Thus

selves over to sin with greediness;' Ephes. iv. 19. Ahab's will was in the murdering of Naboth; he did it upon deliberation, by contrivance, with a full consent; the doing of it gave him such satisfaction as that it cured his malady, or the distemper of his mind. This is that consent of the will which is acted in the finishing and completing of sin, in unregenerate persons, and is not required to the single bringing forth of sin, whereof we speak.

(2.) There is a consent of the will, which is attended with a secret renitency and volition of the contrary. Thus Peter's will was in the denying of his master. His will was in it, or he had not done it; it was a voluntary action, that which he chose to do at that season. Sin had not been brought forth if it had not been thus conceived. But yet, at this very time, there was resident in his will a contrary principle of love to Christ, yea, and faith in him which utterly failed not, The efficacy of it was intercepted, and its operations suspended actually, through the violent urging of the temptation that he was under; but yet it was in his will, and weakened his consent unto sin, though it consented. It was not done with self-pleasing, which such full acts of the will do produce.

3. Although there may be a predominant consent in the will, which may suffice for the conception of particular sins; yet there cannot be an absolute, total, full consent of the will of a believer unto any sin. For,

(1.) There is in his will a principle fixed on good, on all good. Rom. vii. 21. 'He would do good.' The principle of grace in the will, inclines him to all good. And this in general is prevalent against the principle of sin, so that the will is denominated from thence. Grace hath the rule and dominion, and not sin, in the will of every believer. Now that consent unto sin in the will, which is contrary to the inclination and generally prevailing principle in the same will, is not, cannot be, total, absolute, and complete.

(2.) There is not only a general, ruling, prevailing principle in the will against sin, but there is also a secret reluctancy in it against its own act in consenting unto sin. It is true, the soul is not sensible sometimes of this reluctancy, because the present consent carries away the prevailing act of the will, and takes away the sense of the lusting

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of the spirit, or reluctancy of the principle of grace in the will. But the general rule holdeth in all things at all times, Gal. v. 17. The Spirit lusteth against the flesh:' it doth so actually, though not always to the same degree, nor with the same success. And the prevalency of the contrary principle in this or that particular act, doth not disprove it. It is so on the other side. There is no acting of grace in the will but sin lusts against it; although that lusting be not made sensible in the soul, because of the prevalency of the contrary acting of grace; yet it is enough to keep those actings from perfection in their kind. So is it in this renitency of grace against the acting of sin in the soul; though it be not sensible in its operations, yet it is enough to keep that act from being full and complete. And much of spiritual wisdom lies in discerning aright between the spiritual renitency of the principle of grace in the will against sin, and the rebukes that are given the soul by conscience upon conviction for sin.

4. Observe, that reiterated repeated acts of the consent of the will unto sin, may beget a disposition and inclinableness in it unto the like acts, that may bring the will unto a proneness and readiness to consent unto sin upon easy solicitations, which is a condition of soul dangerous, and greatly to be watched against.

5. This consent of the will which we have thus described, may be considered two ways.

(1.) As it is exercised about the circumstances, causes, means and inducements unto sin.

(2.) As it respects this or that actual sin.

In the first sense, there is a virtual consent of the will unto sin in every inadvertency unto the prevention of it, in every neglect of duty that makes way for it, in every hearkening unto any temptation leading towards it. In a word, in all the diversions of the mind from its duty, and entanglements of the affections by sin before-mentioned. For where there is no act of the will formally, or virtually, there is no sin. But this is not that which we now speak of; but in particular the consent of the will unto this or that actual sin, so far as that either sin is committed, or is prevented by other ways and means not of our present consideration. And herein consists the conceiving of sin.

These things being supposed, that which in the next place we are to consider, is the way that the deceit of sin proceedeth in; to procure the consent of the will, and so to conceive actual sin in the soul. To this purpose observe,

[1] That the will is a rational appetite; rational as guided by the mind; and an appetite as excited by the affections; and so in its operation or actings hath respect to both, is influenced by both.

[2.] It chooseth nothing, consents to nothing, but 'sub ratione boni,' as it hath an appearance of good, some present good. It cannot consent to any thing under the notion or apprehension of its being evil in any kind. Good is its natural and necessary object, and therefore whatever is proposed unto it for its consent, must be proposed under an appearance of being either good in itself, or good at present unto the soul, or good so circumstantiate as it is; so that,

[3.] We may see hence the reason why the conception of sin is here placed as a consequent of the mind's being drawn away, and the affections being entangled. Both these have an influence into the consent of the will, and the conception of this or that actual sin thereby. Our way therefore here is made somewhat plain. We have seen at large how the mind is drawn away by the deceit of sin, and how the affections are entangled; that which remains is but the proper effect of these things. For the discovery whereof we must instance in some of the special deceits, corrupt and fallacious reasonings before-mentioned, and then shew their prevalency on the will to a consent unto sin.

