An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications…

ANSW. 2. Men are liable to doubt concerning their moral Sincerity, as well as saving Grace. If an unconverted Man, sensible of his being under the reigning Power of Sin, was about to appear solemnly to own the Covenant (as it is commonly called) & to profess to give up himself to the Service of God in an universal & persevering Obedience; & at the same time knew, that if he did this, and sealed this Profession at the Lord's Supper, without moral Sincerity (supposing him to understand the meaning of that Phrase) he should eat and drink Judgment to himself; and if accordingly, his Conscience being awakened, he was afraid of God's Judgment; in this Case, I believe, the Man would be every whit as liable to Doubts about his moral Sincerity, as godly Men are about their gracious Sincerity. And if it be not Matter of Fact, that natural Men are so often exercised and troubled with Doubts about their moral Sincerity, as godly Men are about their Regeneration, I suppose it to be owing only to this Cause, viz. that godly Men being of more tender Consciences than those under the Dominion of Sin, are more afraid of God's Judgments, and more ready to tremble at his Word. The Divines on the other Side of the Question, suppose it to be requisite, that Communicants should believe the Fundamental Doctrines of Religion with all their Heart (in the Sense of Act. viii. 37.) the Doctrine of three Persons and one God, in particular: But I think, there can be no reasonable Doubt, that natural Men, who have so weak and poor a Kind of Faith in these Mysteries, if they were indeed as much afraid of terrible Consequences of their being deceived in this Matter, or being not morally sincere in their Profession of the Truth, as truly gracious Men are wont to be of Delusion concerning their Experience of a Work of Grace, or whether they are ⟨p. 110⟩evangelically sincere in choosing God for their Portion; the former would be as frequently exercised with Doubts in the one Case, as the latter in the other. And I very much question, whether any Divine on the other Side of the Controversy would think it necessary, that natural Men in professing those Things should mean that they know they are morally sincere, or intend any more than that they trust they have that Sincerity, so far as they know their own Hearts.

ANSW. 2. Men are liable to doubt concerning their moral Sincerity, as well as saving Grace. If an unconverted Man, sensible of his being under the reigning Power of Sin, was about to appear solemnly to own the Covenant (as it is commonly called) & to profess to give up himself to the Service of God in an universal & persevering Obedience; & at the same time knew, that if he did this, and seal'd this Profession at the Lord's Supper, without moral Sincerity (supposing him to understand the meaning of that Phrase) he should eat and drink Judgment to himself; and if accordingly, his Conscience being awakened, he was afraid of God's Judgment; in this Case, I believe, the Man would be every whit as liable to Doubts about his moral Sincerity, as godly Men are about their gracious Sincerity. And if it ben't Matter of Fact, that natural Men are so often exercised and troubled with Doubts about their moral Sincerity, as godly Men are about their Regeneration, I suppose it to be owing only to this Cause, viz. that godly Men being of more tender Consciences than those under the Dominion of Sin, are more afraid of God's Judgments, and more ready to tremble at his Word. The Divines on the other Side of the Question, suppose it to be requisite, that Communicants should believe the Fundamental Doctrines of Religion with all their Heart (in the Sense of