Chapter 11: Sin's Deceit in Entangling the Affections

The working of sin by deceit to entangle the affections. The ways whereby it is done. Means of their prevention.

The second thing in the words of the Apostle ascribed to the deceitful working of sin is its enticing. A man is drawn away and enticed. And this seems particularly to respect the affections, as drawing away does the mind. The mind is drawn away from duty, and the affections are enticed to sin. From the prevalency hereof a man is said to be enticed, or entangled as with a bait; so the word imports. For there is an allusion in it to the bait wherewith a fish is taken on the hook which holds him to his destruction. And concerning this effect of the deceit of sin, we shall briefly show two things.

First, what it is to be enticed, or to be entangled with the bait of sin, to have the affections tainted with an inclination thereunto, and when they are so.

Secondly, what course sin takes, and what way it proceeds in, thus to entice, ensnare, or entangle the soul.

For the first, First, the affections are certainly entangled when they stir up frequent imaginations about the proposed object which this deceit of sin leads and entices towards. When sin prevails, and the affections are gone fully after it, it fills the imagination with it, possessing it with images, likenesses, appearances of it continually. Such persons devise iniquity and work evil on their beds, which they also practise when they are able, when it is in the power of their hand (Micah 2:1). As in particular, Peter tells us that they have eyes full of an adulteress, and they cannot cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14). That is, their imaginations are possessed with a continual representation of the object of their lusts. And it is so in part where the affections are in part entangled with sin, and begin to turn aside to it. John tells us that the things that are in the world are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:14). The lust of the eyes is that which by them is conveyed to the soul. Now it is not the bodily sense of seeing, but the fixing of the imagination from that sense on such things, that is intended. And this is called the eyes, because thereby things are constantly represented to the mind and soul, as outward objects are to the inward sense by the eyes. And oftentimes the outward sight of the eyes is the occasion of these imaginations. So Achan declares how sin prevailed with him (Joshua 7:21). First he saw the wedge of gold, and Babylonish garment, and then he coveted them. He rolled them — the pleasures, the profit of them — in his imagination, and then fixed his heart upon the obtaining of them. Now the heart may have a settled, fixed detestation of sin; but yet if a man find that the imagination of the mind is frequently solicited by it and exercised about it, such a one may know that his affections are secretly enticed and entangled.

Secondly, this entanglement is heightened, when the imagination can prevail with the mind to lodge vain thoughts in it, with secret delight and complacency. This is termed by casuists, Cogitatio morosa cum delectatione, an abiding thought with delight, which towards forbidden objects is in all cases actually sinful. And yet, this may be, when the consent of the will to sin is not obtained; when the soul would not for the world do the thing, which yet thoughts begin to lodge in the mind about. This lodging of vain thoughts in the heart the Prophet complains of as a thing greatly sinful, and to be abhorred (Jeremiah 4:14). All these thoughts are messengers that carry sin to and fro between the imagination and the affections, and still increase it, enflaming the imagination, and more and more entangling the affections. Achan thinks upon the golden wedge, this makes him like it, and love it; by loving of it, his thoughts are infected, and return to the imagination of its worth, and goodly show, and so by little and little the soul is enflamed to sin. And here if the will parts with its sovereignty, sin is actually conceived.

Thirdly, inclinations, or readiness to attend to extenuations of sin, or the reliefs that are tendered against sin when committed, manifest the affections to be entangled with it. We have showed, and shall yet farther evidence that it is a great part of the deceit of sin, to tender lessening and extenuating thoughts of sin to the mind. Is it not a little one? or there is mercy provided, or it shall be in due time relinquished and given over, is its language in a deceived heart. Now when there is a readiness in the soul to hearken and give entertainment to such secret insinuations arising from this deceit, in reference to any sin, or unapprovable course, it is an evidence that the affections are enticed. When the soul is willing, as it were to be tempted, to be courted by sin, to hearken to its dalliances and solicitations, it has lost of its conjugal affections to Christ, and is entangled. This is looking on the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it moves itself aright (Proverbs 23:31). A pleasing contemplation on the invitations of sin, whose end the wise man gives us (verse 32). When the deceit of sin has prevailed thus far on any person, then he is enticed or entangled; the will is not yet come to the actual conception of this or that sin by its consent, but the whole soul is in a near inclination thereunto. And many other instances I could give as tokens and evidences of this entanglement. These may suffice to manifest what we intend thereby.

Our next enquiry is, how, or by what means the deceit of sin proceeds thus to entice and entangle the affections; and two or three of its baits are manifest herein.

