CHAP. VI.] IN THE SANCTIFICATION OF BELIEVERS. 489
an open rejecting of the gospel, and contradiction to the experience of all that do believe or know any thing of what it is to live to God. We intend no more but what the apostle so plainly asserts. Gal. V. 17, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh;" that is, in the mind, will, and affections of believers: "and these are contrary the one to the other;'' they are contrary principles, attended with contrary inclinations and actings: "so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (3.) There cannot be con- trary habits, merely natural or moral, in the same subject, with re- spect unto the same object, at the same time, at least they cannot be so in any high degree, so as to incline and act contrary one to another with urgency or efficacy: for violent inclinations unto sin, and a conscience fiercely condemning for sin, whereby sinners are sometimes torn and even distracted, are not contrary habits in the same subject ; only conscience brings in from without the judgment of God against what the will and affections are bent upon.
But it is, as was said, otherwise in the contrary principles or habits of spirit and flesh, of grace and sin, with their adverse inclinations and actings ; only they cannot be in the highest degree at the same time, nor be actually prevalent or predominant in the same instances, — that is, sin and grace cannot bear rule in the same heart at the same time, so as that it should be equally under the conduct of them both. Nor can they have in the same soul contrary inclinations equally efficacious ; for then would they absolutely obstruct all sorts of operations whatever. Nor have they the same influence into par- ticular actions, so as that they should not be justly denominated from one of them, either gracious or sinful. But by nature the vicious, de- praved habit of sin, or the flesh, is wholly predominant and univer- sally prevalent, constantly disposing and inclining the soul to sin. Hence " all the imaginations of men's hearts are evil, and that con- tinually," and " they that are in the flesh cannot please God." There dwelleth no good thing in them, nor can they do any thing that is good; and the flesh is able generally to subdue the rebellions of light, convictions, and conscience, against it. But upon the introduction of the new principle of grace and holiness in our sanctification, this habit of sin is weakened, impaired, and so disenabled as that it cannot nor shall incline unto sin with that constancy and prevalency as formeily, nor press unto it ordinarily with the same urgency and violence. Hence in the Scripture it is said to be dethroned by gTace, so as that it shall not reign or lord it over us, by hurrying us into the pursuit of its uncontrollable inclinations, Rom. vi. 12. Concerning these things the reader may consult my treatises of the " Remainder of In- dwelling Sin," and the " Mortification of Sin in Believers."^ 1 See vol. vi. of his works.
490 THE POSITIVE WORK OF THE SPIRIT [iiOOK Iv.
But SO it is that this flesh, this principle of sin, however it may be dethroned, corrected, impaired, and disabled, yet is it never wholly and absolutely dispossessed and cast out of the soul in this life. There it will remain, and there it will work, seduce, and tempt, more or less, according as its remaining strength and advantages are. By reason hereof^ and the opposition that hence ariseth against it, the principle of grace and holiness cannot, nor doth perfectly and absolutely, in- cline the heart and soul unto the life of God and the acts thereof, so as that they in whom it is should be sensible of no opposition made thereunto, or of no contrary motions and inclinations unto sin; for the flesh will lust against the spirit, as well as the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary. This is the analogy that is between these two states : In the state of nature, the principle of sin, or the flesh, is predominant and bears rule in the soul ; but there is a light remaining in the mind, and a judgment in the conscience, which, being heightened with instructions and convictions, do continually oppose it, and condemn sin both before and after its commission. In them that are regenerate, it is the principle of grace and holiness that is predominant and beareth rule; but there is in them still a principle of lust and sin, which rebels against the rule of grace, much in the proportion that light and convictions rebel against the rule of sin in the unregenerate : for as they hinder men from doing many evils which their ruling principle of sin strongly inclines them unto, and put them on many duties that it likes not, so do these on the other side in them that are regenerate ; they hinder them from doing many good things which their ruling principle inclines unto, and carry them into many evils which it doth abhor.
But this belongs unto the principle of holiness inseparably and necessarily, that it inclineth and disposeth the soul wherein it is universally unto all acts of holy obedience. And these inclinations are predominant unto any other, and keep the soul pointed to holi- ness continually; this belongs unto its nature. And where there is a cessation or interruption in these inclinations, it is from the prevail- ing reaction of the principle of sin, it may be advantaged by outward temptations and incentives, which a holy soul will constantly con- tend against. Where this is not, there is no holiness. The perfor- mance of duties, whether of religious worship or of morality, how frequently, sedulously, and usefully soever, will denominate no man holy, unless his whole soul be disposed and possessed with prevalent inclinations unto all that is spiritually good, from the principle of the image of God renewed in him. Outward duties, of what sort soever, may be multiplied upon light and conviction, when they spring from no root of grace in the heart ; and that which so riseth up will quickly wither, Matt. xiii. 20, 21. And this free, genuine, unforced inclination