That which at first prevents or restrains him from the commission of them, is something short of a principle of grace which we call the dictates of a natural conscience, which often checks and reproves him: his natural temper or disposition is not so far vitiated, at present as to allow of, or incline him to pursue any thing that is openly vile and scandalous; he abhors, and, as it were, trembles at the thoughts of it. Thus when the prophet Elisha told Hazael of all the evil that he would do unto the children of Israel, that he would _set their strong holds on fire, slay their young men with a sword, dash their children, and rip up their women with child_; when he heard this, he entertained the thought with a kind of abhorrence, and said, _But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing_, 2 Kings viii. 12, 13. Yet afterwards, when king of Syria, we find him of another mind; for he was a greater scourge to the people of God than any of the neighbouring princes, and _smote them in all the coasts of Israel_, chap. x. 32. Now that which prevents these greater sins, is generally fear or shame; their consciences terrify them with the thoughts of the wrath of God, which they would hereby expose themselves to; or they are apprehensive that such a course of life would blast their reputation amongst men, and be altogether inconsistent with that form of godliness which they have had a liking to from their childhood. But since these restraints do not proceed from the internal and powerful influence of regenerating grace, being excited by lower motives than those which the Spirit of God suggests, in them who are converted; since natural conscience is the main thing that restrains them, corrupt nature first endeavours to counteract the dictates thereof, and, by degrees, gets the mastery over them. When conscience reproves them, they first offer a bribe to it, by performing some moral duties, to silence its accusations for presumptuous sins, and pretend that their crimes fall short of those committed by many others; at other times they complain of its being too strict in its demands of duty, or severe in its reproofs for sin. And if all this will not prevail against it, but it will, notwithstanding, perform the office of a faithful reprover, then the sinner resolves to stop his ears against convictions; and if this will not altogether prevent his being made uneasy thereby, he betakes himself to those diversions that may give another turn to his thoughts, and will not allow himself time for serious reflection; and associates himself with those whose conversation will effectually tend to extinguish all his former impressions of moral virtue; and by this means, at last he stupifies his conscience, and it becomes, as the apostle expresses it, _seared with a hot iron_, 1 Tim. iv. 2. and so he gets, as I may express it, a fatal victory over himself; and from that time meets with no