(2dly.) Such as actually hinder the soul from pursuing sin, though it be resolved so to do. The various ways where- by God doth this, we must afterward consider.
These are the ways, I say, whereby the soul is dealt withal, after the law of indwelling sin hath cast off for a sea- son the influencing power of the law of grace. But now, when lust rises up to rage or madness, it will also contemn all these, even the rod, and him that hath appointed it. It will rush on shame, reproaches, wrath, and whatever may befall it; that is, though they be presented unto it, it will venture upon them all. Rage and madness is fearless. And this it doth two ways.
[1st.] It possesseth the mind, that it suffers not the con- sideration of these things to dwell upon it, but renders the thoughts of them slight and evanid ; or, if the mind do foixe itself to a contemplation of them, yet it interposeth between it and the affections, that they shall not be influ- enced by it in any proportion to what is required. The soul in such a condition will be able to take such things into contemplation, and not at all to be moved by them ; and where they do prevail for a season, yet they are insensibly wrought off from the heart again.
[2dly.] By secret stubborn resolves to venture all upon the way wherein it is.
And this is the second branch of this evidence of the power of sin, taken from the opposition that it makes to the law of grace, as it were by the way of force, strength, and violence; the consideration of its deceit doth now follow.
OF INDWELLING SIN. 71
CHAP. VIII.
Indwelling sin proved poiverf id from its deceit. Proved to be deceitful. The general yiature of deceit. James i. 14. opened. How the mind is drawn off" from its duty bj/ the deceitfulness of sin. The principal duties of the mind in our obedience. The ways and means whereby it is turned from it.
The second part of the evidence of the power of sin from its manner of operation, is taken from its deceitfuhiess. It adds in its working, deceit unto power. The efficacy of that must needs be great, and is carefully to be watched against, by all such as value their souls, where power and deceit are combined, especially advantaged and assisted by all the ways and means before insisted on.
Before we come to shew wherein the nature of this de- ceitfulness of sin doth consist, and how it prevaileth there- by, some testimonies shall be briefly given in unto the thing itself, and some light into the general nature of it.
That sin, indwelling sin, is deceitful, we have the ex- press testimony of the Holy Ghost, as Heb. iii. 13. 'Take heed that ye be not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.' Deceitful it is, take heed of it, watch against it, or it will produce its utmost effect in hardening of the heart against God. It is on the account of sin, that the heart is said to be ' deceitful above all things ;' Jer. xvii. 9. Take a man in other things, and as Job speaks, though he ' would be wise and crafty, he is like the wild ass's colt,' Job xi. 12. a poor, vain, empty nothing. But consider his heart on the ac- count of this law of sin, it is crafty and deceitful above all things; 'They are wise to do evil,' saith the prophet, 'but to do good they know not;' Jer. iv. 22. To the same purpose speaks the apostle, E|)hes. iv. 2. ' The old man is corrupt ac- cording to deceitful lusts.' Every lust, which is a branch of this law of sin, is deceitful ; and where there is poison in every stream, the fountain must needs be corrupt. No par- ticular lusthath any deceit in it, but what is communicated unto it from this fountain of all actual lust, this law of sin. And, 2 Thess. ii. 10. the coming of the man of sin, is said to be in and with the 'deceivableness of unrighteousness.' Un- righteousness is a thing generally decried and evil spoken of amongst men, so that it is not easy to conceive how any man should prevail himself of a reputation thereby. But
72 THE NATURE AND POWER
there is a deceivableness in it, whereby the minds of men are turned aside from a due consideration of it ; as we shall manifest afterward. And thus the account which the a)DO- stle gives concerning those who are under the power of sin is, that they are ' deceived,' Titus iii. 3. And the life of evil men, is nothing but * deceiving and being deceived ;' 2 Tim. iii. 13. So that we have sufficient testimony given unto this qualification of the enemy with whom we have to deal ; he is deceitful, which consideration of all things puts the mind of man to a loss in dealing with an adversary. He knows he can have no security against one that is deceitful, but in standing upon his own guard and defence all his days.
Farther to manifest the strength and advantage that sin hath by its deceit, we may observe that the Scripture places it for the most part as the head and spring of every sin, even as though there were no sin followed after, but where deceit went before. So 1 Tim. ii. 13, 14. The reason the apostle gives why Adam, though he was first formed, was not first in the transgression, is because he was not first de- ceived. The woman though made last, yet being first de- ceived, was first in the sin. Even that first sin began in de- ceit, and until the mind was deceived, the soul was safe. Eve therefore did truly express the matter, Gen. iii. 13. though she did it not to a good end, ' the serpent beguiled me,' saith she, ' and I did eat.' She thought to extenuate her own crime, by charging the serpent. And this was a new fruit of the sin she had cast herself into. But the mat- ter of fact was true, she was beguiled before she ate; deceit went before the transgression. And the apostle shews that sin and Satan still take the same course, 2 Cor. xi. 3. There is, saith he, the same way of working towards actual sin, as was of old ; beguiling, deceiving goes before ; and sin, that is, the actual accomplishment of it, followeth after. Hence all the great works that the devil doth in the world, to stir men up to an opposition unto the Lord Jesus Christ and his king- dom, he doth them by deceit; Rev. xii. 9. 'The devil, who deceiveth the whole world,' It were utterly impossible men should be prevailed on to abide in his service, acting his de- signs to their eternal, and sometimes their temporal ruin, were they not exceedingly deceived. See also chap. xx. 10.