CHAP. IX.

Particular directions in relation to the foregoing case proposed. First, Consider the dangerous symptoms of any lust. 1. Inveterateness. 2. Peace obtained under it; the several ways whereby that is done. 3. Frequency of success in its seductions. 4. The soul's fighting against it, with arguments only taken from the event. 5. Its being attended with judiciary hardness. 6. Its withstanding particular dealings from God. The state of persons in whom these things are found.

THE foregoing general rules being supposed, particular directions to the soul, for its guidance under the sense of a disquieting lust or distemper, being the main thing I aim at, come next to be proposed. Now of these some are previous and preparatory, and in some of them the work itself is contained. Of the first sort are these ensuing.

1. Consider what dangerous symptoms thy lust hath attending or accompanying it. Whether it hath any deadly mark on it or no; if it hath, extraordinary remedies are to be used; an ordinary course of mortification will not do it.

You will say, what are these dangerous marks and symptoms, the desperate attendances of an indwelling lust that you intend? Some of them I shall name.

(1.) Inveterateness; if it hath lain long corrupting in thy heart, if thou hast suffered it to abide in power and prevalency, without attempting vigorously the killing of it, and the healing of the wounds thou hast received by it, for some long season, thy distemper is dangerous. Hast thou permitted worldliness, ambition, greediness of study, to eat up other duties; the duties wherein thou oughtest to hold constant communion with God, for some long season? or uncleanness to defile thy heart, with vain and foolish and wicked imaginations for many days? Thy lust hath a dangerous symptom. So was the case with David, Psal. xxxviii. 5. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.' When a lust hath lain long in the heart, corrupting, festering, cankering, it brings the soul to a woful condition. In such a case an ordinary course of humiliation will not do the work: whatever it be, it will by this means insinuate itself more or less into all the faculties of the soul, and habituate the affections to its company and society; it grows familiar to the

mind and conscience, that they do not startle at it as a strange thing, but are bold with it as that which they are wonted unto; yea, it will get such advantage by this means, as oftentimes to exert and put forth itself, without having any notice taken of it at all; as it seems to have been with Joseph in his swearing by the life of Pharaoh. Unless some extraordinary course be taken, such a person hath no ground in the world to expect that his latter end shall be peace. For,

[1.] How will he be able to distinguish between the long abode of an unmortified lust, and the dominion of sin, which cannot befall a regenerate person?

[2.] How can he promise himself, that it shall ever be otherwise with him, or that his lust will cease tumultuating and seducing, when he sees it fixed and abiding, and hath done so for many days, and hath gone through variety of conditions with him? It may be it hath tried mercies and afflictions, and those possibly so remarkable, that the soul could not avoid the taking special notice of them; it may be it hath weathered out many a storm; and passed under much variety of gifts in the administration of the word; and will it prove an easy thing, to dislodge an inmate pleading a little by prescription? Old neglected wounds are often mortal, always dangerous. Indwelling distempers grow rusty and stubborn, by continuance in ease and quiet. Lust is such an inmate, as if it can plead time and some prescription, will not easily be ejected. As it never dies of itself, so if it be not daily killed, it will always gather strength.

(2.) Secret pleas of the heart for the countenancing of itself, and keeping up its peace, notwithstanding the abiding of a lust, without a vigorous gospel attempt for its mortification, is another dangerous symptom of a deadly distemper in the heart. Now there be several ways whereby this may be done; I shall name some of them. As,

[1.] When upon thoughts, perplexing thoughts about sin, instead of applying himself to the destruction of it, a man searches his heart to see what evidences he can find of a good condition, notwithstanding that sin and lust, so that may go well with him.

it

For a man to gather up his experiences of God, to call them to mind, to collect them, consider, try, improve them,

is an excellent thing; a duty practised by all the saints; commended in the Old Testament and the New. This was David's work, when he 'communed with his own heart,' and called to remembrance the former loving-kindness of the Lord." This is the duty that Paul sets us to practise; 2 Cor. xiii. 5. And as it is in itself excellent, so it hath beauty added to it, by a proper season, a time of trial, or temptation, or disquietness of the heart about sin, is a picture of silver to set off this golden apple, as Solomon speaks; but now to do it, for this end, to satisfy conscience, which cries, and calls for another purpose, is a desperate device of a heart in love with sin. When a man's conscience shall deal with him, when God shall rebuke him for the sinful distemper of his heart, if he, instead of applying himself to get that sin pardoned in the blood of Christ and mortified by his Spirit, shall relieve himself by any such other evidences as he hath, or thinks himself to have, and so disentangle himself from under the yoke, that God was putting on his neck; his condition is very dangerous, his wound hardly curable. Thus the Jews, under the gallings of their own consciences, and the convincing preachings of our Saviour, supported themselves with this, that they were Abraham's children, and on that account accepted with God, and so countenanced themselves in all abominable wickedness, to their utter ruin.

