Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: Yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
Changes from Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), Paragraph 18.4
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: Yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, & and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
True beleevers may have the assurance of their salvation divers wayes shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some speciall sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the spirit; by, some sudden, or vehement temptation, by Gods withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darknesse and to have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this Assurance may, in due time, be revived; & by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
Westminster Confession of Faith (American revision, 1788), Paragraph 18.4
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: Yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
May they who truely believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, and endeavour to walk in all good conscience before him; May they (I say) be certainly assured in this…
This section shows what shakes the believer’s assurance of his salvation and takes away for a time its comfort. This is, in short, the presence of sin. There may have been an…
