The Narrated Puritan

Indwelling sin brings men into habitual declension by taking men off from their watch against the returns of Satan. When our Lord Christ comes first to take possession of any soul for Himself, He binds that strong man and spoils his goods; He deprives him of all his power, dominion, and interest. Satan being thus dispossessed and frustrated in his hopes and expectations, leaves the soul, as finding it newly mortified to his baits. Owen, John. Indwelling Sin Chapel Library Edition.

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Consider the fearful eruptions of actual sin that have been in the lives of believers, and we shall find our position regarding indwelling sin evidenced. Should I go through at large with this consideration, I must recount all the sad and scandalous failings of the saints that are left on record in the holy Scripture. However, the particulars of them are known to all so that I shall not need to mention them, nor the many aggravations with which they are attended in their circumstances. chapellibrary org

The life of the believer is, or ought to be, full of soul blessing, and the pursuit of the believer ought always to be soul-winning.

There are two ways in general by which God thus prevents the bringing forth of conceived sin by working on the will of the sinner. They are a) by restraining grace; and b) by renewing (saving) grace. He does it sometimes the one way and sometimes the other. The first of these is common to regenerate and unregenerate persons, the latter is peculiar to believers. This title is from the Chapel Library, Specially formatted.