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

More particularly we may assign these causes […] […] from peoples own practice; The 1. whereof is […], that many men and women live so, that their life cannot abide the trial; He that doth evil (saith the Lord▪ John 3.) hates the light, neither […] unto the […], ⟨p. 230⟩teat his deeds should be reproved; Its no wonder that a Malefactor desire not to come before the […]; and its as little wonder that a man or woman that liveth a sinful and evil life, desire not to come before their Conscience: Hence it is, that many dare not go to their Conscience, because it never speaks good, but evil to them, (as indeed it hath no other reason) and on that account they even hate it, As Ahab did the Prophet Micajah, of whom he said, I hate him, because he never prophesies good but evil to me: And that they will rather consult Fl•sh and Blood, their own inclination and affection, then their Conscience in a particular; because they dread, it will speak evil to them, especially when they know, that there is something palpably wrong in their way; for in that case, they conclude it will gloom on them, and gall them, and even prick them in the quick. A 2d. Reason is, Because folks make not this work of self-examination habitual to themselves, but delay and put off time, till their case become so ravelled, and confused, that they are afraid to meddle with it; And though they should, they grow heartless, and out of hope to get it righted; just like men that cannot endure to adjust their accounts, which they have suffered negligently to run long on and into great confusion. A 3d. Cause may be this (which respects Believers in Christ) that even where persons make Conscience of their ways, there is a kind of foolish precipitancy, and haste making; They being disposed to think, that examination of themselves takes up much of their time, and that it is better to spend it in prayer, or in reading, then that way; Not considering, that its much better to have some little thing of Religion solid, then to have a great bulk of many duties without solidi•y, or with very little of it; These are like to the builder of a house, who rickleth up stones without Square and Ru•e, and without Mortar, which possibly falleth, and cometh down ere he come at the top of it; A foolish haste to be forward makes our work in Religion to be oftentimes very unsolid;