A53712:289
The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin
The nature, power, deceit, and prevalency of the remainders of indwelling-sin in believers together with the ways of its working and means of prevention opened, evinced, and applied with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto appertaining.The nature, power, deceit, and prevalency of the remainders of indwelling-sin in believers together with the wayes of its working and means of prevention opened, evinced, and applyed with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto appertaining.
London: printed for Thomas Cockerill, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, The consideration of all the love and kindness of God, against whom every sin is committed, is another thing that the mind ought diligently to attend unto. And this is a prevailing consideration, if rightly and graciously managed in the soul. This Moses presseth on the people, Deut. 32. 6. Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy Father that bought thee? Hath he not made thee, and established thee? Is this a requital for Eternal Love, and all the fruits of it? for the love and care of a Father, of a Redeemer, that we have been made partakers of? And it is the same consideration which the Apostle manageth to this purpose, ⟨p. 151⟩2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The receiving of the promises ought to be effectual, as to stir us up unto all holiness, so to work and effect an abstinence from all sin. And what Promises are these? namely that God will be a Father unto us, and receive us, chap. 6. 17, 18. which compriseth the whole of all the love of God towards us here, and to eternity. If there be any spiritual ingenuity in the soul, whilst the mind is attentive to this consideration, there can be no prevailing attempt made upon it by the power of sin. Now there are two parts of this consideration.
First, That which is general in it, that which is common unto all believers. This is managed unto this purpose, 1 Joh. 3. 1, 2, 3. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope, purifieth himself even as he is pure. Consider, saith he, the love of God, and the privileges that we enjoy by it: Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Adoption is an especial fruit of it, and how great a privilege is this? Such love it is, and such are the fruits of it, that the world knoweth nothing of the blessed condition which we obtain and enjoy thereby: The world knoweth us not. Nay, it is such love, and