A37045:80
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 acts n24.16 › 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.
As to the 2d. The use of Conscience, or the Ends wherefore God hath put this in Men and Women, which I shall draw to Three heads; that may be as so many Reasons of the Doctrine.
1. He hath done so for this end, that by it he may keep up his Sovereignty, Power and Terribleness; and keep men under the awe and dread thereof; For this which is called Conscience, will make the sto•est to ⟨p. 8⟩tremble, it will Write and Impress so volley and deeply these great Truths, that none shall be able to blot them out, that there is a God, that there is a Judgement to come, and that all will be called to Reckoning, which none will get eschewed, It will fix and fasten such self-convictions on Sinners, as will make them un-avoidably condemn themselves: So John 8. 9, 10. When the Scribes and Pharisees bring a women taken in adultery to Christ, intending thereby to trap and ensnare him, He sayeth, He that is without sin amongst you, let him cast the first stone at her; Whereby their Consciences were made to bear such faithful Testimony against them, and to carry such terror with it, that they were all forced to steal away one by one; and yet they needed not to have thought shame on account of any thing we hear men could have challenged them for; But Conscience had such an awe and force on them, that there was no resisting of it. Scripture-history does also tell us that such is the power and force of Conscience, when it is awaked, that it will make the knees to smite one against another, even of a Belshazzar, and will make a Governor Felix to tremble.
1. He hath done so for this end, that by it he may keep up his Soveraignity, Power and Terribleness; and keep men under the awe and dread thereof; For this which is called Conscience, will make the sto•est to ⟨p. 8⟩tremble, it will Write and Impress so vvely and deeply these great Truths, that none shall be able to blot them out, that there is a God, that there is a Judgement to come, and that all will be called to Reckoning, which none will get eschewed, It will fix and fasten such selfconvictions on Sinners, as will make them un-avoidably condemn themselves: So