This is in some degree, a blessing of a man's self, and saying that upon one account or other he shall have peace, 'although he adds drunkenness to thirst;' love of sin, undervaluation of peace, and of all tastes of love from God, are enwrapped in such a frame: such a one plainly shews, that if he can but keep up hope of escaping the wrath for to come,' he can be well content, to be unfruitful in the world, at any distance from God, that is not final separation. What is to be expected from such a heart?

[2.] By applying grace and mercy to an unmortified sin, or one not sincerely endeavoured to be mortified, is this deceit carried on. This is a sign of a heart greatly entangled with the love of sin. When a man hath secret thoughts in his heart, not unlike those of Naaman, about his worshipping in the house of Rimmon; in all other things I will walk with b 2 Kings v. 18.

a Psal. lxxvii. 6-9.

God, but in this thing, God be merciful unto me; his condition is sad. It is true, indeed, a resolution to this purpose, to indulge a man's self in any sin on the account of mercy, seems to be, and doubtless in any course, is altogether inconsistent with Christian sincerity, and is a badge of a hypocrite, and is the 'turning of the grace of God into wantonness; yet I doubt not, but through the craft of Satan, and their own remaining unbelief, the children of God may themselves sometimes be ensnared with this deceit of sin; or else Paul would never have so cautioned them against it, as he doth; Rom. vi. 1, 2. Yea, indeed, there is nothing more natural, than for fleshly reasonings to grow high and strong upon this account. The flesh would feign be indulged unto upon the account of grace: and every word that is spoken of mercy, it stands ready to catch at, and to pervert it, to its own corrupt aims and purposes. To apply mercy then to a sin not vigorously mortified, is to fulfil the end of the flesh upon the gospel.

These and many other ways and wiles, a deceitful heart will sometimes make use of, to countenance itself in its abominations. Now, when a man with his sin is in this condition, that there is a secret liking of the sin prevalent in his heart, and though his will be not wholly set upon it, yet he hath an imperfect velleity towards it, he would practise it, were it not for such and such considerations, and hereupon relieves himself other ways than by the mortification and pardon of it in the blood of Christ; that man's wounds stink and are corrupt, and he will without speedy deliverance be at the door of death.

(3.) Frequency of success in sin's seduction, in obtaining the prevailing consent of the will unto it, is another dangerous symptom. This is that, I mean, when the sin spoken of gets the consent of the will, with some delight, though it be not actually outwardly perpetrated, yet it hath success. A man may not be able upon outward considerations, to go along with sin, to that which James calls the finishing of it, as to the outward acts of sin, when yet the will of sinning may be actually obtained, then hath it, I say, success. Now if any lust be able thus far to prevail in the soul of any man, his condition may possibly be very bad, and himself be

unregenerate, so it cannot possibly be very good, but dangerous; and it is all one upon the matter, whether this be done by the choice of the will, or by inadvertency. For that inadvertency itself is in a manner chosen. When we are inadvertent and negligent, where we are bound to watchfulness and carefulness, that inadvertency doth not take off from the voluntariness of what we do thereupon; for although men do not choose and resolve to be negligent and inadvertent, yet if they choose the things that will make them so, they choose inadvertency itself, as a thing may be chosen in its cause.

And let not men think that the evil of their hearts is in any measure extenuated, because they seem for the most part to be surprised into that consent which they seem to give unto it; for it is negligence of their duty in watching over their hearts, that betrays them into that surprisal.

(4.) When a man fighteth against his sin only with arguments from the issue, or the punishment due unto it; this is a sign, that sin hath taken great possession of the will, and that in the heart there is a superfluity of naughtiness. Such a man as opposes nothing to the seduction of sin and lust in his heart, but fear of shame among men, or hell from God, is sufficiently resolved to do the sin, if there were no punishment attending it, which, what it differs from living in the practice of sin, I know not. Those who are Christ's, and are acted in their obedience upon gospel principles, have the death of Christ, the love of God, the detestable nature of sin, the preciousness of communion with God, a deep grounded abhorrency of sin, as sin, to oppose to any seduction of sin; to all the workings, strivings, fightings of lust in their hearts. So did Joseph, How shall I do this great evil,' saith he, and sin against the Lord?' my good and gracious God. And Paul, 'The love of Christ constrains us; and having received these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution, of flesh and spirit;' 2 Cor. vii. 1. But now if a man be so under the power of his lust, that he hath nothing but law to oppose it withal, if he cannot fight against it with gospel weapons, but deals with it altogether with hell and judgment, which are the proper arms of the law, it is most evident, that sin hath possessed itself of his

f

e Gen. xxxix. 9.

f 2 Cor. v. 14.