A53712:455
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.
Fifthly, It works by negligence of private communion with God in Prayer and Meditation. I have showed before how Indwelling Sin puts forth its deceitfulness in diverting the soul from watchfulness in and unto these duties. Here if it prevails, it will not fail to induce an habitual declension in the whole course of Obedience. All neglect of private duties is principled by a weariness of God as he complaineth, Isa. 43. 22. Thou hast not called upon Me, thou hast been weary of Me. Neglect of invocation proceeds from weariness. And where there is weariness, there will be withdrawing from that whereof we are weary. Now God alone being the fountain and spring of spiritual life, if there be a weariness of him, and withdrawing from him, it is impossible but that there will a decay in the Life ensue. Indeed what men are in these• duties, I mean as to Faith and Love in them, that they are and no more. Here lies the root of their obedience, and if this fail all fruit will quickly fail. You may sometimes see a Tree flourishing with leaves and fruit goodly and pleasant. After a while the leaves begin to decay, the fruit to wither, the whole to droop. Search, and you shall find the root, whereby it should draw in moisture and fatness from the Earth to supply the body and branches with sap and juice for growth and fruit, hath received a wound, is some way perished, and doth not perform its duty, so that ⟨p. 260⟩though the branches are flourishing a while with what they had received their sustenance being intercepted they must decay. So it is here. These duties of private Communion with God, are the means of receiving supplies of spiritual strength from him; of sap & fatness from Christ the Vine and Olive. Whilst they do so, the conversation and course of obedience flourisheth and is fruitful, all outward duties are cheerfully and regularly performed. But if there be a wound, a defect, a failing in that which should first take in the spiritual radical moisture, that should be communicated unto the whole, the rest may for a season maintain their station and appearance, but after a while profession will wither, fruits will decay, and the whole be ready to die. Hence our Saviour lets us know, Matth. 6. 6. what a man is in secret, in these private duties, that he is in the eyes of God, and no more.