[3.] This is the way appointed and blessed of God to obtain strength and power against sin: James i. 5, " Doth any man lack? let him ask of God." Prayer is the way of obtaining from God by Christ a supply of all our wants, assistance against all opposition, especially that which is made against us by sin. This, I suppose, need not be insisted on; it is, in the notion and practice, clear to every believer. It is that wherein we call, and upon which the Lord Jesus comes in to our succour with suitable " help in time of need," Heb. iv. 1 6.
[4.] Faith m prayer countermines all the workings of the deceit of sin ; and that because the soul doth therein constantly engage itself unto God to oppose all sin whatsoever: Ps. cxix. 106, " I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments." This is the language of every gracious soul in its addresses unto God : the inmost parts thereof engage themselves to God, to cleave to him in all things, and to oppose sin in all things. He that cannot do this cannot pray. To pray with any other frame is to flatter God with our lips, which he abhorreth. And this exceedingly helps a believer in pursuing sin unto its ruin ; for, —
\st. If there be any secret lust that lies lurking in the heart, he
228 THE NATURE AND POWER OF INDWELLING SIN.
will find it either rising wp against tins engagement, or using its artifices to secure itself from it. And hereby it is discovered, and the conviction of the heart concerning its evil furthered and strength- ened. Sin makes the most certain discovery of itself; and never more evidently than ^vhen it is most severely pursued. Lusts in men are compared to hurtful and noisome beasts; or men themselves are so because of their lusts, Isa. xi. 4-6. Now, such beasts use themselves to their dens and coverts, and never discover themselves, at least so much in their proper nature and rage, as when they are most ear- nestly pursued. And so it is with sin and corruption in the heart.
2cUi/. If any sin be prevalent in the soul, it will weaken it, and take it off from the universality of this engagement unto God; it will breed a tergiversation unto it, a slightness in it. Now, when this is observed, it will exceedingly awaken a gi-acious soul, and stir it up to look about it. As spontaneous lassitude, or a causeless weariness and indisposition of the body, is looked on as the sign of an approaching fever or some dangerous distemper, which stirs up men to use a timely and vigorous prevention, that they be not seized upon by it, so is it in this case. When the soul of a believer finds in itself an indisposition to make fervent, sincere engagements of universal holi- ness unto God, it knows that there is some prevalent distemper in it, finds the place of it, and sets itself against it.
Sdly. Wliilst the soul can thus constantly engage itself imto God, it is certain that sin can rise unto no ruinous prevalenc)^ Yea, it is a conquest over sin, a most considerable conquest, when the soul doth fully and clearly, without any seciet reserve, come off with alacrity and resolution in such an engagement; as Ps. xviii. 28. And it may vipon such a success triumph in the grace of God, and have good hope, through faith, that it shall have a final conquest, and -what it so resolves shall be done; tliat it hath decrb S,' a thing, and it shall be established. And this tends to the disappointment, yea, to the ruin of the law of sin.
4:thly. If the heart be not deceived by cursed hypocrisy, this en- gagement unto God will greatly influence it unto a peculiar dili- gence and watchfulness against all sin. There is no greater evidence of hypocrisy than to have the heart like the whorish woman, Prov. vii. 1 4, — to say, " ' I have paid my vows,' now I may take myself unto my sin;" or to be negligent about sin, as being satisfied that it hath prayed against it. It is otherwise in a gracious soul. Sense and con- science of engagements against sin made to God, do make it univer- sally watchful against all its motions and operationa On these and sundry other accounts doth faith in this duty exert itself peculiarly to the weakening of the power and stopping of the progress of the law of sin.
THE MIND DRAWN OFF FROM DUTY BY SIN. 229
If, then, the mind be diligent in its watch and charge to preserve the soul from the efficacy of sin, it will carefully attend unto this duty and the due performance of it, which is of such singular advan- tage imto its end and purpose. Here, therefore, —
(2.) Sin puts forth its deceit in its own defence. It labours to divert and draw off the mind from attending unto this and the like duties. And there are, among others, three engines, three ways and means, whereby it attempts the accomplishment of its design : —
[1.] It makes advantage of its weariness unto the flesh. There is an aversation, as hath been declared, in the law of sin unto all im- mediate communion with God. ISTow, this duty is such. There is nothing accompanieth it whereby the carnal part of the soul may be gratified or satisfied, as there may be somewhat of that nature in most public duties, in most that a man can do beyond pure acts of faith and love. No relief or advantage, then, coming in by it but what is purely spiritual, it becomes wearisome, burdensome to flesh and blood. It is like travelling alone without companion or diver- sion, which makes the way seem long, but brings the passenger with most speed to his journey's end. So our Saviour declares, when, ex- pecting his disciples, according to their duty and present distress, should have been engaged in this work, he found them fast asleep : Matt. xxvi. 41, "The spirit,"' saith he, "indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak;" and out of that weakness grew their indisposition unto and weariness of their duty. So God complains of his people : Isa. xliii. 22, " Thou hast been weary of me." And it may come at length unto that height which is mentioned, Mai. i. 13, "Ye have said. Behold, what a weariness is it ! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts." The Jews suppose that it was the language of men when they brought their offerings or sacrifices on their shoulders, which they pretended wearied them, and they panted and blowed as men ready to faint under them, when they brought only the torn, and the lame, and the sick. But so is this duty oftentimes to the flesh. And this the deceitfulness of sin makes use of to draw the heart by insensible degrees from a constant attendance unto it. It puts in for the relief of the weak and weary flesh. There is a com- pliance between spiritual flesh and natural flesh in this matter, — they help one anotlier; and an aversation unto this duty is the effect of their compliance. So it was in the spouse. Cant. v. 2, 3. She was asleep, drowsing in her spii-itual condition, and pleads her natural unfitness to rouse herself from that state. If the mind be not diligently watchful to prevent insinuations from hence, — if it dwell not constantly on those considerations which evidence an at- tendance unto this duty to be indispensable, — if it stir not up the prin- ciple of grace in the heart to retain its rule and sovereignty, and not