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, whither the fury of thy lusts would drive thee. He will oppose that to them from without, that shall obstruct them in their progress.

(2.) These hindrances that God lays in the way of sinners, as shall be afterwards at large declared, are of two sorts.

First, Rational considerations, taken from the consequences 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 an 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 considerations of all the evil consequence of sin, to deter it from its purpose. To this end doth he make use of all the threatenings recorded in the law and the gospel. To this head also may be referred all the consideration 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 an hedge before them.

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

1. 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. "I was wroth, and I smote them," Isa. lvii. 17. I testified my dislike of their ways by afflictions, 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 whom they are rebelling against. It may be, signal distinguished mercies are made their portion for many days.

2. 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 afterwards 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 and 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 befal it. That is, though they be presented unto it, it will venture upon them all. Rage and madness are fearless. And this it doth two ways.

First, 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.

Secondly, 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.

CHAPTER VIII.

Indwelling Sin proved powerful from its Deceit. Proved to be deceitful. The general Nature of Deceit, James i. 14, opened. How the Mind is drawn off from its Duty by the Deceitfulness of Sin. The principal Duties of the Mind in our Obedience. The Ways and Means whereby it is turned from it.

THE second part of the evidence of the power of sin from its manner of operation, is taken from its deceitfulness. It adds in its working, deceit unto power. The efficacy of that must needs be great, and is carefully to be watched against, by all such as value their souls, where power and deceit are combined; especially advantaged and assisted by all the ways and means before insisted on.

Before we come to shew wherein the nature of this deceitfulness of sin doth consist, and how it prevaileth thereby, some testimonies shall be briefly given in unto the thing itself, and some light unto the general nature of it.

That sin, indwelling sin, is deceitful, we have the express testimony of the Holy Ghost; "take heed that ye be not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin," Heb. iii. 13. Deceitful it is, take heed of it, watch against it, or it will produce its utmost effect, in hardening of the heart against God. It is on the account of sin, that the heart is said to be "deceitful above all things," Jer. xvii. 9. Take a man in other things, and, as Job speaks, though he "would be wise and crafty, he is like the wild ass's colt," Job xi. 12; a poor, vain, empty no. thing. But consider his heart, on the account of this law of sin, it is crafty and deceitful above all things. "They are wise to do evil," saith the prophet, "but

to do good they have no knowledge," Jer. iv. 22. To the same purpose speaks the apostle, "the old man is corrupt, according to deceitful lusts," Eph. iv. 22. Every lust which is a branch of this law of sin is deceitful; and where there is poison in every stream, the fountain must needs be corrupt. No particular lust hath any deceit in it, but what is communicated unto it from this fountain of all actual lust, this law of sin. And the coming of the man of sin, is said to be in and with the "deceivableness of unrighteousness," 2 Thess. ii. 10. Unrighteousness is a thing generally decried and evil spoken of amongst men, so that it is not easy to conceive how any man should avail himself of a repu tation thereby. But there is a deceivableness in it, whereby the minds of men are turned aside from a due consideration of it, as we shall manifest afterwards. And thus the account which the apostle gives, concerning those who are under the power of sin is, that they are deceived, Tit. iii. 3. And the life of evil men is nothing but deceiving and being deceived, 2 Tim. iii. 13. So that we have sufficient testimony given unto this qualification of the enemy with whom we have to deal, he is deceitful; which consideration, of all things, puts the mind of man to a loss in dealing with an adversary. He knows he can have no security against one that is deceitful, but in standing upon his own guard and defence all his days.

Farther to manifest the strength and advantage that sin hath by its deceit, we may observe, that the scripture places it, for the most part, as the head and spring of every sin, even as if there were no sin followed after, but where deceit went before. So the reason the apostle gives why Adam, though he was first formed, was not first in the transgression is, because he was not first deceived, | Tim. ii. 12. The woman, though made last, yet being first deceived, was first in the sin. Even that first sin began in deceit, and until the mind was deceived, the soul was safe. Eve therefore did truly express the matter, though she did it not to a good end;

"The serpent beguiled me," said she, "and I did eat," Gen. iii. 13. She thought to extenuate her own crime, by charging the serpent. And this was a new fruit of the sin she had cast herself into. But the matter of fact was true, she was beguiled before she ate; deceit went before the transgression. And the apostle shews that sin and Satan still take the same course, 2 Cor. xi. 3. There is, saith he, the same way of working towards actual sin, as was of old; beguiling, deceiving goes before, and sin, that is, the actual accomplishment of it, followeth after. Hence all the great works that the devil doth in the world, to stir men up to an opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom, he doth them by deceit. "The devil, who deceiveth the whole world," Rev. xii. 9. It were utterly impossible men should be prevailed on to abide in his service, acting his designs to their eternal, and sometimes their temporal ruin, were they not exceedingly deceived. See chap. xx.

Hence are those manifold cautions that are given us to take heed that we be not deceived, if we would take heed that we do not sin, Eph. v. 6. 1 Cor. vi. 9. xv. 33. Gal. vi. 7. Luke xxi. 8. From all which we may learn the influence that deceit hath unto sin, and consequently the advantage that the law of sin hath to put forth its power, by its deceitfulness. Where it prevails to deceive, it fails not to bring forth its fruit.

The ground of this efficacy of sin by deceit, is taken from the faculty of the soul affected with it. Deceit properly affects the mind: it is the mind that is deceived. When sin attempts any other way of entrance into the soul, as by the affections, the mind, retaining its right and sovereignty, is able to give check and controul unto it. But where the mind is tainted, the prevalency must be great; for the mind, or understanding, is the leading faculty of the soul, and what that fixes on, the will and affections rush after, being capable of no consideration but what that presents unto them. Hence it is, that though the entanglement