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

There is another way (that being rightly made use of, hath its own commendableness in it) which is, when persons are under some trouble, or disquiet of Conscience, they betake themselves to Conference, it may be with some exercised Christians, holding ou• their case to them for some ease and quietness; which (as I said) is good and commendable in it self, and may through Gods blessing do good, if the end be to be helped thereby, to go to the fountain of Christs blood and wash there, but its our fault, when in the use of this mean of conference, we seek to have our Consciences quieted by arguments, while in the mean time, the blood of Christ is not by faith had recourse to, for cleansing and calming of it; I suppose the ablest of men, ⟨p. 345⟩whether private Christians, or Ministers of the Gospel, were speaking to us never so convincingly and comfortably, and were holding out evidences▪ to us, sound in themselves of a good stare, if (as I just now said) there be not believing application made to the blood of Christ, for taking away the ground of the quarrel betwixt God and us, there is no reasoning, nor evidence whatsoever, that will or can give a well grounded peace to the Conscience; considering that the best and most discerning men may be mistaken, in their application of these evidences to us: neither is it the end of Conference, to be a ground of peace, when in the mean time, there is no solid course taken how to get our debt paye•, and the justice of God satisfied: our main, yea, our first work would be, to be take our selves to the Cautioner, and to the blood of sprinkling, under the conviction and sense of sin and guilt; and then we may profitably reason our selves, and admit of the reasoning of others for help to quiet our Conscience; and unless there be actual fleeing to Christ, and to his blood preceding and going before words of comfort or direction spoken, whether in private or in public; This word of God declares them to be null and void, as to any advantage to us.

There is another way (that being rightly made use of, hath its own commendableness in it) which is, when persons are under some trouble, or disquie• of Conscience, they betake themselves to Confer•nce, it may be with some exercised Christians, holding ou their case to them for some ease and quietnesse; which (as I said) is good and commendable in it self, and may through Gods blessing do good, if the end be to be helped thereby, to go to the fountain of Christs blood and wash there, but its our fault, when in the use of this mean of conference, we seek to have our Consciences quieted by arguments, while in the mean time, the blood of Christ is not by faith had recourse to, for cleansig and calming of it; I suppose the ablest of men,