Rev. 4.4 I saw twenty four Elders sitting clothed in white raiment and they had on their heads crowns of gold That is durable glorious crowns given them with respect to their conquering And what then V. 10. They fall down before the throne and woâ—ship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory honour and power as if they had said though we are crowned yet we in our selves are not worthy of our crowns but thou art worthy of glory honour and power for by the power of thy spirit it is that we have vanquished our enemies and have won these Crowns It 's another principal way of grieving the spirit when we mortifying any sin through it do take the glory to our selves which we do when we grow high minded and puf't up in our spirits thereby And it 's one of the best evidences that our sins are indeed mortified by the holy spirit when our pride is mortified so that we are still humble as well when we overcome this or that lust as when we are overcome by it There is no sin more hatefull to the spirit of God than pride is therefore it helping us against other sins it will surely smite that Lastly Be exhorted to get more of the spirit you who are endued with it who have it dwelling in you Ephes 5.18 Be filled with the spirit the spirit is given by degrees and in divers measures the more you are filled with it the more you 'l be emptied of your lusts through it the more effectually and easily will you prevail against every sin that hath been too hard for you But how shall we gain more of the spirit I answer The same way the spirit is received at first more thereof is to be attained and that 's by faith The more we act faith on Christ and on the promises and the more we earnestly pray in faith the more shall we receive and be filled with that mighty sin-killing lust destroying spirit of the Lord. Sermon 8. and Last I Am now come to the last thing to be considered in this Text which I shall briefly dispatch and put an issue thereto D. 3. That they who do mortifie the deeds of the body of sin through the spirit they shall live As they who live after the flesh shall dy so they who do mortifie the affections lusts and motions of the flesh shall live so be it that they do this through the spirit because else it s not done in truth and to purpose And there is this difference to be remembred they who live after the flesh deserve tody they earn the wages of death it 's not so here that they who mortifie the deeds of sin do deserve to live for though as the Apostle saith Ro. 6. last The wages of sin is death yet the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ God freely gives life and Christ hath by his obedience to death obtain'd it 1 Joh. 3.9 In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Christ was sent to dye that we might live otherwise we could never by any means have had life yet is this the mortification of sin the way to though not the cause of life it necessarily preceeds life Two things I shall speak a little to before I come to the Application 1. Shew how they shall live who do this 2. Give some reasons for the confirmation of the truth How shall they live who do this answer look how they shall dye who live after the flesh in a contrary way shall they live who mortifie the deeds of the flesh First If we do this we shall live the life of grace of holiness which is called the life of God Eph. 4.18 Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart How excellent how desirable is their life which is the life of God even that life shall we live let us but get our sin dead through the Spirit of God Christ the Son of God will live in us Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me He did through Christ dwelling in him live a spiritual holy life so shall we live it 's true none can do any thing this way to purpose till they are quickned and have some spiritual life in them can those who lye dead in their graves kill the worms that feed upon them No more can any while they lye dead in their sins mortifie their sins they have not the spirit therefore cannot act through it But if we do destroy our corruptions through the spirit then we are quickned and we shall retain that spiritual life we have 2 Pet. 1.10 If ye do these things ye shall never fall never fall as Adam did so as to lose our spiritual life as they of whom the Apostle speaks that they are twice dead though he means not that ever they had a reall principle of spiritual life should it be that any of us who have the spirit should grow quite negligent in this work of subduing our sins should we altogether give it over then should we become like those twice dead sin as I may say would choak would strangle our souls or the new creature in us But we continuing to keep under and to slay our sins so the life of grace we have shall be retained and we shall not fall into a dead frame yea thus shall we have life more abundantly we shall be more lively God-ward in all duties and good works Rev. 3.2 3. Christ exhorteth the Church of Sardis to strengthen the things that did remain which were ready to dye and for that end biddeth them repent mortifie their sin through the neglect whereof some good things were even as dead already and others were in a dying case it will not be so with us if we herein do our duty but all good will live in us and it will grow more lively so we shall be farther and farther from dying Secondly We shall live a life of peace and comfort as it is Gal. 5.25 we shall live in the spirit in the peace comfort and joy thereof the Kingdom of God we read consists in righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost but the more we mortifie our sin through the spirit the more of the Kingdom of God as it consists in righteousness whereupon also we shall have the more of the Kingdom of God as it consists in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost we shall have the more sense of our justification and of our peace with God a more clear discerning of the forgiveness of our iniquities a more quiet and acquitting conscience more of the rejoycing of the testimony of a good conscience and the very slaying of our corruptions because they are
a secret curse upon all that live after the flesh upon all they have all they do which curse is a sore death all who are cursed are dead while they live Fifthly If ye live after the flesh so as hath been declared ye will at last not only dye a natural but a cursed death when you come to dye naturally you 'l dye cursedly wretchedly as Christ saith ye shall dye in your sins if you live in them you shall dye in them under the curse of God due to them And so ye shall dye the second death when your bodies shall dye and go to the grave your souls shall dye and go to hell when your souls shall leave your bodies God will wholly leave them when they shall be separated from their earthly Tabernacle they shall be shut out from that building which is eternal in the heavens and from God perfectly ye shall so dye that ye shall be killed and killed with death Rev. 2.23 death will come upon you and hell at the heels of it Rev. 6.8 So shall ye be killed with death and Devils In which condition your souls will abide to the appearing of Christ and then your bodies shall be raised to partake with them in misery raised to the resurrection of damnation which is opposed to the resurrection of life Joh. 5.29 so your whole man your souls and bodies together will remain in a forlorn dead woeful state without end for ever and ever Q. 4. How doth this appear how may it be proved that they who live after the flesh shall dye A. It appears many wayes by many arguments from Scripture and sound reason take a hint of some 1. They who live after the flesh are not truely in Christ Rom. 8.1 they who are in Christ walk not after the flesh therefore they who do live after the flesh are not in Christ they have no interest in him no part in him so they must needs dye for not being in Christ they are not under Christ's righteousness they have nothing to do with that v. 4. the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us in our nature for us who walk not after the flesh Christ performed righteousness only for such It is applyed accounted to such and no other therefore they who live after the flesh are unrighteous in the sight of God they stand guilty before the justice of God dye then they must because not partakers of that righteousness which justifieth to life and as they are not in Christ so Christ is not in them Christ hath not taken hold of them his spirit is not in them therefore they belong not to him they are none of his Rom. 8.9 and if they are none of his then life is none of theirs the Fathe bath given to the Son to have life in himself he quickens whom he will but none have life from him unless they belong to him Secondly They who live after the flesh are in the flesh they are in its hands under its power therefore shall dye as one who is in the hand of his mortal enemy and while any are in the flesh they cannot please God Rom. 8.8 and whoever cannot please God shall not be pleased with life by God but shall dye Thirdly To live after the flesh is to live in a direct contrariety to God to his will his law his nature He is a pure spirit not flesh at all in any sense much less in the worst sense he is holy holy holy in him is no darkness at all not any appearance or shadow of sin so that whoever live after the flesh do turn their backs upon God they depart they go far from him