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

But for prosecuting and clearing of this; we shall give you some Rules or Cautions, which may serve as so many Directions to walk by in this matter, for preventing of mistakes; The First whereof is this, that the testimony ⟨p. 260⟩of a good Conscience to sojourning and militant Saints, doth nor flow from perfection in holiness; otherwise David, Paul, Hezekiah, & others, would never have had it: but it flows from reflecting on the general tract of a mans way, and his finding it to be in some measure straight before the Lord; as we see it did in David, Ps. 18. 21, 22. and I•b 23. 11, 12. Though in particular steps they had their own failings.

The 2d. is, That the testimony of a good Conscience may be, where there are challenges for sin; there may be in one and the same Believer, a just challenge for what is wrong, and a good Testimony for what is right; and as he should not on the one hand refuse to take with the challenge, so he should not on the other decline embracing the good testimony: as the Lord teaches plainly in his way of dealing with the Churches of Asia, Revel. 2. and 3. Where, when he reproves them for what is wrong, he also commends them for what is right; teaching Believers thereby to distinguish well betwixt these two; and so to take with a challenge from Conscience for that wherein they are wrong, as not to refuse its testimony for them when they are right; for the Conscience will always have somewhat to say to such in reference to both these▪ they that resolve (as it were) to admit only of challenges, and of nothing but pure challenges, suppose themselves to be lying still in their natural and unrenewed state; and they that would be at an absolute and entire good testimony without any challenges at all, must look for that only in Heaven; where all the godly will most certainly have it to their joy unspeakable, and eminently full of glory; and it is a very shrewd evidence of an unsound state; and of a persons being under the power of delusion, to imagine, that he hath only such a testimony always, without any challenges for sin at all, while he hath still a corrupt nature within him, as all other mortals have.