of a believer, must attend to diligently, for the safety of the soul. God
contentment into it from the duty that has been done. This is the work of a natural conscience. If the duty is done, though it comes short in almost all things of the rule, then conscience will be satisfied; as Saul, on his expedition against Amalek, cries to Samuel, "Come in, you blessed of the Lord; "I have performed the commandment of the Lord.'" He satisfied himself, though he had not done the whole will of God as he ought to. And thus was it with them, Isaiah 58:3, "Why have we fasted and you regard it not?" They had pleased themselves in the their duties, and expected that God also should be pleased with them. But he shows them where they had failed, so far as to render what they had done an abomination; and he lays a similar charge against them, chap. 48:1, 2. The deceitfulness of sin attempts to draw the mind to the performance of the duty itself. "Pray you ought, and you have prayed; give alms you ought, and you have given alms; be content in what you have done, and continue in the same way." If it prevails here the mind is discharged from watchfulness, which leaves the soul on the borders of many evils; for, -
3dly. Hence familiarity will quickly follow, which is the height of sin's work: for men's minds may thus be distracted from duties, in the midst of doing them; for then the mind may be habitually diverted from its service. What is done with such an attitude is not done to God, Amos 5:25. None of their sacrifices were to God, although they professed that they were all so. But they did not attend to his worship in faith, and to his glory, and he despised all their duties, See also Hosea 10:1. And this is the reason why professors thrive so little in their duties: - They do them wrongly, as their minds are elsewhere; so they have little or no communion with God in them, which is the end they are designed for, and the only way they can be useful to themselves. Many duties of worship and obedience are performed by a woeful generation of hypocrites, with neither life nor light, or acceptance from God, their minds being far from a proper understanding what they do due to the deceitfulness of sin.
2. It is the same with sins. There are things in every sin that the mind of a believer, must attend to diligently, for the safety of the soul. God
has appointed and sanctified remedies, to rebuke and check the working of the law of sin, that are well fitted to that purpose in the law of grace. The deceit of sin attempts to draw off the mind from attending to them. Some few of them we shall a little reflect on: -
(1.) The first is the sovereignty of God, the great lawgiver, by whom it is forbidden. This Joseph fixed on in his great temptation: Genesis 39:9, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" There was in it a great evil, a great ingratitude against man, which he insists on, verses 8, 9; but what fixed his heart against it was that it was sin against God. So the apostle informs us that in our dealing in anything that is against the law, our respect is still to be to the Lawgiver and his sovereignty: James 4:11, 12,
"If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy."
Consider this: there is one lawgiver, holy, righteous, armed with sovereign power; he is able to save and destroy. Hence sin is called rebellion, casting off his yoke, despising of him, in his sovereignty as the great lawgiver; and the mind should always attend to this in the lusts, actions, and suggestions of the law of sin, especially under temptation: "It is God that has forbidden this thing; the great lawgiver, under whose sovereignty I am, in dependence on whom I live, and by whom I am to be disposed of, as to my present and eternal condition." This Eve fixed on at the beginning of her temptation, "God has said, You shall not eat of this tree," Genesis 3:3; but she did not stand her ground but allowed her mind to be diverted by the subtlety of Satan, which was the entrance of her transgression: and so it is to us all in our deviations from obedience.
(2.) The deceit of every sin, the punishment appointed to it in the law, is another thing that the mind ought to attend to, in reference to particular evil And the diversions from this, that the minds of men have been doctrinally and practically attended with, have been an inlet into all manner of abominations. Job professes another frame in
himself, Job 31:23,
"Destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure."
He had mentioned many evils in the foregoing verses, and pleads his innocency from them, although due to his greatness he could have easily committed them without fear of danger from men. Here he gives the reason that he abstained from them; "Destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure." "I considered," says he, "that God had appointed 'death and destruction' for the punishment of sin, and that such was his power, that he could inflict it, in a way as no creature is able to avoid." So the apostle directs believers to consider what a "fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God," Hebrews 10:31; because he has said, "Vengeance is mine, I will recompense," verse 30. He is a sin-avenging God, who will by no means acquit the guilty; as in the declaration of his gracious name, infinitely full of encouragements to poor sinners in Christ, he adds that in the end, that "he will by no means clear the guilty," Exodus 34:7, - that he may keep on the minds of those he pardons a sense of the punishment that is due to sin on account of his justice. And so the apostle would remind us that "our God is a consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29; that is, that we should consider his holiness and justice, that appoints a fit reward to sin. And when men ignore this, he reckons it as the height of their sins: Romans 1:32,
"They knew that it is the judgement of God, that those who commit such things were worthy of death, yet continued to do them."
What hope is there for such? There is, indeed, relief against this for believing souls in the blood of Christ; but this is not to take off the mind from it as it is appointed of God to be a restraint from sin. And both these, the sovereignty of God and the punishment of sin, are put together by our Saviour: Matthew 10:28, "Fear not those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
(3.) The consideration of all the love and kindness of God, against whom every sin is committed, is another thing that the mind ought diligently to attend to; and this is powerful, if rightly managed in the soul. This Moses presses on the people: Deuteronomy 32:6,
"Do you thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is he not your Father who bought you? has he not made you, and established you?"
"Is this a requital for eternal love, and all the fruits of it? for the love and care of a Father, of a Redeemer, that we have been made partakers of?" And the apostle speaks regarding this, 2 Corinthians 7:1,
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
The promises should be received in such a way as to stir us up to holiness, and bring about an abstinence from all sin. And what promises are these? "God will be a Father to us, and receive us," chap. 6:17, 18; which comprises the whole of the love of God towards us here and to eternity. If there be any spiritual ingenuity in the soul, whilst, the mind is attentive to this, the power of sin can not prevail against it. Now, there are two parts of this consideration: -
[1.] What is general in it, and common to all believers. This is expressed thus; 1 John 3:1-3,
"Behold, what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure."
