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

2. But now, Doubting, as it is opposed to the Knowledge of our Remission and Justification, in those that are Justified ⟨p. 200⟩is a sin: (For it can be no sin for an unjustified person to know that he is unjustified.) But then, I pray you mark, how far it is a sin in the Godly, and what manner of sin it is. 1. It is a sin as it is part of our natural ignorance and original Depravedness of our Understandings, or a fruit hereof and of our strangeness to our own hearts, and of their deep Deceitfulness, Confusion, Mutability or Negligence. 2. And further as all these are increased by long custom in sinning, and so the discerning of our states is become more difficult, it is yet a greater sin. 3. It is a sin as it is the fruit of any particular sin by which we have obscured our own graces, and provoked God to hide his face from us. And so all ignorance of any Truth which we ought to know, is a sin, so the ignorance of our own Regeneration and sincerity is a sin, because we ought to know it. But this is so far from being the great condemning sin of unbelief which Christ threateneth in his New Law, that it is none of the greatest or most heinous sort of sins, but the infirmity in some measure of every Christian.

2. But now, Doubting, as it is opposed to the Knowledge of our Remission and Justification, in those that are Justified ⟨p. 200⟩is a sinne: (For it can be no sinne for an unjustified person to know that he is unjustified.) But then, I pray you mark, how farre it is a sinne in the Godly, and what manner of sin it is. 1. It is a sinne as it is part of our natural ignorance and original Depravedness of our Understandings, or a fruit hereof and of our strangeness to our own hearts, and of their deep Deceitfulness, Confusion, Mutability or Negligence. 2. And further as all these are increased by long custom in sinning, and so the discerning of our states is become more difficult, it is yet a greater sinne. 3. It is a sinne as it is the fruit of any particular sinne by which we have obscured our own graces, and provoked God to hide his face from us. And so all ignorance of any Truth which we ought to know, is a sinne, so the ignorance of our own Regeneration and sincerity is a sinne, because we ought to know it. But this is so farre from being the great condemning sinne of unbelief which Christ threatneth in his New Law, that it is none of the greatest or most hainous sort of sinnes, but the infirmity in some measure of every Christian.