The Return of Prayers

For first, thy conscience having been scorched with sin, as scalded flesh dears more, and is more sensible in coming to the fire, than other parts of the body, is become of a quicker sense; whereas wicked mens is seared, and so they commit all uncleanness with greediness: but thine is tender & galled in the act, which ⟨p. 305⟩allays much of the pleasure of thy sin, and mingleth the more bitterness with it.

For first, thy conscience having beene scorched with sinne, as scalt flesh deares more, and is more sensible in comming to the fire, than other parts of the body, is become of a quicker sense; whereas wicked mens is seared, and so they commit all uncleannesse with greedinesse: but thine is tender & galled in the act, which ⟨p. 305⟩allayes much of the pleasure of thy sinne, and mingleth the more bitternesse with it.

And 2. besides this galling of conscience, which is common to thee with many an unregenerate man, thou hast a principle of grace, an inner man, which is dead to such, pleasures, that tastes them not, that is like Barzillai, who through age 2 Sam. 19. 35. could not taste either what he ate or drank, as young men do; no more can that New man in thee, and therefore it can be but half as pleasant to thee as to another man. If one side of a man be taken all with a numb palsy, ⟨p. 306⟩what pleasure is it to that man, to exercise his limbs in the actions of life? He is but half a man, and lives but half a life; so it is with thee, when thou hast grace in thy heart, but half thy heart can take pleasure in sinning, that new man the other half, reluctates, grieves for it, hates what thou doest; and all this must needs strike off much of the pleasure.