Chapter 9. Consider the Dangerous Symptoms of Any Lust

Particular directions in relation to the foregoing case proposed. First, consider the dangerous symptoms of any lust: 1. Inveterateness. 2. Peace obtained under it; the several ways whereby that is done. 3. Frequency of success in its seductions. 4. The soul's fighting against it, with arguments only taken from the event. 5. Its being attended with judiciary hardness. 6. Its withstanding particular dealings from God. The state of persons in whom these things are found.

The foregoing general rules being supposed, particular directions to the soul, for its guidance under the sense of a disquieting lust or distemper, (being the main thing I aim at) come next to be proposed. Now of these some are previous and preparatory, and in some of them the work itself is contained.

First, consider what dangerous symptoms your lust has attending or accompanying it. Whether it has any deadly mark on it or not: if it has, extraordinary remedies are to be used; an ordinary course of mortification will not do it.

You will say, what are these dangerous marks and symptoms, the desperate attendances of an indwelling lust that you intend? Some of them I shall name.

(1.) Inveterateness; if it has lain long corrupting in your heart, if you have suffered it to abide in power and prevalency, without attempting vigorously the killing of it, and the healing of the wounds you have received by it, for some long season, your distemper is dangerous. Have you permitted worldliness, ambition, greediness of study, to eat up other duties; the duties wherein you ought to hold constant communion with God, for some long season? Or uncleanness to defile your heart, with vain, and foolish, and wicked imaginations, for many days? Your lust has a dangerous symptom. So was the case with David (Psalm 38:5): My wounds stink and are corrupt, because of my foolishness. When a lust has lain long in the heart, corrupting, festering, canckering, it brings the soul to a woeful condition. In such a case an ordinary course of humiliation will not do the work: whatever it be, it will by this means insinuate itself more or less into all the faculties of the soul, and habituate the affections to its company and society; it grows familiar to the mind and conscience, that they do not startle at it as a strange thing, but are bold with it as that which they are accustomed unto. Unless some extraordinary course be taken, such a person has no ground in the world to expect that his latter end shall be peace.

For first, how will he be able to distinguish between the long abode of an unmortified lust, and the dominion of sin which cannot befall a regenerate person? Secondly, how can he promise himself, that it shall ever be otherwise with him, or that his lust will cease tumultuating and seducing, when he sees it fixed and abiding, and has done so for many days, and has gone through variety of conditions with him. It may be it has tried mercies and afflictions, and those possibly so remarkable, that the soul could not avoid the taking special notice of them. And will it prove an easy thing to dislodge an inmate pleading a title by prescription? Old neglected wounds are often mortal, always dangerous. Indwelling distempers grow stubborn, by continuance in ease and quiet. Lust is such an inmate, as, if it can plead time and some prescription, will not easily be ejected. As it never dies of itself, so if it be not daily killed, it will always gather strength.

(2.) Secret pleas of the heart for the countenancing of itself, and keeping up its peace, notwithstanding the abiding of a lust, without a vigorous Gospel attempt for its mortification, is another dangerous symptom of a deadly distemper in the heart. Now there be several ways whereby this may be done, I shall name some of them.

1. When upon perplexing thoughts about sin, instead of applying himself to the destruction of it, a man searches his heart to see what evidences he can find of a good condition, notwithstanding that sin and lust, so that it may go well with him.

For a man to gather up his experiences of God, to call them to mind, to collect them, consider, try, improve them, is an excellent thing; a duty practiced by all the saints; commended in the Old Testament and the New. This was David's work, when he communed with his own heart, and called to remembrance the former lovingkindness of the Lord (Psalm 77:6-9). This is the duty that Paul sets us to practice (2 Corinthians 13:5). But now, to do it for this end, to satisfy conscience, which cries and calls for another purpose, is a desperate device of a heart in love with sin. When a man's conscience shall deal with him, when God shall rebuke him for the sinful distemper of his heart, if he, instead of applying himself to get that sin pardoned in the blood of Christ, and mortified by his Spirit, shall relieve himself, by any such other evidences as he has, or thinks himself to have, and so disentangle himself from under the yoke, that God was putting on his neck; his condition is very dangerous, his wound hardly curable. Thus the Jews under the gallings of their own consciences, and the convincing preaching of our Savior, supported themselves with this, that they were Abraham's children, and on that account accepted with God; and so countenanced themselves in all abominable wickedness to their utter ruin.

