syrians, because of his show of a king, assaulted Jehoshaphat; but when they found that it was not Ahab, they turned back from pursuing of him. Because there is a show and appearance of the worship of God, sin may make head against it at first; but when the duty cries out in the heart, that indeed God is not there, sins turns away to seek out its proper enemy, even God himself elsewhere. And hence do many poor creatures spend their days in dismal tiring superstitions, without any great reluctancy from within, when others cannot be suffered freely to watch with Christ in a spiritual manner one hour. And it is no wonder that men fight with carnal weapons for their superstitious worship without, when they have no fighting against it within. For God is not in it; and the law of sin makes not opposition to any duty, but to God in every duty. This is our state and condition; all the opposition that ariseth in us to any thing that is spiritually good, whether it be from darkness in the mind, or aversion in the will, or sloth in the affections, all the secret arguings and reasonings that are in the soul in pursuit of them, the direct object of them is God himself. The enmity lies against him, which consideration surely should influence us to a perpetual constant watchfulness over ourselves.

It is thus also in respect of all propensity to sin, as well as aversion from God. It is God himself that is aimed at. It is true, the pleasures, the wages of sin, do greatly influence the sensual carnal affections of men: but it is the holiness and authority of God that sin itself rises up against: it hat es the yoke of the Lord. "Thou hast been weary of

me," saith God to sinners, and that during their performance of abundance of duties. Every act of sin is a fruit of being weary of God. Thus Job tells us what lies at the bottom in the heart of sinners" They say to the Lord, Depart from us:" it is enmity against him, and aversion to him. Here lies the formal nature of every sin: it is an opposition to God, a casting off his yoke, a breaking off the dependence which the creature ought to have on the Creator. And the apostle gives the reason why he affirms "the carnal mind to be enmity against God;" namely, because "it is not subject to the will of God, nor indeed can be." It never is, nor will, nor can be subject to God, its whole nature consisting in an opposition to him. The soul wherein it is may be subject to the law of God; but this law of sin sets up in contrariety to it, and will not be in subjection.

To manifest a little farther the power of this law of sin from this property of its nature, that it is enmity against God, one or two inseparable adjuncts of it may be considered, which will farther evince it.

First, It is universal; some contentions are limited to some particular concerns, this is about one thing, that about another. It is not so here; the enmity is absolute and universal, as are all enmities that are grounded in the nature of the things themselves. Such enmity is against the whole kind of that which is its object. Such is this enmity: for, First, It is universal to all of God; and, Secondly, It is universal in all of the soul.

First, It is universal to all of God; if there were any thing of God, his nature, properties, his mind

or will, his law or gospel, any duty of obedience to him, of communion with him, that sin had not an enmity against, the soul might have a constant shelter and retreat within itself, by applying itself to that of God, to that of duty towards him, to that of communion with him, against which sin would make no opposition. But the enmity lies against God, and all of God, and every thing wherein or whereby we have to do with him. It is not subject to the law, nor any part or parcel, word or tittle of the law. Whatever is opposite to any thing as such, is opposite to all of it. Sin is enmity to God as God, and therefore to all of God. Not his goodness, not his holiness, not his mercy, not his grace, not his promises; there is not any thing of him which it doth not make head against, nor any duty, private, public, in the heart, in external works, which it opposeth not. And the nearer, if I may so say, any thing is to God, the greater is its enmity to it; the more of spirituality and holiness is in any thing, the greater is its enmity. That which hath most of God, hath most of its opposition. Concerning them in whom this law is predominant, God says, "Ye have set at nought all my counsels, and you would have none of my reproof." Not this or that part of God's counsel, his mind or will, is opposed, but all his counsel; whatever he calleth for, or guideth to, in every particular of it, all is set at nought, and nothing of his reproof attended to. A man would think it not very strange that sin should maintain an enmity against God in his law, which comes to judge it, to condemn it; but it raiseth a greater enmity against him in his gospel, wherein he tenders mercy and pardon as a

deliverance from it, and that merely because more of the glorious properties of God's nature, more of his excellencies and condescension is manifested therein, than in the other.

Secondly, It is universal in all of the soul. Would this law of sin have contented itself to have subdued any one faculty of the soul, would it have left any one at liberty, any one affection free from its yoke and bondage, it might possibly have been with more ease opposed or subdued. But when Christ comes with his spiritual power upon the soul to conquer it himself, he hath no quiet landing place. He can set foot on no ground but what he must fight for and conquer. Not the mind, nor an affection, nor the will, but all is secured against him. And when grace hath made its entrance, yet sin will dwell in all its coasts. Were any thing in the soul at perfect freedom and liberty, there a stand might be made, to drive it from all the rest of its holds: but it is universal, and wars in the whole soul. The mind hath its own darkness and vanity to wrestle with; the will its own stubbornness, obstinacy, and perverseness; every affection its own frowardness and aversion from God, and its sensuality to deal with; so that one cannot yield relief to another, as they ought; they have, as it were, their hands full at home. Hence it is that our knowledge is imperfect, our obedience weak, love not unmixed, fear not pure, delight not free and noble. But I must not insist on these particulars, or I could abundantly show how diffused this principle of enmity against God is through the whole soul.

Secondly, To this might be added its constancy.

It is constant to itself, it wavers not, it hath no thoughts of yielding or giving over, notwithstanding the powerful opposition that is made to it, both by the law and gospel, as afterwards shall be shown.

constant.

This then is a third evidence of the power of sin, taken from its nature and properties, in which I have taken but one instance for its illustration, namely, that it is enmity against God, and that universal and Should we enter upon a full description of it, it would require more space and time than we have allotted to this whole subject. What hath been stated may give us a little sense of it, if it be the will of God, and stir us up to watchfulness. What can be of a more sad consideration, than that we should carry about us constantly that which is enmity against God, and that not in this or that particular, but in all that he is, and in all wherein he hath revealed himself? I cannot say it is well with those who find it not. It is well with those indeed in whom it is weakened, and the power of it abated. But yet for those who say it is not in them, they do but "deceive themselves, and there is no truth in them."