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

As a man that finds himself somewhat distempered, sending for a Physician of skill, when he comes, requires his judgement of his distemper. He considering his condition, tells him, Alas, I am sorry for you, the case is far otherwise with you than you imagine, your disease is mortal, and it hath proceeded so far pressing upon your spirits, and infecting the whole mass of your blood, that I doubt unless most effectual remedies be used, you will live but a very few hours.

So is it in this case, a man may have some trouble in his mind and conscience about Indwelling-sin; he finds all not well, as it should be with him, more from the effects of sin, and its continual eruptions▪ than the nature of it, which he hopes to wrestle ⟨p. 286⟩withal: but now when the Law comes, that lets the soul know, that its disease is deadly and mortal, that it is exceeding sinful, as being the root and cause of all his alienation from God; and thus also the Law proceeds against it.

So is it in this case, a man may have some trouble in his mind and conscience about Indwelling-sin; he finds all not well, as it should be with him, more from the effects of sin, and its continual eruptions▪ than the nature of it, which he hopes to wrestle ⟨p. 286⟩withall: but now when the Law comes, that lets the soul know, that its disease is deadly and mortal, that it is exceding sinful, as being the root and cause of all his alienation from God; and thus also the Law proceeds against it.

Thirdly, The Law judgeth the person, or lets the sinner plainly know what he is to expect upon the account of this sin. This is the Laws proper work, its discovering property is but preparative to its judging. The Law is it self, when it is in the Throne. Here it minceth not the matter with sinners, as we use to do one with another, but tells him plainly, Thou art the man, in whom this exceeding sinful sin doth dwell, and you must answer for the guilt of it. And this, methinks, if any thing, should rouse up a man to set himself in opposition to it, yea, utterly to destroy it. The Law lets him know that upon the account of this sin, he is obnoxious to the curse and wrath of the great God against him; yea, pronounceth the sentence of everlasting condemnation upon him upon that account: abide in this state and perish, is its language. It leaves not the soul without this warning in this world, and will leave it without excuse on that account in the world to come.