Brethren, I take it for granted the vilest of those lusts which our Saviour and his apostles warn us against, to mortify and crucify, may be working in the hearts and minds of the best of us ; and that a particular lust may be habitually prevalent, where, for particular reasons, it never brings forth outward effects: therefore, look to your- selves. I say, then, when the mind and soul is frequently and greatly, as there are occasions, urged upon and pressed with a particular lust and corruption, this doth not prove that particular lust and corruption to be habitually prevalent; for it may be a temptation. This may all proceed from the conjunction of temptation with indwelling sin; which will make it fight and war, and use force, and lead captive.
384 WHEN IS SIN HABITUALLY PREVALENT ?
But suppose a person be in that condition, how shall he know whether it he a temptation in conjunction with indwelling sin in general, or whether it be an habitual prevalency of a particular corruption ?
I answer, —
I. It is not from the prevalency of corruption these three ways : —
1. If the soul be more grieved with it than defiled by it, it is a temptation, and not a lust habitually prevalent. In this case, when a heart is so solicited with any sin, sin and grace are both at work, and have their contrary aims. The aim of grace is to humble the soul ; aiid the aim of sin, to defile it. And the soul is so far defiled as, by the deceitfulness and solicitations of sin, consent is obtained. Defilement ariseth not from temptation as active upon the mind, but from temptation as admitted with consent: so far as it consents, wh ether by surprisal or long solicitations, so far it is defiled. It is otherwise if the soul be more grieved with it than defiled by it.
2. It is so, when the soul can truly, and doth, look upon that par- ticular corruption as its greatest and most mortal enemy. "It is not soldiers who have ruined my estate, nor a disease that hath taken away my health, nor enemies who have ruined my name or opposed me; but this corruption, which is my great and mortal enemy." When the soul is truly under this apprehension, then it is to be hoped it is the power of temptation, and not the prevalency of lust or corruption.
3. It is so, also, when a man maintains his warfare and his conflict with it constantly, especially in those two great duties of private prayer and meditation ; which if once the soul be beat off from, it is driven out of the field, and sin is conqueror. But so long as a man maintains the counict in the exercise of grace in those duties, I look upon it as a temptation, and not an habitual, prevalent lust.
II. I shall now proceed to show when a corruption is habitually prevalent.
And here is a large field before me, but I shall only speak some few things : —
1. When a man doth choose, or willingly embrace, known occa- sions of his sin, that sin is habitually prevalent. There is no man that hath the common understanding of a Christian, and hath any corruption or lust working in him, but he knows what are the occa- sions that provoke it. No man, unless he is profligately wicked, can choose sin for sin's sake ; but he who knows what are the occasions that stir up, excite, and draw forth, any particular corruption, and doth choose them, or willingly embrace them, there is the habitual prevalency of sin to a high degree in the mind of that man, whoso- ever he be: for sin is to be rejected in the occasion of it, or it will never be refused in the power of it.
WHEN IS SIN HABITUALLY PREVALENT ? 385
2. Let a man fear it is so, when he finds arguments against it to lose their force. No man is under the power of particular corruption, but will have arguments suggested to his mind from fear, danger, shame, ruin, against continuing under that corruption. When a man begins to find these arguments abate in their force, and have not that prevalency upon his mind they have had, let him fear there is an habitual prevalency of his corruption.
3. When a man, upon conviction, is turned out of his course, but is not turned aside from his design, — when he traverseth his way like the wild ass, "In her occasion who shall turn her aside?" — if you meet her, or pursue her, you may turn her out of her way ; but still she pursues her design. Men meet with strong convictions of sin, strong rebukes and reproofs; this a little puts them out of their way, but not from their design or inclination ; the bent of their spirit lies that way still; and the secret language of their heart is, " that it were free with me to be as in former days!" Certainly a corruption is habi- tually prevalent, if it seldom or never fails to act itself under oppor- tunities and temptations. If a man who trades cheats every time he is able to do so, he hath covetousness in his heart; or if a man whenever opportunity and occasion meet together to drink, doth it to excess, — this is a sign of an habitual corruption, if he be not able to hold out scarce at any time against a concurrence of temptation and opportunity.