The Anatomy of Secret Sins, Title page 2
THE THRONE OF MERCY, AND THE TRIBUNAL OF JUSTICE, ERECTED In the Remiſſibleneſs of All Sin, and in the Irremiſſibleneſs of the SIN againſt the HOLY GHOST.
In two SERMONS on Mat. 12. 31. Preached before an Honourable Auditory.
By Obadiah Sedgwick, B. D.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. for Adoniram Byfeild, at the ſign of the three Bibles in Corn-hill near Popes-head Alley, Anno, 1660.
THE THRONE of MERCY, AND TRIBUNAL of JUSTICE.
MAT. 12. 31.
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.
THE beſt of actions are oft-times ſubject to miſconſtructions; and a buſie malice will either find or faſten ſpots upon the pureſt innocency. This Chapter is the Map wherein you may read theſe truths. Chriſt cannot ſpeak or do, but an envious Phariſee will pry, and cenſure, and ſlander. Nothing is more offenſive to an ill eye, then the light; and that which much afflicts an ill heart, is the beauty of that good which it ſees in, or done by others.
Let Chriſts Diſciples pluck but ſome ears of corn, only to make neceſſary ſatisfaction to natural hunger, verſe 1. the Phariſee will preſently pluck at Chriſt himſelf, and murmur him not to be a pattern of obedience, but a pattern of licentiouſneſs, Behold thy Diſciples do that which is not lawfull on the Sabbath day. verſe 2.
If Chriſt doth ſtep from the field into the Synagogue, verſe 9. there alſo ſhall he have the catching attendance of the Phariſee. Malicious hatred is like the ſhadow which will purſue the body of pious actions. Here he no ſooner finds a fit object for his mercy, but the Phariſees endeavoured to divert the execution by an enſnaring ſcruple, Is it lawful to heal on the ſabbath daies, verſe 10. as though the duties of piety juſled out all offices of charity, and that God, who commanded ſacrifice, had not alſo preferred mercy. They themſelves would reach forth the courteſie of relief to a diſtreſſed beaſt, v. 11. and therefore Chriſt might juſtly lend his hand of mercifull Charity to a diſeaſed perſon, verſe 12.
In the 22. ver. He heals one poſſeſſed of a devil: a miracle that begat amazement amongſt the people, and ſome kind of credence concerning his Divinity; but in the Phariſees it vented plain Blaſphemy. This fellow caſts out devils by the prince of devils, verſe 24. A bitter and high reproach, and ſuch as was for the truth, neither probable nor poſſible; For, Firſt, Will Satan caſt out Satan? He that ſeeks the conſtant ſupport, will he willingly overthrow his own Kingdom? Secondly, Can Satan caſt out Satan? he that is caſt out, muſt be of leſſer power; and he that doth caſt out, muſt be of greater power: but can Satan be greater and leſſer then himſelf? Theſe Arguments could not but convince their judgements, yet they did not extinguſh their malice; they could not deny theſe to be truths, yet will they pertinaciouſly deny their affections to them; what they could not anſwer, they would reſiſt; and though they ſaw ſufficient reaſon and evidence, yet they are reſolved not to believe, but to contemn Chriſt; Wherefore I ſay unto you, all manner of ſin and blaſphemy ſhall be forgiven unto men, but the blaſphemy againſt the Holy Ghoſt, &c. Which words are like the two mountains of Moſes, Mount E…al, and Mount Gorazim, of bleſſing and of curſes: here is the ſweeteſt mercy, and the pureſt Juſtice, or the Throne of Parts of the Text.Mercy, and the Tribunal of Justice; or here is ſet out two glorious Attributes of God, Mercy and Juſtice.
I. You have the Throne of Mercy erected in theſe words, The Throne of Mercy.All manner of ſin and blaſphemy ſhall be forgiven; wherein you have,
Firſt, The univerſality of the object; not quoddam, but The univerſality of the Object.quodvis peccatum, foreign, every ſin, or all manner of ſin; which yet muſt not be taken ſimply, but reſtrictively; not all manner of ſin in compariſon of ſin to the rule that forbids it, for then the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt ſhould be remitted; but all manner of ſin in oppoſition to the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, i. e. any ſin that is pardonable, all manner of ſin,
Firſt, Whether you reſpect the ſeveral ſpecies of ſin may be remitted, Noah's drunkenneſs, Abraham's lying, David's Adultery, Manaſſe's Idolatry, Peters denial of Chriſt were remiſſible.
Secondly, Whether you reſpect the many degrees and intentions of ſin, either in the multiplied iterations of ſinful acts, or in the acceſſory aggravations of them from the force of circumſtances in time, place, perſon, object, end, &c.
And that we may not doubt hereof, a ſpecial inſtance is given Blaſphemy what it is.in a ſin of deepeſt dye and deſert, viz. Blaſphemy, this alſo may be remitted. The ſchools tells us, it is ſuch a ſin as either detracts from God that which belongs unto him of right, or faſtens on God reproachfully and diſgracefully that which is not convenient to ſo pure and ſublime Eſſence and Majeſty.
And the Scripture tells us, that it wounds or ſtrikes through the name of God, Lev. 24. 16. nothing ſo dear to us as our name and reputation, and therefore we are ſenſible of the leaſt indignities which touch there; God doth himſelf profeſs how tender and jealous he is of his name and glory; it goes very near to the quick; yet ſuch is the Miracle of his gracious diſpoſition, that he hath mercy even for Blaſphemy. I was a Blaſphemer, (ſaith Paul, 1 Tim. 1. 13.) but I obtained mercy. Only know, that Blaſphemy here pardonable, is not that which ſprings from malice and hatred after conviction, but that of ignorance, as Pauls's, or of infirmitie, as Peter's.
Secondly, The quality of the act [ſhall be forgiven;] No The quality of the Act.ſuch word as that for a ſinner, his life and joy lies in it. Some by theſe words underſtand,
1. Certainty of pardon: Thus Theophylact, who holds the event ſo ſure, that there needs no repentance to obtain pardon for ſins not committed againſt rhe Holy Ghoſt. This erroneous opinion need the kindneſs of a large pardon.
2. Deſert of pardon: Thus Origen, l. 1. foreign, c. 3. Qui peccat in filium hominis venia dignus eſt, quia videtur in ignorantiam decidiſſe; there is ſome ground of Apology in this: this opinion is not very unſound, but not genuine.
3. Facility of pardon, thus Janſenius in Concord. Evang-Remittetur, non quaſi cunctis hominibus remittetur, ſed quod facile remittetur; there is not ſo much difficulty to get theſe, as the other to be pardoned.
4. Not Eventum infallibilem ſed poſſibilem, ſhall be forgiven, i. e. they are ſuch as are not excluded from hope and offer of pardon, not that they are certainly remitted to all in the event, or that they deſerve pardon, or that they are eaſily pardoned; they do not contract a peremptory incapacity of Mercy, but that they may, and if repentance follow, ſhall certainly be forgiven.
Thirdly, The indeſiniteneſs of the ſubject (unto men) not The indefiniteneſs of the ſubject.a man guilty of any manner of ſin, except that againſt the Holy Ghoſt; but ſuch is the rich grace of the great Court of Mercy, that he may take out his pardon. Chriſt doth not ſay, not one ſin, but All ſin,; not all ſin of one kind, but all manner of ſin; all ſin of any kind ſhall be forgiven, not to one man, but to any one; unto men, unto any one of the ſons of men: whence we may conclude this comfortable truth.