This is in some degree, a blessing of a man's self, and saying that upon one account or other he shall have peace, although he adds drunkenness to thirst; love of sin, undervaluation of peace, and of all tastes of love from God, are enwrapped in such a frame. Such a one plainly shows, that if he can but keep up hope of escaping the wrath to come, he can be well content to be unfruitful in the world, at any distance from God that is not final separation. What is to be expected from such a heart?

2. By applying grace and mercy to an unmortified sin, or one not sincerely endeavored to be mortified, is this deceit carried on. This is a sign of a heart greatly entangled with the love of sin. When a man has secret thoughts in his heart, not unlike those of Naaman, about his worshipping in the house of Rimmon; in all other things I will walk with God; but in this thing, God be merciful unto me; his condition is sad. It is true indeed, a resolution to this purpose, to indulge a man's self in any sin on the account of mercy, seems to be altogether inconsistent with Christian sincerity, and is a badge of a hypocrite, and is the turning of the grace of God into wantonness (Jude 4). But yet I doubt not but through the craft of Satan, and their own remaining unbelief, the children of God may themselves sometimes be ensnared with this deceit of sin; or else Paul would never have so cautioned them against it as he does (Romans 6:1, 2). There is nothing more natural, than for fleshly reasonings to grow high and strong upon this account. The flesh would be indulged unto upon the account of grace: and every word that is spoken of mercy, it stands ready to catch at, and to pervert it to its own corrupt aims and purposes. To apply mercy then to a sin not vigorously mortified, is to fulfill the end of the flesh upon the Gospel.

These and many other ways and wiles, a deceitful heart will sometimes make use of, to countenance itself in its abominations. Now when a man with his sin is in this condition, that there is a secret liking of the sin prevalent in his heart, and though his will be not wholly set upon it, yet he has an imperfect desire towards it, he would practice it were it not for such and such considerations, and hereupon relieves himself other ways than by the mortification and pardon of it in the blood of Christ, that man's wounds stink and are corrupt, and he will, without speedy deliverance, be at the door of death.

(3.) Frequency of success in sin's seduction in obtaining the prevailing consent of the will unto it, is another dangerous symptom. This is that I mean: when the sin spoken of gets the consent of the will with some delight, though it be not actually outwardly perpetrated, yet it has success. A man may not be able upon outward considerations to go along with sin, to that which James calls the finishing of it (James 1:14, 15), as to the outward acts of sin, when yet the will of sinning may be actually obtained: then has it success. Now if any lust be able thus far to prevail in the soul of any man, his condition may possibly be very bad and himself be unregenerate, it cannot possibly be very good, but dangerous. And it is all one upon the matter, whether this be done by the choice of the will, or by inadvertency; for that inadvertency itself is in a manner chosen. When we are inadvertent and negligent, where we are bound to watchfulness, and carefulness, that inadvertency does not take off from the voluntariness of what we do thereupon; for although men do not choose and resolve to be negligent and inadvertent, yet if they choose the things that will make them so, they choose inadvertency itself, as a thing may be chosen in its cause.

And let not men think that the evil of their hearts is in any measure extenuated, because they seem for the most part to be surprised into that consent which they seem to give unto it; for it is negligence of their duty in watching over their hearts, that betrays them into that surprisal.

