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soul_n believe_v faith_n jesus_n 4,985 5 6.2808 4 false
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A37045 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. Durham, James, 1622-1658.; J. C. 1685 (1685) Wing D2815; ESTC R24930 306,755 418

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which the Apostle holdeth furth Philip. 3. 9. Where he sayes That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ He supposeth justice to be pursuing him and that nothing he can do for himself will divert justice its persuit nor secure him against it That he is a lost and gone man i● himself he rests not on the discovery of his lost estate but seeks to be found in him not having his own rig●ousness which is by the Law but the righteousness whi● is by faith in him This is the ground that gives peace with God and should quiet the Conscience but whe● the sinner hath taken this way if the Conscience be not yet quieted and calmed there is something further necessary as first the actual renewing of that application to Christ to get not so much a new pardon as a new extract of that pardon which he received in his first fleeing to Christ that by this renewed application of faith to the blood of sprinkling he may also quiet the Conscience so that when the man is fled to Christ and at peace with God if he have not peace in his Conscience he is to cast a renewed look to the promise and to act faith of new on Christs blood to hold it furth as it were unto and to lay it before his Conscience taking with his sin yet holding still by it that he is fled to Christ and on that ground making use of the promise for the renewed pardon of sin through his blood in this respect faith is called Eph. 6. 16. A shield Take unto you sayeth the Apostle the shield of faith whereby ye may quench all the firy darts of the devil when the challenge is cast in on the Conscience it as it were burns the Believer even as a firy or poysoned dart thrown into a mans body burns and inflames it But faith goes to the fountain of Christs blood to the covenant and promises and draws out of these wells of salvation bucketfulls as it were to quench it or when a challenge comes in backed with temptation it makes use of the promise and blood of Christ to answer it and so faith is as a shield or targe to kepp the dart and beat it back it makes the Believer say I cannot satisfie for this sin but here is a promise of pardon to the man that is fled to Christ and to the blood of sprinkling as I am and makes use of Christ in the promise for renewed intimation of pardon or for renewed pardon as new guilt is contracted And thus he is keeped quiet that the challenge wins not in so sar nor goeth so deep as to sting him in his vital parts to speak so the heart of his peace and quietness is keeped still alive t●ugh he be in quick and sharp exercise under the challenge 2ly Because challenges will not soon nor easily be got removed nor the Conscience quickly and without difficulty calmed as we see in that fore-mentioned instance of David Psal. 51. There is need therefore of continuing in the fight and of drawing conclusions from solid and undenyable premises and grounds to quiet the Conscience and ward off challenges so as they may not wound and quite marr peace as Paul doth Rom. 8. 1 2. It might have been said to him Thou hast been complaining of a body of death and that with thy flesh thou servest the law of sin and is not that a grievous challenge against thee It is true as if he said But there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ That is the making use aright of the targe or sheild of faith But to put the matter out of doubt he goes on and subsumes and draws the conclusion for the words are applicative to himself and spoken with a considerable regard to his own particular exercise set down Chap. 7. I by faith am fled to Christ for resuge and so am in Christ and therefore there is no condemnation to me and indeed when ever challenges come in from sense and Conscience put through other or mingled together as it were blown upon by temptation which will pursue the Believer hardly It s needful to reason from the grounds of faith to ward off the blow and to queit the Conscience And this though it be a reflex act of faith which does not justifie yet it serves to reason the Conscience into peace and calmness and there is need of faith acting thus reflexly though not as I said to justifie yet to bring home the peace and comfort of Justification and renewed extracts and intimations of pardon 3ly It s necessary that Believers quiet themselves positively by comforting confirming themselves In the faith of what the promise speaks and in the hope of what they have to expect The difference betwixt the former and this is that in the former we draw home answers from the grounds of faith to ward off the dint and bitterness of challenges but that is not enough throwly to calme and settle the soul therefore the latter is also needful that the soul positively draw in peace and consolation to it self by believing Which as it is Philip. 4. is able to guard the heart and mind through Christ Iesus and we conceive this to be Davids exercise Psal. 51. Where by exercising his faith on the promises and on the blood of the Messiah to be shed and by wrestling for the intimation of pardon and peace he labours not only to get his Conscience calmed but even filled with consolation and because the promises are often somewhat wersh and tasteless to say so if not seasoned and quickned by Gods voice going along with them and putting favour and life in them This is the voice of joy and gladness which he would so fain hear Therefore the Believer insists with God thus to be-sprinkle his Conscience and as he looks to the righteousness and blood of Christ for Justification so he looks to it for calming of the Conscience and this is in effect to be beholden to free grace as for pardon of fin so for peace and calmness of Conscience without which any other thing will not do the turn As for the 3d. thing proposed to he spoken of viz. The times or seasons or the cases wherein the Believer may and ought in a special manner to make use of his liberty and boldness in drawing near with full assurance of faith There is no question but a Believer who hath made use of Christ for pardon of sin and Justification may also and should make use of him and his blood for the sprinkling his Conscience that he may come to God with boldness and confidence and there is no case wherein a Believer may not aim at this but more especially he should in these cases As first when he is fallen into more gross guilt as David was psal 51. 2ly When that gross guilt and grievous sinning is