Which is the true church? the whole Christian world, as headed only by Christ…

O but saith he, What horrid Doctrine would this be?

Ans. What a childish exclamation is this! It's ten to one but if you were well examined ¹your self, you would confess that all this quarrel is but de nomine. You confess that here is no particular repentance or faith of the thing in question; nor are universals as containing the particulars known confusedly in themselves; but with the bare name of an actual knowledge of Particulars, you would cheat them that have only the knowledge of the universal Proposition. That you may see it is no horrid Doctrine, consider, that 1. If this general repentance have also joined a particular repentance of all such sin as must be so repented of, of necessity, to Salvation, then a virtual repentance of other forgotten particular sins, will prove sufficient to pardon and salvation. A general repentance which hath an actual hatred of sin as sin, and a habit inclining the person unfeignedly to repent of all sin when he knoweth it [joined with an actual repentance of all that he knoweth, and a faithful endeavour to know all] this is not an actual repentance of the unknown particulars; but it may be called a virtual repentance of them, because there is that cause, that virtue, that Grace which would produce an actual repentance if the impediment of forgetfulness were removed. But even confused actual repentance, hath not a total oblivion or ignorance of the particulars, but only a confused knowledge and memory of them, and is another thing than the knowledge of Universals.

Ans. What a childish exclamation is this! It's ten to one but if you were well examined ¹your self, you would confess that all this quarrel is but de nomine. You confess that here is no particular repentance or faith of the thing in question; nor are universals as containing the particulars known confusedly in themselves; but with the bare name of an actual knowledg of Particulars, you would cheat them that have only the knowledg of the universal Proposition. That you may see it is no horrid Doctrine, consider, that 1. If this general repentance have also joined a particular repentance of all such sin as must be so repented of, of necessity, to Salvation, then a virtual repentance of other forgotten particular sins, will prove sufficient to pardon and salvation. A general repentance which hath an actual hatred of sin as sin, and a habit inclining the person unfeignedly to repent of all sin when he knoweth it [joined with an actual repentance of all that he knoweth, and a faithful endeavour to know all] this is not an actual repentance of the unknown particulars; but it may be called a virtual repentance of them, because there is that cause, that virtue, that Grace which would produce an actual repentance if the impediment of forgetfulness were removed. But even confused actual repentance, hath not a total oblivion or ignorance of the particulars, but only a confused knowledg and memory of them, and is another thing than the knowledg of Universals.