1. Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are m this world; there- fore it is always to be mortified. The vain, foolish, and ig-norant disputes of men about perfect keeping the commands of God, of perfection in this life, of being wholly and perfectly dead to sin, I meddle not now with. It is more than probable that the men of those abominations never knew what belonged to the keeping of any one of God's commands, and are so much below perfection of de- grees, that they never attained to a perfection of parts in obedience or universal obedience in sincerity. And, therefore, many in our days who have talked of perfection have been wiser, and have affirmed it to consist in knowing no difference between good and evil. Not that they are perfect in the things Ave call good, but that all is alike to them, and the height of wickedness is their perfection. Others who have found out a new Avay to it, by denying original, in- dwelling sin, and attem])ering the spirituality of the law of God unto men's carnal hearts, as they have sufficiently discovered themselves to be ignorant of the life of Christ and the power of it in believers, so they have invented a new righteousness that the gospel knows not of, being vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds. For us, Avho dare not be Avise above what is Avritten, nor boast by other men's lines of what God hath not done for us, we say that indwelling sin lives in us, in some measure and degi-ee, Avhilst Ave are in this Avorld. We dare not speak as " though Ave had already attained, or Avere already perfect," Phil. iii. 12. Oiu- "iuAvard man is to be renewed day by day" whilst here Ave live, 2 Cor. iv. 16; and according to the renovations of the ncAv are the breaches and decays of the old. Whilst Ave are here Ave "know but in part," 1 Cor. xiii. 12, having a remaming dai'kness to be gradually removed by our " growth in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ," 2 Pet. iii. 18; and "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, so that we cannot do the things that Ave Avould," Gal. V. 1 7 : and are therefore defective in our obedience as Avell as ii^ our light, 1 John i. 8. We have a " body of death," Rom. vii. 24 ;
CONTINUANCE AND ACTIVITY OF INDWELLING SIN. 11
from wlience we are not delivered but by the death of our bodies, Phil. iii. 21. Now, it being our duty to mortify, to be killing of sin whilst it is in us, we must be at work. He that is appointed to kill an enemy, if he leave striking before the other ceases living, doth but half his work, Gal. vi. 9; Heb. xii. 1 ; 2 Cor. vii. 1.
2. Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring- forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone ; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion. Sin doth not only abide in us, but " the law of the members is still rebelling against the law of the mind," Rom. vii. 23 ; and " the spirit that dwells in us lusteth to envy," James iv. 5. It is always in con- tinual work ; " the flesh lusteth against the Spirit," Gal. v. 1 7 ; lust is still tempting and conceiving sin, James i. 14; in every moral ac- tion it is always either inclining to evil, or hindering from that which is good, or disframing the spuit from communion with God. It in- clines to evil. " The evil which I would not, that I do," saith the apostle, Rom. vii. 19. Whence is that? Why, " Because in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." And it hinders from good : " The good that I would do, that I do not," verse 19; — "Upon the same account, either I do it not, or not as I should; all my holy things being defiled by this sin." "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would," Gal. v. 17. And it unframes our spirit, and thence is called " The sin that so easily besets us," Heb. xii. 1 ; on which account are those grievous complaints that the apostle makes of it, Rom. vii. So that sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting. Who can say that he had ever any thing to do v^dth God or for God,- that indwelUng sin had not a hand in the corrupting of what he did? And this trade will it drive more or less all our days. If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and suffers his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in pro- ceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on ; and it will be so whilst we live in this world.