Chapter 9 in Owen’s Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers
Continued from his first point on how to mortify sin – Consider what dangerous symptoms your lust has attending or accompanying it:
By applying grace and mercy to an unmortified sin (92).
To apply mercy, then, to a sin not vigorously mortified is to fulfill the end of the flesh upon the gospel.
Frequency of success in sin’s seduction, in obtaining the prevailing consent of the will unto it.
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. (92).
When a man rights 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 (93).
. . . 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 (93-94).
If your lust has driven you from stronger forts, it will speedily prevail against this also (94).
When it is probable that there is, or may be, somewhat of judiciary hardness, or at least of chastening punishment, in your lust as disquieting – this is another dangerous symptom (94).
When your lust has already withstood particular dealings from God against it (95).
Wheras I say the things and evils above-mentioned may befall true believers, let not any that finds the same things in himself thence or from 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 (96).
