of INDWELLING SIN. 4A that he Shall therefore now overtake them, and dearoy them : this airs him up to purfue after them. Satan finding thofe whom lie hath been cafe out from, intangled in the things of the world, by which -he is fare to find an eafy accefs unto them, is encouraged to attempt upon theca afrefh 3 as the fpidér to come down upon the ftrongeft file that is untangled in his web : for he comes byhis temptations only to impel them unto that where- unto by their own lulls they are inclined, by adding poifon to their Tufts, and pointing to the objefts of them : and oftentimes by this advantage he gets fo in upon the fouls of men, that they are never well free of him more wltila they live. And as men's diverlions increafe from the world, fo do their intanglements from fatan : when they have more to do in the world than they can well manage, they Shall have more to do from fatan than they can well withaand. When menare made fpiritually faint, by dealing in and with the world; fatan fets on them as Avnalek did on the faint and weak of the people that carne out of Egypt. (z.) It produceth this effea by making the foul negligent, and taking it off from its watch. We have before hewed at large, that it is one main part of the effeftual deceitfulnefs of indwelling fin, to make the Soul inad- vertent, to turn it off from the diligent watchful attendance unto its duty, which is required. Now, there is not any thing in reference whereunto diligence and watchfulnefs is more ftriftly enjoined, than the returning aflàults of faran, r Pet. v. 8. Be fober, be vigilant and why fo? Becaufe ofyour adverfary the devil. Unlefs you are exceeding watchful, at one time or other he will furprife you. And all the injunelions of our bleffed Saviour, to watch, are ftill with reference unto him, and his temptations< Now when the foul is made carelefs and inadvertent, forgetting what an enemy it bath to deal withal,or is lifted up with the fucceffes it bathnewly obtained againft him, then is fatan's time to attempt a re-entrance of his old habitation ; which if he cannot obtain, yet, he makes their lives un- comfortable to themfelves, and unfruitful to others, in weakning their root, and withering their fruit through his poifoning temptations. He comes down upon our duties of obedience, as the fowls upon Abraham's facrifice, that ifwe watch not, as he did, to drivethem away (for by re- finance he is overcome and put to flight) he will devour them. (s.) Indwelling fin takes advantage to put forth its efficacy and deceit, towithdraw men from their primitive zeal and holinefs, from their lint faith, love, and works, by the evil examples of profeffors ainotiga uvitom they live. When men firft engage into the ways of God, they have a re- verent eaeem of thofe whom they believe to have been made partakers of that mercy before themfelves ; thefe they love and honour, as it is their duty. But after a while, they find manyof them walking in many things unevenly, crookedly, and not unlike the men of the world. Here lid is lint wanting to its advantage. Infenfibly it prevails with men to a compliance with them. This way, this courfe of walking, dolt well enough with others, why may it not do fo with us a1íó.? Such is the inward thought of many, that works effeftually in them. And fo through the craft cf fin, the generation of profeffors corrupt one another. As a dream airing from a clear fpring, or fountain, whila it runs in its own peculiar channel, and keeps its water unmixed, preferves its purity and cleannefs, but when it falls in its courfe with other ftreams that are turbid and foul, though running the faine way with it, it becomes muddy and difcoloured alto. So is it in this cafe. Believers come forth from the fpring of the new birth with foste purity and cleannefs, this for a while they keep in the courfe of their private walking with God; bit now when they come fometiates to fall into focicey
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