Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

A 5th. Character or Difference is, That a good Conscience maintaineth its peace both from the Law and from the Gospel, and will needs have peace in some measure in respect of both, else it will not be satisfied; The evil Conscience again taketh its peace from the one and not from the other, and so taketh a wrong rule or ground for founding and trying of its peace; An honest man that hath a good Conscience, hath respect to the Law and will not thwart it; yea, the challenging and condemning part of it is welcomed, and the threatenings of it have influence on him to make him fear; and as he respecteth the Law, so he respecteth the Gospel, and looketh well to Believing, Repentance, Self-searching, Examination, Meditation, and to his manner of performing these and ⟨p. 55⟩of all his other duties, that none of them come in the place of Christ, or get any thing of that which is his due; and though he seem to himself to have faith in Christ, if he endeavour not to have Holiness going along with it, he dare not speak peace to himself: But on the contrary, the legal man or law-conscience, if it be in good terms as he supposeth with the Law, it looketh not to the duties of the Gospel, whether the man be indeed fled to Christ, or be in good terms with God through him; and on the other hand, the presumptuous Conscience when it heareth the Law and the threatenings thereof, it •ome way tusheth at these, and under pretext of betaking it self to Christ, it teareth (as it were) away the Law; and this mistaking, halving and dividing of the rule, maketh many men think that their Conscience speaketh good to them, when it doeth not so, but hath rather ground to speak evil and woe. And in the by, ye who think ye have good Consciences, try them by this mark, if ye walk humbly under Conscience-convictions, taking with them, and if they be welcome to you as well as a word of peace.

A 5th. Character or Difference is, That a good Conscience maintaineth its peace both from the Law and from the Gospel, and will needs have peace in some measure in respect of both, else it will not be satisfied; The evil Conscience again taketh its peace from the one and not from the other, and so taketh a wrong rule or ground for founding and trying of its peace; An honest man that hath a good Conscience, hath respect to the Law and will not thwart it; yea, the challenging and condemning part of it is welcomed, and the threatnings of it have influence on him to make him fear; and as he respecteth the Law, so he respecteth the Gospel, and looketh well to Believing, Repentance, Self-searching, Examination, Meditation, and to his manner of performing these and