DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND REEFING yours or mineby name are forgiven ; but only that all that believe are forgiven, which suppgseth them to believe before they are for- given, and that they maybe forgiven; and therefore it is not true that they are forgiven, before they believe. And therefore this faith is not a believing that they are forgiven, but a believing on Christ for forgiveness. Else menmust believe an untruth, to make it become true by their believing it. 2. But now doubting, as it is opposed to the knowledge of our remission and justification,in those that are justified, is a sin. For it can be no sin for an unjustified person to know that he is unjus- tified. But then I pray you mark how far it is a sin in the godly, and what manner of sin it is. 1. It is a sin, as it is part of our natural ignorance, and original depravedness ofour understandings, or a fruit hereof, and Of our strangeness to our own hearts, and of their deep deceitfulness, confusion, mutability, or negligence. 2. And further, as all these are increased by long custom in sinning, and so the discerning of our states is become more difficult, it is yet a greater sin. 3. It is a sin, as it is the fruit of any particular sin by which we have obscured our own graces, and provoked God to hide his face from us. And so all ignorance of any truth which we ought to know, is a sin ; so the ignorance of our own regenera- tion and sincerity is a sin, because we ought to know it. But this is so far from being the great condemning sin of unbelief which Christ threateneth in his new law, that it is none of the greatestor most heinous sort of sins, but the infirmity in some measure of every Christian. And let me .further acquaint you with this difference between these doubtings, and your fears and sorrows that follow thereupon. Though the doubtings itself be your sin, yet I suppose that the fears, and sorrows, and cares, that follow, it, may be your duty. Yet respectively, and by remóte participation, even these also must be acknowledged sinful; even as our prayers for that pardon which we have received and knew it not, may, by remoteparticipation, be called sinful; because if we had not sinned, we should not have been ignorant of our own hearts. And if we had not been igno- rant, we should not have doubted of the least true grace we have. And if we had not so doubted, we should not have feared, or sor- rowed, or prayed for that remission in that sense. But yet, though these may be called sinful, as they come from sin, yet more nearly and in themselves ,considered, on supposition of our present estate, they are all duties, and great duties necessary to our salvation. You may say to a thief that begs for pardon, 'If thou hadst not stolen, thou hadst not need to have begged pardon.' Yet suppos-, ing that he hath stolen, it may be his duty to beg pardon. And so you may say to a poor fearing soul, that fears damnation and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=