A plain discourse upon uprightness showing the properties and privileges of an upright man…A plain discourse upon uprightness shewing the properties and priviledges of an upright man…

SECT. X.

X. God will show himself upright to ¹his upright ones, in Crowning their integrity; 1. With Internal Peace: Melchizedek was first the King of Righteousness, and then King of Salem, King of Peace; and where Christ hath engraven Sincerity, which is the true Righteousness, then follows Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. There's no Rest but in Religion, nor any sound Peace but in Piety. Others may have Quiet of Conscience, but the upright man hath the Testimony of his Conscience, that is quite another thing. Theirs is but a truce, a days sickness will break it. The hypocrite hath a Conscience Pacified, but what's this without a Conscience Purified? It is Righteousness and Peace that only will kiss each other. The quiet of most mens Consciences, is from thei• Blindness, not from their Goodness; thus the beasts are well, because they know n• better, fear no worse: Thus millions ly• still and dye like Lambs. If these had mor• knowledge, they would have less quiet. ⟨p. 119⟩They are like the malefactor in a dungeon, that sees not his misery, or as the bird busy at the chaff, when the Net's unseen: One thundering threat set on by the spirit of bondage, will spoil all their mirth. There can be no true peace, where sin is suffered in quiet. It were well for such as you to be frighted; Cries were your best Music, and Tears the best Nectar you could drink: you must be let blood or dye, such is your disease that you must be lanced or lost. But now, when true grace comes in, after that spiritual conflict that breaks the heart of sin, the Conscience hath a sweet peace, or at least ground for it. The Law charges, the Devil charges, Conscience in Christs blood, that discharges. He that makes Conscience of sin, hath his Conscience quit from sin. Now I can eat and sleep and go in the dark, my Conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, though the earth be removed, and the Mountains carried into the midst of the sea, yet here's tranquility. In the world ye shall have Tribulation, but in me, saith Christ, ye shall have peace; and this is the fruit of uprightness,