Nevertheless, it may be questioned; whether those scriptures which speak of assurance, as though it were a privilege common to the whole church, are not to be understood as applicable to the greater part of them, rather than to every individual believer among them. For though the apostle, in one of the scriptures before-mentioned, considers the church at Corinth, as enjoying this privilege, and concluding that it should go well with them in another world, when this earthly tabernacle was dissolved; yet he speaks of some of them, in the same epistle, as not knowing their ownselves, how that Jesus Christ was in them. And the apostle John, notwithstanding what he says to the church, _We knew that we are of God_, in 1 John v. 19. which argues that many of them had assurance, plainly intimates that all had it not, from what he says, ver. 13. _These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life_: and though in another scripture, but now mentioned, the apostle Peter speaks to the church to which he writes, as having _joy unspeakable and full of glory_ consequent upon their faith, which argues that they had assurance; yet he exhorts others of them _to give diligence to make their calling and election sure_, 2 Pet. i. 10. these therefore are supposed, at that time, not to have it: from all which it may be concluded, that assurance of grace and salvation, is not of the essence of saving faith; which is the thing supposed in this answer.[108] II. We proceed to consider those things that are inferred from this supposition, viz.