IV. The spirit rebukes a man for his evil intents and desires, & represseth the force of them, & as it were nips them in the head. Thus Isaiah describeth the inward motions of the spirit,f And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand & when thou turnest to the left. And Saint John saith, The spirit gjudgeth the world of sin. This was in David, who when he did any evil, his heart smote him. 2. Sam. 24. 10. Out of this doctrine issueth a notable difference betwixt the wicked and the godly: In the godly when they are tempted to sin, there is a fight between the heart and the heart; that is, between the heart and it self: In the wicked also there is a fight, when they are tempted to sin:3 but this fight is only between the heart and the conscience. The wicked man whatsoever he is hath some knowledge of good and evil: and therefore when he is in doing any evil, his conscience accuseth, checketh, and controleth him, and he feels it stirring in him, as if it were some living thing that crawled in his body, & gnawed upon his heart, and thereupon he is very often grieved for his sins, yet for all that he liketh his sins very well, and loveth them,4 and could find in his heart to continue in them for ever: so that indeed when he sinneth, he hath in his heart a striving and a conflict,5 but that is only between himself and his conscience. But the godly have an other kind of battle and conflict, for not only their consciences prick them and reprove them for sin, but also their hearts are so renewed, that they rise in hatred and detestation of sin; & when they are tempted to evil by their flesh and Satan, they feel a lust and desire to do that which is good.
IV. The spirit rebukes a man for his euil intents and desires, & represseth the force of thē, & as it were nips them in the head. Thus Esay describeth the inward motions of the spirit,f And thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walke ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand & when thou turnest to the left. And Saint Iohn saith, The spirit giudgeth the worlde of sinne. This was in Dauid, who when he did any euill, his heart smote him. 2. Sam. 24. 10. Out of this doctrine issueth a notable difference betwixt the wicked and the godly: In the godly when they are tempted to sinne, there is a fight betweene the heart and the heart; that is, betweene the heart and it selfe: In the wicked also there is a fight, when they are tempted to sinne:3 but this fight is onely betweene the heart and the conscience. The wicked man whatsoeuer he is hath some knowledge of good and euil: and therefore when he is in doing any euil, his conscience accuseth, checketh, and controuleth him, and hee feeles it stirring in him, as if it were some liuing thing that crauled in his body, & gnawed vpon his heart, and therupon he is very often grieued for his sins, yet for all that he liketh his sinnes very well, and loueth them,4 and could finde in his heart to continue in them for euer: so that indeed when he sinneth, hee hath in his heart a striuing and a conflict,5 but that is onely betweene himselfe and his conscience. But the godly haue an other kind of battel and conflict, for not only their consciences pricke them and reproue them for sinne, but also their hearts are so renewed, that they rise in hatred and detestation of sinne; & when they are tempted to euill by their flesh and Satan, they feele a lust and desire to doe that which is good.
- fEsa. 30.21
- gJoh. 16.8.Ioh. 16.8.
- 3Ro. 2.14.15.
- 41. Pet. 4.3.4
- 5Psal. 67.10. Psal. 119. 104.118. Rom. 7. 15.
