of victorious Grace Where there is little Resistance there is no Honour to overcome where there is no Matter of Triumph there is no Glory in triumphing But when in the natural Temper there are Seeds of Incitation to fierce Anger and inordinate Lust and when those Propensities are inflam'd by Temptations if we subdue those disorderly and violent Passions 't is the most noble Effect of Divine Grace On the contrary the Sinner that yields himself to the sway of the Carnal Appetites is the Servant of Corruption is defil'd and debas'd in such a manner that he is sunk below the Beasts that perish For what is baser than Corruption except the Sinner that obeys it The Peace and Joy that is the Reward of Victory over our Sins cannot be understood but by Experience What a savour of Life is the Death of a reigning Sin What an Angelical Comfort was it to Joseph and the blessed Mother of Christ when the Advice was brought from Heaven to them in Egypt Arise for they are dead that sought the young Child's Life What Consolation does it afford when the Holy Spirit witnesses with our Spirits that the Enemy in our Bosoms that sought the Life of our Souls is mortified by Repentance The Psalmist tells us Light is sown for the Righteous and Joy for the upright in Heart The present sense of God's Favour and the future Hope of Glory sheds abroad that bright serenity in their Breasts that is a reflection of Heaven In our Extremity when a good and quiet Conscience will be more valuable than Crowns and Scepters and solid Comfort more worth than the World how refreshing will the inward Testimony be of our Uprightness When Hezekiah was under the Sentence of Death and his Kingdom could afford him no Comfort this allayed his Sorrows Remember O Lord that I have walk'd before thee with an upright Heart This Testimony of Conscience will calm our Agonies and expel the Terrors of that last Enemy this when we are ready to die will assure us that our Redeemer lives The two substantial Joys how Divine the one from the reflection upon the past Life the other from the prospect of Eternal Life are the blessed Reward of Uprightness In short the sum of Felicity is expresly assur'd to them The Upright shall dwell in thy presence where is fulness of Joy and Rivers of Pleasure flow for ever 6. Consider the woful Effects of indulging the Lusts that by Pleasure or Profit bribe Men to give consent to their Commission The naked Light of Reason discovers Sin and makes it uneasy to Conscience but a strong Light arm'd with Terrors the Law of God with the Doom annex'd to the Precept against rebellious Sinners makes it fearful The Command is peremptory and universal with respect to all Temptations and Allurements to Sin be they as dear and difficult to be parted with as the right Eye or right Hand the most useful and precious Instruments of Life yet they must with abhorrence be cast from us or the whole Man will be cast into Hell Fire where the Worm dies not and the Fire is not quenched This terrible Threatning is sadly repeated by our Saviour three times to make the more powerful impression upon Sinners The guilty accusing Conscience begins the everlasting Hell here Our Saviour saith That a Woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a Man is born into the World But a Sinner after he hath brought forth his Sin with pleasure is struck with horror at the monstrous Birth When Conscience is strongly awaken'd it arraigns and condemns without partiality the Sinner is the Executioner of the Sentence upon himself The Torment of the Spirit is invisible to others and in that the liker Hell and unavoidable 'T is as the cruel practice of the Tyrant related by the Poet who fasten'd a dead Body and a Living together that the putrefaction and stench of the one might cause a lingring death in the other this is a little resemblance of the Effect of the guilty Conscience charg'd with dead Works and inseparable from the Sinner All the Pleasures of the World cannot stupify the Sense or mitigate the Torments of the wounded Spirit In the approaches of Death the Sins Men have indulgently committed return to the Memory and the ghastly Apparition strikes them into consternation the Thoughts are fearfully transferr'd from the sick Body to the guilty Soul from the consideration of the first Death to the second that immediately attends it In vain they desire to live for Time is irrevocably past and the Season of Mercy expir'd in vain they desire to die intirely and put an end to their Misery for Immortality is the inseparable but fatal Privilege of their Nature If they look upward revenging Justice is ready to pass a heavy Doom if beneath a fearful Depth is ready to swallow them up Who can express the Agonies and Throws of the guilty Conscience the dismal Degrees of the tormenting Passions in the Wicked under the apprehensions of Eternal Judgment Yet the most fearful Apprehensions are not commensurate to the prepared Plagues by vindictive Justice for impenitent Sinners Who knows the Power of God's Wrath The chosen Expressions in Scripture to represent it will be verified in higher degrees than can be inflicted from the most vehement and terrible things in the World. Fire is so tormenting to Sense that no Man can endure the point of the Flame of a Candle upon his Flesh Who then can dwell with devouring Fire and with everlasting burning Besides the Damned are not only passive but active in their wretched State there is a Hell of Rancor and Indignation within and of Fire and Brimstone without them What furious Reflections will they make upon their votary Madness that for the seeming Pleasures of Sin that were but for a season they should continue their Rebellion against the Omnipotent Deity and bring upon themselves his fierce and unchangeable Displeasure This infinitely aggravates their Misery after a Million of Years the intire Sum remains that revenging Justice will exact for ever The Righteous Judg will never so far be reconciled as to annihilate them Perfection of Misery Desperate Sorrow A Life in Torments that never dies a Death that never ends Now it is impossible for Men that have reasonable Minds to choose the Pleasures of Sin that are like Bubbles on the Water that presently break and vanish when attended with Misery that admits no Ease or End Is there any possible Comparison between them The serious belief of Hell cannot consist with the knowledg and purpose of Sin and the delightful Practice of it Either the belief of it will infuse and impress such efficacious Vertue into Mens Minds that will restrain them from Sin or the habitual course of Sin will extinguish or eclipse the belief of the Punishment 'T is
