ing, comforting presence. Doth this work the effect? No, they go on frowardly still, as men mad on their covetousness. Nothing can put a stop to their raging lusts. This is plain madness and fury. We need not seek far for instances; we see men mad on their lusts every day: and, which is the worst kind of madness, their lusts do not rage so much in them, as they rage in the pursuit of them. Are those greedy pursuits of things in the world, which we see some men engaged in, though they have other pretences, indeed any thing else but plain madness in the pursuit of their lusts? God, who searcheth the hearts of men, knows, that the most of things that are done with other pretences in the world, are nothing but the actings of men, mad and furious in the pursuit of their lusts.

2. That sin ariseth not unto this height ordinarily, but when it hath got a double advantage.

(1.) That it be provoked, enraged, and heightened, by some great temptation. Though it be a poison in itself, yet being inbred in nature, it grows not violently outrageous without the contribution of some new poison of Satan unto it in a suitable temptation. It was the advantage that Satan got against David, by a suitable temptation, that raised his lusts to that rage and madness which it went forth unto in the business of Bathsheba and Uriah. Though sin be always a fire in the bones, yet it flames not, unless Satan come with his bellows to blow it up. And let any one in whom the law of sin ariseth to this height of rage, seriously consider, and he may find out where the devil stands and puts in in the business.

(2.) It must be advantaged by some former entertainment and prevalency. Sin grows not to this height at its first assault. Had it not been suffered to make its entrance, had there not been some yielding in the soul, this had not come about. The great wisdom and security of the soul in dealing with indwelling sin, is to put a violent stop unto its beginnings, its first motions and actings. Venture all on the first attempt. Die rather than yield one step unto it. If, through the deceit of sin, or the negligence of the soul, or its carnal confidence, to give bounds to lust's actings at other seasons, it makes any entrance into the soul, and finds any entertainment, it gets strength and power, and

insensibly ariseth to the frame under consideration. Thou hadst never had the experience of the fury of sin, if thou hadst not been content with some of its dalliances. Hadst thou not brought up this servant, this slave delicately, it would not have now presumed beyond a son. Now when the law of sin in any particular hath got this double advan tage, the furtherance of a vigorous temptation, and some prevalency formerly obtained, whereby it is let into the strengths of the soul, it often riseth up to this frame whereof we speak.

3. We may see what accompanies this rage and madness, what are the properties of it, and what effects it produceth.

(1.) There is in it the casting off, for a time at least, of the yoke, rule, and government of the Spirit and law of grace. Where grace hath the dominion, it will never utterly be expelled from its throne, it will still keep its right and sovereignty; but its influences may for a season be intercepted, and its government be suspended by the power of sin. Can we think that the law of grace had any actual influence of rule on the heart of David, when upon the provocation received from Nabal, he was so hurried with the desire of self-revenge, that he cried, Gird on your swords,' to his companions, and resolved not to leave alive one man of his whole household; 1 Sam. xxv. 34. or that Asa was in any better frame, when he smote the prophet, and put him in prison, that spake unto him in the name of the Lord? Sin in this case is like an untamed horse, which having first cast off his rider, runs away with fierceness and rage. It first casts off a present sense of the yoke of Christ, and the law of his grace, and then hurries the soul at its pleasure. Let us a little consider how this is done.

The seat and residence of grace is in the whole soul; it is the inner man, it is in the mind, the will, and the affections; for the whole soul is renewed by it unto the image of God; Ephes. iv. 23, 24. and the whole man is a new creature; 2 Cor. v. 17. And in all these doth it exert its power and efficacy; its rule or dominion is the pursuit of its effectual working in all the faculties of the soul, as they are one united principle of moral and spiritual operations. So then, the interrupting of its exercise, of its rule and power

by the law of sin, must consist in its contrary acting in and upon the faculties and affections of the soul, whereon, and by which, grace should exert its power and efficacy; and this it doth; it darkens the mind, partly through innumerable vain prejudices and false reasonings, as we shall see when we come to consider its deceitfulness, and partly through the steaming of the affections, heated with the noisome lusts that have laid hold on them. Hence that saving light that is in the mind is clouded and stifled, that it cannot put forth its transforming power to change the soul into the likeness of Christ discovered unto it, which is its proper work, Rom. xii. 2. The habitual inclination of the will to obedience, which is the next way of the working of the law of grace, is first weakened, then cast aside, and rendered useless by the continual solicitations of sin and temptation; so that the will first lets go its hold, and disputes whether it shall yield or no; and at last gives up itself to its adversary; and for the affections commonly the beginning of this evil is in them. They cross one another, and torture the soul with their impetuous violence. By this way is the rule of the law of grace intercepted by the law of sin, even by imposing upon it in the whole seat of its government. When this is done, it is sad work that sin will make in the soul. The apostle warns believers to take heed hereof, Rom. vi. 12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.' Look to it that it get not the dominion, that it usurp not rule, no not for a moment. It will labour to intrude itself unto the throne, watch against it, or a woful state and condition lies at the door. This then accompanies this rage and madness of the law of sin; it casts off during its prevalency the rule of the law of grace wholly; it speaks in the soul, but is not heard; it commands the contrary, but is not obeyed; it cries out, Do not this abominable thing which the Lord hateth,' but is not regarded; that is, not so far as to be able to put a present stop to the rage of sin, and to recover its own rule, which God in his own time restores to it by the power of his Spirit dwelling in us.

