which in this World were not forgiven: notwithstanding that it is
manifest, there are but three Worlds; one from the Creation to the
Flood, which was destroyed by Water, and is called in Scripture the
Old World; another from the Flood to the day of Judgement, which is the
Present World, and shall bee destroyed by Fire; and the third, which
shall bee from the day of Judgement forward, everlasting, which is
called the World To Come; and in which it is agreed by all, there shall
be no Purgatory; And therefore the World to come, and Purgatory, are
inconsistent. But what then can bee the meaning of those our Saviours
words? I confesse they are very hardly to bee reconciled with all the
Doctrines now unanimously received: Nor is it any shame, to confesse the
profoundnesse of the Scripture, to bee too great to be sounded by the
shortnesse of humane understanding. Neverthelesse, I may propound such
things to the consideration of more learned Divines, as the text it
selfe suggesteth. And first, seeing to speake against the Holy Ghost, as
being the third Person of the Trinity, is to speake against the Church,
in which the Holy Ghost resideth; it seemeth the comparison is made,
betweene the Easinesse of our Saviour, in bearing with offences done to
him while he was on earth, and the Severity of the Pastors after him,
against those which should deny their authority, which was from the Holy
Ghost: As if he should say, You that deny my Power; nay you that shall
crucifie me, shall be pardoned by mee, as often as you turne unto mee by
Repentance: But if you deny the Power of them that teach you hereafter,
by vertue of the Holy Ghost, they shall be inexorable, and shall not
forgive you, but persecute you in this World, and leave you without
absolution, (though you turn to me, unlesse you turn also to them,) to
the punishments (as much as lies in them) of the World to come: And
so the words may be taken as a Prophecy, or Praediction concerning the
times, as they have along been in the Christian Church: Or if this be
not the meaning, (for I am not peremptory in such difficult places,)
perhaps there may be place left after the Resurrection for the
Repentance of some sinners: And there is also another place, that
seemeth to agree therewith. For considering the words of St. Paul (1
Cor. 15. 29.) "What shall they doe which are Baptized for the dead, if
the dead rise not at all? why also are they Baptized for the dead?" a
man may probably inferr