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

that is, Whether if he should die in that condition, he should be saved or condemned? Or if it be said, that he shall certainly repent, 1. Yet such a supposition may be put, while he yet repenteth not; for the enquiry into his state; How far there is any intercision of his Justification, Pardon, Adoption or Right to salvation? 2. And whether it can fully be proved that it is impossible (or that which never was or shall be) for a Regenerate man to die in the very act of a gross sin (as self-murder or the like?) For my part I think God hath purposely left us here in the dark, that we may not be too bold in sinning, but may know that whether the gross sins of Believers be such as destroy their Justification and right to Glory, prevalently, or not, yet certainly they leave them in the dark, as to any Certainty of their Justification or Salvation.

that is, Whether if he should die in that condition, he should be saved or condemned? Or if it be said, that he shall certainly repent, 1. Yet such a supposition may be put, while he yet repenteth not; for the enquiry into his state; How farre there is any intercision of his Justification, Pardon, Adoption or Right to salvation? 2. And whether it can fully be proved that it is impossible (or that which never was or shall be) for a Regenerate man to die in the very act of a gross sinne (as self-murder or the like?) For my part I think God hath purposely left us here in the dark, that we may not be too bold in sinning, but may know that whether the gross sins of Believers be such as destroy their Justification and right to Glory, prevalently, or not, yet certainly they leave them in the dark, as to any Certainty of their Justification or Salvation.

And then more dark is it and impossible to discover, How far a man may go in these grosser sins; and yet have the prevalent habits of Grace? As to the ⟨p. 268⟩former Question about the intercision of Justification, I am somewhat inclinable to think, that the habit of Faith hath more to do in our Justification then I have formerly thought, and may as properly be said to be the condition as the act: and that as long as a man is (in a prevalent degree) habitually a Believer, he is not only imperfectly and virtually Justified, but so far actually Justified, that he should be saved, though he were cut off before he actually Repent: And that he being already habitually Penitent, having a hatred of all sin as sin, should be saved, if mere want of opportunity do prevent the Act: And that only those sins do bring a man into a state of condemnation, or prove him in such, which consist not with the Habitual Preeminence of Christs interest in our souls above the interest of the flesh and world; And that David's and Peter's were such as did consist with the preeminence of Christs interest in the habit. But withal, that such gross sins must needs be observable, and so the soul that is guilty doth ordinarily know its guilt, yea and think of it: And that it is inconsistent with this habitual Repentance, not to Repent actually as soon as Time is afforded, and the violence of