In chapter nine of Indwelling Sin in Believers, John Owen described how the deceit of sin draws our mind from attending to the duties by which our soul is preserved, particularly prayer and meditation. Sin maintains an enmity against all duties of obedience, or rather with God in them. Citing Romans 7:21, “When I want to do right, evil lies close at hand,” he said it is present within us to hinder the spiritually good, the good in reference to God we would do. All duties of obedience are directly opposed to the law of sin; “for as the flesh in all its actings lusteth against the Spirit, so the Spirit in all its actings lusteth against the flesh.”
Every duty performed in the strength and grace of the Spirit is contrary to the law of sin. Romans 8:13 says if you live through the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the flesh. Actions by the Spirit of grace does this work. There are some duties which, in their own nature and by God’s appointment, have a particular influence in weakening and subduing the whole law of sin in its very principles and chief strengths. The mind of a believer ought to principally attend to these; and sin in its deceit strives to draw your mind away from them. Just as some remedies have a specific quality against physical disease, so in this disease of the soul there are some duties that have a special virtue against this sinful distemper.
Owen said there are two duties that have a special inclination by God’s design for the destruction of the whole law of sin, and he intends to “show the ways, methods, and means, which the law of sin useth to divert the mind from a due attendance unto them.” The two duties are prayer, especially private prayer, and meditation. He said these two agree in their general nature and differ only in the manner of their performance. By meditation Owen meant meditating on the word and our own hearts, “that they may be brought into a more exact conformity.”
It is our pondering on the truth as it is in Jesus, to find out the image and representation of it in our own hearts; and so it hath the same intent with prayer, which is to bring our souls into a frame in all things answering the mind and will of God. They are as the blood and spirits in the veins, that have the same life, motion, and use.
There are two or three rules for the right performance of meditation, according to Owen. The first is to Meditate of God with God. By this he meant we should have an attitude of deep humiliation and abasement of our souls before God. This will focus our mind, drawing it from one thing to another, giving glory to God and affecting our soul until it is brought into a state of holy admiration and delight of God. “My meaning is, that it be done in a way of prayer and praise,—speaking unto God.”
We should meditate on the word in the word. That is consider the sense in particular passages. Look to God for help, guidance and direction as you attempt to discover his mind and will in His Word. “Then labour to have our hearts affected by it.” If you come up short in these things, compensate by being more frequent with your prayer and meditation. Some individuals get discouraged because their minds don’t regularly supply them with thoughts to carry on their meditations. “Let this be supplied by frequent returns of the mind unto the subject proposed to be meditated upon, whereby new senses will still be supplied unto it.”
James 1:5 declared the way God appointed to obtain strength and power against sin: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Prayer is the way we have of obtaining from God through Christ a supply of all our wants, assistance against all opposition, especially that which is made against us by sin. “Faith in prayer countermines all the workings of the deceit of sin; and that because the soul doth therein constantly engage itself unto God to oppose all sin whatsoever.”
If there is a secret lust lurking in the heart, you will discover it either rising up against this or using its artifices to protect itself against it. In Psalm 51:5, as David was confessing his actual sin, he discovered the root of all his miscarriages in his original corruption, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity.” The Spirit acts as the candle of the Lord, enabling it to search all the inward parts of the soul.
It gives a holy, spiritual light into the mind, enabling it to search the deep and dark recesses of the heart, to find out the subtle and deceitful machinations, figments, and imaginations of the law of sin therein. Whatever notion there be of it, whatever power and prevalency in it, it is laid hand on, apprehended, brought into the presence of God, judged, condemned, bewailed. And what can possibly be more effectual for its ruin and destruction? for, together with its discovery, application is made unto all that relief which in Jesus Christ is provided against it, all ways and means whereby it may be ruined.
While your soul is constantly engaged to God in this way, it is certain that no sin can rise to dominate and rule over you. This is a victory over sin, a most considerable victory, where your soul clearly and promptly demonstrates its resolve. And it may be, by the grace of God, that this will be a final conquest—whatever the soul engaged to God is resolved to do will be done. “And this tends to the disappointment, yea, to the ruin of the law of sin.”
If the heart be not deceived by cursed hypocrisy, this engagement unto God will greatly influence it unto a peculiar diligence and watchfulness against all sin. There is no greater evidence of hypocrisy than to have the heart like the whorish woman, Prov. 7:14,—to say, “‘I have paid my vows,’ now I may take myself unto my sin;” or to be negligent about sin, as being satisfied that it hath prayed against it. It is otherwise in a gracious soul. Sense and conscience of engagements against sin made to God, do make it universally watchful against all its motions and operations. On these and sundry other accounts doth faith in this duty exert itself peculiarly to the weakening of the power and stopping of the progress of the law of sin.
If the mind is diligent and watches to keep its soul from the efficacy of sin, it will carefully attend to this duty and its implementation. However, sin attempts to defend itself by diversion, by drawing the mind away from this and similar duties. It does this through three main methods.
It takes advantage of the weariness of the flesh. And out of that fleshly weariness reluctance and weariness of doing your duty emerges. Jesus said to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:41), “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” There is an amenability between spiritual flesh and natural flesh in this matter; they help each other. If the mind is not diligent and watchful to prevent such insinuations from occurring, it will be drawn away, which is the intended effect.
The deceitfulness of sin also takes advantage of corrupt reasonings, taken from the pressing and urging of the circumstances of life. We say, “If we were to strictly attend to all our spiritual duties, we would neglect pressing matters and be useless to ourselves and others.” God certainly gives us enough time for all He requires of us in this world. No duties need to be in persistent conflict with one another. God does not call or bless us when we take on more than we can tolerably do.
And then there is the deceit of promising a more diligent attendance to a duty when time permits. By this means it brings the soul to justify putting off its duty, as when Felix said to Paul that he would call him to hear more at a future time. The end result is the time never comes.
Like with the beginnings of a bodily sickness, it is a great advantage to immediately direct our attention to heal it. In a similar way, God shows us where the “beginning of sin” is—in drawing the mind away from a due attendance of all things required in the discharge of its spiritual duty. “The principal care and charge of the soul lies on the mind; and if that fail of its duty, the whole is betrayed, either as unto its general frame or as unto particular miscarriages.” The failure of the mind is like the failing of the watchman in Ezekiel (3:16-21); “The whole is lost by his neglect.”
God does not look at how many duties we perform or how challenging they are. Rather, He looks for the intent and spirit He requires in what we do. If you would take a true measure of yourselves, “Consider how it is with you as to the duty of your minds which we have inquired after.” Consider if you have been diverted or drawn away by any of the deceits mentioned. And if you discover failings of any kind, you will find the beginning of deceits there. “By one way or other your minds have been made heedless, regardless, slothful, uncertain, being beguiled and drawn off from their duty.” And this discovery will direct your soul to a suitable way of healing and recovery, which will never be effected by a multiplying of particular duties, but rather by a restoring of your soul (Psalm 23:3).
