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النشر الإلكتروني

CHAPTER VIII.

Indwelling sin proved powerful from its deceit. Proved to be deceitful. The general nature of deceit, James i. 14. opened. How the mind is

drawn off from its duty by the deceitfulness of sin, The principal duties of the mind in our obedience. The ways and means whereby it is turned from it.

THE second part of the evidence of the power of sin from its manner of operation, is taken from its deceitfulness. It adds, in its working, deceit to power. The efficacy of that must needs be great, and is carefully to be watched against, by all such as value their souls, where power and deceit are combined; especially advantaged and assisted by all the ways and means before stated.

Before we come to show wherein the nature of this deceitfulness of sin doth consist, and how it prevaileth thereby, some testimonies shall be briefly given to the thing itself, and some light to the general nature of it.

That sin, indwelling sin, is deceitful, we have the express testimony of the Holy Ghost: "Take heed that ye be not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Deceitful it is, take heed of it, watch against it, or it will produce its utmost effect, in hardening of the heart against God. It is on the account of sin, that the heart is said to be "deceitful above all things." Take a man in other things, and, as Job speaks,

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though he "would be wise and crafty, he is like the wild ass's colt;" a poor, vain, empty nothing. But consider his heart, on the account of this law of sin, it is crafty and deceitful above all things. They are wise to do evil," saith the prophet, "but to do good they have no knowledge." To the same purpose speaks the apostle-" The old man is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts." Every lust which is a branch of this law of sin is deceitful; and where there is poison in every stream, the fountain must needs be corrupt. No particular lust hath any deceit in it, but what is communicated to it from this fountain of all actual lust, this law of sin. And the coming of the man of sin, is said to be in and with the "deceivableness of unrighteousness."

Un

righteousness is a thing generally decried and evil spoken of amongst men, so that it is not easy to conceive how any man should avail himself of a reputation thereby. But there is a deceivableness in it, whereby the minds of men are turned aside from a due consideration of it, as we shall manifest afterwards. And thus the account which the apostle gives, concerning those who are under the power of sin is, that they are deceived. And the life of evil men is nothing but "deceiving and being deceived." So that we have sufficient testimony given to this qualification of the enemy with whom we have to deal, he is deceitful; which consideration, of all things, puts the mind of man to a loss in dealing with an adversary. He knows he can have no security against one that is deceitful, but in standing upon his own guard and defence all his days.

Farther to manifest the strength and advantage

that sin hath by its deceit, we may observe, that the Scripture places it, for the most part, as the head and spring of every sin, even as if there were no sin followed after, but where deceit went before. So the reason the apostle gives why Adam, though he was first formed, was not first in the transgression is, because he was not first deceived. The woman, though made last, yet being first deceived, was first in the sin. Even that first sin began in deceit, and until the mind was deceived, the soul was safe. Eve therefore did truly express the matter, though she did it not to a good end: "The serpent beguiled me," said she, "and I did eat." She thought to extenuate her own crime, by charging the serpent. And this was a new fruit of the sin she had cast herself into. But the matter of fact was true, she was beguiled before she ate; deceit went before the transgression. And the apostle shows that sin and Satan still take the same course. There is, saith he, the same way of working towards actual sin, as was of old; beguiling, deceiving goes before, and sin, that is, the actual accomplishment of it, followeth after. Hence all the great works that the devil doth in the world, to stir men up to an opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom, he doth them by deceit. "The devil, who deceiveth the whole world." It were utterly impossible men should be prevailed on to abide in his service, acting his designs to their eternal, and sometimes their temporal ruin, were they not exceedingly deceived.

Hence are those manifold cautions that are given us to take heed that we be not deceived, if we would take heed that we do not sin. "Let no man de

ceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." From which we may learn the influence that deceit hath to sin, and consequently the advantage that the law of sin hath to put forth its power, by its deceitfulness. Where it prevails to deceive, it fails not to bring forth its fruit.

The ground of this efficacy of sin by deceit, is taken from the faculty of the soul affected with it. Deceit properly affects the mind: it is the mind that is deceived. When sin attempts any other way of entrance into the soul, as by the affections, the mind, retaining its right and sovereignty, is able to give check and control to it. But where the mind is tainted, the prevalency must be great; for the mind, or understanding, is the leading faculty of the soul, and what that fixes on, the will and affections rush after, being capable of no consideration but what that presents to them. Hence it is, that though the entanglement of the affections to sin be oftentimes most troublesome, yet the deceit of the mind is always most dangerous, and that because of the place it possesseth in the soul, as to all its operations. Its office is to guide, direct, choose, and lead; and if the light that is in us be darkness, how great is that darkness!

And this will farther appear, if we consider the nature of deceit in general. It consists in presenting to the soul, or mind, things otherwise than they are, either in their nature, causes, effects, or present espect to the soul. This is the general nature of

The fruit

deceit, and it prevails many ways. It hides what ought to be seen and considered, conceals circumstances and consequences, presents what is not, or things as they are not, as we shall afterwards manifest in particular. It was shown before, that Satan beguiled and deceived our first parents; that term the Holy Ghost gives to his temptation and seduction. And how he did deceive them the Scripture relates, Gen. iii. 4, 5. He did it by represent ing things otherwise than they were. was desirable, that was apparent to the eye. Hence Satán takes advantage secretly to insinuate, that it was merely an abridgment of their happiness that God aimed at, in forbidding them to eat of it. That it was for a trial of their obedience, that certain, though not immediate ruin would ensue upon the eating of it, he hides from them; only he proposeth the present advantage of knowledge, and so presents the whole case quite otherwise to them than indeed it was. This is the nature of deceit; it is a representation of a matter under disguises, hiding that which is undesirable, proposing that which indeed is not in it, that the mind may make a false judgment of it. So Jacob deceived Isaac by his brother's raiment, and the skins on his hands and neck.

Again, deceit hath advantage by that way of management which is inseparable from it. It is always carried on by degrees, by little and little, that the whole of the design and aim in hand, be not at once discovered. So dealt Satan in that great deceit before mentioned; he proceeded in it by steps and degrees. First, he takes off an objection, and tells them they shall not die; then proposeth the

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