441 The NATURE and POWER and upon which the Lord Jefus comes in, to our fuccour, with fuitable help in a time of need, Heb. ti. 17. 4.) Faith in prayer countermines all the workings of the deceit offin; and that becaufe the foul doth therein conftantly engage itfelf unto God to oppofe all fin whatfoever. Pfal. cxix. cvi. I have fwórn, and I will perform it, that Iwill keep thy righteous judgments. This is the language of every gracious foul in its addrelfes unto God : the inmoft parts thereof engage themfelves to God to cleave to him in all things, and to oppofe fin in all things. He that cannot do this, cannot pray. To pray with any other frame, is to flatter God with our lips, which he abhorreth. Ahd this exceedingly helps a believer in putfuing fin unto its ruin. For, [t.] Ifthere be any fecret luft that lies lurking in the heart, he will find it either riling up againft this engagement, or. ufing its artifices to fecute itfelf from it. And hereby it is difcovered ; and the conviliosi of the heart concerning its evil furthered and ftrengthened. Sin makes the molt certain difcovery of itfelf, and never more evidently than when it is molt feverely purfued. Lulls in men are compared to hurtful and noifome beafts, or men themfelves ate fo becaufe of their lulls Ifa. xi. 4, q. Now fuck beans life themfelves to their dens and coverts, and never difcover themfelves, at leali fo muchin their proper nature and rage, as when they are molt earneftly purfued. And fo it is with finand corruption in the heart. [2.] Ifany fin be prevalent in the foul, it will weaken it, and take it off from the univerfalityof this engagement unto God; it will breed a ter- giverfationunto it, a flightnefs in it. Now when this is obferved, it will ex- ceedingly awakena gracious foul, and fir it up to look about it. As a fpontaneous laffitude, or a caufelefs wearinefs and indifpofition of the body, is looked on as the fign of an+approaching fraver, or fome dangerous di- ftemper, which flits up men to ufe a timely and vigorous prevention, that they be not feifed upon by it ; fo is it in 'this cafe. When the foul of a believer finds in itfelf an indifpofition to make fervent, fincere engagements of univerfal holinefs unto God, it knows that there is fome prevalent diftemper in it, finds the place of it, and fets itfelf againft it. [3.] Whilft the foul can thus constantly engage itfelf unto God, it is certain that fin can rife unto no ruinous prevalency. Yea, it is a conqueft over fin, a molt confiderable conqueft, when the foul doth fully and clear- ly, without any fecret referee, come off with alacrity and refolution in fuchan engagement; as Pfal. xviii. 23. And it may upon filch a fuccefs triumph in the grace of God, ail have good hope through faith, that it (hall have a final conqueft, and what it fo refolves, (hall be done; that it bath decreed a thing, and it fhall he eflablifhed. And this tends to the difappointment, yea, to the ruin of the law of fin. [4.] If the heart benot deceived by curfed hypocrify this engagement unto God will greatly influence it unto a peculiar diligence and watch - fulnefs againft all fin. There is no greater evidence of hypocrify, than to have the heart like the whorifh woman, Prov. vii. 14. to fay, I have paid my vows, now I may take my fell unto my fin. Or to be negligent about fin, as beingfatisfied that it bathprayed againft it. It is otherwife in a gracious foul. Senfe and confcience ofengagements against fin made ro God, do make it univerfally watchful againft all its motions and operations. On thefe and fundry other accounts, doth faith in this duty exert itfelf peculiar- ly, to theweakning ofthepower, and floppingofthe progrefs ofthe lawof fin. If then the mind be diligent in its watch and charge, to preferve the foul from the efficacy of fin, it will carefully attend unto this duty, and the due performance of it, which is of fuch angular advantage unto its end and purpofe. Here therefore. (2.) Sin
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=