First it makes use of its former prevalency upon the mind in drawing it off from its watch and circumspection. Says the wise man (Proverbs 1:17), Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird; or before the eyes of everything that has a wing, as in the original. If it has eyes open to discern the snare, and a wing to carry it away, it will not be caught. And in vain should the deceit of sin spread its snares and nets for the entanglement of the [illegible]l, while the eyes of the mind are intent upon what it does, and so stir up the wings of its will and affections to carry it away and avoid it. But if the eyes be put out or diverted, the wings are of very little use for escape. And therefore this is one of the ways which is used by them who take birds or fowls in their nets, they have false lights, or shows of things to divert the sight of their prey; and when that is done, they take the season to cast their nets upon them. So does the deceit of sin, it first draws off and diverts the mind by false reasonings and pretences, as has been showed, and then casts its net upon the affections for their entanglement.

Secondly, taking advantage of such seasons, it proposes sin as desirable, as exceeding satisfactory to the corrupt part of our affections. It gilds over the object by a thousand pretences which it presents to corrupt lustings. This is the laying of a bait, which the Apostle in this verse evidently alludes to. A bait is somewhat desirable and suitable, that is proposed to the hungry creature for its satisfaction, and it is by all artifices rendered desirable and suitable. Thus is sin presented by the help of the imagination to the soul; that is, sinful and inordinate objects, which the affections cleave to, are [illegible]sented. The Apostle tells us, that there are pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:35), which unless they are despised, as they were by Moses, there is no escaping of sin itself. Hence they that live in sin, are said to live in pleasure (James 5:5). Now this pleasure of sin consists in its suitableness to give satisfaction to the flesh, to lust, to corrupt affections. Hence is that caution (Romans 13:14), Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. That is, do not suffer your minds, thoughts, or affections to fix upon sinful objects, suited to give satisfaction to the lusts of the flesh, to nouri[illegible] and cherish them thereby. To which purpose he speaks again (Galatians 5:16), Fulfill you not the lusts of the flesh. Bring not in the pleasures of sin to give them satisfaction. When men are under the power of sin, they are said to fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the mind (Ephesians 2:3). Thus therefore the deceit of sin endeavors to entangle the affections, by proposing to them through the assistance of the imagination that suitableness which is in it to the satisfaction of its corrupt lusts, now set at some liberty by the inadvertency of the mind. It presents its wine as sparkling in the cup, the beauty of the adulteress, the riches of the world to sensual and covetous persons, and somewhat in the like kind, in some degrees to believers themselves. When therefore, I say, sin would entangle the soul, it prevails with the imagination to solicit the heart, by representing this false painted beauty, or pretended satisfactoriness of sin: and then if Satan with any peculiar temptation fall in to its assistance, it oftentimes inflames all the affections, and puts the whole soul into disorder.

Thirdly, it hides the danger that attends sin, it covers it as the hook is covered with the bait, or the net spread over with meat for the fowl to be taken. It is not indeed possible that sin should utterly deprive the soul of the knowledge of the danger of it. It cannot dispossess it of its notion or persuasion that the wages of sin is death; and that it is the judgment of God, that they that commit sin are worthy of death. But this it will do, it will so take up and possess the mind and affections with the baits and desirableness of sin, that it shall divert them from an actual and practical contemplation of the danger of it. What Satan did in and by his first temptation, that sin does ever since. At first Eve guards herself, with calling to mind the danger of sin; if we eat, or touch it, we shall die (Genesis 3:3). But so soon as Satan had filled her mind with the beauty and usefulness of the fruit to make one wise, how quickly did she lay aside her practical prevalent consideration of the danger of eating it, the curse due to it; or else relieves herself with a vain hope and pretence that it should not be, because the Serpent told her so. So was David beguiled in his great transgression, by the deceit of sin; his lust being pleased and satisfied, the consideration of the guilt and danger of his transgression was taken away: and therefore he is said to have despised the Lord (2 Samuel 12:9), in that he considered not the evil that was in his heart, and the danger that attended it in the threatening or commination of the law. Now sin when it presses upon the soul to this purpose, will use a thousand wiles to hide from it the terror of the Lord, the end of transgressions, and especially of that peculiar folly which it solicits the mind to. Hopes of pardon shall be used to hide it, and future repentance shall hide it, present importunity of lust shall hide it, occasions and opportunities shall hide it, surprisals shall hide it, extenuation of sin shall hide it, balancing of duties against it shall hide it, fixing the imagination on present objects shall hide it, desperate resolutions to venture the uttermost for the enjoyment of lust in its pleasures and profits, shall hide it. A thousand wiles it has which cannot be recounted.

