Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

I Answer, The sins of Believers are either sins of mere infirmity, and daily incursion, or sins of gross enormity, and conscience-wasting; such as Davids Murder and Adultery, and Peters denial of his Master: the first sort of these through the rich grace of the Gospel are pardoned, as I may so say, of course, and so make no breach at all upon justification:¹ Non excludunt fideles à favore Dei, & à spe regni coelestis: They exclude not Believers from the favour of God, nor from the hope of the heavenly kingdom, saith that eminent Divine Robert Baronius. God, such is his infinite mercy, doth not impute these to them. Hence he bears witness of David, That he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah, 1 Kings 15.5. Infirmities are not reckoned; the matter of Uriah is the only exception: The latter sort of sins in Believers are gross enormous ones; touching these our famous Divines at the Synod of Dort say, that these are not pardoned to the Believer, till he per excitatam fidem & poenitentiam veniam impenetraverit: obtain remission by a renewed act of faith and repentance. His universal justification is not frustrated, and yet, till he renew his faith and repentance, his particular sin is not pardoned; his right to the Kingdom of heaven ⟨p. 222⟩is not taken away, but only his aptitude. Just as the Leper, who whilst his leprosy was on him had a right to his house, but not a fitness till his purgation. The seeds of faith and repentance are in him, but they must be stirred up into fresh acts.² Dr. Spurstowe saith, that a Believer under such sin may not immediately lay hold on the promise of Forgiveness, until he first renew his repentance; till then to lay hold on the Promises, is not faith but presumption. Faith always proceeds according to Gods method, and that is, to give out pardon upon repentance. God first hears Ephraim bemoaning himself, and then remembers him with mercy, Jer. 31.18.³