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

Now that many eminent Christians of great knowledge and much zeal and obedience are uncertain of their Perseverance, is proved by two Infallible Arguments. 1. By experience: If any should be so censorious as to think that none of all those Nations and Churches abroad that deny the Doctrine of Certain Perseverance of all Believers, have any strong Christians among them, yet we have had the knowledge of such at home. 2. Besides the Difficulty of the Subject is a clear Argument that a strong Christian may be uncertain of it▪ God hath made all those points plain in Scripture, which must be Believed as of Necessity to Salvation: But the Certainty of all Believers Perseverance, is not a Point ⟨p. 162⟩of flat Necessity to Salvation to be Believed. Otherwise it would be a hard matter to prove that any considerable number were ever saved, till of late; or are yet saved, but in a very few Countries. It is a Point that the Churches never did put into their Creed; where they summed up those Points that they held necessary to Salvation. There are a great number of Texts of Scripture which seeming to intimate the contrary, do make the Point of great Difficulty to many of the wisest. And those Texts that are for it, are not so express as fully to satisfy them. Besides that the examples of these ten years last past have done more to stagger many sober wise Christians in this Point, then all the Arguments that ever were used by Papists, Arminians or any other: To see what kind of men in some places have fallen, and how far; as I am unwilling further to mention.

Now that many eminent Christians of great knowledge and much zeal and obedience are uncertain of their Perseverance, is proved by two Infallible Arguments. 1. By experience: If any should be so censorious as to think that none of all those Nations and Churches abroad that deny the Doctrine of Certain Perseverance of all Believers, have any strong Christians among them, yet we have had the knowledge of such at home. 2. Besides the Difficulty of the Subject is a clear Argument that a strong Christian may be uncertain of it▪ God hath made all those points plain in Scripture, which must be Believed as of Necessity to Salvation: But the Certainty of all Believers Perseverance, is not a Point ⟨p. 162⟩