CHAPTER IX.

The Deceit of Sin in drawing off the mind from a due attendance to especial duties of obedience, instanced in Meditation and Prayer.

How sin, by its deceit, endeavours to draw off the mind from attending to that holy frame of walking with God, wherein the soul ought to be preserved, hath been declared. We now proceed to show, how it doth the same work, in reference to those especial duties, by which the designs, workings, and prevalency of it may, in an especial manner, be obviated and prevented. Sin, indeed, maintains an enmity against all duties of obedience; or rather, with God in them. "When I would do good," saith the apostle, "evil is present with me." Whenever I would do good, or what good soever I would do, that is, spiritually good, good in reference to God, it is present with me, to hinder me from it, to oppose me in it. And on the other side, all duties of obedience do lie directly against the actings of the law of sin. For as the flesh, in all its actings, lusteth against the spirit, so the spirit, in all its actings, lusteth against the flesh. And therefore every duty performed in the strength and grace of the Spirit, is contrary to the law of sin: "If ye, by the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the flesh.' Actings of the Spirit of grace in duties, doth this work. These two are contrary. But yet there are some duties which, in their own

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nature, and by God's appointment, have a peculiar influence to the weakening and subduing the whole law of sin, in its very principles and chiefest strengths and to these, the mind of a believer ought principally, in his whole course, to attend ; and from these doth sin, in its deceit, endeavour principally to draw off the mind. As in diseases of the body, some remedies, they say, have a specific quality against distempers; so, in this disease of the soul, there are some duties that have an especial virtue against this sinful distemper. I shall not insist on many of them, but instance only in two, which seem to me to be of this nature; namely, that, by God's designation, they have a special tendency towards the ruin of the law of sin. And then we shall show the ways, methods, and means, which the law of sin useth, to divert the mind from a due attendance to them. Now, these duties are, first, Prayer, especially private prayer; and, secondly, Meditation. I put them together, because they much agree in their general nature and end, differing only in the manner of their performance. For by meditation, I intend, meditating upon what respect and suitableness there is between the word and our own hearts; to this end, that they may be brought to a more exact conformity. It is our pondering on the truth as it is in Jesus, to find out the image and representation of it in our own hearts ; and so it hath the same intent with prayer, which is, to bring our souls into a frame in all things answering the mind and will of God. They are as the blood and spirits in the veins, that have the same life, motion, and use. But yet, because per

sons are generally at a great loss in this duty of meditation, having declared it to be of so great efficacy for the controlling of the actings of the law of sin, I shall give briefly two or three rules for the directing of believers to a right performance of this great duty; and they are these:

First, Meditate of God with God; that is, when we would undertake thoughts and meditations of God, his excellencies, his properties, his glory, his majesty, his love, his goodness, let it be done in a way of speaking unto God, in a deep humiliation and abasement of our souls before him. This will fix the mind, and draw it forth, from one thing to another, to give glory to God in a due manner, and affect the soul, until it be brought into that holy admiration of God, and delight in him, which is acceptable to him. My meaning is, that it be done in a way of prayer and praise, speaking unto God.

Secondly, Meditate on the word in the word; that is, in the reading of it, consider the sense in the particular passages we insist on, looking to God for help, guidance, and direction, in the discovery of his mind and will therein, and then labour to have your hearts affected with it.

Thirdly, What we come short of in evenness and constancy in our thoughts in these things, let it be made up in frequency. Some are discouraged because their minds do not regularly supply them with thoughts to carry on their meditations, through the weakness or imperfection of their inventions. Let this be supplied by frequent returns of the mind to the subject promised to be meditated upon, whereby new senses will still be supplied to it.

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These duties, I say, amongst others, (for we have only chosen them for an instance, not excluding some others from the same place, office, and usefulness with them,) do make an especial opposition to the very being or life of indwelling sin; or rather, faith in them doth so. They are perpetually designing its utter ruin. I shall, therefore, upon this instance, in the pursuit of our present purpose, do these two things:

First, Show the suitableness and usefulness of this duty, or these duties, as I shall handle them jointly, to the ruining of sin.

Secondly, Show the means whereby the deceitfulness of sin endeavours to draw off the mind from a due attendance to them.

For the first, observe,

First, That it is the proper work of the soul, in this duty, to consider all the secret workings and actings of sin, what advantages it hath got, what temptations it is in conjunction with, what harm it hath already done, and what it is yet farther ready to do. Hence David gives that title unto one of his prayers: "A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord." I speak of that prayer which is attended with a due consideration of all the wants, straits, and emergencies of the soul. Without this, prayer is not prayer; that is, whatever show or appearance of that duty it hath, it is no way useful, either to the glory of God, or the good of the souls of men. A cloud it is without water, driven by the wind of the breath of men. Nor was there ever any more present and effectual poison for souls

found out, than the binding of them to a constant form and usage of I know not what words in their prayers and supplications, which themselves do not understand. Bind men so in their trades, or in their businesses in this world, and they will quickly find the effect of it. By this means they are disenabled from any due consideration of what, at present, is good for them, or evil to them; without which, to what use can prayer serve, but to mock God, and delude men's own souls? But, in this kind of prayer which we insist on, the Spirit of God falls in to give us his assistance, and that in this very matter, of finding out and discovering the most secret actings and workings of the law of sin. "We know not what to pray for as we ought; but He helps our infirmities." He discovers our wants to us, and wherein chiefly we stand in need of help and relief. And we find it by daily experience, that in prayer, believers are led into such discoveries and convictions of the secret deceitful work of sin in their hearts, as no considerations could ever have led them to. So David, designing the confession of his actual sin, Psal. li. having his wound, in his prayer, searched by the skilful hand of the Spirit of God, he had a discovery made to him, of the root of all his miscarriages, in his original corruption, ver. 5. The Spirit, in this duty, is as the candle of the Lord unto the soul, enabling it to search all the inward parts of the belly. It gives a holy spiritual light to the mind, enabling it to search the deep and dark recesses of the heart, to find out the subtle and deceitful machinations, figments, and imaginations of the law of sin therein. Whatever