The Minor is too clear; this assurance is not found in all sound believers. He that will cut off all from being sound believers, that have not this particular persuasion and assurance that Christ is theirs, must, as David said in another case, Psal. 73.15. If I say, I will speak thus, ⟨p. 191⟩behold I should offend against the generation of thy children; so must these cut off the greatest part of the generation of sound believers; they are but few in comparison of the unsound, take them all in; but if you exclude them who have not the assurance, you will leave a pitiful remnant indeed. This our holy ancient Divines saw in their experience and trading with Souls; hence they were forced to make distinct sizes of Christians, and degrees of Faith: as Mr. Richard Rogers makes several degrees of Faith: 1. The weakest and least measure, 1when there is no assurance in the believer, and yet inseparable fruits and tokens of Faith. 2. When there is some assurance wrought in the believer at some time, but in a weak degree. 3. Hath assurance for most part accompanying it, though not all alike. Yet in page 23. he had set out Faith by assurance, and said, that is the Faith which uniteth to Christ. Now how can these things possibly hang together? when as he, and so holy Perkins, will own many for sound believers, in whom there was no assurance, and yet it is that assurance, as he saith, by which men do apply Christ to themselves, and which uniteth men to Christ: where there is no assurance, there can be no application of Christ and his benefits, no union with Christ; it is as possible, as there can be a man, and yet no reasonable soul. Hence no assurance, and yet a believer is near a contradiction; for assurance makes a believer; yet here is a believer and no assurance.
The Minor is too clear; this assurance is not found in all sound believers. He that will cut off all from being sound believers, that have not this particular perswasion and assurance that Christ is theirs, must, as David said in another case, Psal. 73.15. If I say, I will speak thus, ⟨p. 191⟩behold I should offend against the generation of thy children; so must these cut off the greatest part of the generation of sound believers; they are but few in comparison of the unsound, take them all in; but if you exclude them who have not the assurance, you will leave a pitiful remnant indeed. This our holy ancient Divines saw in their experience and trading with Souls; hence they were forced to make distinct sizes of Christians, and degrees of Faith: as Mr. Richard Rogers makes several degrees of Faith: 1. The weakest and least measure, 1when there is no assurance in the believer, and yet inseparable fruits and tokens of Faith. 2. When there is some assurance wrought in the believer at some time, but in a weak degree. 3. Hath assurance for most part accompanying it, though not all alike. Yet in page 23. he had set out Faith by assurance, and said, that is the Faith which uniteth to Christ. Now how can these things possibly hang together? when as he, and so holy Perkins, will own many for sound believers, in whom there was no assurance, and yet it is that assurance, as he saith, by which men do apply Christ to themselves, and which uniteth men to Christ: where there is no assurance, there can be no application of Christ and his benefits, no union with Christ; it is as possible, as there can be a man, and yet no reasonable soul. Hence no assurance, and yet a believer is near a contradiction; for assurance makes a believer; yet here is a believer and no assurance.
- 1The seven Treat. p. 71.
