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

Besides, If a Christian be heartily willing to deal impartially and search to the quick, yet the heart is lamentably deceitful, that he shall over-look much evil in it, when he hath done his best. And the devil will be far more industrious to provoke and help you to hide, excuse and extenuate sin, then to open it, and see it as it is. His endeavour to drive poor souls into terrors, is usually but when he can no longer keep them in presumption: When he can hide their sin no longer, nor make it seem small to keep them in impenitency, then he will make it seem unpardonable and remediless, if he can: but usually not before. So that you see the frame of most mens spirits doth require them, to be rather over-jealous in searching after their sins, then over-careless and confident of themselves.

Besides, If a Christian be heartily willing to deal impartially and search to the quick, yet the heart is lamentably deceitfull, that he shall over-look much evil in it, when he hath done his best. And the devil will be farre more industrious to provoke and help you to hide, excuse and extenuate sinne, then to open it, and see it as it is. His endeavour to drive poor souls into terrours, is usually but when he can no longer keep them in presumption: When he can hide their sin no longer, nor make it seem small to keep them in impenitency, then he will make it seem unpardonable and remediless, if he can: but usually not before. So that you see the frame of most mens spirits doth require them, to be rather over-jealous in searching after their sinnes, then over-careless and confident of themselves.

2. Besides this; I had rather of the ⟨p. 284⟩two that Christians would suspect and search too much then too little, because there is a hundred times more danger in seeing sin less then it is, or overlooking it, then in seeing it greater then it is, and being over-fearful. The later mistake may bring us into sorrow; and make our lives uncomfortable to us (and therefore should be avoided:) but usually it doth not endanger our happiness; but is often made a great occasion of our good. But the former mistake may hazard our everlasting salvation, and so bring us to remediless trouble.