of God, much less such as some saints of old have been fallen into. By these and the like pretences, I say, it seeks to evade and keep its abode in the soul, when pursued to destruction. And how little a portion of its deceitfulness is it that we have declared!

CHAPTER XIII.

Several ways whereby the bringing forth of conceived Sin is obstructed.

BEFORE we proceed to the remaining evidence of the power and efficacy of the law of sin, we shall take occasion, from what hath been delivered, to advert to one consideration that offers itself from that scripture, which was made the bottom and foundation of our discourse of the general deceitfulness of sin, namely, James i. 14. The apostle tells us, that "lust conceiving brings forth sin;" seeming to intimate, that whatever sin is conceived, that also is brought forth. Now placing the conception of sin, as we have done, in the consent of the will to it, and reckoning, as we ought, the bringing forth of sin to consist in its actual commission, we know that these do not necessarily follow one another. There is a

world of sin conceived in the womb of the wills and hearts of men, that is never brought forth. Our present business then shall be to inquire, Whence that comes to pass? I answer then,

First, That this is not so, is no thanks to sin, nor the law of it. What it conceives it would bring forth; and that it doth not, is, for the most part, but a small abatement of its guilt. A determinate will of actual sinning, is actual sin. There is nothing wanting on sin's part, that every conceived sin is not actually accomplished. The obstacle and prevention lies on another hand.

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Secondly, There are two things that are necesin the creature that hath conceived sin, for the bringing of it forth: First, power; secondly, continuance in the will of sinning, until it be perpetrated and committed. Where these two are, actual sin will unavoidably ensue. It is evident, therefore, that that which hinders conceived sin from being brought forth, must affect either the power or the will of the sinner. This must be from God. And he hath two ways of doing it. First, by his providence, whereby he obstructs the power of sinning. Secondly, by his grace, whereby he diverts or changes the will of sinning. I do not mention these ways of God's dispensations thus distinctly, as though the one of them were always without the other, for there is much of grace in providential administrations, and much of the wisdom of providence seen in the dispensations of grace. But I place them in this distinction, because they appear most eminent therein. Providence, in outward acts, respecting the the creature; grace, common or special, in internal efficacy, respecting his will. And we shall begin

with the first:

power

of

First, When sin is conceived, the Lord obstructs its production by his providence, in taking away, or taking short, that power, which is absolutely necessary for its bringing forth, or accomplishment. As,

1st, Life is the foundation of all power, the principle of operation. When that ceaseth, all power ceaseth with it. Even God himself, to evince the everlasting stability of his own power, gives himself the title of the Living God. Now he frequently obviates the power of exerting sin actually, by cut

ting short, and taking away, the lives of them that have conceived it. Thus he dealt with the army of Sennacherib, when, according as he had purposed, so he threatened, that "the Lord should not deliver Jerusalem out of his hand.” God threatens to cut short his power, that he should not execute his intentions; which he performs accordingly, by taking away the lives of his soldiers, without whom it was impossible that his conceived sin should be brought forth. This providential dispensation in the obstruction of conceived sin, Moses excellently sets forth in the case of Pharaoh: "The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters." Sin's conception is fully expressed, and as full a prevention is annexed to it. In like manner he dealt with the companies of fifties and their captains, who came to apprehend Elijah. Fire came down from heaven, and consumed them, when they were ready to have taken him. And sundry other instances of the like nature might be recorded. That which is of universal concern, we have in that great providential alteration, which put a period to the lives of men. Men living hundreds of years, had a long season to bring forth the sins they had conceived; thereupon the earth was filled with violence, injustice, and rapine, and "all flesh corrupted their ways." To prevent the like inundation of sin, God shortens the course of the pilgrimage of men on the earth, and reduces their lives to a much shorter measure. Besides this

general law, God daily thus cuts off persons, who had conceived much mischief and violence in their hearts, and prevents the execution of it. "Blood

thirsty and deceitful men do not live out half their days." They have yet much work to do, might they have but space given them to execute the bloody and sinful purposes of their minds. The Psalmist tells us, "In the day that the breath of man goeth forth, his thoughts perish." He had many contrivances about sin, but now they are all cut off. So also the wise man: 66 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him; but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God." How long soever a wicked man lives, yet he dies judicially, and shall not abide to do the evil he had conceived.

But now, seeing we have granted that even believers themselves may conceive sin, through the power and deceitfulness of it, it may be inquired, whether God ever thus obviates its production and accomplishment in them, by cutting off, and taking away their lives, so as that they shall not be able to perform it? I answer,

First, That God doth not judicially cut off, and take away the life of any of his, for this end and purpose, that he may thereby prevent the execution, or bringing forth of any particular sin that he had conceived, and which, without that taking away, he would have perpetrated. For,

Ist, This is directly contrary to the very declared