they live most directly contrary to him how then can they but dye forasmuch as God is the fountain of living waters the living God for they who live not shall dye none can live unless God give them life God will not give life to any who continue his enemies to depart from him in a direct opposition to him Gods soul cannot but depart from such his wrath cannot but be kindled against them shall they not then dye for as in his favour is life so in his wrath is death Fourthly They who live after the flesh are the servants of it living after it being a doing service to it the flesh is their Lord and Mâ—ster therefore they must have the wages of the flesh Rom. 6.16 his servants ye are to whom ye obey if of sin then unto death how so v. last for the wages of sin is death God in justice as the Judg of the world is engaged to see to it that they who live to sin have the wages of sin Destâ—uction and misery are in the wayes of the flesh Rom. 3.16 therefore they who live in those wayes cannot but dye as surely as he that drinks and continues to drink the most deadly poyson He that walks in any way will come to the end of it at last therefore the end of the wayes of sin bring death they who continue therein will surely dye in the end If the wind blow direct to the shore and the Ship sail just before the wind the helm not being turn'd where will it be by and by will it not be on shore on the ground if the Boat still continue going down the stream it will be in the Sea e're long into which all Rivers run the flesh that is as the wind that blows direct hellward as the stream that runs directly into the bottomless pit he that lives after the flesh he sails before the wind he goes down with the stream think then where will he be after a little while if he turn if he stop not That which every man sows that shall be reap reason and experience say that 's past question beyond any doubt if a man sow tares he cannot reap wheat but must have his harvest of tares so he that sowes to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption destruction Gal. 6.7 8. Be not deceived which intimates many are so God is not mocked couzened though men oft are so whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap you know it is so outwardly and so it is as sure spiritually for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption spiritual Corruption which is the worst Ag. If any live after the flesh it hath their heart it hath seized on their heart it hath possession and dominion there therefore they 'l dye as when a grievous Disease gets to the heart suppose the Plague if once it get to the heart you know what follows unless it be speedily expelled or driven thence Lust is to the soul that which the Plague is to the body if ye live after the flesh the Plague is now already at in your heart it hath the command of your will and affections Moreover to live after the flesh is to live after Satan 1 Tim. 5.15 some are already turned aside after Satan though he be not
do why am I so heedless what mean I to shew any friendship to to hold correspondence with or at all to countenance the flesh that Traytor to the Majesty of heaven that deadly enemy to my soul doth not the Scripture say if I whatever I am live after the flesh I shall dye O that the Lord would make use of this word pray you that he would as he did of the Stone that David slung whereby he killed that Gyant Goliah our flesh corruption is as a mighty Gyant he that speaks the word is of no strength but if God set in with it it shall knock our flesh on the head and lay it dead as that stone little David slung run into the head of that Philistine and brought him down dead to the Ground so that David whom he defyed came and stood upon him and cut off his head In a word when ever the flesh calls you after it answer it with this whenever Satan tempts you to follow it let this be your reply so and so the Scripture saith And do you Parents Preach this to your Children you friends and companions tell one another of this when you see one another acting sinfully Children Friends Companions the Lord God by his Apostle hath spoken it If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye Lastly See what cause you have to bless the Lord who once did live after the flesh but now do not O mercy rich mercy that God hath turn'd you from that way wherein had you still lived it would have carried you from God from Heaven into the bottomless pit that place a thousand times worse than Nebuchadnezar's fiery Furnace when heated seventimes hotter than it used to be while you live praise God for this that you live not after the flesh And let this bear up your spirits under all afflictions though you live a life of affliction now yet not a life of corruption though an afflicted life yet not that life that will end in endless death Sermon 3. I shall now fall upon the second part of the Text But if ye through the shirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live IN these words we have a Character and evident sign of those who shall live with a promise of life to them or this sentence hath three things contained in it 1. A necessary constant duty that is incumbent and lyes upon us all that is to mortifie the deeds of the body 2. The great means prescribed for our doing this and that 's through the spirit 3. The great advantage that cometh by so doing and that 's life ye shall live I intend to speak to these three things in three Doctrines distinctly the first whereof the Doctrine now to be discussed is this Doct. 1. That it is a necessary and constant duty incumbent or lying upon us all to mortifie that is to kill slay and destroy the deeds of the body In the management of this truth I am to shew First What 's meant by the body and why it is so called Secondly what 's meant by the deeds of the body and why they are so named Thirdly what is it to mortifie the deeds thereof and how is that to be done Fourthly why is this a necessary duty Fifthly why is it a constant duty Q. 1. What 's meant by the body and why is it so called A. Body here signifyeth the same thing with flesh in the foregoing part of the Text corrupt nature or the corruption of nature natural corruption that sin we all brought into the world with us in us which is called the body of the sins of the flesh Col. 2.11 in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in puting off the body of the sins of the flesh and this is that which is tearmed the body of Sin Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed where by our old man and the body of sin the same thing is understood our old man corrupt nature is the body of sin it 's altogether made up of sin it 's nothing else but sin this also is that the Apostle calleth the body of this death Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death or as it may be read from this body of death But why is the corruption of nature called the body A. For the same reasons before given why it 's called the flesh and besides those corrupt nature may be called the body for these reasons following 1. The body hath many parts and members which being united make one body together and each of those members differ the one from the other in their proper nature and use Rom. 12.4 We have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so is the mystical body of Christ his Church and thus is it with the body of sin it hath divers parts and members and therefore may be called in that place to the Colossians even now cited the body of the Sins of the flesh There is pride hatred hypocrisie covetousness unbelief with many more all which are as members of the body of sin there is a kind of union between them they all together make one corrupt nature and each of them differeth in the proper nature thereof and in its working or acting as the hand is one thing and acts in one manner the foot another thing and acts in another manner the eye differeth from the ear and the ear from the eye so is it with the several parts of corrupt nature And it may be observed as some parts of the body are inward not ordinarily seen or easie to be seen others are outward without and manifest to all so some lusts are more secret and not so commonly or easily perceived as others are which daily shew themselves as also the being and subsistence or life of the body lyeth chiefly in those parts that are within as the Heart Liver Lungs which are more necessary to the body it's subsisting than the outward parts as hands legs so the body of sin hath its being principally in those sins that are more secret less obvious such as hypocrifie unbelief formality covetousness vanity of mind these are as the Heart Liver and Lungs of the body of sin it would no longer subsist were there nothing of such sins within us whereas the body of sin may and oft doth continue and that strong and lusty without some outward more manifest sins such as Drunkenness Adultery Swearing and such like Moreover a man hath all the members of his body from the womb though he doth not use some of them so soon as others the Child useth not its tongue and legs so soon as its eyes and ears though it be born with them all so we bring all lusts into the world with us though some shew themselves and are exerted much sooner than others as pride
