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

3. Yea, lest you should say, This is sad language to comfort a distressed wounded soul, let me add this one Reason more. So far as I can learn by reading the Scriptures, and by long experience of very many souls under troubles of conscience, It is most commonly some notable cherished corruption that breedeth and feedeth the sad uncomfortable state of most professors, except those who by melancholy or very great ignorance, are so weak in their Intellectuals, as that they are uncapable of making any true discovery of their condition, and of passing a right judgement upon themselves thereupon.

3. Yea, lest you should say, This is sad language to comfort a distressed wounded soul, let me adde this one Reason more. So farre as I can learn by reading the Scriptures, and by long experience of very many souls under troubles of conscience, It is most commonly some notable cherished corruption that breedeth and feedeth the sad uncomfortable state of most professours, except those who by melancholy or very great ignorance, are so weak in their Intellectuals, as that they are uncapable of making any true discovery of their condition, and of passing a right judgement upon themselves thereupon.

Least I should make sad any soul that God would not have sad, let me desire you to observe, 1. That I say but of most Professors, not all: For I doubt not but God may hide his face for some time from some of the holiest and wisest of Believers, for several and great reasons. 2. Do but well observe most of the humble obedient Christians that you know to lie under any long and sad distress of mind, and you will find that they are generally of one of the two forementioned sorts: either so ignorant as not to know well what faith is, or what the conditions of the Covenant are, or what is the extent of the promise, or the full sufficiency of Christs satisfaction for all sinners, or what are the evidences by which they may try themselves: Or else they are Melancholy persons whose fancy is still molested with these perturbing vapours and their understandings so clouded and distempered, that Reason is not free▪ And so common is this later, that in my observation, of all the Christians that have lived in any long and deep distress of mind, six if not ten for one have been deeply Melancholy; except those that feed their troubles by disobedience. So that besides these ignorant and Melancholy