A37045:156
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 4
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.
The last thing we left at was, That seeing some natural men, civil moral men and hypocrites may think they have a good Conscience, that they are right and have the testimony of it, how shall that testimony be discerned? or wherein doth it differ from the testimony of a truly good Conscience, that giveth a Believer ground to draw this conclusion from it, that he is real and sincere in the work of Grace?
The last thing we left at was, That seing some natural men, civil moral men and hypocrites may think they have a good Conscience, that they are right and have the testimony of it, how shall that testimony be discerned? or wherein doth it differ from the testimony of a truely good Conscience, that giveth a Believer ground to draw this conclusion from it, that he is real and sincere in the work of Grace?
For clearing of this matter relating to these Consciences, that speak good when there is no ground for it; There are two sorts of persons that fall here, and are thereby culpably accessory to this delusion of and from their own Consciences, 1. Some fail in mistaking Duty and the rule of Duty, supposing that to be an acceptable duty which is but the shadow and appearance of duty; and this makes all self righteous-men and legal-hypocrites who thwart not the dark or dim light of their Conscience, but rather follow and comply with it, to think that they have a good Conscience: as it was with Paul before his conversion. A 2d. sort are these who take with sin, but think that they have a good Conscience, and on this ground their Conscience speaks peace to them though it hath no warrant to do so, supposing themselves to be Believers, on that ground Conscience speaketh peace to them when it hath no warrant nor are they Believers indeed: And thus alas! many that are reputed by themselves and others to be Believers, fail; these are presumptuous hypocrites, as the others are legal hypocrites; and this kind of Conscience may be called a presumptuous Conscience, that speaketh peace and applieth mercy when it hath no ground for either. In answer then to the Question, we shall give some differencing Characters ⟨p. 51⟩or characteristic differences betwixt the Believers good Conscience, and these other sorts of Conscience, some whereof agree more to the one sort, and some more to the other, and some to both, but take them together.