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, light 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.

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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.

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 constant. 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."

CHAPTER V.

Nature of Sin farther discovered, as it is Enmity against God. Its Aversion to all Good opened. Means to prevent the effects of it prescribed.

WE have considered somewhat of the nature of Indwelling Sin, not absolutely, but in reference to the discovery of its power. But this more clearly evidenceth itself in its actings and operations. Power is an act of life, and operation is the only discoverer of life. We know not that any thing lives, but by the effects and works of life. And great and strong operations discover a powerful and vigorous life. Such are the operations of this law of sin, which are all demonstrations of its power.

That which we have declared concerning its nature is, that it consists in enmity. Now there are two general heads of the working or operation of enmity. First, Aversion. Secondly, Opposition.

First, Aversion. Our Saviour, describing the enmity that was between himself and the teachers of the Jews, by the effects of it, saith in the prophet, "My soul loatheth them, and their soul also abhorred me." Where there is mutual enmity, there is mutual aversion, loathing, and abomination. So it was between the Jews and the Samaritans; they were enemies, and abhorred one another.

Secondly, Opposition, or contending against one another, is the next product of enmity-" He was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against

them;" speaking of God towards the people. Where there is enmity, there will be fighting; it is the proper and natural product of it. Now both these effects are found in this law of sin.

First, For aversion-there is an aversion in it to God, and every thing of God, as we have in part discovered in handling the enmity itself, and so shall not need much to insist upon it again. All indisposition to duty, wherein communion with God is to be obtained, all weariness of duty, all carnality, all formality under duty, it all springs from this root. The wise man cautions us against this evil"When thou goest to the house of God, keep thy. foot." Hast thou any spiritual duty to perform, and dost thou design the attaining any communion with God? look to thyself, take care of thy affections, they will be gadding and wandering, and that from their aversion to what thou hast in hand. There is not any good that we would do, wherein we may not find this aversion exercising itself. "When I would do good, evil is present with me;" at any time, at all times, when I would do any thing that is spiritually good, it is present; that is, to hinder me, to obstruct me in my duty, because it abhors and loathes the thing which I have in hand, it will keep me off from it if it be possible. In those in whom it prevails, it comes at length into that frame which is expressed in the prophet Ezekiel: "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." It will allow an outward bodily presence to the wor

ship of God, wherein it is not concerned, but it keeps the heart quite away.

· It may be some will pretend, they find it not so in themselves, but they have freedom and liberty in all the duties of obedience that they attend to. But I fear this pretended liberty will be found, upon examination, to arise from one or both of these causes: First, ignorance of the true state and condition of their own souls, of their inward man and its actings towards God. They know not how it is with them, and therefore are not to be believed in what they report. They are in the dark, and neither know what they do, nor whither they are going. It is probable the Pharisee knew little of this matter, which made him boast of his duties to God himself. Or, secondly, it may be whatever duties of worship or obedience such persons perform, they may, through want of faith and an interest in Christ, have no communion with God in them. And if so, sin will make but little opposition to them therein. We speak of those whose hearts are exercised with these things: and if, under their complaints of them, and groanings for deliverance from them, others cry out to them, Stand off, we are holier than ye, they are willing to bear their condition, as knowing that their way may be safe, though it be troublesome, and being willing to see their own dangers, that they may avoid the ruin into which others fall.

Let us then a little consider this aversion in such acts of obedience, as wherein there is no concern but that of God and the soul. In public duties there may be a mixture of other considerations: they may be so influenced by custom and necessity, that a