport any thing fo contrary to his own wicked interefts? A houfe divided against itself can never ftand.-Therefore I fay unto you, all manner of fin, and blafphemy Shall be forgiven unto men :—but whofoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, ti fhall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.

Now this is juft the plain fcripture account of the occafion, on which thefe awful words were fpoken. It is evident therefore the fin against the Holy Ghoft, which is thus fet apart from all other fins, could only be committed, in its compleat

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malignity, by thofe wicked Pharifees, against whom the words were originally spoken. It confisted in their ascribing, with hardened impenitent hearts, our Saviour's miracles to the devil; notwithstanding they had feen thefe very miracles performed on the spot, through the divine agency of the holy fpirit of God, with all the marks of the most benevolent difpofition; and with a view to fupport fuch doctrines, as were in the plainest manner intended to overthrow the works of the devil.

I fhall now endeavour, as I propofed fecondly, to explain to you the meaning of the other part of the text-it fhall never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.

Expositors generally confider these words lite rally denouncing abfolute damnation against those wicked Pharifees. I cannot fay, they ftrike me in that light. I cannot fuppofe the fin against the Holy Ghoft, any more than other fins, was abfolutely unpardonable. My reafons are these.

First, it seems contrary to the general tenor, and tenderness of the gospel, to place any perfon beyond a poffibility of falvation, The gofpel was

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preached to all mankind; and repentance held out univerfally to all.

Secondly, before our Saviour finishes this very difcourfe with the Scribes, and Pharifees, he himfelf feems to have thrown out the idea of repentance, holding up the Ninevites to them as a pattern; which would have been very unneceffary, if repentance had been ineffectual. The men of Nineveh, says he, fhall rife up in judgment against this generation, and condemn it; because they re-, pented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold a greater than Jonas is here.-This furely fuppofes, that if the men of that generation-namely the Scribes and Pharifees, to whom the fpeech was addreffed-had repented, they might, like the men of Nineveh, have been pardoned,

My last reason is, that it is common in scripture to put the impoffibility of a thing for its great difficulty. Several paffages might be mentioned; but I fhall quote only that remarkable passage, in which our Saviour fays, It is impoffible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. When the difciples feemed ftartled at fo fevere a sentence, Jefus immediaiely qualified what he had faid, by explaining his meaning; It is impoffible for thofe, who truft in riches, to enter into the kingdom of heaven.