A53712:295
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.
First, It is from the deceit of sin that the mind is spiritually slothful, whereby it becomes negligent unto this duty. The principal discharge of its trust in this matter is expressed by watching, which is the great Caution that the Lord Jesus gave unto his Disciples in reference unto all their dangers from sin and Satan, Mark 14. 37. I say unto all watch. That is, use your utmost diligence and circumspection, that you be not surprised and entangled with temptations. It is called also consideration; Consider your ways; consider your latter end; the want whereof God complains of in his People, Dent. 32. 29. Now that which is contrary to these indispensable conditions of our preservation, is spiritual slothfulness, as the Apostle declares, Heb. 6. 11, 12. And we desire that every one of you, do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that you be not slothful. If we show not diligence, we are slothful, and in danger of coming short to inherit the promises; See 2 Pet. 1. 5, 9. And besides this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue, knowledge &c. For if these ⟨p. 155⟩things be in you and abound, that they make you that you shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins; wherefore the rather Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if you do these things you shall never fall; For so an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, ver. 9, 10. All this the mind is turned from, if once by the deceit of sin it be made slothful. Now this sloth consists in three things.
First, It is from the deceit of sin that the mind is spiritually slothful, whereby it becomes negligent unto this duty. The principal discharge of its trust in this matter is expressed by watching, which is the great Caution that the Lord Jesus gave unto his Disciples in reference unto all their dangers from sin and Satan,