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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 n9 and 10 › 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.
And that is, when a man is made externally clean, or holy, whereby he is admitted to the congregation; The other is that which is inward, which admits not only to external Church-fellowship, but to real internal-fellowship with God, and to peace and calmness of Conscience: Now for quieting the Conscience, and for giving a man peace, he tells them, that though these external ceremonies admitted him to the congregation, yet they did not purify his Conscience; but that notwithstanding of all these, the quarrel was not taken away before God; and so they could not be the ground of inward peace, nor bring it in to the mans soul and Conscience; but that its the blood of Christ which only doth that; and therefore his sacrifice is more excellent then all these ceremonial Sacrifices, sprinklings and washings; for it admits a man to peace with God and gives him quietness in his own Conscience.
And that is, when a man is made externally clean, or holy, whereby he is admitted to the congregagation; The other is that which is inward, which admits not only to external Church-fellowship, but to real internal-fellowship with God, and to peace and calmness of Conscience: Now for quieting the Conscience, and for giving a man peace, he tells them, that though these external ceremonies admitted him to the congregation, yet they did not purify his Conscience; but that notwithstanding of all these, the quarrel was not taken away before God; and so they could not be the ground of inward peace, nor bring it in to the mans soul and Conscience; but that its the blood of Christ which only doth that; and therefore his sacrifice is more excellent then all these ceremonial Sacrifices, sprinklings and washings; for it admits a man to peace with God and gives him quietness in his own Conscience.
To leave the comparison then; We have, in the latter part of these words (which we intend to insist on) a notable effect, and the great efficacy of Christs blood, in purging of the Conscience, holden forth in these particulars, 1. It is implied, That the state of a mans Conscience by nature is this, viz. It is polluted and defiled by dead works. 2. That the great mean whereby the Conscience is purged and made clean; is, the blood of Christ. 3ly. The end wherefore the Consciences of men are made clean, is, that they they may serve the