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

Only I must advise you, that you be not troubled when you meet with that which is contrary to this in any great Divines: For it is only our former Divines whose Judgements were partly hurt by hot Disputations with the Papists herein, and partly not come to that maturity as others since them have had opportunity to do. And therefore in their expositions of the Creed and such like passages in the Text, they eagerly insist on it, that when we say, We Believe the Forgiveness of sin, and Life everlasting, every man is to profess that he Believeth that his own sins are forgiven, ⟨p. 192⟩and he shall have Life everlasting himself. But our later Divines, and specially the English, and most especially these that deal most in Practicals, do see the mistake, and lay down the same doctrine which I teach you here, God bids us not Believe as from him, more then he hath revealed. But only one of the Propositions is revealed by Gods Testimony, He that Believeth shall be Saved. But it is no where written that You do Believe, nor that You shall be Saved; nor any thing equivalent. And therefore you are not commanded to Believe either of these. How the Spirit revealeth these, I have fully told you already. In our Creed therefore we do profess to Believe Remission of sins to be Purchased by Christs death, and in his Power to give, and Given in the Gospel to All on Condition of Believing in Christ himself for Remission: But not to Believe that our own sins are Actually and Fully Pardoned.

Only I must advise you, that you be not troubled when you meet with that which is contrary to this in any great Divines: For it is only our former Divines whose Judgements were partly hurt by hot Disputations with the Papists herein, and partly not come to that maturity as others since them have had opportunity to do. And therefore in their expositions of the Creed and such like passages in the Text, they eagerly insist on it, that when we say, We Believe the Forgiveness of sin, and Life everlasting, every man is to profess that he Believeth that his own sinnes are forgiven, ⟨p. 192⟩and he shall have Life everlasting himself. But our later Divines, and specially the English, and most especially these that deal most in Practicals, do see the mistake, and lay down the same doctrine which I teach you here, God bids us not Believe as from him, more then he hath revealed. But only one of the Propositions is revealed by Gods Testimony, He that Believeth shall be Saved. But it is no where written that You do Believe, nor that You shall be Saved; nor any thing equivalent. And therefore you are not commanded to Believe either of these. How the Spirit revealeth these, I have fully told you already. In our Creed therefore we do profess to Believe Remission of sinnes to be Purchased by Christs death, and in his Power to give, and Given in the Gospel to All on Condition of Believing in Christ himself for Remission: But not to Believe that our own sinnes are Actually and Fully Pardoned.