(2.) Madness or rage are accompanied with fearlessness and contempt of danger; it takes away the power of consideration, and all that influence that it ought to have

upon the soul. Hence sinners that are wholly under the power of this rage, are said, To run upon God, and the thick bosses of his buckler;' Job. xvi. 21. That wherein he is armed for their utter ruin. They despise the utmost that he can do to them, being secretly resolved to accomplish their lusts, though it cost them their souls. Some few considerations will farther clear this unto us.

[1.] Ofttimes, when the soul is broken loose from the power of renewing grace, God deals with it to keep it within bounds by preventing grace. So the Lord declares that he will deal with Israel, Hos, ii. 6. Seeing thou hast rejected me, I will take another course with thee; I will lay obstacles before thee that thou shalt not be able to pass on, whether the fury of thy lusts would drive thee. He will propose that to them from without, that shall obstruct them in their progress.

[2.] These hinderances that God lays in the way of sinners, as shall be afterward at large declared, are of two

sorts.

1st. Rational considerations taken from the consequence of the sin and evil that the soul is solicited unto, and perplexed withal. Such are the fear of death, judgment, and hell, falling into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire. Whilst a man is under the power of the law of the Spirit of life, the love of Christ constraineth him;' 2 Cor. v. 14. The principle of his doing good and abstaining from evil, is faith working by love, accompanied with a following of Christ, because of the sweet savour of his name. But now, when this blessed easy yoke is for a season cast off, so as was manifested before, God sets a hedge of terror before the soul, minds it of death and judgment to come, flashes the flames of hell fire in the face, fills the soul with consideration of all the evil consequence of sin to deter it from its purpose. To this end doth he make use of all threatenings recorded in the law and gospel. To this head also may be referred all the considerations that may be taken from things temporal, as shame, reproach, scandal, punishments, and the like. By the consideration of these things, I say, doth God set a hedge before them.

2dly. Providential dispensations are used by the Lord to the same purpose, and these are of two sorts.

(1st.) Such as are suited to work upon the soul, and to cause it to desist and give over in its lustings and pursuit of sin. Such are afflictions and mercies, Isa. lvii. 17. 'I was wroth, and I smote them;' I testified my dislike of their ways by afflictions. So Hos. ii. 9. 11, 12. God chastens men with pains on their bodies,' saith he, in Job, to turn them from their purpose, and to hide sin from them;' Job xxxiii. 17. 19. And other ways he hath to come to them and touch them, as in their names, relations, estates, and desirable things; or else he heaps mercies on them, that they may consider who they are rebelling against. It may be signal distinguishing mercies are made their portion for many days.

(2dly.) Such as actually hinder the soul from pursuing sin, though it be resolved so to do. The various ways whereby God doth this, we must afterward consider.

These are the ways, I say, whereby the soul is dealt withal, after the law of indwelling sin hath cast off for a season the influencing power of the law of grace. But now, when lust rises up to rage or madness, it will also contemn all these, even the rod, and him that hath appointed it. It will rush on shame, reproaches, wrath, and whatever may befall it; that is, though they be presented unto it, it will venture upon them all. Rage and madness is fearless. And this it doth two ways.

[1st.] It possesseth the mind, that it suffers not the consideration of these things to dwell upon it, but renders the thoughts of them slight and evanid; or, if the mind do force itself to a contemplation of them, yet it interposeth between it and the affections, that they shall not be influenced by it in any proportion to what is required. The soul in such a condition will be able to take such things into contemplation, and not at all to be moved by them; and where they do prevail for a season, yet they are insensibly wrought off from the heart again.

[2dly.] By secret stubborn resolves to venture all upon the way wherein it is.

And this is the second branch of this evidence of the power of sin, taken from the opposition that it makes to the law of grace, as it were by the way of force, strength, and violence; the consideration of its deceit doth now follow.