"Consider," says he, "the love of God, and the privileges that we enjoy by it: 'Behold, what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the sons of God.' Adoption is a special fruit of it, and how great a privilege is this! The world knows nothing of the blessed condition which we enjoy through this love: 'The world knows us not.' It is such love, and its effects are so unspeakably blessed and glorious, that we are unable to comprehend them." How, then, should we use this contemplation of the excellent, unspeakable love of God? Why, says he, "Every one who has this hope purifies himself." Every man who has been made partaker of this love, and thus a hope of enjoying of the fruits of it, of being made like God in glory, "purifies himself," - that is, abstains from all, as the following words declare.
[2.] It is to be considered as to such peculiar mercies and fruits of love as everyone's soul has been made partaker of. Every believer, besides the love and mercy which he has in common with all his brethren, has also experienced some some special mercies, where he has a joy which no stranger meddles with, Proverbs 14:10, - particular applications of covenant love and mercy to his soul. Now, these are all provisions laid in by God, to be borne in mind against an hour of temptation, that the consideration of them may preserve the soul from sin. 1 Kings 11:9, it is charged as the great evil of Solomon, that he had sinned against special mercies, special intimations of love; he sinned after God had "appeared to him twice." God required that he should remembered that especial favour, and used it to resist sin; but he neglected it, and is burdened with this sore rebuke. And, indeed, all especial mercies are misspent on us, if they are not used for this. So the mind should attend to this, and oppose every attempt that is madel by the law of sin.
(4.) The considerations that arise from the blood and mediation of Christ are of the same importance. So the apostle declares, 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15,
"For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that those who
live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to him who died for them, and rose again."
There is a constraining power in this; it is great, effectual, if duly attended to. But I must not here insist on these things; -
(5.) I shall not speak of the inhabitation of the Spirit, - the greatest privilege that we partake of in this world. The consideration how he is grieved by sin; how his dwelling-place is defiled thereby; how his comforts are lost, despised by it, - might also be insisted on: but we have said enough. Now, herein lies the duty of the mind in reference to particular sins and temptations: - It is carefully to attend to these things; to consider them constantly; to have them continually ready to oppose all the lust, actions, attempts, and rage of sin.
Sin in an especial manner puts forth its deceit in this. It labours to draw off the mind from attending to these things, - to deprive the soul of this great antidote against its poison. It attempts to cause the soul to satisfy itself with general undigested notions about sin, that it may have nothing in particular to resort to in defence against and temptations. It does this in these ways: -
[1.] It is from the deceit of sin that the mind is spiritually slothful, and so neglects this duty. Its principal duty is to watch; which is the great warning that the Lord Jesus gave to his disciples in reference to their dangers from sin and Satan: Mark 13:37,
"I say to all, Watch;" that is, "Use your utmost diligence, that you are not entangled with temptations."
It is called also consideration: "Consider your ways," - "Consider your latter end;" the lack of which God complains of in his people, Deuteronomy 32:29. Now, spiritual sloth is contrary to these indispensable conditions of our safety, as the apostle declares, Hebrews 6:11, 12,
"And we desire that every one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end: that you are not slothful."
If we show not diligence, we are slothful, and in danger of failing to inherit the promises. See 2 Peter 1:5-11,
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge," etc.
"For if these things be in you and abound, they cause you to be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he who lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. So, brethren, be careful to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things you shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be given to you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," All this the mind is turned from, if once, by the deceit of sin, it is made slothful. Now, this sloth consists in four things: -
1st. Carelessness. It does not consider its special concerns. The apostle, persuading the Hebrews with all earnestness to attend diligently, that they may not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, gives as the reason, that they were "dull of hearing," chap. 5:11; that is, that they were slothful, and did not attend to their duty. Heedlessness is apt to creep on the soul, and it does not diligently consider its state, and what it should be doing.
2dly. An unwillingness to be stirred up to its duty. Proverbs 19:24,
"A slothful man hides his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again."
There is an unwillingness in sloth to take any notice of warnings or stirrings up by the word, Spirit, judgements, anything that God makes use of to call the mind to consider the condition of the soul. And this is clear evidence that the mind is made slothful by the deceit of sin,
when especial calls and warnings, whether in a suitable word or a pressing judgement, cannot prevail with it to pull its hand out of its bosom; that is, to set about the special duties that it is called to.
3dly. Weak and ineffectual attempts to restore itself to its duty. Proverbs 26:14,
"As the door turns on its hinges, so the slothful man turns on his bed."
As a door turns on its hinges, there is some motion but no progress. It moves up and down, but is still in the place that it was. So is it with the spiritually slothful man on his bed, or in his security. He makes some motions or faint efforts towards a discharge of his duty, but does not go on. Where he was one day, there he is the next; Where he was one year, he is the next. His efforts are faint, cold, and insubstantial; he makes no progress by them, but is always beginning and never finishing his work.
4thly. A faint heart when difficulties and discouragements come. Proverbs 22:13,
"The slothful man says, There is a lion outside, I shall be slain in the streets."
Every difficulty deters him from duty. He thinks it impossible to attain that accuracy and perfection which he is to press after; so contents himself in his old coldness, negligence, rather than run the hazard of a a full reflection on his state. Now, if the deceit of sin has once drawn away the mind into this frame, it lays it open to every temptation and incursion of sin. The spouse in the Canticles seems to have been overtaken with this, Song of Solomon 5:2, 3; so she makes excuses why she cannot attend to the call of Christ, and apply herself to her duty in walking with him.
[2.] It draws away the mind from its duty in reference to sin by external events. It falls in conjunction with some urging temptation,