The right method for a settled peace of conscience, and spiritual comfort in 32…

But this is not the ordinary course. Ordinarily Convictions lye long on the soul before they come to a true Conversion. Conscience is wounded, and smarting long, and long grudging against our sinful and negligent courses, and telling us of the Necessity of Christ and a holy life, before we sincerely obey Conscience, and give up our selves to Christ. We seldom yield to the first conviction or persuasion. The Flesh hath usually too long time given it to plead its own Cause; and to say to the Soul, Wilt thou forsake all thy pleasure and merry company and courses? Wilt thou beggar thy self? or make thy self a scorn and mocking stock to the world? Art thou ever able to hold out in so strict a course? and to be undone? and to forsake all ⟨p. 139⟩and lay down thy life for Christ? Is it not better venture thy self in the same way as thou hast gone in, as well as others do, and as so many of thy forefathers have done before thee? Under such sinful Deliberations as these we usually continue long before we fully Resolve: And many demurs and delays we make before we conclude to take Christ on the terms that he is offered to us. Now I make no doubt but most or many Christians can remember how and when God stirred their Consciences and wakened them from their security, and made them look about them, and roused them out of their natural Lethargy: Some can tell what Sermon first did it: Others can remember by what degrees and steps God was doing it long: The ordinary way appointed by God for the doing of it first, is the instruction of Parents: And (as I have fuller manifested in my Book of Infant Baptism) if Parents would do their duties, they would find, that The Word publicly preached was not appointed to be the first ordinary means of Conversion and Sanctification; but commonly, Grace would be received in childhood: I speak not of Baptismal Relative Grace, consisting in the pardon of Original sin; nor yet any infusion of Habits before they have the use of reason (because I suppose it is hid from us, what ⟨p. 140⟩God doth in that.) But I speak of actual Conversion: and I prove that this should be the first ordinary way and time of Conversion to the children of true Christians, because it is the first means that God hath appointed to be used with them. Deut. 6.6, 7, 8.