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are not well, they know not what aileth them, and it may be rise violently in an opposition to their distemper; but after a while struggling in vain, the vigour of their spirits and strength failing them, they are forced to yield to the power of a consumption. And now all they can do is little enough to keep them alive. It is so with men brought into spiritual decay by any secret perplexing corruption. It may be they have had a vigorous principle of obedience and holi- ness. Indwelling sin watching its opportunities, by some temptation or other, hath kindled and inflamed some par- ticular lust in them. For awhile it may be they take little notice of it. Sometimes they complain, but think they will do as in former times, until being insensibly weakened in their spiritual strength, they have work enough to do in keep- ing alive what remains and is ready to die; Hos. v. 13. I shall not add any thing here as to the prevention and ob- viating this advantage of indwelling sin, having elsewhere treated of it peculiarly and apart.
(5.) It works by negligence of private communion with God in prayer and meditation. I have shewed before how indwelling sin puts forth its deceitfulness in diverting the soul from watchfulness in and unto these duties. Here if it prevails, it will not fail to produce an habitual declension in the whole course of obedience. All neglect of private duties is principled by a weariness of God as he complaineth, Isa. xliii. 22. ' Thou hast not called upon me, thou hast been weary of me.' Neglect of invocation proceeds from weari- ness ; and where there is weariness, there will be withdraw- ing from that whereof we are weary. Now God alone being the fountain and spring of spiritual life, if there be a weari- ness of him, and withdrawing from him, it is impossible but that there will a decay in the life ensue. Indeed what men are in these duties, I mean as to faith and love in them, that they are and no more. Here lies the root of their obedience, and if this fail, all fruit will quickly fail. You may some- times see a tree flourishing with leaves and fruit goodly and pleasant. After awhile the leaves begin to decay, the fruit to wither, the whole to droop. Search, and you shall find the root, whereby it should draw in moisture and fatness from the earth to supply the body and branches with sap and juice for growth and fruit, hath received a wound, is some
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way perished, and doth not perform its duty, so that though the branches are flourishing awhile with what they had re- ceived, their sustenance being intercepted they must decay. So it is here. These duties of private communion with God, are the means of receiving supplies of spiritual strength from him; of sap and fatness from Christ the vine and olive. Whilst they do so, the conversation and course of obedience flourisheth and is fruitful, all outward duties are cheerfully and regularly performed. But if there be a wound, a de- fect, a failing, in that which should first take in the spiritual radical moisture, that should be communicated unto the whole, the rest may for a season maintain their station and appearance, but after awhile profession will wither, fruits will decay, and the whole be ready to die. Hence our Sa- viour lets us know% Matt. vi. 6. what a man is in secret, in these private duties, that he is in the eyes of God, and no more. And one reason amongst others is, because they have a more vigorous acting of unmixed grace than any other duties whatever. In all or most particular duties, besides the influence that they may have from carnal respects, which are many, and the ways of their insinuation subtle and im- perceptible, there is an alloy of gifts, which sometimes even devours the pure gold of grace, which should be the chief and principal in them. In tliese, there is immediate inter- course between God and that which is of himself in the soul. If once sin, by its deceits and treacheries, prevail to take off" the soul from diligent attendance unto communion with God, and constancy in these duties, it will not fail to effect a declining in the whole of a man's obedience. It hath made its entrance, and will assuredly make good its progress. (6.) Growing in notions of truth without answerable practice, is another thing that indwelling sin makes use of to bring the souls of believers unto a decay. The apostle tell us, that 'knowledge puffeth up;' 1 Cor. viii. 1. If it be alone, not improved in practice, it swells men beyond a due proportion. Like a man that hath a dropsy, we are not to expect that he hath strength to his bigness. Like trees that are continually running up a head, which keeps them from bearing fruit. When once men have attained to this, that they can entertain and receive evangelical truths in a new and more glorious light, or more clear discovery than for-
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merly, or new manifestations of truth which they knew not before, and please themselves in so doing, without diligent endeavours to have the power of those truths and notions upon their hearts, and their souls made conformable unto them, they generally learn so to dispose of all truths for- merly known, which were sometimes inlaid in their hearts with more efficacy and power. This hath proved, if not the ruin, yet the great impairing of many in these days of light wherein we live. By this means, from humble close walking, many have withered into an empty, barren, talking pro- fession. All things almost have in a short season become alike unto them : have they been true or false, so they might be debating of them, and disputing about them, all is well. This is food for sin ; it hatcheth, increaseth it, and is increased by it. A notable way it is for the vanity that is in the mind, to exert itself without a rebuke from con- science. Whilst men are talking, and writing, and studying about religion, and hearing preaching, it may be, with great delight, as those in Ezekiel, chap, xxxiii. 32. conscience, unless thoroughly awake and circumspect, and furnished with spiritual wisdom and care, will be very well pacified, and enter no rebukes or pleas against the way that the soul is in. But yet all this may be nothing but the acting of that natural vanity which lies in the mind, and is a princi- pal part of the sin we treat of. And generally this is so, when men content themselves, as was said, with the notions of truth, without labouring after an experience of the power of them in their hearts, and the bringing forth the fruit of them in their lives, on which a decay must needs ensue.