Fourthly, having prevailed thus far, gilding over the pleasures of sin, hiding its end and demerit, it proceeds to raise perverse reasonings in the mind, to fix it upon the sin proposed, that it may be conceived and brought forth, the affections being already prevailed upon; of which we shall speak under the next head of its progress.

Here we may stay a little, as formerly, to give some few directions for the obviating of this woful work of the deceitfulness of sin. Would we not be enticed or entangled, would we not be disposed to the conception of sin, would we be turned out of the road and way which goes down to death; let us take heed of our affections, which are of so great concernment in the whole course of our obedience, that they are commonly in the Scripture called by the name of the heart, as the principal thing which God requires in our walking before him. And this is not slightly to be attended to. Proverbs 4:23 says the wise man, Keep your heart with all diligence, or as in the Original, above or before all keepings; before every watch, keep your heart. You have many keepings that you watch to; you watch to keep your lives, to keep your estates, to keep your reputations, to keep up your families; but, says he, above all these keepings, prefer that, attend to that of the heart, of your affections, that they be not entangled with sin; there is no safety without it. Save all other things and lose the heart, and all is lost, lost to all eternity. You will say then, what shall we do, or how shall we observe this duty?

First, Keep your affections as to their object in general. This advice the Apostle gives in this very case (Colossians 3); his advice in the beginning of that chapter is to direct us to the mortification of sin, which he expressly engages in, ver. 5: Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth. Prevent the working and deceit of sin which wars in your members. To prepare us, to enable us hereunto, he gives us that great direction, ver. 2: Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. Fix your affections on heavenly things, this will enable you to mortify sin: fill them with the things that are above, let them be exercised with them, and so enjoy the chiefest place in them. They are above, blessed and suitable objects, meet for, and answering to our affections. God himself, in his beauty and glory; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is altogether lovely, the chiefest of ten thousand; grace and glory, the mysteries revealed in the Gospel, the blessedness promised thereby. Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed with these things, as it is our duty that they should be, it is our happiness when they are; what access could sin with its painted pleasures, with its sugared poisons, with its envenomed baits, have to our souls? How should we loath all its proposals, and say to them, Get you hence as an abominable thing? For what are the vain transitory pleasures of sin, in comparison of the exceeding recompence of reward which is proposed to us? Which argument the Apostle presses (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Secondly, As to the object of your affections in an especial manner; let it be the Cross of Christ, which has an exceeding efficacy towards the disappointment of the whole work of indwelling sin. Galatians 6:14: God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus, whereby the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. The Cross of Christ he gloried and rejoiced in; this his heart was set upon, and these were the effects of it; it crucified the world to him, made it a dead and undesirable thing. The baits and pleasures of sin are taken all of them out of the world, and the things that are in the world, namely the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are the things that are in the world; from these does sin take all its baits, whereby it entices and entangles our souls. If the heart be filled with the Cross of Christ, it casts death and undesirableness upon them all, it leaves no seeming beauty, no appearing pleasure or comeliness in them. Again, says he, It crucifies me to the world; makes my heart, my affections, my desires dead to any of these things. It roots up corrupt lusts and affections, leaves no principle to go forth and make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Labor therefore to fill your hearts with the Cross of Christ. Consider the sorrows he underwent, the curse he bore, the blood he shed, the cries he put forth, the love that was in all this to your souls, and the mystery of the grace of God therein. Meditate on the vileness, the demerit, and punishment of sin as represented in the Cross, the blood, the death of Christ. Is Christ crucified for sin, and shall not our hearts be crucified with him to sin? Shall we give entertainment to that, or hearken to its dalliances, which wounded, which pierced, which slew our dear Lord Jesus? God forbid. Fill your affections with the Cross of Christ, that there may be no room for sin. The world once put him out of the house into a stable, when he came to save us; let him now turn the world out of doors, when he is come to sanctify us.

Secondly, Look to the vigor of the affections towards heavenly things; if they are not constantly attended, excited, directed, and warned, they are apt to decay, and sin lies in wait to take every advantage against them. Many complaints we have in the Scripture of those who lost their first love, in suffering their affections to decay. And this should make us jealous over our own hearts, lest we also should be overtaken with the like backsliding frame. Therefore be jealous over them, often strictly examine them, and call them to account, supply to them due considerations for their exciting and stirring up to duty.