The doubting believer, or, A treatiseThe doubting beleever, or, A treatise

You shall experimentally ¹find many good people, who have in some cases maintained their ground with credit to their faith, (for they have traversed a particular vein of the Promises, they have found them out, they have applied them, and made use of them, by virtue of which they have borne down the many risings of doubt and fear in that kind, and have singularly enabled and comforted their hearts against distrust and fear.)

You shall experimentally ¹finde many good people, who have in some cases maintained their ground with credit to their faith, (for they have traversed a particular vein of the Promises, they have found them out, they have applyed them, and made use of them, by vertue of which they have borne down the many risings of doubt and fear in that kind, and have singularly enabled and comforted their hearts against distrust and feare.)

1. 1Note.

But these self-same persons on a sudden have been and are strangely puzzled, distressed, afraid, doubtful, full of fears and dejections, and all that they can do is to bear up, yea and that is hardly done too: Why? what is the matter? have they not faith? Yes; and doth not that faith work? Perhaps it doth in a general way, but with particular efficacy they ⟨p. 33⟩cannot yet observe it: How so? This, there is a new kind of trouble, a new burden, which yet they were not put unto, and they cannot find any promise to reach that same: and hence it is that their fears and doubtings do exceedingly sprout up and distract them.

But these self-same persons on a sudden have been and are strangely puzled, distressed, afraid, doubtfull, full of fears and dejections, and all that they can doe is to bear up, yea and that is hardly done too: Why? what is the matter? have they not faith? Yes; and doth not that faith work? Perhaps it doth in a generall way, but with particular efficacie they