5PÌRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 351 (which he hath not,) and imperfect justification, wanting a further act to make it plenary, (which may remain.) But still it will be more difficult to show punctually what this imperfect or virtual justification is; and most difficult to show, whether with the loss of actual plenary justification, and the loss of a plenary right to heaven, a man's salvation may consist ; that is, whether if he should die in that condition, he should be saved or condemned? Or if it be said, that he shall certainly repent, 1. Yet such a supposition may be put, while he yet repenteth not; for the inquiry into his state, how far there is any,intercession of his justification, pardon, adoption, or right to salvation? 2. And whether it can fully be proved that it is impossible, (or that which never was or shall be,) for a regenerate man to die in the veryact of a gross sin, (as self murder, or the like ?) For my part, I think God bath purposely left us here in the dark, that we may not be too bold in sinning, but may know that whether the gross sins of believers be such as destroy their justification and the right to glory, prevalently or not, yet certainly they leave them in the dark, as to any certainty of theirjustification or salvation. And then more dark is it and impossible to discover bow far a man may go in these grosser sins, and yet have the prevalent habits of grace. As to the former question about the intercession of justification, I am somewhat inclinable tó think, that the habit of faith hath more todo in our justification than I have formerly thought, and may as properly be said to be the condition as the act; and that as long as a man is (in a prevalent degree) habitu- ally a believer, he is not only imperfectly and virtually justified, but so far actually justified, that he should be saved, though he were cut off before he actually repent; and thathe, being already habit- ually penitent, having a hatred of all sin as sin, should be saved, if mere want of opportunity do the act; and that only those sins do prevent, bring a man into a state of condemnation, prove him in such, which consist not with the habitual preeminence of Christ's interest in our souls, above the interest of the flesh and world; and that David's and Peter's were such as did consist with the preeminence of Christ's interest in the habit. But withal, that such gross sins must needs'be observable, and so the soul that is guilty doth ordinarily know its guilt, yea, and think of it; and that it is inconsistent with this habitual repentance, not to repent actually, as soon as time is afforded, and the violence of passion is so far allayed as that the soul may recollect itself, and reason have its free use; and that he that bath this leisure and opportunity for the free use of reason, and yet doth not repent, it is a signthat the interest of the flesh is habitually, as well as actually, stronger than Christ's interest in him. I say, in this doubtful case, I am most
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