The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

And indeed it is mere ignorance of the true nature of faith, which maketh those whom I am now describing, to think that they do not believe Gods Promises, when they believe his Threatenings. They think that because they believe not that they themselves are pardoned, justified, and shall be saved, that therefore they believe not the promise of God: But this is not the reason; but it is because you find not the condition of the promise yet in your selves, and therefore think that you have no part in the benefits: But its one thing to doubt of your own sincerity, and another thing to doubt whether the promise of God be true. Suppose that the Law do pardon a felon if he can read as a Clerk; and one that is a felon be in doubt whether his reading will serve or not; this is not to deny belief to the pardoning act of the Law. Suppose one promise a yearly stipend to all that are of full one and twenty years of age, in the Town or Country: To doubt of my age, is not to doubt of the truth of the promise.

And indeed it is meer ignorance of the true nature of faith, which maketh those whom I am now describing, to think that they do not believe Gods Promises, when they believe his Threatnings. They think that because they believe not that they themselves are pardoned, justified, and shall be saved, that therefore they believe not the promise of God: But this is not the reason; but it is because you find not the condition of the promise yet in your selves, and therefore think that you have no part in the benefits: But its one thing to doubt of your own sincerity, and another thing to doubt whether the promise of God be true. Suppose that the Law do pardon a fellon if he can read as a Clerk; and one that is a fellon be in doubt whether his reading will serve or not; this is not to deny belief to the pardoning act of the Law. Suppose one promise a yearly stipend to all that are of full one and twenty years of age, in the Town or Country: To doubt of my age, is not to doubt of the truth of the promise.

Object. But do not Protestant Divines conclude against the Papists, that saving Faith must be a particular application of Christ and the Promise to ourselves, and not only a general assent?