16. Again, many a Soul lies long in trouble, by taking up their Comforts in the beginning upon unsound or uncertain grounds. This may be the case of a gracious Soul, who hath better grounds, and doth not see them: And then when they grow to more ripeness of Understanding, and come to find out the insufficiency of their former grounds of Comfort, they cast away their Comfort wholly, when they should only cast away their rotten props of it, and search for better to support it with. As if their Comfort and their Safety were both of a nature, and both built on the same Foundation, they conclude against their Safety, because they have discovered the mistake of their former Comforts. And there are many much applauded Books and Teachers of late who further the delusion of poor Souls in this point, and make them believe, that because their former Comforts were too Legal, and their persuasions of their good estate were ill grounded, therefore themselves were under the Covenant of Works only, and their spiritual condition as unsound as their Comforts: These men observe not, That while they deny us the use of Marks to know our own state, yet they make use of them themselves to know the states of others: Yea and of false and insufficient Marks too. For to argue from the Motive of our persuasion of a good estate, to the goodness or ⟨p. 409⟩badness of that estate, is no sound arguing: It followeth not that a man is unregenerate, because he judged himself regenerate upon wrong grounds. For perhaps he might have better grounds, and not know it; or else not know which were good and which bad. Safety and Comfort stand not always on the same bottom. Bad grounds do prove the Assurance bad which was built upon them, but not always the Estate bad. These Teachers do but toss poor Souls up and down as the waves of the Sea, making them believe that their Estate is altered as oft as their conceits of it alter. Alas, few Christians do come to know either what are solid grounds of Comfort, or whether they have any such grounds themselves in the infancy of Christianity. But as an Infant hath life before he knoweth it, and as he hath misapprehensions of himself and most other things for certain years together, and yet it will not follow that therefore he hath no life or reason: So is it in the case in hand.
16. AGain, many a Soul lies long in trouble, by taking up their Comforts in the beginning upon unsound or uncertain grounds. This may be the case of a gracious Soul, who hath better grounds, and doth not see them: And then when they grow to more ripeness of Understanding, and come to find out the insufficiency of their former grounds of Comfort, they cast away their Comfort wholy, when they should only cast away their rotten props of it, and search for better to support it with. As if their Comfort and their Safety were both of a nature, and both built on the same Foundation, they conclude against their Safety, because they have discovered the mistake of their former Comforts. And there are many much applauded Books and Teachers of late who further the delusion of poor Souls in this point, and make them believe, that because their former Comforts were too Legal, and their perswasions of their good estate were ill grounded, therefore themselves were under the Covenant of Works only, and their spiritual condition as unsound as their Comforts: These men observe not, That while they deny us the use of Marks to know our own state, yet they make use of them themselves to know the states of others: Yea and of false and insufficient Marks too. For to argue from the Motive of our perswasion of a good estate, to the goodness or ⟨p. 409⟩badness of that estate, is no sound arguing: It followeth not that a man is unregenerate, because he judged himself regenerate upon wrong grounds. For perhaps he might have better grounds, and not know it; or else not know which were good and which bad. Safety and Comfort stand not always on the same bottom. Bad grounds do prove the Assurance bad which was built upon them, but not always the Estate bad. These Teachers do but toss poor Souls up and down as the waves of the Sea, making them believe that their Estate is altered as oft as their conceits of it alter. Alas, few Christians do come to know either what are solid grounds of Comfort, or whether they have any such grounds themselves in the infancy of Christianity. But as an Infant hath life before he knoweth it, and as he hath misapprehensions of himself and most other things for certain years together, and yet it will not follow that therefore he hath no life or reason: So is it in the case in hand.
- 1§. 15. So some think they are Gods people, because they are of such a party, or such a strict opinion; and when they change their opinion they change their comfort. Some that could have no comfort while they were among the Orthodox, as soon as they have turned to such or such a Sect, have comfort in abundance; partly through Satans delusion, and partly because they think their change in Opinion hath set them right with God, and therefore they rejoice. So many Hypocrites, whose Religion lieth only in their Opinions, h•ve their Comfort also only there.§. 15. So some think they are Gods people, because they are of such a party, or such a strict opinion; and when they change their opinion they change their comfort. Some that could have no comfort while they were among the Orthodox, as soon as they have turned to such or such a Sect, have comfort in abundance; partly through Satans delusion, and partly because they think their change in Opinion hath set them right with God, and therefore they rejoyce. So many Hypocrites, whose Religion lieth only in their Opinions, h•ve their Comfort also only there.
