444 DIRECTIONS FOR .GETTING AND KSEPING for our over-admiring, rash zeal, and sharp, highprofession, making for England so heavyan affliction, and a sharp scourge, to be in- flicted by seduced, proud, self-conceited professors, as neither we nor our fathers did ever yet 'bear. Except it Should prove the merciful intent of our Father, only to suffer them to ripen for their own destruction, to be a standing monument for the effectual warn- ing of all after-ages of the church, whither pride and heady zeal may bring professors of holiness. And when they are full ripe, to do by them as at Munster and in New England, that theymaygono further, but their folly may be known to all : Amen. .I have told you of my thoughts of this long ago, in my Book of Baptism. All these doubts I have here answered, that you may see how necessary it is, that in all your troubles you be sure to distinguish between matter of doubting and matter of humiliation. Alas ! what soul is so holy on the earth, but must daily say, "Forgive us our trespasses ! " and cry out with Paul, " O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death!" But at the same time we may thank God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. If every sin should make us doubt, we should do nothing but doubt. I know you,may easily tell along and asad story of your sins; how you are troubled With this and that, and many a distemper, and weak and wanting in every grace and duty, and have commit- ted many tins. But doth it follow that therefore you have nö true grace ? Learn therefore to be humbled for every sin, but not to doubt of your sincerity and salvation for every sin. Direct. XXX. 'Whatsoever new doubtings do arise in your soul, see that you carefully discern whether they are such as must be resolved from the consideration of general grace, or of special grace. And especially be sure of this, that when you want 'or lose your certainty of sincerity and salvation, yob have presently recourse to the probability of it, and lose not the comforts of that. Or if you should lose the sight of a.probability of special grace, yet see that you have recourse, at the utmost, to general grace, and never let go the comforts of that at theworst.' This rule is of unspeakable necessity and use for your peace and comfort. Here are three several degrees of the grounds of comfort. It is exceeding weakness for a man that is beaten from one of these holds, therefore to let go the other two. And be- cause he cannot have the highest degree;therefore to conclude that he bath none at all. I beseech you, in all your doubtings and complainings, still re- member the two rules here laid down. 1. All doubts arise not from the same cause, and therefore must not have the same cure. Let the first thing which you do, upon every doubt, be this : to con- sider, whether it come from the unbelieving or low apprehensions
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