(4.) It evinces its strength in them by prevailing with them unto a total ^^enunciation of God as revealed in Christ, and the jDower of all gospel truth, — in the sin against the Holy Ghost. I do not now precisely determine what is the sin against the Holy Ghost, nor wherein it doth consist. There are different apprehensions of it. All agree in this, that by it an end is put to all dealings between God arid man in a way of grace. It is a sin unto death. And this doth the hardness and blindness of many men's hearts brmg them to ; they are by them at length set out of the reach of mercy. They choose to have no more to do Avith God; and God swears that they shall never enter into his rest: so sin brings forth death. A man by it is brought to renounce the end for which he was made, wilfully to reject the means of his coming to the enjoyment of God, to provoke him to his face, and so to perish in his rebellion.
I have not mentioned these things as though I hoped by them to set out to the full the power of indwelling sin in unregenerate men ; only by a few instances I thought to give a glimpse of it. He that would have a fuller view of it had need only to open his eyes, to take a little view of that wickedness which reign eth, yea, rageth all the world over. Let him consider the prevailing flood of the things mentioned by Paul to be " the fruits of the flesh," Gal. v. 19-21, — that is, among the sons of men, in all places, nations, cities, towns, parishes; and then let him add thereunto but this one consideration, that the world, which is full of the steam, filth, and blood of these abominations, as to their outward actings of them, is a pleasant garden, a paradise, compai'ed to the heart of man, wherein they are
POWER OF SIN IN RESISTING THE LAW. 313
all conceived, and hourly millions of more vile abominations, wliicli, being stifled in the womb by some of the ways before insisted on, they are never able to bring forth to light; — let a man, I say, using the law for his light and rule, take this course, and if he have any spiritual discerning, he may quickly attain satisfaction in this matter. And I showed in the entrance of this discourse how this considera- tion doth fully confirm the truth proposed.
CHAPTER XVII.
The strength of sin evidenced from its resistance unto the power of the law.
The measure of the strength of any person or defenced city may be well taken from the opposition that they are able to withstand and not be prevailed against. If we hear of a city that has endured a long siege from a potent enemy, and yet is not taken or conquered, whose walls have endured great batteries and are not demolished, though we have never seen the place, yet we conclude it strong, if not impregnable.
And this consideration will also evidence the power and strength of indwelling sin. It is able to hold out, and not only to live, but also to secure its reign and dominion, against very strong opposition that is made to it.
I shall instance only in the opposition that is made unto it hy the laiu, which is ofttimes great and terrible, always fruitless; all its as- saults are borne by it, and it is not prevailed against. There are sundry things wherein the law opposeth itself to sin, and the power of it; as, —
1. It discovers it. Sin in the soul is like a secret hectical dis- temper in the body, — its being unknown and unperceived is one great means of its pre valency; or as traitors in a civil state, — whilst they lie hid, they vigorously cany on their design. The greatest part of men in the world know nothing of this sickness, yea, death of their souls. Though they have been taught somewhat of the doctrine of it, yet they know nothing of its power. They know it not so as to deal with it as their mortal enemy; as a man, whatever he be told, cannot be said to know that he hath a hectical fever, if he love his life, and set not himself to stop its progress.
This, then, the law doth, — it discovers this enemy; it convinceth the soul that there is such a traitor harbouring in its bosom : Rom. vii. 7, " I had not known sin, but by the law : for I had not known
814 THE NATURE AND POWER OF INDWELLING SIN.
lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet/' " I had not known it;" that is, fully, clearly, distinctly. Conscience Avill some- Avhat tumultuate about it; hut a man cannot know it clearly and distinctly from thence. It gives a man such a sight of it as the blind man had in the gospel upon the first touch of his eyes : " He saw men like trees walking," — obscurely, confusedly. But when the law comes, that gives the soul a distinct sight of this indwelling sin- Again, " I had not known it;" that is, the depths of it, the root, the habitual inclination of my nature to sin, which is here called " lust," as it is by James, chap, i, 14. "I had not known it," or not known it to be sin, " but by the law." This, then, the law doth, — it draws out tins traitor from secret lurking places, the intimate recesses of the soul. A man, when the law comes, is no more ignorant of his enemy. If he will now perish by him, it is openly and knowingly ; he cannot but say that the law warned him of him, discovered him unto him, yea, and raised a concourse about him in the soul of various affec- tions, as an officer doth that discovers a thief or robber, calling out for assistance to apprehend him.