An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 27. We see among men no Wife is certain one day or night that her Husband will not forsake or murder her; no Child is certain that his Father will not kill him; nor any one of his dearest Friend: And yet we can have Love, Peace and Comfort in our Relations, without such certainty: For it's melancholy folly to live in fears of things utterly unlikely, and to cast away the Comforts of great probability.

§. 28. Yea, no godly man is certain that he shall not fall into such heinous Sin as Noah, Lot, David, Peter did; or that he shall not kill his dearest Friend, or himself: And yet when a man is conscious that his Nature, his Reason, his Experience, and his Resolution, do all make him hate such a wicked act, and that there is no probable cause to move him to it, and when we know God is ready with his Grace to help us, how few lose ⟨p. 312⟩the Comfort of their Lives, by fear of such improbable things? Certainty therefore is very desirable, but a hope of great probability may give us joyful thankful Hearts, or else few Christians would have such.

§. 28. Yea, no godly man is certain that he shall not fall into such hainous Sin as Noah, Lot, David, Peter did; or that he shall not kill his dearest Friend, or himself: And yet when a man is conscious that his Nature, his Reason, his Experience, and his Resolution, do all make him hate such a wicked act, and that there is no probable cause to move him to it, and when we know God is ready with his Grace to help us, how few lose ⟨p. 312⟩the Comfort of their Lives, by fear of such improbable things? Certainty therefore is very desirable, but a hope of great probability may give us joyful thankful Hearts, or else few Christians would have such.