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

There are two ways in general whereby God thus prevents the bringing forth of conceived sin, by working on the will of the sinner; and they are, first, by Restraining Grace: secondly, by Renewing Grace. He doth it sometimes the one way, sometimes the other. The first of these is common to regenerate and unregenerate persons, the latter peculiar to believers; and God doth it variously as to particulars by them both. We shall begin with the first of them.

There are two waies in general whereby God thus prevents the bringing forth of conceived sin, by working on the will of the sinner; and they are, first, by Restraining Grace: secondly, by Renewing Grace. He doth it sometimes the one way, sometimes the other. The first of these is common to regenerate and unregenerate persons, the latter peculiar to believers; and God doth it variously as to particulars by them both. We shall begin with the first of them.

First, God doth this in the way of restraining grace by some arrow of particular conviction, fixed in the heart and conscience of the sinner, in reference unto the particular sin which he had conceived. This staggers and changes the mind, as to the particular intended, causeth the hands to hang down, and the weapons of lust to fall out of them. Hereby conceived sin proves abortive. How God doth this work, by what immediate touches, strokes, blows, rebukes of his Spirit; by what reasonings, arguments, and commotions of mens own consciences, is not for us throughly to find out. It is done, as was said, in unspeakable variety, and the works of God are past finding out. But as to what light may be given unto it from Scripture instances, after we have manifested the ⟨p. 206⟩general way of Gods procedure, it shall be insisted on.