up in frequency. Some are discouraged because their minds do not
be brought to a more exact conformity. It is pondering on the truth as it is in Jesus, to find its expression in our hearts; so it has the same intent as prayer, which is to bring our souls into an attitude that will in all things answer the mind and will of God. They are as the blood and spirits in the veins, that have the same life and motion. But because persons are generally at a loss in how to meditate, and because it is so effective in controlling the actions of the law of sin, I shall give two or three rules to directing believers how to rightly do it;
1. Meditate on God with God; so, when we would undertake thoughts and meditations of God, his excellencies, his attributes, his glory, his majesty, his love, his goodness, let it be done in a way of speaking to God, in deep humiliation of our souls before him. This will fix the mind, and draw it from one thing to another, to give glory to God, and affect the soul until it is brought into that holy admiration of God and delight in him which is acceptable to him. So it must be done in a way of prayer and praise, - speaking to God.
2. Meditate on the word in the word; that is, in reading it, consider the sense in the passages, looking to God for help and direction, to reveal his mind and will, and then labour to have our hearts affected with it.
3. What we come short of in constancy in our thoughts, let it be made up in frequency. Some are discouraged because their minds do not regularly supply them with thoughts to carry on their meditations, through their weakness or imperfection. Let this be remedied by frequent returns of the mind to the subject, whereby new senses will be supplied to it. But this by the way.
These duties, amongst others, oppose the very being of indwelling sin, or rather faith in them does so. They are perpetually designing its ruin. So I shall now do these two things: -
(1.) Show the usefulness of these duties to the ruining of sin.
(2.) Show how deceitfulness of sin tries to draw the mind from them.
(1.) For the first, observe, -
[1.] It is the proper work of the soul to consider all the secret workings of sin, what advantages it has got, what temptations come with it, what harm it has already done, and what it is yet ready to do. Thus David gives this title to one of his prayers: Psalm 102, "A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his complaint before the LORD." I speak of that prayer which is attended with a consideration of all the wants of the soul. Without this, prayer is not prayer; whatever appearance of that duty it has, it is neither useful to the glory of God nor to the souls of men. It is a cloud without water, driven by the wind of the breath of men. Nor was there ever any more effectual poison for souls than binding them to a constant form of words in their prayers, which they do not understand. If you were to bind men so in their businesses in this world, and they will quickly find the effect of it. In this way they become unable to consider what is good or evil to them; without that, what is the use of prayer? It mocks God and deludes men's own souls. But in the kind of prayer we insist on, the Spirit of God comes to help us in this very matter of revealing the secret workings of the law of sin: Romans 8:26, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought, but he helps our infirmities;" he reveals our wants to us, where chiefly we stand in need of help. And we find by experience that in prayer believers are brought to such revelations of the secret work of sin in their hearts, as nothing else could have led them into. So David, Psalm 51, confessing his sin, having his wound searched by the skilful hand of the Spirit of God, received a revelation of the root of all his miscarriages, in his original corruption, verse 5. The Spirit in this duty is as the candle of the Lord to the soul, enabling it to search all the inward parts. It gives a holy, spiritual light to the mind, enabling it to search the dark recesses of the heart, to find out the subtle workings of the law of sin there. Whatever trace there is, whatever power and prevalence, it is arrested, brought into the presence of God, judged, condemned, mourned. And what could be more effective for its destruction? for, together with its revelation, that relief is applied which in Jesus Christ
is provided against it to ruin it. So it is the duty of the mind to "watch to prayer," 1 Peter 4:7, to attend diligently to the state of our souls, and to deal fervently with God about it. The like also may be said of meditation, wisely managed.
