Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

Though I deny not but that sometimes challenges will bear in themselves irresistibly on the profanest of men, but they are to such very un-welcome guests, and they endeavour quickly to smother them, or to drive them out again. 4ly. Many bias their own Conscience, and teach themselves shifts▪ not so much to satisfy their Conscience, as how to answer it, and to stop the mouth of it, and to please their own humour; if they can give a reason for such and such a thing (such as it is) to their Conscience, they think they do very well; Thus deceiving themselves, and being deceived; for a deceived heart hath led them aside: Hence it comes to pass, that in some things men take as much pains to bias their Conscience, and to have it saying as they say, as one man would take on another to satisfy him and to bring him over to be of his mind in any matter: Hence also is the debating, and struggling exercise that some will have within themselves, before they can be brought to an ingenuous confession of that they are guilty of. 5ly. People seek to please their Conscience, when they cannot bias it; and when Conscience challengeth, they will make amends; As (it may be) they will pray when they are going to commit such or such a Sin; as some profane men will do, when they are going to fight a Combat or Duel; this is to bribe the Conscience: Thus many Papists, when they have done an evil turn, will give so much to the poor, or dot so much to some pious work, or use, as they judge to be a sort of recompense; what else is this but to bribe Conscience in one thing, to hold it's tongue in another thing? so some though they tipple all the day, think they do well, ⟨p. 95⟩if they have been a while in the Church, and will seek to stop the mouth of their Conscience with that at night; for they could not at all keep quarter (to speak so) with their Conscience, if they had not some form of Religion; And therefore they will (to speak so) be brave Religious men in some things, that they may get a Dispensation to themselves in other things. But none of these will be found Law-biding, when God cometh to reckon. 6ly. People in a sort bargain with their Conscience, like these spoken of, Isa. 28. 15. They make a Covenant with death, and are at agreement with hell; and (like Naaman, if that was indeed his meaning) they will yield Conscience such or such a thing, but no more;