are the greatest enemies of all to thy sin and they are the best friends of all to thy soul therefore the more any one is a friend to thy sin the worse enemy he is to thy soul and the more any one is an enemy to thy sin the better friend he is to thy soul do thou so account be so perswaded this will help to the mortifying thy sin for it will keep thine ear open to reproof and make way for the sinking of wholsom words into thine heart whereas if thou thinkest he that hates thy sin hates thee which is too ordinary and he that flatters and humors thee in thy evil affections and so is a friend to them loves thee this will keep thy sin alive and nourish it greatly for it will cause thee to give ear to those things that will feed thy corruption Much more might have been said and more may be spoken afterward let thus much suffice at present Sermon 4. Q. 4. WHy is it a necessary duty to mortifie the deeds of the body A. It is most manifest that this is a necessary duty that there is an Absolute necessity lying upon us all and upon me and thee every one of you not only because it is commanded but it is necessary in it self and for our own good It is necessary that we may escape death for if we do not mortifie the deeds of the flesh we shall live after the flesh and so dye at last They say a Crocodile and a man seldom meet but one of them dyeth for it if the man kill not the Crocodile the Crocodile will kill the man This is true of every deed of the body of sin either a man must kill it or he will be killed by it kill or be killed is most true as to all sin The words I am upon teach this is necessary to life and that must be if it be necessary to the escaping death But to evince this by some particulars First Is it not necessary that a deadly disease be mortified you know it is it will mortifie if it be not mortified but sin is the disease of the soul and it 's deadly as the Apostle James saith when it 's finished it brings forth death and as the Apostle Paul saith it brings forth fruit unto death No disease whatever more deadly to the body than every unmortified deed of the flesh is to the soul a bodily disease hurts not the soul but an unmortified lust hurts soul and body with the greatest hurt is it not necessary then to be mortified or is it not necessary that a mettal enemy that 's near a man be slain if possible there being no other way to avoid death by his hands but to lay him dead at ones feet much more is it necessary to destroy our sins there being no other way to escape death by them or no way effectual without this and no enemy hurtful as our lusts unsubdued are It is indeed only sin unmortified that can do us any hurt real or abiding hurt the world could not mischief us Satan could not prejudice us were all our lusts laid dead as they should be therefore well said one of the Martyrs in a letter to his Wife be alwayes an enemy to the world and to the Devil but especially to your own flesh your own corruption But we lye open to the malice of all enemies if any sin be suffered to live in us a lust unmortified is as an open door to let Satan into our souls it gives him hold of us it is as dry tinder whereby we may presently be set on fire or as a Barrel of Gun-powder as I may say within us whereby he may come and blow us up If we mortifie our sins then do we mortifie the world and Satan in their power over us but if we do not then will the world be our Master and Satan will be Lord over us Secondly Is it not necessary that we love God and Christ and his Commandments and our own souls and one another but we love none of these unless we mortifie the deeds of the body we love not God because he hates those Deeds he is dishonored by them offended and provoked and his Spirit is grieved and quenched thereby Jam. 4.4 the friendship of the world is enmity to God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God so as to every deed of the flesh the friendship thereof is enmity to God whosoever therefore is a friend thereof is an enemy of God Nor do we love Christ because the deeds of the body put him to death and are quite contrary to the deeds which he did If ye love me saith Christ keep my Commandments and if we keep his Commandments we must needs break the Commandments of sin and so mortifie the deeds of the body Nor do we love the Commandments of God and Christ because all sinful deeds are directly opposite thereto and this is one of the Lords Commandments that we mortifie our sins yea every Commandment implyes this in that we can keep no Command truely heartily unless our lusts are mortified Nor do we love our own souls because all the deeds of the body war against it and are destructive to it to let sin live quietly in us is too plainly to hate our souls for it is to give entertainment to the enemy the worst enemy of them Prov. 29.24 he that is partner with a Thief hateth his own soul he heareth cursing and bewrayeth it not so doth he hate his own soul who hath this and that lust stirring in him and destroyeth it not Nor do we love or can we love one another in truth for true love only groweth in a pure heart hence it 's said 1 Pet. 1.22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently but no heart purity except the corruptions of the heart be slain Jam. 4.1 from whence come wars and fightings among you he meaneth quarrels strifes and contentions which are caused by want of love come they not saith he even of your lusts that war in your members Yes thence it 's sure they come there would be no wars nor fightings of any kind but for the lusts that are in men and whence is it that mens lusts do cause any such things but because they are not mortified Thirdly Let me ask is it not necessary that we hate our corruptions either we must hate them or we shall love them but we do not hate them in good earnest with a right hatred except we seek the mortification of them no hatred of sin is true and right which is not deadly which doth not carry us forth in endeavours to trample it dead under our feet to crucifie it and let out it's heart blood As when Cain hated his brother he kill'd him all heart hatred inclines a man to
wish and if it may be to seek the death of its object Hence we read 1 Joh. 3.15 Whoso hateth his brother is a Murderer and ye know that no Murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Fourthly Is it not necessary that we escape condemnation in the day of judgment but this we cannot unless we mortifie the deeds of the body for the Scripture assures us in that day the Lord will render to every one according to his deeds Rom. 2.5 6. Now is the day of salvation now is the accepted time 2 Cor. 6.2 but yet after a little while there will be a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God and then O then even then will the Lord God himself render to every one of us according to our deeds but what are our deeds A. The deeds of the body of sin are our deeds if we mortifie them not for then we allow them as they say the receiver is as bad as the thief so if we entertain and give way to the lustings and out-goings of corrupt nature we make our selves even as bad as it we are as guilty as the old man the body of sin is they are as partners with their corruption who seek not its destruction therefore according to all the deeds of our corruption will the Lord render to us in that day if we mortifie them not but O! Alas what a recompense what wo what sore punishment when God even the most High and Almighty one himself and that in the day of wrath shall render to a poor creature a miserable man according to all the lusts and lustings of sin all the members and motions and works of the body of sin in him Fifthly Is it not necessary that we perform acceptable service to God This will not be cannot be that we serve or worship God so that what we do should be accepted of him unless we mortifie the affections and motions of sin within us for our iniquities if not subdued will defile all we do so that it will be loathsom and abominable to God our lusts if suffered to live in us will either quite draw us off from serving God or they will mortifie all our services they will make them as dead services altogether odious and hateful to the Lord Isa 1.11 12 c. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the Lord c. bring no more vain oblations Incense is an abomination to me the new Moons and Sabbaths the calling of Assemblies I cannot away with it is iniquity the solemn meeting Your new Moons and your appointted Feasts my soul hateth they are a trouble unto me I am weary to hear them Why because their lusts were unmortified therefore it 's said v. 16. