A37045:494
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.
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.
A third false ground is implied in these words, But by the grace of God, viz, as the principle of his actions and walk; which insinuates first, that there are some good things which men may do, not from a principle of grace, but it may be from a merely moral principle of pity, or a principle of natural courage, or the like; wherein however beneficial and acceptable these things may be to particular persons, or to humane societies, yet they can lay no solid ground of peace. 2. It insinuates that the thing that makes a man acceptable, and furnishes a good testimony to his Conscience, is, when he doth things from a principle of grace swaying and strengthening him; and where this principle is not, Conscience can •ever give a well grounded testimony to a man, suppose •e should Preach and Dispute for the Truth, and give his body to be burnt for it, therefore Paul says, that it was by the grace of God that he had his conversation in the world, and to them-ward.
A th•rd false ground is implyed in these words, But by the grace of God, viz, as the principle of his actions and walk; which insi•uats first, that there are some good things which men may do, not from a principle of grace, but it may be from a meerly moral principle of pity, or a principle of natural courage, or the like; wherein however beneficial and acceptable these things may be to particular persons, or to humane societies, yet they can lay no solid ground of peace. 2. It insinuates that the thing that makes a man acceptable, and furnishes a good testimony to his Conscience, is, when he doth things from a principle of grace swaying and strengthning him; and where this principle is not, Conscience can •ever give a well grounded testimony to a man, suppose •e should Preach and Dispute for the Truth, and give his body to be burnt for it, therefore Paul sayes, that it was by the grace of God that he had his conversation in the world, and to them-ward.