A53712:69
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.
Secondly, As it is unsearchable, so it is deceitful, as in the place above mentioned; it is deceitful above all things, incomparably so. There is great deceit in the dealings of men in the world, great in their counsels and contrivances in reference to their affairs private and public; great deceit in their words and actings: the world is full of deceit and fraud. But all this is nothing to the deceit that is in mans heart towards himself, for that is the meaning of the expression in this place, and not towards others. Now incomparable deceitfulness, added to unsearchableness, gives a great addition and increase of strength of the Law of sin, upon the account of its seat and subject. I speak not yet of the deceitfulness of sin it self, but the deceitfulness of the heart where it is seated. Prov. 26. 25. There are seven abominations in the heart; that is, not only many, but an absolute complete number, as seven denotes: and they are such abominations as consist in deceitfulness; so the caution fore-going insinuates, Trust him not; for it is only deceit that should make us not to trust in that degree and measure which the object is capable of.
Secondly, As it is unsearchable, so it is deceitful, as in the place above mentioned; it is deceitful above all things, incomparably so. There is great deceit in the dealings of men in the world, great in their counsels and contrivances in reference to their affairs private and publick; great deceit in their words and actings: the world is full of deceit and fraud. But all this is nothing to the deceit that is in mans heart towards himself, for that is the meaning of the expression in this place, and not towards others. Now incomparable deceitfulness, added to unsearchableness, gives a great addition and encrease of strength of the Law of sin, upon the account of its seat and subject. I speak not yet of the deceitfulness of sin it self, but the deceitfulness of the heart where it is seated. Prov. 26. 25. There are seven abominations in the heart; that is, not only many, but an absolute complete number, as seven denotes: and they are such abominations as consist in deceitfulness; so the caution fore-going insinuates, Trust him not; for it is only deceit that should make us not to trust in that degree and measure which the object is cabable of.