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil And no wonder for if our lusts are let alone and entertained as friends not dealt with as enemies then are not our hearts upright with God we are no better than Hypocrites in all that we do Corruption living and prevailing keeps our hearts from God it fetters imprisoneth and shackles our souls that they cannot follow after God Every lust any one sin not mortified it doth bind a man hand and foot as to any right performance to God so it will be most just for Christ to say to all whose sins are not mortified as he foretells us he will say Take them bind them hand and foot and cast them into outer darkness because they suffered themselves as if Christ should say to be taken and bound hand and foot by their corruptions And would not endeavour by destroying them to set themselves at liberty that they might walk in the light therefore take them you Executioners of my wrath take them and bind them hand and foot and cast them into outer darkness Sixthly Let me add but this is it not necessary that we should have Communion with God fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ but how shall this be sure our sins must first be mortified because the Father is most holy and the Son is most holy should God grant us Communion with himself while any of our corruptions are harboured and not wounded not brought under but have dominion in us he must have fellowship with them even with our sins which is impossible 2 Cor. 6.14 15. What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what Communion hath light with darkness and what Concord hath Christ with Belial We are exhorted to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but we have fellowship with the deeds of the body of sin if we comply with them and mortifie them not and we thereby have Communion with Satan It is as sure some have Communion with Satan in this world as it is that some have fellowship with God and who are they who have Communion with Satan but such whose hearts are in league with their sins therefore such can have no fellowship with God nor can it be that God should draw nigh to them in a way of Communion So then I need say no more it abundantly appears it is necessary of exceeding great necessity that we do mortifie the deeds of the body Q. 5. Why is this to be done constantly A. This is a duty and work about which we must be conversant wherein we must be exercised continually all the dayes of our life therefore the Apostle saith if ye mortifie not if ye have mortified noting to us that this is a business we are daily all our life long to be employed in And the reasons hereof are manifest First Because as hath before been said the body of sin continueth in all while their natural visible body liveth in this world the Apostle Paul himself complains and cryeth out because of this body of death of sin which is as death and this body of sin is still bringing forth sowr grapes vile fruit there are new lustings of corruption every day hence we read the flesh lusteth against the spirit that is constantly daily and Jam. 4.5 the spirit that is in us lusteth to envy so it lusteth to worldliness to discontent impatience pride wrath c. Therefore we must constantly keep warring against our sin its motions are still renewed therefore we must still renew our blows our opposition our endeavour for their mortification a if fire break forth and it be beaten in or quench't yet so that it is still burning still flaming and issuing forth again then there is greet need why there should be still endeavours to extinguish it But the bare continuance and constant working of corruption is not all Secondly Satan is still endeavouring to quicken the deeds of the body he is still seeking to stir up this and the other lust in us to ingender hatch or beget new sinful motions in us in our corrupt nature The body of sin is as I may call it
with themselves but they carried their lusts away with them as Ahitophel and Judas some have macerated themselves almost starved themselves yet the body of sin and the deeds thereof have been fat and flourishing they have put themselves to much suffering and yet their lusts have lived still and some are much mortified in their outward man by great afflictions by old age yet their sinful affections have had no wound thereby though perhaps through the weakness of their bodies some of them have not so much appeared as they were wont Yet in some cases keeping under the body is a helpful means to the subduing of lust so be it it be not in a superstitious way hence that 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast away Secondly The Apostle speaks not of mortifying your temptations to sin though these are to be avoided a man may not have those temptations â—â—ich he had his temptations may be as mortified 〈◊〉 â—emoved and yet his corruptions be the same as 〈◊〉 is the same in a storm and in a calm when 〈◊〉 â—nd is still that is still but the nature of the sea is not changed so a mans corruption may not work as it did though it be the same that it was because he is not tempted as he was Thirdly The Apostle speaks not of hiding covering and cloaking the deeds of the flesh so that they should not appear to men this may be a mans sins may be hid and yet be as and more lively in him than when they did shew themselves Absalom hid his malice against his brother Amnon but it lived and increased in him all the while the Scribes and Pharisees covered their malice against Christ when they came to him and gave him good words but never more malicious than at that very time so Judas cloaked his covetousness the truth is this hiding and cloaking sin is a great deed of the flesh it is Hypocrisie a Hypocrite through his shews and pretenses may seem to others yea and to himself for many Hypocrites deceive themselves to have his lusts in a great degree destroyed and yet they have as much and more life than ever Fourthly The Apostle saith not if ye restrain hold or stop the working of sin this may also be corruption may be a while restrained through afflictions conviction common workings and yet be far from any degree of death as Saul's envy was restrained and stop'd insomuch that he ceased his pursuing David yet his heart was full of envy still Fifthly The Apostle speaks not of changing the deeds of the body one for another as Prodigality for covetousness open prophaness for formality or the like this oft is a man steps out of one dirty path into another he leaves one way of death and walks in another but so that he is never the nearer life because though his sin be changed it 's not mortified These things might have been enlarged but I have only hinted them yet are they worthy of great consideration it 's not said if ye mortifie your selves nor if ye mortifie your temptations or they be mortified nor if ye cover and cloak your sins nor if ye restrain and stop your lusts in their workings nor if you change your corruptions one for another but if you mortifie your iniquities if you kill and truely destroy the deeds of the body of sin it is this and nothing less than this the actual real slaying our lustings and lusts that is necessarily required to life See then that you mistake nor search examine prove your selves concerning this is it so that ye do actually truly kill slay your sins take away their very life are you really bent in your hearts to this work and intent upon this business Q. How shall we know that A. 1. If so you make use of all means you know or hear of in seeking the mortification of the deeds of the flesh If men seek to kill any hurtful creature to destroy an enemy they not only do something but every thing they know or are told may conduce thereto till their design be accomplish'd If one means do not do they use another and another till there be no more that they can do So you use all means to destroy the deeds of sin in you there is no one thing you know or are told that is a good lawful means for the ruining the lustings of the flesh but you give your selves to the practise thereof yea you are inquisitive still what is yet to be done as that young man said to Christ What lack I yet so you say what is more to be done for the slaying my sin And you have a readiness to embrace any direction that from Scripture or good and warrantable experience you may be acquainted with Yea it is no small joy and delight to you to hear how you may overcome your iniquities if you hear any thing you before have not known or taken notice of it is to you as if you heard some means to cure a sore and deadly disease Secondly You endeavour to mortifie inward secret sins as really as cordially as outward open sins those which are known only to God as well and as much as those which are manifest in the sight of men And you do follow every sin to its natural seat to your heart and there seek to destroy it as men that follow their enemies to their doors and seek to ruine them there where they dwell or are entrench'd so you follow your corruptions and do your utmost to destroy them not only in their appearances abroad but within where they dwell and lodge Thirdly You search after your sins not being content your selves to mortifie those you know but you enquire and look without and within and round about whether there be not some that you know not as one who in war searcheth after his enemies to find out those that hide themselves in the hedges behind the bushes among the trees or in any secret place It 's said of ungodly men they make a diligent search after the sins of those they bare ill will to Ps 64.6 they search out iniquities they accomplish a diligent search So a gracious soul who hates his sins with a perfect deadly hatred he searcheth out his own iniquities he accomplisheth not only begins but goes through stitch with a diligent search divers sins lye secret so deep and stick so close they are not easily to be perceived therefore one whose heart is truly stirred in holy zeal against his sins he searcheth narrowly diligently as that woman Christ speaks of for her lost groat that he may come to the knowledge of them in order to their mortification Fourthly If you are engaged with your whole soul in this work then you do get ground upon the deeds of the flesh they are really weakned and impaired as the house of
