A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

sin hath been conceived by us, but God hath stifled and strangled it in the Womb; would you know now whether this hath proceeded from God's Restraining or from God's Sanctifying Grace; why then make a judgment according to this rule, where restraining Grace only resists and hinders sin, it doth it by setting one faculty ⟨p. 293⟩and affection of the Soul against another; but where sanctifying Grace hinders it, it sets the same faculty and affection of the Soul against it self; restraining Grace sets one affection against another, Conscience against Will, the fear of Hell against the love of Sin, hellish terrors against sinful pleasures, God's threatenings against the Devil's flatteries, it marshals up these, and so enters the combat; here are bandyings of one power of the Soul against another, but now the Will that is entirely on sins part, and if Conscience prevails and pulls away a beloved lust from the embraces of the Will, the Sinner parts with it very heavily and unwillingly, following it as Phaltiel did Michal weeping, tho he durst not make resistance; but now when sanctifying Grace opposeth and hinders sin, it sets the same faculty and affection of the Soul against it self, Will against Will, and Love against Love, Desire against Desire; he wills the commission of sin, it is true, but yet at the same time he wills the mortification of it; he loves to gratify his sin, but yet at the same time he wills the crossing of it too; he desires to enjoy ⟨p. 294⟩that pleasure and contentment, that he fancies he may take in sin, and yet he desires at the same time to destroy it; here is one and the same faculty bandying against it self, and the reason of this is, because a Child of God hath two Principles in every single faculty; there is in him a mixture of Flesh and Spirit; a carnal part that sides with sin, and a spiritual part that always contradicts and opposeth it, and these two are spread over his whole Soul, and are mingled with every power and faculty thereof; so that he can neither do the evil nor do the good, that he would do without contradiction, strife, and reluctancy; now try your selves by this when you are tempted to sin, what is it that resists it? Is it your Will, or is it only your Conscience? are you only frighted from it, doth the fear of Hell overcome the love of sin; why?

sin hath been conceived by us, but God hath stifled and strangled it in the Womb; would you know now whether this hath proceeded from God's Restraining or from God's Sanctifying Grace; why then make a judgment according to this rule, where restraining Grace only resists and hinders sin, it doth it by setting one faculty