(4.) When a man fights against his sin only with arguments from the issue, or the punishment due unto it; this is a sign that sin has taken great possession of the will, and that in the heart there is a superfluity of naughtiness. Such a man as opposes nothing to the seduction of sin and lust in his heart, but fear of shame among men, or hell from God, is sufficiently resolved to do the sin, if there were no punishment attending it. Those who are Christ's, and are acted in their obedience upon Gospel principles, have the death of Christ, the love of God, the detestable nature of sin, the preciousness of communion with God, a deep grounded abhorrence of sin as sin, to oppose to any seduction of sin, to all the workings, strivings, fightings of lust in their hearts. So did Joseph: How shall I do this great evil (said he) and sin against the Lord, my good and gracious God? And Paul: The love of Christ constrains us (2 Corinthians 5:14). And: Having received these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all pollutions of flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1). But now if a man be so under the power of his lust, that he has nothing but law to oppose it with, if he cannot fight against it with Gospel weapons, but deals with it altogether with hell and judgment, which are the proper arms of the law, it is most evident, that sin has possessed itself of his will and affections, to a very great prevalency and conquest.

Such a person has cast off (as to the particular spoken of) the conduct of renewing grace, and is kept from ruin only by restraining grace; and so far is he fallen from grace, and returned under the power of the law. And can it be thought that this is not a great provocation to Christ, that men should cast off his easy gentle yoke and rule, and cast themselves under the iron yoke of the law, merely out of indulgence unto their lusts?

Try yourself by this also: when you are by sin driven to make a stand, so that you must either serve it, and rush at the command of it into folly, like the horse into the battle, or make head against it to suppress it; what do you say to your soul? What do you expostulate with yourself? Is this all: Hell will be the end of this course, vengeance will meet with me, and find me out; it is time for you to look about you, evil lies at the door? Paul's main argument to prove, that sin shall not have dominion over believers, is, that they are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). If your contendings against sin be all on legal accounts, from legal principles and motives, what assurance can you attain unto, that sin shall not have dominion over you, which will be your ruin?

Know that this reserve will not long hold out: if your lust has driven you from stronger Gospel forts, it will speedily prevail against this also; do not suppose that such considerations will deliver you, when you have voluntarily given up to your enemy those helps and means of preservation which have a thousand times their strength. Rest assured in this, that unless you recover yourself with speed from this condition, the thing that you fear will come upon you; what Gospel principles do not, legal motives cannot do.

(5.) When it is probable that there is, or may be somewhat of judiciary hardness, or at least chastening punishment in your lust as disquieting; this is another dangerous symptom. That God does sometimes leave even those of his own, under the perplexing power at least of some lust or sin, to correct them for former sins, negligence and folly, I do not doubt. Hence was that complaint of the church: Why have you hardened us from the fear of your name (Isaiah 63:17)? But how shall a man know whether there be anything of God's chastening hand, in his being left to the disquietment of his distemper?

Examine your heart and ways: what was the state and condition of your soul before you fell into the entanglements of that sin which now you so complain of? Had you been negligent in duties? Had you lived inordinately to yourself? Is there the guilt of any great sin lying upon you unrepented of? A new sin may be permitted, as well as a new affliction sent to bring an old sin to remembrance.

Have you received any eminent mercy, protection, deliverance, which you did not improve in a due manner, nor were thankful for? Or have you been exercised with any affliction, without laboring for the appointed end of it? Or have you been wanting to the opportunities of glorifying God in your generation, which in his good providence he had graciously afforded unto you? Or have you conformed yourself unto the world and the men of it, through the abounding of temptations in the days wherein you live?

If you find this to have been your state, awake, call upon God; you are fast asleep in a storm of anger round about you.