than the mighty waves of the Sea so is no man Darius found himself too weak to deal with the waves when they broke his bridge of boats though he had a hundred thousand men at his command and is but laught at for his attempting by shackles and stripes to tame the tempestuous waters but Christ by commanding the sea to silence shew'd and made manifest the power of God Thus when our lusts lift up their voice when our flesh lifteth up its waves as it were in our souls the Lord is more mighty we are too weak to grapple with them but the spirit of the Lord is mightier than the strongest motions and most mighty lustings of sin within us It is sometimes thought by some when they feel this or that lust stirring strongly and when they have laboured long against it without conquest over it can this lust be subdued can it ever be mortified and sure it is we are all too full of unbelief as to God's power However some imagine they believe it enough hence they said can God prepare a Table in the wilderness yea Moses himself notwithstanding all he had heard seen and experienced of the power of God yet once spake doubtingly concerning it Numb 11.21 22. for which God rebuked him v. 23. saying is the Lords hand waxed short and hence though the Prophet makes a full confession of Gods power Jer. 32.17 Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for thee yet observe in the following verses he seems to speak too unbelievingly concerning God's power so and so saith he it is with us yet v. 25. thou hast said unto me O Lord God buy the field for money and take witnesses for the City is given into the hands of the Caldeans therefore v. 26.27 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah saying Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh is there any thing too hard for me As if the Lord had said thou say'st indeed there is nothing too hard for me but thou hast not so much faith of my power as thou oughtest to have thou hast too much doubting too much unbelief concerning my power it self But above all things a soul under a deep sense of the power of natural corruption is prone to doubt of Gods power as to the destruction thereof were there reason to doubt of the power of God in any thing there would be cause to question it in this if even any thing were too hard for the Lord this would to slay those lusts which grow in our corrupt nature the difficulty of destroying sin in us the Apostle intimates when he saith who shall deliver me from this body of death Wherefore this is needful to be declared and to be urged whatever our fins are the spirit of the Lord can mortifie them it can cause the body of sin and all the lusts thereof to wither and dye away as Christ did that fig tree which he cursed so that they should no more bring forth any fruit And the spirit of the Lord can so strengthen and assist us that though we be weak we shall be strong enough in its strength to lay dead every deed of sin 1 Cor. 1.27 God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings he can perfect praise There have been many who have had such like lusts as ours are who have been able through the spirit to tread them under their feet we read of seven Devils cast out of Mary Magdalen not that she was possess'd in her body but she was a notorious sinner she had mighty lusts whereby the Devils had great power in and over-her soul If I saith Christ by the spirit cast out Devils there are no Devils and so no lusts but may be cast out by the spirit so strong was Paul's envy and malice before his Conversion that Acts 26.11 he was exceeding mad against the Christians yet by the spirit he of mad was made sober those his lusts were destroyed and instead of being mad against Christ he became as besides himself for Christ 2 Cor. 5.13 whether we be besides our selves it is to God some accounted them because of their self denyal and fervency in Preaching the Word whereby they spent themselves as besides themselves what lusts had they 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. they were some of them for nicators Idolaters Adulterers Abusers of themselves with mankind Thieves Covetous Drunkards Extortioners the worst of sinners yet were they sanctified by the spirit of our God and if they were sanctified then their lusts were mortified through the spirit Therefore believe that your sins by the spirit may also be destroyed it is a good step towards the doing this to believe that through the spirit it may be done and the believing this is necessary Mat. 9.28 29. Believe ye that I am able to do this they said yea Lord then touched he their eyes saying according to your faith be it unto you i. e. according to their faith of Christ's ability so were their eyes opened Thirdly All whom the Lord hath chosen to salvation he hath elected them to this way through mortification of their sin by the spirit 1 Pet. 1.2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience through sanctification and therefore through mortification how by the spirit so 2 Thes 2.13 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of God because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit but no more sanctification of our souls than there is mortification of our lusts Fourthly Jesus Christ dyed for this 1 Joh. 3.5 he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin to take them away that is not only in the guilt of them but in the power and life of them and it is of the latter he there speaks as the context shews v. 6. whosoever abideth in him sinneth not that is he hath his sins taken away by him and so he sinneth not as he did nor as others do not with his whole man not with delight c. and as Christ came and dyed for this that our sins might be mortified so that this might be done by the spirit in that it cannot be done without it and hence Christ speaks of sending the spirit after his Crucisixion Resurrection and Ascension to deal with men about their fins and why but in order to the subduing them and that because for this he dyed and also rose and ascended and interceeds that those whom he saves may have the spirit to help them in this work Fifthly God hath promised his spirit to his people for this Ezek. 36.27 I will put my spirit within you for what v. 29. I will save you from all your uncleannesses that is God will
save his sin But when the spirit comes then it makes the soul willing to have its lusts slain Psal 1â—0 2 3. Rule thou in the mid'st of thine enemies thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power willing to what willing to this that Christ should rule in the midst of his enemies in their souls so as to beat them down and destroy them as he pleaseth Naturally men defend their lusts as the Benjamits those filthy persons who ravished the Levit's Concubine but when the spirit comes and deals with the soul as that woman with the men of Abel 2 Sam. 20.22 who by her wisdom perswaded them to cut off the head of Sheba the Son of Bichri who rebelled against David and to cast it out to Joab so then is the soul willing yea it desires and by all means seeks to have the head of every lust cut off it being an enemy to Christ the Son of David Thirdly The spirit doth help our infirmities in prayer by sighs and groans which cannot be uttered as the Apostle saith some verses after my Text it causeth us to sigh because sin is in us and so works in us and to groan to the Lord to be delivered from the bondage of this and that corruption till the spirit comes a man rather sighs when his sin is discovered and reproved he groans when he is stopt in the fulfilling of his lusts but if the spirit once begin to work thorowly then the man sighs to be rid of his sin and groaneth because he is so led captive by it it was by the spirit that the Apostle said O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death None can say so as he did but by the spirit and when any are enabled so to say sighingly and groaningly as he then doth the Lord hear and help as he did the Israelites against the Egyptians Exod. 2.23 24. the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they cryed and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembred his Covenant and God looked upon the Children of Israel and God had respect unto them so God hears much more groanings because of spiritual bondage and the cry of souls wrestling against their lusts comes up to him and God looks with an eye of pity on such and hath respect to them and so comes their deliverance by the death of the Egyptians their corruptions through the hand of Christ tipyfied by Moses and their sins not only in the guilt but also in the power of them are destroyed in the red sea by the virtue of the bloud of Christ Fourthly The spirit causeth and enables the soul to hearken and listen to the Word of God when it reads or hears or thinks thereof and it makes a suitable application of truths to the soul according as it knows is best and most proper for it so that a man looks upon and takes this or that word as belonging to him as spoken to him with respect to his sin we are very subject to pass over the truths of God slightly and to put them off as not appertaining or spoken to us but the spirit opens the heart as we read it did Lydia's it causeth the soul to hear and to hear diligently for it self and to apply such and such words to it 's own case and its own corruptions such a threatning belongs to me and will surely be executed upon me if such a sin still live in me and have dominion over me such a promise is to me and will be fulfilled to me if I repent these and these sins crucified Christ he bare them they lay as a heavy weight upon him they joyned with other