The difference between the spots of the godly and of the wicked preached

And then the Second thing, It is a universal opposition; and that in these Two regards.

First, All the faculties in the soul do rise up against sin: There is some kind of opposition in a wicked man against sin, that is, his conscience sometimes doth oppose the lusts that there is in his affections: It may be, a wicked man hath a convinced conscience; and his conscience will not let him to be at quiet; but in his affections there is a liking of sin, only his conscience will not let him ⟨p. 71⟩be at quiet:—You will say, how shall a man discern this? You may discern it thus; If the opposition be merely in your conscience and not in your heart and affections, then, though indeed you dare not for the present commit such a sin, yet you could wish with all your heart that you might have liberty to do it; you could wish that there were not such a Law to forbid it; you could be glad that that Law were more loose: And you would fain have such a thing not to be a sin; and if you could commit it quietly without any danger, you would do it: Now the opposition is not in your will, it is only in your conscience: This is an opposition to sin that a carnal heart may have; that is, he may have his conscience so fly in his face, as that he shall not dare for the present to commit his sin, no not in secret; a man may come so far: You will say, Indeed, many hypocrites may go thus far, as not to commit sin before others, but yet if it be in secret, then they will do it; No, a natural conscience may be able to carry a man to this height, that is, not only to abstain from sin because of others, but from the acts of sin in secret, that he dares not for his life (though there be none but God and himself together) give way to his sin, and yet no saving-grace all this while:—You will say, how can that be? because though his conscience will ⟨p. 72⟩not let him be quiet, yet he would be glad to have his sin if he might; here's no change of nature that's the evidence, that there is no grace; for if a man abstain from sin out of a principle of grace, it is from the change of his nature; and certainly here's no change of nature in this: so that it is not a universal opposition, it's but only in one part of his soul: But now the opposition of a gracious heart it is in the whole soul; not only my conscience is against my sin, but my will, and my affections; I have a principle in my will and affections, as well as in my conscience; all the faculties of the soul do oppose the sin.