A37045:236
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 n1 peter 3.21 › Sermon 1
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.
Conscience is in it self a most excellent Gift of GOD, given to Men, having an excellent nature, being waited with many Rare and choice Uses, and Advantages throughout their whole Life; and when it is rightly used, it is one of the special Friends that men can have on earth, and one of the great things that this Gospel, and the preaching of it aimeth at; even to direct and help them how to come at a good Conscience, and how to keep a good correspondence with their Conscience, so as they may be comfortably assured, that they indeed have this good thing▪ which is called a good Conscience; Yet when Conscience is abused, or not made right use of, it turneth to be one of the greatest unfriends and enemies that men have in this World, nay in that World which is to come.
COnscience is in it self a most excellent Gift of GOD, given to Men, having an excellent nature, being waited with many Rare and choice Uses, and Advantages throughout their whole Life; and when it is rightly used, it is one of the special Freinds that men can have on earth, and one of the great things that this Gospel, and the preaching of it aimeth at; even to direct and help them how to come at a good Conscience, and how to keep a good correspondence with their Conscience, so as they may be comfortablie assured, that they indeed have this good thing▪ which is called a good Conscience; Yet when Conscience is abused, or not made right use of, it turneth to be one of the greatest unfriends and enemies that men have in this World, nay in that World which is to come.
Having spoken somewhat to this before, and in the last Observation that we drew from the former Text, which was, that men ought to walk so, as not to offend their Conscience in any thing; we shall now speak somewhat to one Direction and help that is greatly, if not mainly contributive and useful in order to the attaining of that notable end; which is this, That men who aim to walk answerably to that Rule, so as in nothing they offend their Conscience, had need to observe carefully the language of Conscience.