A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

2. Necessary, though not absolutely to the very Esse or Being of a Christian, ⟨p. 110⟩and his Salvation, yet to his bene esse, his well being, as a Christian, his better and more comfortable management of the affairs of his Salvation. The want of this knowledge, if it be not always actually damning, as when God giveth men repentance; yet proceeding in those that are in condition to obtain it not from want of means or capacity, but from gross negligence, or contempt of the truth, it must needs be in it self damnable.

2. Necessary, though not absolutely to the very Esse or Being of a Christian, ⟨p. 110⟩and his Salvation, yet to his bene esse, his well being, as a Christian, his better and more comfortable management of the affairs of his Salvation. The want of this knowledge, if it be not alwaies actually damning, as when God giveth men repentance; yet proceeding in those that are in condition to obtain it not from want of means or capacity, but from gross negligence, or contempt of the truth, it must needs be in it self damnable.

2. By way of Concession. It is a difficult thing to determine just how much knowledge is absolutely necessary to Salvation, to define the Minimum quod sic (so to speak) of Divine knowledge, so as to say that whoever falls one degree short of it cannot be saved. That there be certain prime fundamental Doctrines of Religion, which are so necessary to Salvation, that men cannot in an ordinary way be saved without the knowledge of them, is, I think, confessed by the generality of those that pretend to Christian Religion, or to any hopes of Salvation: But which in particular those fundamentals are, and how many, is not alike clear. A controversy it is, which I shall not need to touch upon, not only as being a tender point, but as not being concerned in my present design, as will further appear in the following Propositions: It will little avail us in our present circumstances, amidst such plentiful means of knowledge, and so much truth as is revealed to us, to know just how much knowledge is absolutely needful to Salvation; as suppose, how much would have been sufficient for the Salvation of a believing Jew before our Saviour's coming in the flesh, or what knowledge might be sufficient for the Salvation of, and consistent with truth of Grace in, some poor Christian in the darker corners of the Earth, as among the Indians, or Abyssines. But our business is to see what knowledge we our selves, considering our condition, (dismissing others in differing circumstances) are to labour after in obedience to God's command, and for our more holy and comfortable walking with God, and carrying on the affairs of our Salvation. And therefore though my text lead me directly enough to the former, yet I shall confine my self to the latter, making it my business rather to press men to labour after much knowledge, than trouble my self or others with unedifying distinctions about, or uncertain catalogues of fundamentals, or truths absolutely needful to be known; which I suppose few in the World be so Magisterial as Peremptorily to define. And for my part, if I could certainly determine which those truths are, I should take heed to whom I told them, least I should encourage men, slothful enough of themselves, to rest satisfied in a lesser measure of Spiritual knowledge, when a greater might be gotten.