[2.] In this duty there is worked on the heart a deep, full sense of the vileness of sin, with a renewed detestation of it; which undoubtedly tends to its ruin. This is one design of prayer, one end of the soul in it, - to draw forth sin, to set it in order, to present it to itself in its vileness and abomination,, that it may be loathed and cast away as a filthy thing; as Isaiah 30:22. He who pleads with God for sin's remission, pleads also that he may detest it in his own heart, Hosea 14:3. Herein, also, sin is judged in the name of God; for the soul in its confession agrees with God's detestation of it, and his sentence against it. There are, indeed, duties which convicted persons give themselves to as a mere cover to their lusts; they cannot easily sin unless they perform duties constantly. But the prayer we speak of will allow no compromise with sin, much less serve its deceit, as formal prayer does. It will not be bribed into a secret compliance with any of the enemies of God or the soul for a moment. And hence it is that often in this duty the heart is raised to the most sincere, effectual sense of sin and detestation of it that the soul ever obtains. And this tends also to the weakening and ruin of the law of sin.
[3.] This is the way appointed of God to obtain power against sin: James 1:5, "does any man lack? let him ask of God." Prayer is the way of obtaining from God by Christ a supply of all our wants, assistance against all opposition, especially what is made against us by sin. This need not be insisted on; it is, in theory and practice, clear to every believer. It is that wherein we call, and on which the Lord Jesus comes in to our help with "help in time of need," Hebrews 4:16.
[4.] Faith in prayer counters all the workings of the deceit of sin; because the soul therein constantly pledges itself to God to oppose all sin: Psalm 119:106, "I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep your righteous judgements" This is the language of every
gracious soul in its addresses to God: the inmost parts pledge themselves to God, to cleave to him in all things, and to oppose sin in all things. He who cannot do this cannot pray. To pray with any other frame is to flatter God with our lips, which he abhors. And this greatly helps a believer in pursuing sin to its ruin; for, -
1st. If there be any secret lust lurking in the heart, he will find it either rising up against this pledging, or using deceit to protect itself from it. Thus it is revealed, and the conviction of the heart concerning its evil strengthened. Sin clearly reveals itself; and never more so than when it is most severely pursued. Lusts in men are compared to wild beasts; or men themselves are so because of their lusts, Isaiah 11:4-6. Now, such beasts take themselves to their dens, and never show themselves in their proper nature, until they are most earnestly pursued. And so it is with sin and corruption in the heart.
2dly. If any sin be prevalent in the soul, it will weaken it, and take it away from the fullness of this commitment to God; it will turn from it. Now, when this is noticed, it will exceedingly awaken a gracious soul, and stir it up. As weariness and malaise of the body is looked on as the sign of an approaching fever, which stirs up men to use a remedy, that they are not seized on by it, so is it in this case. When the soul of a believer finds in itself an unwillingness to make fervent, sincere pledges of universal holiness to God, it knows that there is some wrong, finds out what it is, and sets itself against it.
3dly. Whilst the soul can thus constantly pledge itself to God, sin can rise to no devastation. Yea, it is a most considerable conquest, when the soul fully and clearly, without any reserve, confirms such a pledge with alacrity and resolution; as Psalm 18:23. And it may then triumph in the grace of God, and be assured, through faith, that it shall finally conquer, and what it resolves shall be done; that it has decided, and it shall be done. And this tends to the ruin of the law of sin.
4thly. If the heart is not deceived hypocrisy, this pledging to God will greatly influence it to watchfulness against sin. There is no greater
evidence of hypocrisy than to have the heart like the whorish woman, Proverbs 7:14, - to say, "'I have paid my vows,' now I may take myself to my sin;" or to be negligent about sin, as being satisfied that it has prayed against it. It is otherwise in a gracious soul. Sense and conscience of pledges against sin made to God, do make it universally watchful against all its motions and operations. On these and sundry other accounts faith in this duty exerts itself peculiarly to the weakening of the power and stopping of the progress of the law of sin.
