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

30. Whatsoever New Doubtings do arise in your soul, see that you carefully discern whether they are such as must be resolved from the Consideration of General Grace, or of Special Grace: And especially be sure of this, that when you want or lose your Certainty of sincerity and salvation, you have presently recourse to the Probability of it, and lose not the Comforts of that: Or if you should lose the sight of a Probability of Special Grace, yet see that you have recourse at the utmost to General Grace, and never let go the Comforts of that at the worst.

This Rule is of unspeakable Necessity and use for your Peace and Comfort. Here are three several Degrees of the Grounds of Comfort. It is exceeding weakness ⟨p. 490⟩for a man that is beaten from one of these holds, therefore to let go the other too: and because he cannot have the highest Degree, therefore to conclude that he hath none at all.

THis Rule is of unspeakable Necessity and use for your Peace and Comfort. Here are three several Degrees of the Grounds of Comfort. It is exceeding weakness ⟨p. 490⟩for a man that is beaten from one of these holds, therefore to let go the other too: and because he cannot have the highest Degree, therefore to conclude that he hath none at all.

I beseech you in all your Doubtings and Complainings still Remember the two Rules here laid down. 1. All Doubts arise not from the same Cause, and therefore must not have the same Cure. Let the first thing which you do upon every doubt, be this: To consider Whether it come from the Unbelieving or low Apprehensions of the General Grounds of Comfort, or from the want of evidence of special Grace? For that which is a fit Remedy for one of these, will do little for the cure of the other. 2. If your Doubting be only Whether you be sincere in Believing, Loving, Hoping, Repenting and Obeying? then it will not answer this Doubt, though you discern never so much of Gods Merciful Nature, or Christs Gracious Office, or the Universal sufficiency of his Death and Satisfaction, or the freeness and extent of the Promise of Pardon. For I profess considerately, that I do not know in all the Body of Popery concerning Merits, Justification, Humane Satisfactions, Assurance or any other point about Grace, for which we unchurch them, that they err half so dangerously, as