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HEN the Devil holds any one in the bondage of sin, his great concern is to turn away his mind from every thought which might lead him to discover his most unhappy condition.

And not only does he divert the mind from all thoughts and godly inspirations which may call him to repentance, by instilling thoughts foreign to the subject; but by occasions, ready and prepared for him, he makes him fall into his old sins, or even into worse ones.

Thus, his blindness waxing thicker and denser, he more deeply plunges into a headlong and reckless course of sin, and passing from one stage of darkness to another, and from sin to fouler sin, his wretched life like a wheel runs on even to death, unless God of His grace should provide some means of stopping him.

The remedy for one in this unhappy state, on his side, is to be ready to listen to every whisper and godly inspiration which calls him from darkness to light, crying with all his heart to his Creator, "O my Lord, help me, help me