If, then, the mind be diligent in its watch and charge to preserve the soul from the efficacy of sin, it will carefully attend to this duty and the due performance of it, which is of such singular advantage to its end and purpose. Here, therefore, -
(2.) Sin puts forth its deceit in its own defence It labours to divert and draw off the mind from attending to this and similar duties. And there are, among others, three engines, three ways and means, whereby it attempts the accomplishment of its design: -
[1.] It makes advantage of its weariness to the flesh. There is an aversion, as has been declared, in the law of sin to all immediate communion with God. Now, this duty is such. There is nothing accompanies it whereby the carnal part of the soul may be gratified or satisfied, as there may be somewhat of that nature in most public duties, in most that a man can do beyond pure acts of faith and love. No relief or advantage, then, coming in by it but what is purely spiritual, it becomes wearisome, burdensome to flesh and blood. It is like travelling alone without companion or diversion, which makes the way seem long, but brings the passenger with most speed to his journey's end. So our Saviour declares, when, expecting his disciples, according to their duty and present distress, should have been engaged in this work, he found them fast asleep: Matthew 26:41, "The spirit," says he, "indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak;" and out of that weakness grow their indisposition to and weariness of their duty. So God complains of his people: Isaiah 43:22, "Thou have been weary of me." And it may come at length to that height which is mentioned,
Malachi 1:13,
"Ye have said, Behold, what a weariness is it! and you have snuffed at it, says the LORD of hosts."
The Jews suppose that it was the language of men when they brought their offerings or sacrifices on their shoulders, which they pretended wearied them, and they puffed and panted as men ready to faint under them, when they brought only the torn, and the lame, and the sick. But so is this duty often to the flesh. And this the deceitfulness of sin makes use of to draw the heart by insensible degrees from a constant attendance to it. It puts in for the relief of the weak and weary flesh. There is a compliance between spiritual flesh and natural flesh in this matter, - they help one another; and an aversion to this duty is the effect of their compliance. So it was in the spouse, Song of Solomon 5:2, 8. She was asleep, drowsing in her spiritual condition, and pleads her natural unfitness to rouse herself from that state. If the mind be not diligently watchful to prevent insinuations from hence, - if it dwell not constantly on those considerations which evidence an attendance to this duty to be indispensable, - if it stir not up the principle of grace in the heart to retain its rule and sovereignty, and not to be dallied with by foolish pretences, - it will be drawn off; which is the effect aimed at.
[2.] The deceitfulness of sin makes use of corrupt reasonings, taken from the pressing and urging occasions of life. "Should we," says it in the heart, "attend strictly to all duties in this kind, we should neglect our principal occasions, and be useless to ourselves and others in the world." And on this general account, particular businesses dispossess particular duties from their due place and time. Men have not leisure to glorify God and save their own souls, It is certain that God gives us time enough for all that he requires of us in any kind in this world. No duties need to jostle one another, I mean constantly. Especial occasions must be determined according to especial circumstances. But if in anything we take more on us than we have time to perform it in, without robbing God of what is due to him and our own souls, God
does not call us to this or bless us in this. It is more tolerable that our duties of holiness and regard to God should impinge on the duties of our employments in this world than not; and yet neither does God require this at our hands. How little, then, will he bear with what evidently is so much worse! Through the deceitfulness of sin, the souls of men are beguiled thus. By degrees they are driven from their duty.
[3.] It seeks to draw the mind away from this duty, by suggesting other things to do that would make up for it; as Saul thought to make up for his disobedience by sacrifice. "It is not enough to do the same duty in public or in the family?" And if the soul be so foolish as not to answer, "Those things ought to be done, and this ought to be done as well," it may be deceived. For, besides the command that we should personally "watch to prayer," private prayer has power against the deceit and efficacy of sin, which public prayer has not. Sin strives to deprive the soul of this by bargaining, which its corrupt reasonings offer to it.
[4.] In all the workings of sin by deceit, it feeds the soul with promises of a more diligent attendance when time permits. By this means it brings the soul to say to its convictions, as Felix did to Paul, "Go your way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for you." So often the present time, which alone is ours, is lost irrecoverably.
This is the first way it makes way to entangle the affections and a true conception of sin. When sin has had this effect on any one, he is said to be "drawn away," from what in his mind he ought constantly to attend to in his walking before the Lord.
This will help us discern where the beginning of our backsliding lies. And this is of great importance. When the beginnings of a sickness are known, it is a great advantage to the cure of it. God, to recall Zion to himself, shows her the "beginning of her sin," Micah 1:13. Now, this is what for the most part is the beginning of sin to us; drawing off the mind from discharging its duty. The principal charge of the soul lies on the mind; and if that neglects its duty, the whole is betrayed. The failing of the mind is like the failing of the watchman in Ezekiel; the