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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 hebrews n13.18 › Sermon 3
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 Doctrine being thus qualified and guarded on all hands, we shall now at length proceed to the Confirmation of it, which is, that wherever there is a sincere willingness to be universally honest in our Life and Conversation, there is good ground for peace and calmness of Conscience; or it is an evidence of a good Conscience and a companion of it.
It may be confirmed from these grounds; 1. Either we must say that no Believer has ever had Tranquillity and calmness of Conscience, which were absurd; or we must say that these who had it, did attain to perfect holiness, and needed no Repentance, which the forenamed Instances of most eminent Saints, as of David and Peter will confute; or if we can say none of these two, we must needs assert the third, viz. That a Believer on his sincere design to live honestly in all things, though he come not up the full length he should be at, may have Peace. 2. That which hath quieted many Believers before us, may be a ground of calmness and quietness to us; for as the ground and cause is common, the effect must also be common; But on this ground many Believers have been quieted before us, Therefore we may likewise on it quiet our selves: If we look through the Scriptures, we will find the Saints thus quieting and comforting themselves; What is the ground that David comforts himself on▪ Psal. 18. 21, 22, 23. Is it not on this? I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God; This sure is not absolute perfection that he means of, for we know he had many defects and failings, but sincerity; for, says he, All his Judgements were before me; he had honestly designed the keeping of them all; I did not put away his Statutes from me; he balked none of Gods Statutes; I was also upright before him, and I kept my self from mine iniquity; The ⟨p. 307⟩strain of his way was honest, and his slips▪ and failings were (hitherto its like) of infirmity, and therefore he has Peace: We may see that it was thus also with Hezekiah,