The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin

••rst, For the nature of it, it seems to consist in a violent, heady, pertinacious pressing unto evil or ⟨p. 91⟩sin. Violence, importunity and pertinacy are in it. It is the tearing and torturing of the soul by any sin to force its consent, and to obtain satisfaction. It riseth up in the heart, is denied by the Law of grace, and rebuked; it returns and exerts its poison again; the soul is startled, casts it of; it returns again with new violence and importunity, the soul cries out for help and deliverance, looks round about to all springs of Gospel grace and relief, trembles at the furious assaults of sin, and casts it self into the arms of Christ for deliverance. And if it be not table to take that course, it is foiled and hurried up and down through the mire and filth of foolish imaginations, corrupt and noisome lusts, which rend and tear it, as if they would devour its whole spiritual life and power. See 1 Tim. 6. 9, 10. 2 Pet. 2. 14. It was not much otherwise with them whom we instanced in before, Isa. 57. 17. They had an inflamed enraged lust working in them; even covetousness, or the love of this world, by which, as the Apostle speaks, men pierce themselves through with many sorrows. God is angry with them, and discovereth his wrath by all the ways and means that it was possible for them to be made sensible thereof. He was wroth and smo•e them; but though it may be this staggered them a little, yet they went on. He is angry, and hides himself from them, deserts them as to his gracious assisting comforting Presence. Doth this work the effect? No they go on frowardly still, as men mad on their covetousness. Nothing can put a stop to their raging lusts. This is plain madness and fury. We need not seek far for instances, we see men mad on ⟨p. 92⟩their lusts every day: And which is the worst kind• of madness, their lusts do not rage so much in them, as they rage in the pursuit of them. Are those greedy pursuits of things in the world, which we see some men engaged in, though they have other pretences, indeed an thing else but plain madness in the pursuit of their lusts? God who searcheth the hearts of men, knows, that the most of things that are done with other pretences in the world, are nothing but the actings of men mad and furious in the pursuit of their lusts.