(6.) When your lust has already withstood particular dealings from God against it. This condition is described (Isaiah 57:17): For the iniquity of his covetousness I was wroth, and smote him, I hid me and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. God had dealt with them about their prevailing lust, and that several ways, by affliction and desertion. But they held out against all: this is a sad condition which nothing but mere sovereign grace (as God expresses it in the next verse) can relieve a man in. God oftentimes in his providential dispensations meets with a man, and speaks particularly to the evil of his heart. This makes the man reflect on his sin, and judge himself in particular for it. Sometimes in reading of the word, God makes a man stay on something that cuts him to the heart, and shakes him as to his present condition. More frequently in the hearing of the word preached (his great ordinance for conviction, conversion and edification) does he meet with men. God often hews men by the sword of his word in that ordinance; strikes directly on their bosom beloved lust; startles the sinner, makes him engage into the mortification and relinquishment of the evil of his heart. Now if his lust has taken such hold on him, as to enforce him to break these bonds of the Lord, and to cast these cords from him; if it overcomes these convictions, and gets again into its old posture; if it can cure the wounds it so receives, that soul is in a sad condition.

Unspeakable are the evils which attend such a frame of heart: every particular warning to a man in such an estate, is an inestimable mercy; how then does he despise God in them, who holds out against them; and what infinite patience is this in God, that he does not cast off such a one, and swear in his wrath, that he shall never enter into his rest.

These and many other evidences are there of a lust that is dangerous, if not mortal. As our Savior said of the evil spirit, This kind goes not out but by fasting and prayer: so say I of lusts of this kind; an ordinary course of mortification will not do it, extraordinary ways must be fixed on.

This is the first particular direction; consider whether the lust or sin you are contending with, has any of these dangerous symptoms attending it.

Before I proceed, I must give one caution by the way, lest any be deceived by what has been spoken. Whereas I say, the things and evils above mentioned may befall true believers, let not any that finds the same things in himself, thence conclude that he is a true believer. These are the evils that believers may fall into, and be ensnared with, not the things that constitute a believer. A man may as well conclude that he is a believer, because he is an adulterer (because David that was so, fell into adultery), as conclude it from the signs foregoing, which are the evils of sin and Satan in the hearts of believers. The seventh of Romans contains the description of a regenerate man. He that shall consider what is spoken of his dark side, of his unregenerate part, of the indwelling power and violence of sin remaining in him, and because he finds the like in himself, conclude that he is a regenerate man, will be deceived in his reckoning. If you will have evidences of your being believers, it must be from those things that constitute men believers. He that has these things in himself, may safely conclude, If I am a believer, I am a most miserable one — but that any man is so, he must look for other evidences, if he will have peace.

The second general rule is proposed. Without universal sincerity in mortifying every lust, no particular lust will be mortified. Partial mortification always springs from a corrupt motive. Being perplexed by a lust is often God's chastening for other negligences.

The second foundational principle I will propose for this purpose is this: without sincerity and diligence in universal obedience, no particular troubling lust will ever be mortified. The previous rule addressed the person; this one addresses the thing itself. Let me explain this a little.

A man finds that some lust has brought him into the condition described earlier — it is powerful, strong, and turbulent, leading him captive, vexing and disturbing him, taking away his peace. He cannot bear it. So he sets himself against it, prays against it, groans under it, sighs to be delivered from it. But all the while, in other duties — in constant communion with God, in reading, prayer, and meditation, and in other areas of life that are not of the same kind as the lust troubling him — he is careless and negligent. Let not that man think he will ever arrive at the mortification of the lust that troubles him. This is a condition that often befalls people in their pilgrimage. The Israelites drew near to God with great diligence and earnestness under a sense of their sin, with fasting and prayer (Isaiah 58). Many expressions are made of their earnestness in doing it (verse 2): 'They seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways; as a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God, they ask Me for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God.' Yet God rejected it all. Their fast was a remedy that would not heal them — and the reason given (verses 5-7) is that they were only selective in their obedience. A man who has a running sore that comes from a general bodily disorder brought on by excess and bad habits — let him apply himself with whatever skill and diligence he can to treating the sore itself. If he leaves the general disordered condition of his body untreated, his labor will be in vain. So it will be with anyone who tries to stop the bleeding of sin and corruption in his soul while being equally careless about the overall spiritual health of his whole life.