to squeeze to press out the very heart bloud of Christ and the like thus saith the soul by the spirit when the spirit helps it in mortifying its sins the soul doth Preach to it self argue and plead with it self in order to the slaying leaving and casting away its sins And because we are very apt to forget things especially then when the remembrance of them is most needful when sin is stirring in us therefore the spirit strengthens our memory or helps it by bringing things formerly read and heard to our remembrance seasonably when we most need them when Iust prevails in us Joh. 14.26 the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you Fifthly For as much as believing is very necessary to the subduing our sins this is our victory saith the Apostle John even our faith therefore the spirit helps us in overcoming our sins by working in us a spirit of faith by stirring up faith in us and causing us to act faith on the sufferings of Christ by whose stripes as we read we are healed as our bodies are healed by the destroying our diseases so our souls by the mortifying our sins which is by the vertue of Christ's stripes but not without faith acted thereon therefore the spirit helps in this and also in acting faith on the several truths of Scripture to believe what the Scripture speaks concerning our sins themselves and the fruit of them what will follow if they dye not to believe the threatnings and the promises which is a special means to destroy sin especially faith acted on the promises for by the promises we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.4 and hence that exhortation 2 Cor. 7.1 having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness c. but the promises unless mixt with faith profit not Sixthly the spirit doth in a secret way powerfully by the Word smite and wound our sins as with a sword for the word is the sword of the spirit Eph. 6.17 as a man in fight takes up his sword puts to his strength and layes on upon his enemies therewith so the spirit takes the word or accompanyeth it and puts to its own power smiting our lusts thereby hence we read Heb. 4.12 the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two edged sword not that the bare word written or spoken is so in it self alone it hath no life nor power nor edge without the spirit or it can do no execution without it but the spirit makes it effectual Psa 110.4 5. the Lord at thy right hand shall strike through Kings so the Spirit when it pleaseth strikes through our King-like lusts that have had dominion over us and thus it doth by it's own sword the word the Spirit is to our sins a Spirit of judgment and a Spirit of burning as it 's called Isa 4.4 as a Judg to a malefactor yea and as Executioner too as fire to fuell so is the Spirit in it's working with the Word to our Lusts As it 's said in another sense I have slain them by my
wish yea do desire that nothing of them or of any one of them might remain The holy spirit is an enemy to one sin as well as to another and to every degree of sin and all the outgoings or workings thereof therefore he that goeth forth against sin by the spirit he warreth against all sin one as well as another A sign Saul was not carried forth by the spirit against the Amalekits as to the frame of his spirit because he spared some he should have slain so a sign a man seeks not the death of his sin through the spirit if he spare any lust evil affection or motion And if the spirit act you then you lay out your selves will and labour to mortifie every sin in all it 's outbreaking which way soever it vents it self and moves For instance pride that works many wayes and shews it self by a mans habit gate looks thoughts c. Now if you only mind to destroy your pride as issuing forth or working one or two of these wayes and not all you have reason to doubt whether you are acted by the spirit in what you do against your pride So for covetousness that lust hath many streams and wayes of working as making hast to be rich not giving to good and charitable uses buying under and selling above the Market or due price not allowing a mans self or his Relations what is fitting thirsting after gain discontent because a man hath or gets no more of the world c. Now if you only seek to destroy your covetousness as moving and acting some and not all these wayes that speaks what you do against some is not of the spirit Or if you will and strive to mortifie any sin only in part in some degree that 's a bad token but this is a good sign when you are set against every sin in every motion in all the wayes of its working and less than its heart blood its utter ruine will not cannot content you Thirdly You use none but such means as the spirit hath prescribed for the slaying any lust you will not meddle with unlawful superstitious means nor any other but such as the Word of God directs to as praying reading hearing meditating good Company and such like for the spirit of God works not by unlawful means if any do war spiritually by the spirit they war lawfully whereby it appears that Papists and other superstitious persons who seem very strict are not led out against their sins by the spirit because they leave the right path and take strange courses which God hath not commanded Yea which he hath forbidden such a means is that when any mew themselves up in a Cell or lay aside their Calling avoid the Society of Relations and others with whom they ought to accompany c. I may add to this you chiefly use those means wherein the spirit principally delights as looking to the promises the sufferings the holy example of Christ c. It appears by the Apostles arguing Rom. 6.1 2 3 4 c. to what he especially lookt and we ought to look for the destroying our sin even the death the crucifixion of Christ which also may be gathered from Gal. 6.14 God forbid I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom or whereby by which Cross I am Crucified to the world and the world to me If you mortifie the deeds of the body by the spirit then this work is in a good degree facilitated and made easie to you though exceeding difficult in it self and grievous to the flesh It 's easie for one very weak to do a great work if he have a strong able helper it 's easie for a young beginner to make good Letters and write well if his hand be guided by a skilful Master So for a soul to beat down its lusts when it hath the powerful assistance of the Almighty most wise spirit And hence they who have the spirit helping them fight against their sins with delight it being a good work and they having good help what they do is not burthensom wearisom and irksom as it is to others therefore they are not apt to be discouraged and give over as others are Neh. 4.8 9. They conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God and set watch against them day and night Nehemiah was not disheartned because he was acted and assisted by the Spirit in the work whereto he was called Thus when a man is set on work against sin by the Spirit Only that none mistake let two things be here remembred First The Spirit of God seldom or never doth assist any in this life in their combating with sin as it can it puts not forth all its ability to the utmost in helping any here if it did farewel all sin presently but because it 's the will of God we should still be kept in exercise in this world and fight it through all the way to heaven therefore the Spirit of God helps those who have its help only in some degree so far as it pleaseth Secondly The Spirit strengthens some more others less and the same persons sometimes more sometimes less sometimes the Spirit almost quite leaves those who have it and are acted by it as to their sense they are even altogether left to themselves either because they have grieved the Spirit or for their tryal and to cause them to know more their own weakness and pray more earnestly for the Spirits help Hence it may be that they who have the Spirit and have gone far in the war against their sin by it may find the work so hard as to begin for a time to sink under it As Moses though in governing the people of Israel he was mightily enabled by the Spirit yet once we read Deut. 1.9 he complained of the burden of his work and said he was not able to bear it But it is not ordinarily or usually thus for the most part they who have the Spirit with them go forward couragiously and delightfully and thus is it still so far as the Spirit doth lead and carry them in what they do Fifthly If you mortifie your sins by the Spirit then as really as you endeavour the death of any sin you do labour to exercise that grace that 's contrary thereto every lust hath a grace opposite to it he that mortifies his lust by the Spirit doth also quicken his grace that stands in opposition to it for the Spirit is as great a friend to grace as it is an enemy to sin and by stirring up grace in us as was formerly said the Spirit doth help us in beating down our sin if then the Spirit help you to mortifie envie and malice it doth put you on to exercise charity kindness and mercy If it assist you against coverousness it doth enable you to exercise contentedness and thus as to other things
