OF INDWELLING SIN. 153
And these are some of the ways whereby it pleaseth God to put a stop to the progress of sin, both in believers and unbelievers, which at present we shall instance in ; and if we would endeavour farther to search out his ways unto perfection, yet we must still conclude that it is but a little portion which we know of him.
CHAP. XIV.
The power of sin farther demonstrated by the effects it hath had in the lives of professors. First, in actual sins. Secondly, in habitual declensions.
We are now to proceed unto other evidences of that sad truth which we are in the demonstration of. But the main of our work being past through, I shall be more brief in the management of the arguments that do remain.
That then which in the next place may be fixed upon, is the demonstration which this law of sin hath in all ages given of its power and efficacy, by the woful fruits that it hath brought forth, even in believers themselves. Now these are of two sorts. 1. The great actual eruptions of sin in their lives. 2. Their habitual declensions from the frames, state, and condition, of obedience and communion with God, which they had obtained ; both which by the rule of James, before unfolded, are to be laid to the account of this law of sin, and belong unto the fourth head of its progress, and are both of them convincing evidences of its power and efficacy. •
1. Consider the fearful eruptions of actual sins that have been in the lives of believers, and we shall find our position evidenced. Should I go through at large with this consideration, I must recount all the sad and scandalous failings of the saints that are left on record in the holy Scripture. But the particulars of them are known to all ; so that I shall not need to mention them, nor the many ag- gravations that in their circumstances they are attended with. Only some few things tending to the rendering of our present consideration of them useful, may be remarked. As,
(1.) They are mo.st ol iheni in tlic lives of men that
154 THE NATURE AND POWER
were not of the lowest form or ordinary sort of believers, but of men that had a peculiar eminency in them on the ac- count of their walking with God in their generation. Such were Noah, Lot, David, Hezekiah, and others. They were not men of an ordinary size, but higher than their brethren by the shoulders and upwards in profession, yea, in real holiness. And surely that must needs be of a mighty effi- cacy that could hurry such giants in the ways of God into such abominable sins as they fell into. An ordinary engine could never have turned them out of the course of their obedience. It was a poison that no athletic constitution of spiritual health, no antidote could withstand.
(2.) And these very men fell not into their great sins at the beginning of their profession, when they had had but little experience of the goodness of God, of the sweet- ness and pleasantness of obedience, of the power and craft of sin, of its impulsions, solicitations and surprisals, but after a long course of walking with God, and acquaintance with all these things, together with innumerable motives unto watchfulness. Noah, according to the lives of men in those days of the world, had walked uprightly with God some hundreds of years before he was so surprised as he was. Gen. ix. Righteous Lot seems to have been to- wards the end of bis days, ere he defiled himself with the abominations recorded. David, in a short life, had as much experience of grace and sin, and as much close, spiritual communion with God, as ever had any of the sons of men, before he was cast to the ground by this law of sin. So was it with Hezekiah in his degree, which was none of the meanest. Now to set upon such persons, so well acquainted with its power and deceit, so armed and provided against it, that had been conquerors over it for so many years, and to prevail against them, it argues a power and efficacy too mighty for every thing but the Spirit of the Almighty to withstand. Who can look to hav^a greater stock of inhe- rent grace than those men had ; TO have more experience of God, and the excellency of his ways, the sweetness of his love, and of communion with him, than they had ? who hath either better furniture to oppose sin withal, or more obliga- tion so to do, than they ? and yet we see how fearfully they were prevailed against.
OF INDWELLING SIN. 155
(3.) As if God had permitted their falls on set piupose, that we might learn to be wary of this powerful enemy, they all of them fell out when they had newly received great and stupendous mercies from the hand of God, that ought to have been strong obligations unto diligence and watch- fulness in close obedience. Noah was but newly come forth of that world of waters wherein he saw the ungodly world perishing for their sins, and himself preserved by that astonishable miracle which all ages must admire. Whilst the world's desolation was an hourly remembrancer unto him of his strange preservation by the immediate care and hand of God, he falls into drunkenness. Lot had newly seen that which every one that thinks on cannot but tremble. He saw, as one speaks, hell coming out of heaven upon un- clean sinners, the greatest evidence, except the cross of Christ, that God ever gave in his providence of the judg- ment to come. He saw himself and children delivered by the special care and miraculous hand of God; and yet, whilst these strange mercies were fresh upon him, he fell into drunkenness and incest. David was delivered out of all his troubles, and had the necks of his enemies given him round about, and he makes use of his peace from a world of trials and troubles to contrive murder and adultery. Im- mediately, it was, after Hezekiah's great and miraculous de- liverance, that he falls into his carnal pride and boasting. I say, their falls in such seasons, seem to be permitted on set purpose, to instruct us all in the truth that we have in hand ; so that no persons, in no seasons, with what furniture of grace soever, can promise themselves security from its prevalency, any other ways than by keeping close constantly to him, who hath supplies to give out that are above its reach and efficacy. Methinks this should make us look about us. Are we better than Noah, who had that testi- mony from God, that he was a perfect man in his generation, and walked with God? Are we better than Lot, whose righteous soul was vexed with the evil deeds of ungodly men, and is thereof commended by the Holy Ghost ? Are we more holy, wise, and watchful than David, who obtained this testimony, that he was * a man after God's own heart?' or better than Hezekiah, who appealed to God himself, that he had served him uprightly, with a perfect heart?