A37045:628
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. › A SERMON
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.
In prosecution of this Use, we shall a little clear th•se three, 1. What a sinner lying under the lashes of his Conscience, coming to this blood, may expect. 2ly. How he may attain that which he may warrantably expect. 3ly▪ when he may and ought in a more especial manner to make use of it.
As to the First, viz. What a Conscience-tossed and troubled sinner may expect, by fleeing to the blood of Christ? Gods rich and liberal allowance on him is, drawing •ear to him with full assurance of faith, coming to him with confidence and boldness, as a Father in all his worship-addresses and applications: The meaning is not, That the sinner under a quarrel fleeing to this blood, hath no ground of humiliation, and repentance for sin, nor of challenges on that account; these may, and should be, where the blood of Christ is made use of, and applied by faith to the persons Conscience; They will not mar this confidence, and boldness, nor full assurance of faith that we speak of (but rather further it) as is clear from the drawing near of the Saints to God recorded in the Scripture; As for instance, in that woman spoken of Luke 7. 38. who weeps, and weeps so abundantly, that she washes the Lords feet with her tears, yet she draws near to him with confidence; nay this drawing near with full assurance of faith doth not remove all fear, looking on fear as it carries along with it, the consideration of the infinite distance and dis-proportion that is betwixt the majesty of the great God, and a finite seckless and sinful creatures, nor that holy awe and filial reverence that is due to him, and well consistent with this full assurance of faith, nay inseparable from the lively, and kindly exercise of it: But it supposeth these Four, 1. That the Believer fled to the blood of sprinkling, may boldly go to God in prayer, as if his friendship with him in Adam had never been broken; as the Apostle insinuates, v. 19. while he says, Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holest, &c. There is a liberty and boldness (as I just now said) allowed him to call God Father, as if