Indwelling sin is effectually operative in rebelling and inclining to evil, when the will of doing good is in a particular manner active, and inclining to obedience.

And this is the description of him who is a believer, and a sinner, as every one who is the former, he is the latter also. These are the contrary principles, and the contrary operations that are in him. The principles are, a will of doing good on the one hand from grace, and a law of sin on the other. Their adverse actings and operations are insinuated in those expressions, "When I would do good evil is present with me." And these both are more fully expressed by the apostle: "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other; so that I cannot do the things that I would."

And here lies the spring of the whole course of our obedience. An acquaintance with these several principles, and their actings, is the principal part of our wisdom. They are, upon the matter, next to the free grace of God in our justification by the blood of Christ, the only things wherein the glory of God and our own souls are concerned. These are the springs of our holiness and our sins, of our joys and troubles, of our refreshments and sorrows. It is then all our concern to be thoroughly acquainted with these things, who intend to walk with God, or to glorify him in this world.

And hence we may see what wisdom is required, in the guiding and management of our hearts and ways before God. Where the subjects of a ruler are in feuds and oppositions one against another, un

less great wisdom be used in the government of the whole, all things will quickly be ruinous in that state. There are these contrary principles in the hearts of believers, and if they labour not to be spiritually wise, how shall they be able to steer their course aright? Many men live in the dark to themselves all their days: whatever else they know, they know not themselves. They know their outward estates; how rich they are; and the condition of their bodies, as to health and sickness, they are careful to examine; but as to their inward man, and their principles as to God and eternity, they know little or nothing. Indeed few labour to grow wise in this matter, few study themselves as they ought, are acquainted with the evil of their own hearts as they ought, on which yet the whole course of their obedience, and consequently of their eternal condition, depends. This, therefore, is our wisdom, and it is a needful wisdom, if we have any design to please God, or to avoid that which is a provocation to the eyes of his glory.

We shall find also in our inquiry hereunto, what diligence and watchfulness is required to a Christian conversation. There is a constant enemy to it in every one's own heart; and what an enemy it is we shall afterwards show, for this is our design, to discover him to the uttermost. In the mean time we may well bewail the woful sloth and negligence that is in the most, even of professors. They live and walk as though they intended to go to heaven hoodwinked and asleep, as though they had no enemy to deal with. Their mistake therefore and folly will he fully laid open in our progress.

That which I shall principally fix upon, in reference to our present design, from this passage of the apostle, is that which was first laid down, namely, that "there is an exceeding efficacy and power in the remainder of indwelling sin in believers, with a constant inclination and working towards evil.”

Awake, therefore, all of you in whose hearts are any thing of the ways of God. Your enemy is not only upon you, as on Sampson of old, but is in you also. He is at work by all ways of force and craft, as we shall see. Would you not dishonour God and his gospel; would you not scandalize the saints and ways of God; would you not wound your consciences and endanger your souls; would you not grieve the good and holy Spirit of God, the author of all your comforts; would you keep your garments undefiled, and escape the woful temptations and pollutions of the days wherein we live; would you be preserved from the number of the apostates in these latter days-awake to the consideration of this cursed enemy, which is the spring of all these and innumerable other evils, as also of the ruin of all the souls that perish in this world.

CHAPTER II.

Indwelling sin a law. In what sense it is so called.

What kind of law it is.

principle called a law. evinced.

An inward effective

The power of sin thence

The ways I shall be

THAT which we have proposed to consider, is the power and efficacy of indwelling sin. whereby it may be evinced are many. gin with the appellation of it in the place beforementioned, it is a law; "I find a law," saith the apostle. It is because of its power and efficacy that it is so called; so is also the principle of grace in believers, the "law of the Spirit of life," as we observed before; "which is the exceeding greatness of the power of God in them." Where there is a law, there is power.

We shall therefore show both what belongs to it, as it is a law in general, and also what is peculiar or proper in it, as being such a law as we have described.

There are in general two things attending every law, as such.

First, dominion; "The law hath dominion over a man whilst he liveth:" KYRIEYEI TA ANTHROPA, it lordeth it over a man. Where any law takes place, KYRIEYEI, it hath dominion. It is properly the act of a superior, and it belongs to its nature to exact obedience by way of dominion. Now there is

a two-fold dominion, as there is a two-fold law. There is a moral authoritative dominion over a man, and there is a real effective dominion in a man. The first is an affection of the law of God, the latter of the law of sin. The law of sin hath not in itself a moral dominion, it hath not a rightful dominion or authority over any man, but is that which is equivalent to it; whence it is said, BASILEYEIN, to reign as a king, Rom. vi. 12. and KYRIEYEIN, to lord it, or have dominion, ver. 14. as a law in general is said to have, chap. vii. 1. but because it hath lost its complete dominion in reference to believers, of whom alone we speak, I shall not insist upon it in the utmost extent of its power. But even in them it is a law still, though not a law to them; yet, it is a law in them. And though it have not a complete, and, as it were, a rightful dominion over them, yet it will have a domination as to some things in them. It is still a law, and that in them, so that all its actings are the actings of a law, that is, it acts with power, though it has lost its complete power of ruling in them. Though it be weakened, yet its nature is not changed. It is a law still, and therefore powerful. And as its particular workings (which we shall afterwards consider) are the ground of this appellation, so the term itself teacheth us in general what we are to expect from it, and what endeavours it will use for dominion, to which it hath been accustomed.

Secondly, A law, as a law, hath an efficacy to provoke those that are obnoxious to it to the things that it requireth. A law hath rewards and punish