And thou shalt know that there are six sins that are specially against
the Holy Ghost; to wit, overweening, which makes the mercy of our Lord
spread too much, and praises His righteousness little, and therefore
many people sin in hope. The second is despair, which robs God of His
mercy, as overweening (does) of His righteousness. The third is
withstanding, that is, hardness of heart, when man is hardened in his
wickedness, so that one cannot turn him, and he will not amend. The
fourth is contempt of penance; that is, when man ordains in his heart
that he shall not repent of his sin. The fifth is to oppose the grace of
the Holy Ghost in others. The sixth is to oppose truth wittingly, and
especially the truth of the Christian belief. All these sins are against
the goodness of the Holy Ghost, and are so great that (they) hardly come
to right repentance, and therefore hardly are they forgiven.