(2.) Indwelling sin doth this hy taking men off from their watch against the returns of Satan. When our Lord Christ comes first to
DECAY IN GRACE FROM THE PREVALENCE OF SIN. 295
take possession of any soul for himself, he hinds that strong man and spoils his goods; he deprives him of all his power, dominion, and interest, Satan heing thus dispossessed and frustrated in his hopes and expectations, leaves the soul, as finding it newly mortified to his baits. So he left our Saviour upon his first fruitless attempts. But it is said he left him only " for a season," Luke iv. IS. He intended to return again, as he should see his advantage. So is it with believers also. Being cast out from his interest in them, he leaves them for a season, at least comparatively he doth so. Freed from his assaults and perplexing temptations, they proceed vigorously in the course of tlieir obedience, and so flourish in the ways of God. But this holds not; Satan returns again, and if the soul stands not continually upon his guard against him, he will quickly get such advantages as shall put a notable interruption upon his fruitfulness and obedience. Hence some, after they have spent some time, it may be some years, in cheer- ful, exemplary walking with God, have, upon Satan's return, con- sumed all their latter days in wrestling 'with perplexing temptations, wherewith he hath entangled them. Others have plamly fallen under the power of his assaults. It is like a man who, having for a while lived usefully amongst his neighbours, done good and communicated according to his ability, distributing to the poor, and helping all around about him, at length, falling into the hands of vexatious, wrangling, oppressive men, he is forced to spend his whole time and revenue in defending himself against them at law, and so becomes useless in the place where he lives. So is it with many a behever: after he hath walked in a fruitful course of obedience, to the glory of God and edification of the church of Christ, being afresh set upon, by the return of Satan in one way or other, he hath enough to do all the remainder of his life to keep himself alive; in the meantime, as to many gi'aces, wofully decaying and going backward. Now, this also, though Satan hatlr a hand in it, is from indwelling sin ; I mean, the success is so which Satan doth obtain in his undertaking. This encourageth him, niaketh way for his return, and gives entrance to his temptations. You know how it is with them out of whom he is cast only by gospel conviction; after he hath wandered and waited a while, he saith he will return to his house from whence he was ejected. And what is the issue? Camal lusts have prevailed over the man's convictions, and made his soul fit to entertain returninof devils. It is so as to the measure of prevalency that Satan obtains against believers, upon advantages administered unto him, by sin's disposing the soul unto an obnoxiousness to his temptations.
Now, the way and means wlierel^y indwelling sin doth give ad- vantage to Satan for his return are all those which dispose them toward a declension, which shall afterward be mentioned. Satan is a
29 G THE NATURE AND POWER OF INDWELLING SIN.
diligent, watchful, and crafty adversary; he will neglect no oppor- tunity, no advantage that is offered unto him. Wherein, then, soever our spiritual strength is impaired by sin, or which way soever our lusts press, Satan falls in with that weakness and presseth towards that ruin; so that all the actiugs of the law of sin are subservient to this end of Satan. I shall therefore only at present mention one or two that seem principally to invite Satan to attempt a return : —
[1.] It entangleth the soul in the things of the world, all which are so many purveyors for Satan. When Pharaoh had let the people go, he heard after a while that they were entangled in the wilderness, and supposeth that he shall therefore now overtake them and destroy them. This stirs him up to pursue after them. Satan finding those whom he hath been cast out from entangled in the things of the world, by which he is sure to find an easy access unto them, is en- couraged to attempt upon them afresh, as the spider to come down upon the strongest fly that is entangled in his web; for he comes by his temptations only to impel them unto that Avhereunto by their own lusts they are inclined, by adding poison to their lusts, and painting to tlie objects of them. And oftentimes by this advantage he gets so in upon the souls of men, that they are never well free of him more whilst they live. And as men's diversions increase from the world, so do their entanglements from Satan. When they have more to do in the world than they can well manage, they shall have more to do from Satan than they can well withstand. When men are made spiritually faint, by dealing in and with the world, Satan sets on them, as Amalek did on the faint and weak of the people that came out of Egypt.
[2.] It produceth this effect by making the soul negligent, and taking it off from its watch. We have before showed at large that it is one main part of the effectual deceitfulness of indwelling sin to make the soul inadvertent, to turn it off from the diligent, watchful at- tendance unto its duty which is required. Now, there is not any thing in reference whereunto diligence and watchfulness are more strictly enjoined than the returning assaults of Satan: 1 Pet. v. 8, " Be sober, be vigilant." And why so? " Because of your adversary the devil." Unless you are exceeding watchful, at one time or other he will sur- prise you; and all the injunctions of our blessed Saviour to watch are still with reference unto him and his temptations. Now, when the soul is made careless and inadvertent, forgetting what an enemy it hath to deal withal, or is lifted up with the successes it hath newly obtained against him, then is Satan's time to attempt a re-entrance of his old habitation; which if he cannot obtain, yet he makes their lives uncomfortable t£> themselves and unfruitful to others, in weaken- ing their root and withering their fruit through his poisonous temp-