An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 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.

§. 29. And the Doctrine of Perseverance hath its difficulties too as to mens comfort: For he that holdeth, That no man falleth from a state of Grace, and seeth many, that to all possible humane judgment, were once excellent persons, fall quite away, can himself have no assurance that he is so much as justified at the present, unless he be sure that he is better than the best of all those persons ever were, which doubt the other side are not cast upon.