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

4. And it would do them abundance of hurt, and God much dishonour if he should either tell them just how oft or how far they may sin and yet be saved; or yet should keep up their Peace and Comforts as well in their greatest disobedience, as in their tenderest careful walking with him. But these things I spoke of before, and formerly elsewhere.

4. And it would do them abundance of hurt, and God much dishonour if he should either tell them just how oft or how farre they may sin and yet be saved; or yet should keep up their Peace and Comforts as well in their greatest disobedience, as in their tenderest carefull walking with him. But these things I spoke of before, and formerly elsewhere.

You see then that though some obedient tender Christians may yet on several ⟨p. 277⟩occasions be deprived of Assurance; yet ordinarily no other but they have Assurance: And that Assurance and Comfort will rise and fall with obedience.

And for all the Antinomian objections against this, as if it were a leading men to their own righteousness from Christ, I refer you to the twenty Arguments which I before laid you down to prove that we may and must fetch our Assurance and Comfort from our own works and Graces: and so from our own Evangelical Righteousness, which is subordinate to Christs Righteousness (which he speaks of, Matth. 25. last; and in forty places more;) though we must have no thoughts of a Legal Righteousness (according to the Law of Works or Ceremonies) in our selves. They may as well say that a woman doth forsake her husband, because she comforteth her self in this, that she hath not forsaken him or been false and unchaste, thence gathering that he will not give her a bill of Divorce: Or that a servant forsakes his Master; or a subject his Prince; or a Parent is forsaken by his child; because they comfort themselves in their Obedience and Loyalty, gathering thence that they are not flat Rebels, and shall not be used as Rebels! Or that