I wonder if anyone has ever made it through John Owen's writings on the mortification of sin with an intact faith in one's own clear-sightedness regarding sin. Mine was thoroughly quashed by his description of how wily and deceitful sin is and the myriad excuses the flesh makes for it. However, as one precariously teetering on the threshold of assurance, I found his words too harshly realistic to bear without the blazing counterpoint of grace. Or, perhaps, I am just a coward.