the King of Canaan untill they had destroyed Jabin King of Canaan i. e. as if it had been said that great that potent destroying King Jabin therefore his name is so repeated Therefore that thou mayest sing now and much more hereafter and sing for ever stir up thy self take hold of the Lord march out against every sin in his name and strength for so shalt thou prevail be not discouraged Read and consider weigh that well Jud. 6.12 13. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said unto him the Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Gideon replyed Oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befaln us c. V. 14 15 16. And the Lord looked upon him and said go in this thy might and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites have not I sent thee and he said oh my Lord wherewith shall I save Israel Behold my family is poor in Manasseth a poor Tribe and I am the least in my Fathers house and the Lord said unto him surely I will be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man Secondly If God intend to save us he will take some severe course or other with us for the destroying our sin if we will not be perswaded by fair means by his word to seek it's destruction whence was it that the incestuous Corinthan was delivered up to Satan and thereupon had so much sorrow that he was ready to be swallowed up thereby it vvas for the destruction of his sin the ruining vvhereof he neglected the Psalmist saith fools because of their transgression are afflicted because they countenance their sin and are too tender tovvards it vvhich is their folly therefore God makes them smart Hence Davids bones vvere broken because he did not mortifie the lustfull motions that vvere in him but gave vvay thereto Remember vvhat Christ saith Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Thirdly What is the end aim and tendency of every deed of the body of sin every sinfull motion It is your death Abstain saith the Apostle Peter from fleshly lusts which war against your souls Why do they vvar but to kill your souls and so far as Satan hath a hand in stirring up your lusts he directly aims at your utter ruin therefore seek the death of your lusts Is it not better for sin to dy than for your souls to dy No man can be so irrationall as to think and say plainly that it 's vvorse for him to slay his sin than it vvill be to be slain by it This is even the farthest step from vvisdom for any to please his flesh and Satan his vvorst enemies to his ovvn eternall undoing Fourthly While any sin is in you unmortified you cannot be so usefull to others you 'l not have a heart no◠〈◊〉 capacity or fitnesse to do that good you might in your generation that you say or do vvill not be so advantagious to others yea sin being unmortified you vvill thereby do much hurt by stumbling them hardning them causing them to blaspheme as David by his sin opened the mouths of the enemies of the Lord in blaspheming And hovv sad is this for a man that ought still to do good to do much hurt for a man to be an instrument of Satan as every one is vvho doth hurt to others souls it may be by some one corruption in you not subdued but prevailing you may be in a great degree a means through your ill example or otherwise of the damnation of some of your Relations Acquaintance or such with whom you have to do certainly a man that understands himself had rather lye rotting in the grave than live to do mischief especially so great hurt Fifthly there cannot be the least shew or shadow of reason why we should spare any sin Good reason there may be for a man to spare outward enemies and to do those good who hate him This may be an honour to a man Theodosius the Emperour is highly commended for that when he was moved to execute one who reviled him he said that were it in his power he had rather raise his dead enemies than put to death his living Or there may be hope that a mans enemies will grow better in time if spared or they living may be of some use one way or other or some friends may interceed for them c. But if you let go your sin this is the greatest disgrace shame and dishonour that can be to you it 's impossible sin should grow better but the longer you let it live unmortified it will still grow worse as to you Sin it self cannot be of any good use There is no one who will be pleased by your sparing sin unless you shall take Satan for your friend or some one in whom he ruleth Nor is there or can there be any other reason why you should forbear or defer to seek the death of every sin Again Consider the smallest sin not mortified is far worse than the greatest grossest sin that hath never so oft broke forth if it be at length brought under for the least deed of the body of sin let alone is mortal to you it will kill you but the greatest being mortified will be no bar to or at all prejudice your salvation for if ye mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live how great heinous mighty prevailing and provoking soever those deeds have been Therefore be fully resolved through the spirit to endeavour the death of every of your sins seeing sin hath already done us so much hurt by wounding by defiling 〈◊〉 souls by separating between God and us and causing many wayes much sorrow to us it is but just revenge to seek its death it 's said indeed avenge not your selves but you know that is not spoken as to our sins the Israelites were to destroy the Amalekits and Midianites when God commanded them and that utterly because of the hurt they had done to Israel and the Apostle makes holy revenge one sign of true repentance 2 Cor. 7.11 How do wicked men mortifie the deeds of the Spirit its motions and convictions how much have we all been guilty thereof O that for time to come we may wholly addict our selves to the mortifying of the deeds of the body of sin Remember be you faithful in this combate for a while and yet after a little time it will be perfectly dead and buried as I may say and that never to have any resurrection our visible body shall rise again not the body of sin nor any member thereof when once quite destroyed I shall here add three or four directions besides those formerly mentioned First Look upon and account this to be one end of all Gods providences towards you to stir you up to this duty hence your afflictions which you perhaps speak of as so many so great they are to take away your
flesh willeth and his doing thereof be a real trouble a heart grief to him if the flesh its commands be grievous as the overflowings of the gall very bitter as the workings of a sick Stomach if a man's heart be afflected and humbled if it mourn and sigh when he is led away at any time by any fleshly motion then doth he not live after the flesh but rather dyeth after it or is dead to it for it is as death to him that he sins Eccles 7.26 Fourthly Living after the flesh takes in constantness continualness doing the will of the flesh continually as while life lasteth a man liveth daily hourly though not alwayes alike and he be not still busied about the same things but sometimes he 's more lively sometimes lest now he eats then he sleeps sometimes follows his calling or talks or walks Thus a man who liveth after the flesh he is even continually fulfilling one Lust or other thereof one way or other either more or less openly vigorously actively still he acts according to the dictates or movings of sin within him according as the flesh commands and moves which is somtimes more sometimes less strongly absolutely peremptorily and forcibly so he obeys that is ever commanding somthing as there is opportunity occasion temptation and the man who liveth after it is even ever doing inwardly if not outwardly something in obedience to its command When you say of a man he liveth after a high rate he liveth prodigally you do not mean that only now and then he makes an extraordinary meal or is at some extraordinary expense but that in his ordinary course he 's extravagant expensive above his estate ability and quality so to live after the flesh is not now and then in some extraordinary case to follow the flesh but for a man to act according to it in ordinary Fifthly Living after the flesh includes continuance and perseverance as every man liveth till he dyeth so that man who lives after the flesh and shall dye he doth live after it till he dye for if any man hath followed his lust though very much as before express'd willingly freely and wilfully affectionately and continually for a long time yet he at length truely ceasing while here so to live if he heartily turn and alter his course notwithstanding all that 's past he shall not dye in the sense of my text Ezek. 18.21.22 In a word if you spend your life as the fresh moves you to spend it if you order your conversation while you live after the inclinations of that corruption that is in you then ye shall dye I desire that this may be well understood what living after the flesh is for on your right understanding thereof depends you profiting by this truth two things are necessary thaâ— this Doctrine may become effectual and do us good the one is that we beleive in our hearts that if wâ— thus live the end thereof will be our death thâ— other is that we be enlightned rightly to perceive and judge what living after the flesh meaneth therefore I purpose to lay this open more particularly when I come to the use of examination Q. 3. How shall they dye who do live after thâ— flesh A. I suppose none of you need to be told a meer natural death is nothere intended seeing it 's appointed once to all men to dye that death whatever their life be But a spiritual dying is understood that respects the soul and whole man in a spiritual sense Sometimes to dye in Scripture is used for being near death