Whilst a man is in the state of nature, fully under the dominion of this
"The God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God, your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
By the "flesh" in this matter the whole old man, or the law of sin, is meant: John 3:6, "What is born of the flesh is flesh," - that is, it is all so, and nothing else; and whatever remains of the old nature in the new man is flesh still. And this flesh lusts, - this law of sin does so; which is the foundation of all its opposition to God. And this it does two ways: -
1. In a hidden, close tendency to all evil. This lies in it habitually. Whilst a man is in the state of nature, fully under the dominion of this law of sin, it is said that "every figment of his heart is evil, and that continually," Genesis 6:5. It can produce nothing but what is evil; because this habitual tendency to evil that is in the law of sin is absolutely predominant. It is in the heart like poison that has nothing to allay its venomous qualities, and so infects whatever it touches. And where its dominion is broken, yet in its own nature it has still a habitual tendency to what is evil, wherein its lusting consists.
But here we must distinguish between the habitual frame of the heart and the natural tendency or habitual inclination of the law of sin in the heart. The habitual inclination of the heart is denominated from the principle that bears chief or sovereign rule in it; so in believers it is to good, to God, to holiness, to obedience. The heart is not habitually inclined to evil by the remainders of indwelling sin; but this sin in the heart has a constant, habitual tendency to evil in itself or its own nature. This the apostle intends by its being present with us: "It is present with me;" that is, always and for its own end, which is to lust to sin.
Indwelling sin is like a river. Whilst its springs are open, and waters are continually supplied to its streams, set a dam before it, and it causes it to rise until it overthrows the dam or overflows its banks. If the springs are dried up, the rest may be restrained. But as long as
there is running water, it will constantly press on what stands before it, because it is its nature so to do; and if it can make a passage, it will proceed. So is it with indwelling sin; whilst its springs are open, in vain is it for men to set a dam before it by their convictions and promises. They may check it for a while, but it will increase, rise high, and rage until it overthrows all those convictions and resolutions, or makes itself an underground passage by some secret lust, that shall give a full vent to it. But suppose that its springs are dried up by regenerating grace, its streams abated by holiness; yet whilst anything remains of it, it will be pressing constantly forward to actual sin.
And this tendency is revealed two ways: -
(1.) In its unexpectedly taking the soul into foolish imaginations, which it looked not for, nor was any occasion administered to them. It is with indwelling sin as it is with the contrary principle of sanctifying grace. This gives the soul, if I may so say, many a blessed happening. It often generates a holy, spiritual frame in the heart and mind, when we have had no previous rational considerations to work them. And this manifests it to be an habitual principle prevailing in the mind: so Song of Solomon 6:12, "Before I was aware, my soul made me as the chariots of Ammi-nadib; that is, free, willing, and ready for communion with Christ. "I knew not; it was done by the power of the Spirit of grace; so that I took no notice of it, until it was done." The frequent actions of grace in this manner, exciting acts of faith, love, and complacency in God, are evidences of much strength and prevalence of it in the soul. And thus, also, is it with indwelling sin; ere the soul is aware, without any temptation, when it knows not, it is cast into a foolish frame. Sin produces its figments secretly in the heart, and prevents the mind's consideration of what it is about. I mean hereby those first acts of the soul; which are thus far involuntary, as that they have not the consent of the will to them, but are voluntary as far as sin has its residence in the will. And these events, if the soul be not awake to prevent their action, often set all on fire, and engage the mind and affections into actual sin: for as by grace we are often, ere we are aware, "made as the chariots of a willing people," and are far
engaged in heavenly-mindedness and communion with Christ, making speed in it as in a chariot; so by sin are we often, ere we are aware, carried into distempered affections, foolish imaginations, and delight in things that are not good. Hence is that caution of the apostle, Galatians 6:1, "If a man be caught in a fault, or in a transgression." I doubt not but the subtlety of Satan and the power of temptation are here taken into consideration by the apostle, which causes him to express a man's falling into sin by "if he be caught." So this working of indwelling sin also has its consideration in it, and that in the chiefest place, without which nothing else could surprise us; for without the help thereof, whatever comes from without, from Satan or the world, must have some parley in the mind before it is received, but it is from within, from ourselves, that we are surprised. Hereby are we brought to do what we would not, and hindered from doing what we would.
So when the soul is often doing quite another thing, engaged quite on another design, sin starts that in the heart or imaginations of it that carries it away into what is evil and sinful. Yea, to manifest its power, sometimes, when the soul is seriously engaged in putting any sin to death, it will, by one means or other, lead it away into a dalliance with that very sin whose ruin it is seeking, and whose death it is engaged in! But as there is in this operation of the law of sin a special enticing or entangling, we shall speak to it fully afterward. Now, these occurrences can be from nothing but an habitual tendency to evil in the principle from whence they proceed; not a habitual inclination to actual sin in the mind or heart, but an habitual tendency to evil in the sin that is in the mind or heart. This troubles the soul. How much communion with God is hereby prevented, how many meditations are disturbed, how much the minds and consciences of men have been defiled by this acting of sin, some may have observed. I know no greater burden in the life of a believer than these involuntary happenings in the soul; involuntary, as to the actual consent of the will, but not so in respect of that corruption which is in the will, and is the principle of them. And it is in respect to these that the apostle makes his complaint, Romans 7:25.
(2.) This habitual inclination manifests itself in its readiness, without dispute, to join with every temptation where it may possibly be excited. As we know it is in the nature of fire to burn, because it immediately lays hold on whatever is combustible, let any temptation be presented to a man, whose nature or manner of its proposal, makes it a temptation; he has not only to do with the temptation as presented, but also with his own heart about it. Without farther consideration, the temptation has got a friend in him. Not a moment's space is given between the proposal and the necessity to look to the enemy within. And this also argues a habitual tendency to evil. Our Saviour said of the temptations of Satan, "The prince of this world comes, and he has no part in me," John 14:30. He had more temptations, in number, quality, and fierceness, from Satan and the world, than ever had any of the sons of men; but yet in all of them he had to deal only with what came from without. His holy heart had nothing like them, suited to them, or ready to give them entertainment: "The prince of this world had nothing in him." So it was with Adam. When temptation befell him, he had only the outward proposal to look to; all was well within until the outward temptation took place and prevailed. With us it is not so. In a city that is at unity in itself, without divisions and parties, if an enemy approach about it, the rulers and inhabitants have no thoughts at all but only how they may oppose the enemy without, and resist him in his approaches. But if the city be divided in itself, if there be factions and traitors within, the very first thing they do is to look to the enemies at home, the traitors within, to cut off the head of Sheba, if they will be safe. All was well with Adam when Satan came, so that he had only to look to his approaches. But now, on the access of any temptation, the soul is instantly to look in, where it shall find this traitor at work, closing with the baits of Satan, and stealing away the heart; and this it does always, which shows an habitual inclination. Psalm 38:17, says David, "I am ready to halt," or for halting: - "I am disposed to the slipping of my foot into sin," verse 16, as he expounds the meaning of that phrase, Psalm 78:2, 3. There was from indwelling sin a continual disposition in him to be slipping, stumbling, halting, on every temptation. There is nothing so vain, foolish, ridiculous, nothing so vile and abominable,