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

First, It entangleth the soul in the things of the world, all which are so many Purveyors for Satan. When Pharaoh had let the people go, he heard after a while that they were entangled in the wilderness and supposeth that he shall therefore now ⟨p. 252⟩overtake them and destroy them. This stirs him up to pursue after them. Satan finding those whom he hath been cast out from, entangled in the things of the world, by which he is sure to find an easy access unto them, is encouraged to attempt upon them afresh; as the Spider to come down upon the strongest fly that is entangled in his web. For he comes by his temptations only to impel them unto that whereunto by their own lusts they are inclined, by adding poison to their lusts, and painting to the objects of them. And oftentimes by this advantage he gets so in upon the souls of men, that they are never well free of him more whilst they live. And as mens diversions increase from the world, so do their entanglements from Satan. When they have more to do in the world than they can well manage, they shall have more to do from Satan than they can well withstand. When men are made spiritually faint, by dealing in and with the world, Satan sets on them a• Amalek did on the faint and weak of the people that came out of Egypt.

First, It intangleth the soul in the things of the world, all which are so many Purveyors for Satan. When Pharaoh had let the people go, he heard after a while that they were intangled in the wilderness and supposeth that he shall therefore now ⟨p. 252⟩overtake them and destroy them. This stirs him up to pursue after them. Satan finding those whom he hath been cast out from, intangled in the things of the world, by which he is sure to find an easie access unto them, is encouraged to attempt upon them afresh; as the Spider to come down upon the strongest flie that is entangled in his web. For he comes by his temptations only to impel them unto that whereunto by their own lusts they are enclined, by adding poison to their lusts, and painting to the objects of them. And oftentimes by this advantage he gets so in upon the souls of men, that they are never well free of him more whilst they live. And as mens diversions increase from the world, so do their entanglements from Satan. When they have more to do in the world than they can well manage, they shall have more to do from Satan than they can well withstand. When men are made spiritually faint, by dealing in and with the world, Satan sets on them a Amalek did on the faint and weak of the people that came out of Egypt.