1st. The will is imposed upon by that corrupt reasoning, that grace is exalted in a pardon; and that mercy is provided for sinners. This first, as hath been shewed, deceives the mind, and that opens the way to the will's consent, by removing a sight of evil which the will hath an aversation unto. And this in carnal hearts prevails so far as to make them think that their liberty consists in being servants of corruption, 2 Pet. ii. 19. And the poison of it doth oftentimes taint and vitiate the minds of believers themselves; whence we are so cautioned against it in the Scripture. To what therefore hath been spoken before, unto

the use and abuse of the doctrine of the grace of the gospel, we shall add some few other considerations, and fix upon one place of Scripture that will give light unto it. There is a twofold mystery of grace; of walking with God, and of coming unto God. And the great design of sin is to change the doctrine and mystery of grace in reference unto these things, and that by applying those considerations unto the one, which are proper unto the other, whereby each part is hindered, and the influence of the doctrine of grace into them for their furtherance defeated. See 1 John ii. 1, 2. 'These things write I unto you that ye sin not; and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.' Here is the whole design and use of the gospel briefly expressed. 'These things,' saith he, 'I write unto you.' What things were these? Those mentioned, ver. 2. The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us:' that is, the things concerning the person and mediation of Christ: and, ver. 7. that pardon, forgiveness, and expiation from sin is to be attained by the blood of Christ. But to what end and purpose doth he write these things to them, what do they teach, what do they tend unto ? A universal abstinence from sin; I write unto you,' saith he, 'that you sin not.' This is the proper, only, genuine end of the doctrine of the gospel. But to abstain from all sin, is not our condition in this world: chap. i. 8. 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' What then shall be done in this case? In supposition of sin, that we have sinned, is there no relief provided for our souls and consciences in the gospel? Yes, saith he, 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is a propitiation for our sins.' There is full relief in the propitiation and intercession of Christ for This is the order and method of the doctrine of the gospel, and of the application of it to our own souls: first, to keep us from sin; and then to relieve us against sin. But here entereth the deceit of sin, and puts this new wine into old bottles,' whereby the bottles are broken, and the wine perisheth as to our benefit by it. It changeth

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this method and order of the application of gospel truths. It takes up the last first, and that excludes the use of the first utterly. If any man sin, there is pardon provided, is all the gospel that sin would willingly suffer to abide on the minds of men. When we would come to God by believing, it would be pressing the former part of being free from sin; when the gospel proposeth the latter principally, or the pardon of sin for our encouragement. When we are come to God, and should walk with him, it will have only the latter proposed, that there is pardon of sin, when the gospel principally proposeth the former, of keeping ourselves from sin. The grace of God bringing salvation having appeared unto us to that end and purpose.

Now the mind being entangled with this deceit, drawn off from its watch by it, diverted from the true ends of the gospel, doth several ways impose upon the will to obtain its consent.

(1st.) By a sudden surprisal in case of temptation. Temptation is the representation of a thing, as a present good, a particular good, which is a real evil, a general evil. Now when a temptation armed with opportunity and provocation, befalls the soul, the principle of grace in the will riseth up with a rejection and detestation of it. But on a sudden the mind being deceived by sin, breaks in upon the will, with a corrupt fallacious reasoning from gospel grace and mercy, which first staggers, then abates the will's opposition, and then causeth it to cast the scale by its consent of the side of temptation, presenting evil as a present good; and sin in the sight of God is conceived, though it be never committed. Thus is the seed of God sacrificed to Moloch, and the weapons of Christ abused to the service of the devil.

(2dly.) It doth it insensibly. It insinuates the poison of this corrupt reasoning by little and little, until it hath greatly prevailed. And as the whole effect of the doctrine of the gospel in holiness and obedience, consists in the soul's being cast into the frame and mould of it, Rom. vi. 17. so the whole of the apostacy from the gospel, is principally the casting of the soul into the mould of this false reasoning, that sin may be indulged unto upon the account of grace and pardon. Hereby is the soul gratified in sloth