2. The law not only discovers sin, but discovers it to be a very had inmate, dangerous, yea, pernicious to the soul: Rom. vii. 13, " Was then that which is good," — that is, the law, — "made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, Avorking death in me by that which is good ; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." There are many things in this verse wherein we are not at present concerned : that which I only ami at is the mani- festation of sin by the law, — it apjyears to be sin; and the manifesta- tion of it in its own colours, — it appears to be exceeding sinful. The law gives the soul to know the filth and guilt of this indwelling sin, — how great they are, how vile it is, what an abomination, what an enmity to God, how hated of him. The soul shall never more look upon it as a small matter, what thoughts soever it had of it before, whereby it is greatly surprised.
As a man that finds himself somewhat distempered, sending for a physician of skill, when he comes requires his judgment of his dis- temper; he, considering his condition, tells him, "Alas' I am sorry for you ; the case is far otherwise with you than you imagine : your disease is mortal, and it hath proceeded so far, pressing upon your spirits and infecting the whole mass of your blood, that I doubt, un- less most effectual remedies be used, you will live but a very few hours." So it is in this case. A man may have some trouble in his mind and conscience about indwelling sin; he finds all not so well as it should be witli him, more from the effects of sin and its continual eruptions than the nature of it, which he hopes to wrestle withal. But now, when the law comes, that lets the soul know that its dis-
POWER OF STN IN RESISTING THE LAV/. 315
ease is deadly and mortal, that it is exceeding sinful, 'as being tlie root and cause of all his alienation from God ; and thus also the law proceeds against it.
3. The \a,w judgeth the person, or lets the sinner plainly know what he is to expect upon the account of this sin. This is the law's pro- per work ; its discovering property is hut preparative to its judging. The law is itself when it is in the throne. Here it minceth not the matter with sinners, as we use to do one with another, but tells him plainly, " 'Thou' art the 'man' in whom this exceeding sinful sin doth dwell, and you must answer for the guilt of it." And this, methinks, if any thing, should rouse up a man to set himself in opposition to it, yea, utterly to destroy it. The law lets him know that upon the account of this sin he is obnoxious to the curse and wrath of the great God against him ; yea, pronounceth the sentence of everlasting condemnation upon him upon that account. " Abide in this state and perish," is its language. It leaves not the soul without this warning in this world, and will leave it without excuse on that account in the world to come.
4. The law so follows on its sentence, that it disquiets and affrights the soul, and suffers it not to enjoy the least rest or quiet- ness in harbouring its sinful inmate. Whenever the soul hath in- dulged to its commands, made provision for it, immediately the law flies upon it with the wrath and terror of the Lord, makes it quake and tremble. It shall have no rest, but is like a poor beast that hath a deadly arrow sticking in its sides, that makes it restless Avherever it is and whatever it doth.
5 The law stays not here, but also it slays the soul, Rom. vii. 9 ; that is, by its conviction of the nature, power, and desert of this indwelling sin, it deprives him in whom it is of all that life of self- righteousness and hope which formerly he sustained himself withal, — it leaves him as a poor, dead, helpless, hopeless creature ; and all this in the pursuit of that opposition that it makes against this sin. May we not now expect that the power of it will be quelled and its strength broken, — that it will die away before these strokes of the law of God? But the truth is, such is its power and strength, that it is quite otherwise. Like him whom the poets feign to be born of the earth, when one thought to slay him by casting him on the ground, by every fall he recovered new strength, and was more vigor- ous than formerly ; so is it with all the falls and repulses that are given to indwelUng sin by the laAV : for, —
(1 .) It is not conquered. A conquest infers two things in respect of the conquered, — first, loss of dominion; and, secondly, loss of strength. Whenever any one is conquered he is despoiled of both these; he loses both his authority and his power. So the strong
816 THE NATURE AND POWER OF INDWELLING SIN.