lyable to or in danger of dying so the Apostle saith I dye daily we are killed all the day long thus it 's true ye shall dye ye will be in great danger of dying yea though ye live after the flesh only in some degree you 'l deserve death you 'l be deservedly liable thereto whenever you do but begin to step after the flesh into the hands of death even the worst death will ye fall unless infinite mercy prevent But my Text speaks of more than a bare lyableness or danger as in the following words if ye through the spirit mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live more is meant than barely a hope of life so by ye shall dye more is intended than danger of death ye shall dye actually certainly unavoidably but how A. First Ye shall dye in this world as to the loss of Gods special gracious presence God is our life so far as God leaves us and departs from us so much death but if we live after the flesh God will depart his soul will depart from us Jer. 6.8 He 'l leave us as he left Saul who thereupon dyed before he dyed because God was gone his life was gone so God will go from us he 'l draw in the beams of his favour he 'l hide himself he 'l take his good spirit from us And thereupon Secondly You 'l dye as to all Spiritual good that you have or seem to have you will by degrees lose your light your convictions gracious motions I and your very profession it self or the liveliness of it and that good that may have been in your conversation it will be with you at best as with the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.1 if you retain a name to live yet will you he dead dead as 1. Tim. 5.9 she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth you 'l be twice dead as it 's said elsewhere some are dead dead by nature dead in sin and dead as to the loss of that conviction that light that affection that holiness they made a shew off Thirdly Ye shall dye as to inward peace comfort joy as Nabal's heart dyed within him it lost that comfort mirth it had before and through grief became as dead so your heart will dye you 'l either have no peace no joy or none that 's worth the having none but such as you had better be without such as is rather the death than the life of the soul Rom. 7.9 Sin revived and I dyed and the Commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death he intends he lost his former considence hope peace and joy so shall ye dye Fourthly Ye shall dye ye shall lose the blessing of God in all you are all ye have and all ye do whatever any have without Gods blessing they are dead in the possession of it whatever they do they are dead in doing it it is a dead enjoyment a dead work that is not blessed of God life is but a death if it be not blessed every comfort of life is as without life it 's not a living comfort if not blessed to us but living after the flesh removes the blessing far from us and brings a curse upon us as it 's said I 'le curse thee in thy basket in thy store in all thou settest thy hand to and I will curse thy blessings there is it not a manifest yet
the most peace is it not then when you are most eagerly ingaged against and hot in the pursuit of sin plotting contriving and by all means you can working its death The experience of all Christians I doubt not gives in restimony that this is true Sermon 5. THe second thing in the latter part of my Text now offereth it self to our serious consideration this necessary duty is to be performed through the Spirit whence the Doctrine is this D. 2. That the great work of mortifying killing or destroying the deeds of the body of sin is to be managed through the Spirit when we are called upon to mortifie our sinful affections our evil motions and the corrupt lustings within us the meaning is that this is to be done through the Spirit No truth more useful than this if well understood and received this is the principal thing that I would commend to you All know or generally it is confest that sins must be mortified but that this is to be done by in with or through the Spirit few in comparison understand I know nothing that needs to be taught among and prest upon Christians and more frequently to be inculcated than this There are three Queries concerning the truth now proposed which call for some Answer for the explication of it 1. What 's meant by the Spirit 2. Why is this work to be done through the Spirit 3. How is it thus to be done Q. 1. What 's meant by the Spirit A. Spirit signifieth diverse things in Scripture it hath several acceptations 4 of which I shall here take notice 1. By spirit is meant our spirit our heart and soul so the Apostle saith he did serve God with his spirit and Christ saith God is to be worshipped in spirit so we must mortifie the deeds of the body of sin in spirit with our whole heart and soul otherwise we shall not prosper in what we do all will be to no purpose if we have not a thorow will and sincere endeavour Christ saith many shall seek to enter in at the strait gate and not be able so many seek to mortifie their sins and are not able because they are not thorowly willing and resolved And then our main endeavour must be to mortifie sin within of which I spake before when sins are only kept from outward outbreakings they are no more mortified than Lions and Bears or such wild creatures when shut up and kept from ranging abroad Secondly Sometimes by spirit in Scripture is understood new nature the new man as it may be taken and seems to be in that 5. Gal. 17. where the Apostle saith the spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit thus we must mortifie our sins in by or through the spirit by the new creature through a principle of true grace acted and stirred up in us This is most certain no man can mortifie the deeds of sin without he have a contrary principle of grace for till the new man be formed in one there 's no good nothing but flesh but sin and the flesh neither will nor can mortifie it self as Satan casteth not out Satan neither doth lust cast out or destroy lust though it 's true sometimes one lust doth keep under another and hinder anothers working this or that way as a mans pride may put a stop to his covetousness though he have a covetous heart yet through predominant pride he scorns to be base and niggardly so covetousness may hold in pride as to it 's shewing it self in such or such a way because the man is coverous therefore he will not wear such cloths or do some other things which pride otherwise would cause him to do that he might have respect among men But sin cannot truely subdue sin no more than water can dry up water though one stream being stronger may stop and turn the course of another that hath less strength so pride may command covetousness or covetousness pride yet do they both live before God as the greater light may drown the less yet doth not extinguish it He that hath not a principle of true grace is under the power of fin therefore is not at liberty to mortifie or to will the mortification of his lusts in truth If there be war if there be killing and slaying there must be two parties the one against the other but in a graceless man there 's only one party one nature one kind of principles all sinful therefore he cannot kill or in truth set upon the slaying of his sin though he may possibly upon some outward account or to quiet conscience seek to curb some evil motions As it is against our nature as men to hurt our bodies so is it against our nature as sinful men to do any thing in good earnest and truth of heart towards the death of our sin Therefore a man must have a new nature which whosoever hath then he cannot but be striking at and wounding the deeds of corrupt nature because these two are perfectly contrary Yet they who have true grace need to be awakned and excited thereto more and more to lay out themselves therein through that grace they have received could it be that the actings of sin should be destroyed without contrary workings of grace it would little avail a man would not thereby be in the way of life but no lusting of corruption can be truely killed without a lusting and stirring of grace in opposition thereto as darkness is only dispelled removed by the shining forth of some light Therefore look O soul well to this that thou hast a new nature that thou beest a new Creature in Christ Jesus Thirdly Spirit is sometimes taken for the Gospel as opposed to the Covenant of works 2 Cor. 3.8 where the Apostle speaks of the ministration of the Spirit in opposition to the ministration of Death mentioned in the foregoing verse and verse 6. he saith we are Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life and thus some take Spirit 1 John 5.8 There are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood i. e. the Word the Gospel Baptism and the Lords Supper If we take Spirit in my Text in this sense It 's true the deeds of the body are to be mortified through the Gospel by Gospel truths and considerations for it is the Gospel only that is effectual to destroy our sins the Law is not sufficient to kill any Lust in us It may be by legal truths men may be frighted and chained as it were with the heavy chain of slavish fear so that they dare not sin as they used to do but the Law alone never was or can be sufficient to lay any sin dead The Law alone rather quickneth and stirreth up sin than destroyeth it sin is thereby revived not mortified Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin was dead i. e. it lay as if