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Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…
Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace and solid joy of a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Jesus and exercised always to be void of offence toward God and toward men : brought down and holden forth in XXII very searching sermons on several texts of Scripture ... / by James Durham.
Edinburgh: printed by the heir of Andrew Anderson, 1685
Title page typeset from the transcription.
HEAVEN upon EARTH in a Serene and Smiling good Conscience. › Sermons on acts n24.16 › Sermon 2
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It is not of these Consciences that we mean, when we say that ye should so walk as ye give not offence to your Conscience in any thing; the Conscience of many speaketh, but alas they stop the mouth of it; therefore take every sort of Conscience to the Word, and suspect that Conscience that is silent when the Word speaketh.
It is not of these Consciences that we mean, when we say that ye should so walk as ye give not offence to your Conscience in any thing; the Conscience of many speaketh, but alace they stop the mouth of it; therefore take every sort of Conscience to the Word, and suspect that Conscience that is silent when the Word speaketh.
A 4th Question is, Whether a man that hath an erring Conscience may not have peace and quietness? If so, how may that peace and quietness be discerned from true peace of Conscience? (where also the 5th Question is somewhat at least indirectly touched on.) Answer, A Conscience, may be pleased while it is erring and in a wrong course, but it cannot have true peace; even as we may please our Brother when we flatter him in his sin, and please him ⟨p. 32⟩not to his edification; so a man may have not only quietness, but a sort of delight and fainness in an erring Conscience, but no true peace, because it wanteth the Word of God for its ground; even as an hardened Conscience may have quietness and yet want true solid peace; as when Conscience is mistaken or in an error, and agreeth well with the mistake or error, it will be well pleased; so when it is humoured and applauded, it is well pleased, and will make the man think that he doeth God good service, while in the mean time he is doing nothing less; yea it will have a sort of delight and fainness flowing from the delusion of its light, and will make the poor man to be well pleased and satisfied when he gets that which he is seeking, to succeed and go with him.
A 4th Question is, Whether a man that hath an erring Conscience may not have peace and quietness? If so, how may that peace and quietness be discerned from true peace of Conscience? (where also the 5th Question is somewhat at least indirectly touched on.) Answer, A Conscience, may be pleased while it is erring and in a wrong course, but it cannot have true peace; even as we may please our Brother when we flatter him in his sin, and please him