A53712:367
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, In the coming of some great temptation and trial upon the world. God knowing that such and such of his would not be able to withstand it, and hold out against it, but would dishonour him, and defile themselves, he may, and doubtless often doth take them out of the world, to take them out of the way of it. Isa. 57. 1. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come; not only the evil of punishment and judgement, but the evil of temptations and trials, which oftentimes proves much the worse of the two. Thus a Captain in war will call off a soldier from his watch and guard, when he knows that he is not able, through some infirmity to bear the stress and force of the enemy that is coming upon him.
First, In the coming of some great temptation and tryal upon the world. God knowing that such and such of his would not be able to withstand it, and hold out against it, but would dishonour him, and defile themselves, he may, and doubtless often doth take them out of the world, to take them out of the way of it. Isa. 57. 1. The rig•teous is taken away from the evil to come; not only the evil of punishment and judgement, but the evil of temptations and trials, which oftentimes proves much the worse of the two. Thus a Captain in war will call off a souldier from his watch and guard, when he knows that he is not able, through some infirmity to bear the stress and force of the enemy that is coming upon him.
Secondly, In case of their engagement into any way not acceptable to him, through ignorance, or not knowing of his mind and will. This seems to have been the case of Josiah. And doubtless the Lord doth oftentimes thus proceed with his. When any of his own are engaged in ways that please him not, through the darkness and ignorance of their minds, that they may not proceed to farther evil or mischief, he calls them off from their station and employment, and takes them to himself, where they shall err and mistake no more. But in ordinary cases, God hath other ways of diverting his own from sin, than by killing of them, as we shall see afterwards.