occasions and opportunities shall hide it; surprisals shall hide it; extenuation of sin shall hide it; balancing of duties against it shall hide it; fixing the imagination on present objects shall hide it; desperate resolutions to venture the uttermost for the enjoyment of lust, in its pleasures and profits, shall hide it. A thousand wiles it hath which cannot be recounted.

Fourthly, Having prevailed thus far, gilding over the pleasures of sin, hiding its end and demerit, it proceeds to raise perverse reasonings in the mind, to fix it upon the sin proposed, that it may be conceived and brought forth, the affections being already prevailed upon; of which we shall speak under the next head of its progress.

Here we may stay a little, as formerly, to give some few directions, for the obviating of this woful work of the deceitfulness of sin. Would we not be enticed or entangled, would we not be disposed to the conception of sin, would we be turned out of the road and way which goes down to death? let us take heed of our affections, which are of so great concern in the whole course of our obedience, that they are commonly, in the Scripture, called by the name of the heart, as the principal things which God requires in our walking before him. And this is not slightly to be attended to. The wise man saith, "Keep thy heart with all diligence;" or, as in the original, above or before all keepings; before every watch, keep thy heart. You have many keepings that you watch to; you watch to keep your lives, to keep your estates, to keep your reputations, to keep up your families; but, saith he, above all

these keepings, prefer that, attend to that of the heart, of your affections, that they be not entangled with sin; there is no safety without it. Save all other things, and lose the heart, and all is lost, lost to all eternity. You will say then, what shall we do, or how shall we observe this duty?

First, Keep your affections, as to their object in general. This advice, the apostle gives in this very case, Col. iii. His advice in the beginning of that chapter, is to direct us to the mortification of sin, which he expressly engageth in, ver. 5. " Mortify, therefore, your members which are on the earth."

Prevent

the working and deceit of sin, which wars in your members. To prepare us, to enable us hereunto, he gives us that great direction, ver. 2. "Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth." Fix your affections upon heavenly things, this will enable you to mortify sin: fill them with the things that are above, let them be exercised with them, and so enjoy the chiefest place in them. They are above: blessed and suitable objects, meet for, and answering to our affections; God himself, in his beauty and glory; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "altogether lovely, the chiefest of ten thousand;" grace and glory; the mysteries revealed in the gospel, the blessedness promised thereby. Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed with these things, as it is our duty that they should be, it is our happiness when they are, what access could sin, with its painted pleasures, with its sugared poisons, with its envenomed baits, have to our souls? How should we loathe all its proposals, and say unto them, Get ye hence, as an abominable thing! For what are the

vain transitory pleasures of sin, in comparison of the exceeding recompense of reward which is proposed to us? which argument the apostle presses, 2 Cor. iv.

18.

Secondly, As to the object of your affections in an especial manner, let it be the cross of Christ, which hath an exceeding efficacy towards the disappointment of the whole work of indwelling sin. "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." The cross of Christ the apostle gloried and rejoiced in; this his heart was set upon, and these were the effects of it; it crucified the world to him, made it a dead and undesirable thing. The baits and pleasures of sin are taken, all of them, out of the world, and the things that are in the world, namely, the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." These are the things that are in the world; from these doth sin take all its baits, whereby it enticeth and entangleth our souls. If the heart be filled with the cross of Christ, it casts death and undesirableness upon them all; it leaves no seeming beauty, no appearing pleasure or comeliness in them. Again, saith he, "It crucifieth me to the world; makes my. heart, my affections, my desires, dead to any of these things." It roots up corrupt lusts and affections, leaves no principle to go forth and make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Labour, therefore, to fill your hearts with the cross of Christ. Consider the sorrows he underwent, the curse he bore, the blood he shed, the cries he put forth, the love that was in all this to your souls, and the mys

tery of the grace of God therein.

Meditate on the vileness, the demerit, and punishment of sin, as represented in the cross, the blood, the death of Christ. Is Christ crucified for sin, and shall not our hearts be crucified with him unto sin? Shall we give entertainment to that, or hearken to its dalliances, which wounded, which pierced, which slew our dear Lord Jesus? God forbid. Fill your affections with the cross of Christ, that there may be no room for sin. The world once put him out of a house into a stable, when he came to save us; let him now turn the world out of doors, when he is come to sanctify

us.

Thirdly, Look to the vigour of the affections towards heavenly things. If they are not constantly attended, excited, directed, and warned, they are apt to decay, and sin lies in wait to take every advantage against them. Many complaints we have in the Scripture of those who lost their first love, in suffering their affections to decay. And this should make us jealous over our own hearts, lest we also should be overtaken with the same backsliding frame. Wherefore be jealous over them, often strictly examine them, and call them to account, supply to them due considerations for their exciting and stirring up to duty.

CHAPTER XII.

The conception of sin through its deceit. Wherein it consisteth. The consent of the will to sin. The nature thereof. Ways and means whereby it is obtained. Other advantages made use of by the deceit of sin. Ignorance, errors.

THE third success of the deceit of sin, in its progressive work, is the conception of actual sin. When it hath drawn the mind off from its duty, and entangled the affections, it proceeds to conceive sin, in order to the bringing of it forth. "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin." Now the conception of sin, in order to its perpetration, can be nothing but the consent of the will; for, as without the consent of the will, sin cannot be committed, so where the will hath consented to it, there is nothing in the soul to hinder its actual accomplishment. God doth, indeed, by various ways and means, frustrate the bringing forth of these adulterous conceptions, causing them to melt away in the womb, or one way or other prove abortive, so that not the least part of that sin is committed which is willed or conceived; yet there is nothing in the soul itself that remains to give check to it, when once the will hath given its consent. Oftentimes when a cloud is full of rain, and ready to fall, a wind comes and drives it away. And when the will is ready to bring forth its sin, God diverts it by one wind or other; but yet the cloud was as full of rain as if it