The Evil of Evils

3 To satisfy those Consciences: Those that avoid sin merely from fear of affliction, they are willingly ignorant of many sins; they do willingly turn their eyes from the Law of God that forbids sin: True, they dare not go on in the commission of those sins directly against Conscience, Conscience will not suffer them: now because they have a mind to sin, they wink with their eyes, and be loth to be convinced that it is a sin, because that they have a heart delighting to close with the sin: there is a great deal of deceit this way. But now when a mans or a woman's Conscience tells them this; It is the desire of my soul to know any sin, and if I find there be a sin that I am ignorant of in the way I walk, I could spend night and day till I come to know it; and when I have found it out, I hope my ⟨p. 525⟩Soul should come to rejoice that God hath revealed that to be sin, that before I knew not to be sin. But now one that avoids sin for fear of affliction, if he know it not, he can go on quietly, and therefore is willing to go on in that ignorance, and therefore is loth to take pains to know a sin to be sin; if he have any fear of, or suspicion that such a gainful way, or pleasant way be sin, if he fear it, saith he, give me time to examine whether it be sin or no, & he is willing to pass over examination, that so he may go on & enjoy his lust without fear. But now where the heart is right, if there come to be suspicion that such a way is sinful, though I have got never so much by it, yet it must be left off; I must, if this be sin, come to live lower than I have done; yea, my conscience tells me, if this be found to be sin, I must come down; yet my heart tells me, I would with all my heart know it, and ask counsel of them that know the mind of God, and beg of God that he would discover to me whether this be a sin or no. But now those that avoid sin for fear, they when they ask counsel, will be sure to ask their advice (whether such a sin be a sin or no) that be of their mind.

3 To satisfie those Consciences: Those that avoid sin meerly from fear of affliction, they are willingly ignorant of many sins; they do willingly turn their eyes from the Law of God that forbids sin: True, they dare not go on in the commission of those sins directly against Conscience, Conscience will not suffer them: now because they have a mind to sin, they wink with their eyes, and be loth to be convinced that it is a sin, because that they have a heart delighting to close with the sin: there is a great deal of deceit this way. But now when a mans or a womans Conscience tels them this; It is the desire of my soul to know any sin, and if I find there be a sin that I am ignorant of in the way I walk, I could spend night and day till I come to know it; and when I have found it out, I hope my