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

Secondly, Because the actings and workings of the mind being spiritual, are such as the conscience unless clearly enlightened, and duly excited and stirred up, is not affected withal, so as to take due notice of them. Conscience is not apt to exercise reflex acts upon the minds failures, as principally respecting the acts of the whole soul. When the Affections are entangled with sin (of which afterwards) or the Will begins to conceive it by its express consent, Conscience is apt to make an uproar in the soul, and to give it no rest or quiet until the soul be reclaimed, or it self be one way or other bribed or debauched. But these neglects of the mind being spiritual, without very diligent attendance, they are seldom taken notice of. Our minds are often in the Scriptures, called our Spirits, as Rom. 1. 9. Whom I serve in my Spirit; and are distinguished from the soul, which principally intends the Affections, in that distribution, 1 Thess. 5. 23. Sanctify you wholly, your ⟨p. 139⟩whole spirit and soul, that is, your mind and Affections. It is true where the Spirit is used to express spiritual gifts, it is as unto those gifts opposed to our understandings, 1 Cor 14. 15. Which is there taken for the first act of the mind in a rational perception of things. But as that word is applied unto any faculty of our souls, it is the mind that it expresseth. This then being our Spirit, the actings of it are secret and hidden, and not to be discovered without spiritual wisdom and diligence. Let us not suppose then that we dwell too long on this consideration, which is of so great importance to us, and yet so hidden, and which we are apt to be very insensible of; and yet our carefulness in this matter is one of the best evidences that we have of our sincerity. Let us not then be like a man that is sensible, and complains of a cut finger, but not of a decay of Spirits tending unto death. There remains therefore as unto this head of our discourse, the consideration of the charge of the mind in reference unto particular duties and sins. And in the consideration of it, we shall do these two things.

Secondly, Because the actings and workings of the mind being spiritual, are such as the conscience unless clearly enlightened, and duly excited and stirred up, is not affected withal, so as to take due notice of them. Conscience is not apt to exercise reflex acts upon the minds failures, as principally respecting the acts of the whole soul. When the Affections are entangled with sin (of which afterwards) or the Will begins to conceive it by its express consent, Conscience is apt to make an uproar in the soul, and to give it no rest or quiet until the soul be reclaimed, or it self be one way or other bribed or debauched. But these neglects of the mind being spiritual, without very diligent attendance, they are seldom taken notice of. Our minds are often in the Scriptures, called our Spirits, as