1. This kind of effort at mortification comes from a corrupt principle, which means it will never produce a good result. Hatred of sin as sin — not merely as something that troubles and disturbs — and a sense of the love of Christ in the cross, lie at the foundation of all true spiritual mortification. It is certain that what I am describing here comes from self-love. You set yourself with all diligence and earnestness to mortify some lust or sin — what is your reason? It disturbs you. It has taken away your peace. It fills your heart with sorrow, trouble, and fear. You have no rest because of it. But, friend, you have neglected prayer or reading; you have been careless and loose in your conduct in other areas that are not of the same kind as the lust troubling you. These are no less sins and evils than the one you are groaning under. Jesus Christ bled for them too. Why do you not set yourself against them as well? If you hated sin as sin — every evil way — you would be no less watchful against anything that grieves and troubles the Spirit of God than against what grieves and troubles your own soul. It is clear that you are contending against sin purely because of the trouble it causes you. If your conscience could be quiet with it, you would leave it alone. If it did not disturb you, you would not disturb it. Now, do you think God will align Himself with such hypocritical effort? Do you think His Spirit will witness to the treachery and falsehood of your own spirit? Do you think He will free you from what troubles you, so that you can return freely to what no less grieves Him? No — God says: here is one who, if freed from this lust, would never give Me another thought. Let him wrestle with this, or he is lost. Let no one expect to do his own work who will not do God's. God's work is universal obedience. Freedom from the present trouble is only yours. Hence the apostle's words (2 Corinthians 7:1): 'Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' If we will do anything, we must do everything. What is acceptable, then, is not merely an intense opposition to this or that particular lust, but a universally humble frame of heart — watchful against every evil and diligent in every duty.

2. How do you know that God has not allowed the lust troubling you to gain strength and power over you in order to chasten you for other negligences — or at least to awaken you to an examination of your ways, so that you might make a thorough change in your whole walk with Him? The dominance of a particular lust is commonly the fruit of a generally careless and negligent life, and for two reasons.

(1) As its natural effect, so to speak. Lust, as I showed, lies in the heart of every believer while he lives — and do not think that scripture speaks in vain when it says lust is subtle, cunning, and crafty, that it seduces, entices, fights, and rebels. While a man keeps diligent watch over his heart — above all else guarding his heart, from which flow the issues of life and death — lust withers and dies within. But if through negligence lust breaks out in some particular direction, gains access to the thoughts through the affections, and perhaps from there breaks out into open sin in his conduct, its strength pours into that opening it has found. It drives mainly in that direction until, having made a passage for itself, it vexes and disturbs and cannot easily be checked. A man may thus find himself wrestling in sorrow all his days with something that a consistent, universal watchfulness might easily have prevented.

(2) As I said, God often allows this to chasten our other negligences. Just as with wicked people He gives them up to one sin as the punishment of another — a greater sin to punish a lesser, or one that holds them more firmly and securely in place of one they might have been delivered from — so even with His own people, He may and does sometimes leave them under some troubling disorder, either to prevent or cure some other evil. So the messenger of Satan was let loose on Paul, so that he would not be lifted up through the abundance of spiritual revelations. Was Paul's denial of his master not a correction of his proud self-confidence? Now if this is the state of a dominating lust — that God often allows it to prevail in order to admonish, humble, chastise, and correct us for our generally careless and loose walk with Him — is it possible to remove the effect while leaving the cause in place? Can the particular lust be mortified while the general pattern of life remains unreformed? Let the person who genuinely wants to mortify any troubling lust take care to be equally diligent in all areas of obedience. Know that every lust and every neglected duty is a burden to God, even if only one of them is a burden to you. As long as there remains a treacherous inclination in the heart to indulge some negligence — not pressing universally toward all perfection in obedience — the soul is weak, for it does not give faith its full scope. It is self-serving, because it is more concerned with the trouble of sin than with its filth and guilt. And it lives under a constant provocation of God. Such a soul cannot expect any blessed outcome in any spiritual duty it undertakes — least of all in this one, which requires a different principle and frame of heart for its accomplishment.