3dly. Weak and ineffectual attempts to recover itself unto its duty. Prov. xxvi. 14. 'As the door turneth itself upon its hinges, so doth the slothful man upon his bed.' In the turning of a door upon its hinges, there is some motion but no progress. It removes up and down, but is still in the place and posture that it was. So is it with the spiritually slothful man on his bed, or in his security. He makes some motions or faint endeavours towards a discharge of his duty, but goes not ort. There where he was one day, there he is the next ; yea, there where he was one year, he is the next. His endeavours are faint, cold, and evanid ; he gets no ground by them, but is always beginning and never finishing his work,
4thly, Heart lessness upon the apprehensions of diffi- culties and discouragements. Prov. xxii. 13. 'The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way, I shall be slain in the streets.' Every difficulty deters him from duty. He thinks it impossible for him to attain to that accuracy, exactness, and perfection which he is in this matter to press after; and therefore contents himself in his old coldness, negligence, rather than to run the hazard of a universal circumspec- tion. Now if the deceit of sin hath once drawn away the mind into this fiame, it lays it open to every temptation and incursion of sin. The spouse in the Canticles seems to have been overtaken with this distemper, chap. v. 1 — 3. And this puts her on various excuses why she cannot attend unto the call of Christ, and apply herself unto her duty in walk- ing- with him.
[2.] It draws away the mind from its watch and duty in reference unto sin by surprisals. It falls in conjunction with some urging temptation, and surpriseth the mind into thoughts quite of another nature, than those which it ought to insist upon in its own defence. So it seems to have been with Peter ; his carnal fear closing with the temptation wherein Satan sought to winnow him, filled his mind with so many thoughts about his own imminent danger, that he could not take into consideration the love and warnino- of Christ; nor the evil whereunto iiis temptation led him, nor
OF INDWELLING SIN. Ill
any thing that he ought to have insisted on for his preser- vation. And therefore, upon a review of his folly in neglect- ing those thoughts of God, and the love of Christ, which through the assistance of the Holy Ghost might have kept him from his scandalous fall, he wept bitterly. And this is the common way of the working of the deceit of sin, as unto particular evils. It lays hold on the mind suddenly, with thoughtfulness about the present sin, possesseth it, takes it up, so that either it recovers not itself at all to the considerations mentioned, or if any thoughts of them be sug- gested, the mind is so prepossessed and filled, that they take no impression on the soul, or make no abode in it. Thus doubtless was David surprised in the entrance of his great sin. Sin and temptation did so possess and fill his mind with the present object of his lust, that he utterly for- got, as it were, those considerations which he had formerly made use of, when he so diligently kept himself from his iniquity. Here therefore lies the great wisdom of the soul, in rejecting the very first motions of sin, because by parlies v/ilh them the mind may be drawn off from attending unto its preservatives, and so the whole rush into evil.
[3.] It draws away the mind by frequency and long- continuance of its solicitations, making as it were at last a conquest of it. And this happens not without an open neo'- lect of the soul, in want of stirring up itself to give an effec- tual rebuke in the strength and by the grace of Christ unto sin, which would have prevented its prevalency. But of this, more shall be spoken afterward. And this is the first way whereby the law of sin acts its deceit against the soul. It draws off the mind from attendance unto its charge and office ; both in respect of duty and sin. And so far as this is done, the person is said to be drawn away, or drawn off. He is tempted, every man is tempted, when he is thus drawn away by his own lust, or the deceit of sin dwelling in him. And the whole effect of this working of the deceitfulness of sin may be reduced unto these three heads.
1st. The remission of a universally watchful frame of spirit unto every duty, and against all, even the most hid- den and secret actings of sin.
2dly. The omission of peculiar attending unto such du- ties as have an especial respect unto the weakening and
112 THE NATURE AND POWER
ruin of the whole law of sin, and the obviating of its deceit- fulness.
3dly. Spiritual sloth, as to a diligent regard unto all the especial concernments of duties and sins. When these three things, with their branches mentioned, less or more, are brought about, in or upon the soul, or so far as they are so, so far aman is drawn off by his own lust, or the deceit of sin.