[1.] God doth this, in the way of restraining grace, by some arrow of particular conviction, fixed in the heart and conscience of the sin- ner, in reference unto the particular sin which he had conceived. This staggers and changes the mind as to the particular intended, causeth the hands to hang down and the weapons of lust to fall out of them. Hereby conceived sin proves abortive. How God doth this Avork, — by what immediate touches, strokes, blows, rebukes of his Spirit, — by what reasonings, arguments, and commotions of men's own consciences, — is not for us thoroughly to find out It is done, as was said, in unspeakable variety, and the works of God are past find- ing out. But as to what light may be given unto it from Scripture
OBSTRUCTIONS TO CONCEIVED SIN. 271
instances, after we have manifested the general way of God's proce- dure, it shall be insisted on.
Thus, then, God dealt in the case of Esau and Jacob. Esau had long conceived his brother's death; he comforted himself with the thoughts of it, and resolutions about it, Gen. xxvii. 41, as is the manner of profligate sinners. Upon his first opportunity he comes forth to execute his intended rage, and Jacob concludes that he would "smite the mother with the children," Gen. xxxii. 11. An oppor- tunity is presented unto this wicked and profane person to bring- forth that sin that had lain in his heart now twenty years ; he hath full power in his hand to perform his purpose. In the midst of this posture of things, God comes in upon his heart with some secret and efliectual working of his Spirit and power, changeth him from his purpose, causeth his conceived sin to melt away, that he falls upon the neck of him with embraces whom he thought to have slain.
Of the same nature, though the way of it was peculiar, was his dealing with Laban the Syrian, in reference to the same Jacob, Gen. xxxi. 24. By a dream, a vision in the night, God hinders him from so much as speaking roughly to him. It was with him as in Micali ii. 1 : — he had devised evil on his bed; and when he thought to have practised it in the morning, God interposed in a dream, and hides sin from him, as he speaks. Job xxxiii. 15—17. To the same purpose is that of the psalmist concerning the people of God: Ps. cvi. 46, " He made them to be pitied of all those that carried them captives." Men usually deal in rigour with those whom they have taken captive in war. It was the way of old to rule captives with force and cruelty. Here God turns and changes their hearts, not in general unto himself, but to this particular of respect to his people. And this way in gene- ral doth God every day prevent the bringing forth of a world of sin. He sharpens arrows of conviction upon the spirits of men as to the particular that they are engaged in. Their hearts are not changed as to sin, but their minds are altered as to this or that sin. They break, it may be, the vessel they had fashioned, and go to work upon some other. Now, that we may a little see into the ways whereby God doth accomplish this work, we must premise the ensuing considera- tions : —
Is^. That the general medium wherein the matter of restraining gi'ace doth consist, whereby God thus prevents the bringing forth of sin, doth lie in certain arguments and reasonings presented to the mind of the sinner, whereby he is induced to desert his purpose, to change and alter his mind, as to the sin he had conceived. Reasons against it are presented unto him, which prevail upon him to relin- quish his design and give over his purpose. This is the general way
272 THE NATURE AND POWER OF INDWELLING SIN.
of the working of restraining grace, — it is by arguments and reason- ings rising up against the perpetration of conceived sin.
^dly. That no arguments or reasonings, as such, materially con- sidered, are sufficient to stop or hinder any purpose of sinning, or to cause conceived sin to prove abortive, if the sinner have power and opportunity to bring it forth. They are not in themselves, and on their own account, restraining grace ; for if they were, the administro/- tion and communication of grace, as grace, were left unto every man who is able to give advice against sin. Nothmg is nor can be called grace, though common, and such as may perish, but with respect unto its peculiar relation to God. God, by the power of his Spirit, mak- ing arguments and reasons effectual and prevailing, turns that to be grace (I mean of this kind) which in itself and in its own nature was bare reason. And that efficacy of the Spirit which the Lord puts forth in these persuasions and motives is that which we call restrain- ing grace. These things being premised, we shall now consider some of the arguments which we find that he hath made use of to this end and purpose : —
(\st.) God stops many men in their ways, upon the conception of sin, by an argument taken from the difficulty, if not impossibility, of doing that they aim at. They have a mind unto it, but God sets a hedge and a wall before them, that they shall judge it to be so hard and difficult to accomplish what they intend, that it is better for them to let it alone and give over. Tims Herod would have put John Baptist to death upon the first provocation, but he feared the multi- tude, because they accounted him as a prophet. Matt. xiv. 5. He had conceived his murder, and was free for the execution of it. God raised this consideration in his heart, " If I kill him, the people will tumultuate ; he hath a great party amongst them, and sedition will arise that may cost me my life or kingdom." He feared the multi- tude, and durst not execute the wickedness he had conceived, because of the difficulty he foresaw he should be entangled withal. And God made the argument effectual for the season ; for otlierwise we know that men will venture the utmost hazards for the satisfaction of their lusts, as he also did afterward. The Pharisees were in the ver}^ same state and condition. Matt. xxi. 26, they woidd fain liavo decried the ministry of John, but durst not for fear of the people; and, verse 46 of the same chapter, by the same argument were they deterred from killing our Saviour, who had highly provoked them by a parable setting out their deserved and approaching destruction. They durst not do it for fear of a tumult among the people, seeing they looked on him as a prophet. Thus God overawes the hearts of innumerable persons in the world every day, and causoth them to desist from at- tempting to bring forth the sins which they had conceived. Difficul-