POWER OF SIN IN THE LIVES OF PROFESSOES. 281
Hezekiali, who appealed to God himself, that he had served him tip- rightl}^, with a perfect heart ? And yet what prevaleucy this law of sin A^TOught in and over them we see. And there is no end of the like examples. They are all set up as buoys to discover unto us the sands, the shelves, the rocks, whereupon they made their shipwreck, to their hazard, danger, loss, yea, and would have done to their ruin, had not God been pleased in his faithlulness graciously to prevent it. And this is the first part of this evidence of the power of sin from its effects.
2. It manifests its power in the habitual declensions from zeal and holiness, from the frames, state, and condition of obedience and communion with God whereunto they had attained, which are found in many believers. Promises of growth and improvement are many and precious, the means excellent and effectual, the benefits great and unspeakable; yet it often falls out, that instead hereof decays and declensions are found upo^ professors, yea, in and upon many of the saints of God. Now, whe'reas this must needs principally and chiefly be from the strength and efficacy of indwelling sin, and is therefore a great evidence thereof, I shall first evince the observa- tion itself to be true, — namely, that some of the saints themselves do oftentimes so decline from that growth and improvement in faith, grace, and holiness which might justly be expected from them, — and then show that the cause of this evil lies in that that we are treating of. And that it is the cause of total apostasy in unsound professors shall be after declared. But this is a greater work which we have in hand. The prevailing upon true believers unto a sinful declension and gi'adual apostasy, requires a putting forth of more strength and efiicacy than the prevailing upon unsound i^rofessors unto total apos- tasy; as the wind whicli will blow down a dead tree that hath no root to the ground will scarcel}^ shake or bow a living, well-rooted tree. But this it will do. There is mention made in the Scripture of " the first ways of David," and they are commended above his latter, 2 Chron. xvii. 3. The last ways even of David were tainted with the power of indwelling sin. Though we have mention only of the actual eruption of sin, yet that uncleanness and pride which was working in him in his numbering of the people were certainty rooted in a declension from his first frame. Those rushes did not grow with- out mhe. David would not have done so in his younger days, when he followed God in the wilderness of temptations and trials, full of faith, love, humihty, brokenness of heart, zeal, tender affection unto all the ordinances of God ; all which were emiuent in him. But his strength is impaired by the efficacy and deceitfulness of sin, his locks cut, and he becomes a prey to vile lusts and temptations. We have a notable instance in most of the churches that our Saviour
282 THE NATURE AND POWER OF IND^YELLING SIN.
awakens to the consideration of their condition in the Revelation. We may single out one of them. Many good things were there in the church of Ephesus, chap. ii. 2, 3, for which it is greatly com- mended ; but yet it is charged wth a decay, a declension, a gradual falling off and apostasy: Verses 4, 5, " Thou ha.st left thy first lovf. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works." There was a decay, both inward, in the frame of heart, as to faith and love, and outward, as to obedience and works, in comparison of what they had formerly, by the testimony of Christ himself. The same also might be showed concerning the rest of those churches, only one or two of them excepted. Five of them are charged with decays and declensions. Hence there is mention in the Scripture of the " kindness of youth," of the " love of espousals," . with great commendation, Jer. ii. 2, 3 ; of our " first faith," 1 Tim. V. 12; of " the beginning of our confidence," Heb. iii. 14. And cau- tions are given that we " lose not the things that we have wrought," 2 John 8. But what need we look back or search for instances to confirm the truth of this qbservation? An habitual declension from first engagements unto God, from first attainments of communion with God, from first strictness in duties of obedience, is ordmary and common amongst professors.
Might we to this purpose take a general view of the professors in these nations, — among whom the lot of the best of us will be found, in part or in whole, in somewhat or in all, to full, — we might be plenti- fully convinced of the truth of this observation : —
(1.) Is their jzeal for God as warm, living, vigorous, effectual, soli- citous, as it was in their first giving themselves unto God? or rather, is there not a common, slight, selfish frame of spirit in the room of it come upon most professors? Iniquity hath abounded, and their love hath waxed cold. Was it not of old a burden to their spirits to hear the name, and ways, and worship of God blasphemed and profaned ? Could they not have said, with the psalmist, Ps. cxix. 136, " Rivers of waters run down our eyes, because men keep not thy law?" Were not their souls solicitous about the interest of Christ in the world, like Eli's aliout the ark? Did they not contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and every parcel of it, especially wherein the grace of God and the glory of the gospel was especially concerned? Did they not labour to judge and condemn the world by a hohj and separate conversation? And do now the generality of professors abide in this frame? Have thej'- gi'owii, and made improve- ment in it? or is there not a coldness and indifference giovvn upon the spirits of many in this thing? yea, do not many despise all these things, and look upon their own former zeal as folly? May we not see many, who have formerly been of esteem in ways of profession.