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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.
It is his deliberate choice, as when a man chooseth such a thing, his willingness to it is the result of his deliberation and choice; so this mans heart willeth holiness as his deliberately resolved and determined choice: All ye then that lay any claim to this willingness to live honestly, see well that it be thus qualified; ⟨p. 314⟩And I do in the Name of the Lord solemnly Charge such of you whose hearts were never towards holiness, that ye presume not to meddle with the Consolation that waits on this honest willingness, or this willingness to live honestly; and if any such shall offer to drink it, God shall make you with pain, even to renting (as it were) of your very Bowels, vomit it up again, and your confidence shall be utterly rejected, and root you out of your Tabernacle.
It is his deliberat choice, as when a man chooseth such a thing, his willingness to it is the result of his deliberation and choise; so this mans heart willeth holiness as his deliberatly resolved and determined choice: All ye then that lay any claime to this willingness to live honestly, see well that it be thus qualified; ⟨p. 314⟩And I do in the Name of the Lord solemnly Charge such of you whose hearts were never towards holiness, that ye presume not to meddle with the Consolation that waits on this honest willingness, or this willingness to live honestly; and if any such shall offer to drink it, God shall make you with pain, even to renting (as it were) of your very Bowels, vomit it up again, and your confidence shall be utterly rejected, and root you out of your Tabernacle.
The 3, Use serves to clear, ease and comfort, these that design and endeavour to be tender in their Walk (the third sort of persons, with whom we said this Doctrine deals) who will be ready to object, alas we have much corruption, and many failings and breakings forth of that corruption: We shall not deny but take for-granted what ye say; yet your great corruption, and many sins should put you to the serious exercise of Repentance, and self-loathing, but should not where this willingness is, break your peace; because Conscience should pity where God pities, who pities his honestly willing people as a Father pitieth his Children. But such will further object, Ah! our sins have sad aggravations, we know we are wrong, and in ill case, and yet we some way lie still, at least do not effectually bestir our selves to win out of it: For Answer, I would enquire, do you allow your selves in that? There is great difference betwixt your knowing that ye sin, and your sinning willingly; Paul sees a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind, and yet says, what I do, I allow not; for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I know not: I shall readily grant that there would be much honesty, singleness and humility here: Yet God allows peace on a poor captive sinner, who knowing the thing that he doth to be ill, yet approves it not, nor himself in it But such will yet again object, How can we have peace, so long as we have sin in us? For answer, I would say, That its one thing to have peace with corruption, and another thing to have peace with Conscience;