Truth Vices and Vertues Errors are inconsistent and irreconcileable and at War among themselves but Truth has an universal Consent and mutual Dependance in all its parts there is no Contrariety between natural and supernatural Verities Vices are sometimes so contrary in their Ends and Exercise that they fall foul upon one another that none can be so universally wicked as to commit all Sins but if he be addicted to one must forsake the other But there is a Connexion between the Graces of the Holy Spirit tho different in their Objects and Natures yet they have the same Tendency the Glory of God and our own Salvation and are united in the Subject There is but one way to Heaven as there can be but one straight way to a place but there are innumerable Deviations from it as many crooked ways to Hell as there are sinful Lusts that bring Men thither The Prophet tells us All we like Sheep have gone astray every one in his own way There are many By-paths that lead to Destruction We must also observe to prevent Mistakes there may be a forsaking of a particular Sin that has been delightful and predominant without Sincerity towards God for another Lust may have got possession of the Heart and take the Throne There is an alternate Succession of Appetites in the corrupt Nature according to the Change of Mens Tempers or Interests in the World. As Seeds sown in that order in a Garden that 't is always full of the Fruits in Season so original Sin that is sown in our Nature is productive of divers Lusts some in the Spring others in the Summer of our Age some in the Autumn others in the Winter Sensual Lusts flourish in Youth but when mature Age has cool'd these Desires Worldly Lusts succeed In old Age there is no relish of Sensuality but Covetousness reigns imperiously And as the Conditions and Interests of Men alter so their Affections change they are not constant to their Bosom-Sins Now he that expels one Sin and entertains another continues in a State of Sin 't is but exchanging of one Familiar for another or to borrow the Prophet's Expression 'T is as if one should fly from a Lion and meet with a Bear that will as certainly devour him 2. The forsaking our respective Sin is the inseparable Effect of Uprightness It has been proved before that if the Heart be divided between Obedience to the Divine Law and Inclination to any Sin 't is false to God. Repenting Ephraim said What have I to do any more with Idols an Expression of vehement detestation Idolatry had been the reigning Sin of that Tribe and therefore the renouncing of Idols was a clear convincing Sign of their sound Conversion It is impossible that sincere Love to God and the habitual allowance of a known Sin should be in the same Heart as for the Ark of God and the Idol of the Philistins to be plac'd on the same Altar Uprightness is consistent with Frailties but not with chosen Lusts. As Loyalty to the Prince is consistent with some Actions contravening his Laws that proceed from Ignorance or Surprize But Loyalty is inconsistent with Rebellion that is open Treason or with treasonable Designs that are secret Rebellion So any Sin that Men presumptuously live in or consent to in their Hearts is absolutely inconsistent with Uprightness 2. Let us be excited to keep our selves with all Diligence from our Iniquity This is the Master-piece of Mortification the noble effect of renewing Grace and very difficult to the corrupt Nature To enforce this Duty I will propound those Motives and Means as are very conducing for our performance of it The Motives are 1. Habitual indulged Lusts are irreconcileable with the state of Grace they render the Sinner till forsaken uncapable of God's pardoning Mercy here and the heavenly Glory hereafter The Gospel is a gracious Act of Oblivion for the restoring of Rebellious Sinners to the Favour of God but the Pardon is obtained upon Conditions that are indespensable Mercy is assured to penitent Believers for all their Sins of Ignorance and those Frailties that are the Causes of their daily Sorrow and Watchfulness and for all presumptuous Sins retracted by Repentance but the Saviour of the World excludes the impenitent and unreform'd from Mercy unless ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Now when Repentance is sound and solemn the Spirit is deeply wounded for that Sin whereby God has been most dishonoured and his Law violated The remembrance of it opens a full stream of Tears excits a holy Hatred and according to the degrees of Sorrow and Revenge there will be care to preserve our selves from that Sin. The Psalmist saith Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord imputes no Iniquity in whose Spirit there is no Guile implying that one reserved Lust which is a certain Argument of Deceit in the fairest Professors of Religion is a Bar against the Pardon of our Sins The Tenor of the unchangeable Covenant of Grace is I will write my Laws in their Hearts and I will be merciful to their Unrighteousness and their Sins and Iniquities I will remember no more God promises to reconcile their Affections to his Commands The Law may be written in the Mind and Memory of an unsanctified Person for the Ideas of the most repugnant things are consistent in those Faculties but the Heart is not capable of contrary Objects the Love of God's Law expels the predominant Love of Sin. Now since the Promise of Pardon is in Conjunction with inward Sanctification which implies an universal Aversion from Sin 't is evident that indulged habitual Lusts are not capable of Pardon whatever quality the Sin be of whether of Omission or Commission the allowance makes it destructive to Sinners As from what Corner soever a blasting Wind comes whether from the East or the North it destroys the Fruits If but one selected Sin remains in the Affections and Practice it contracts the Malignity of all the rest and will prove deadly to the Soul. 'T is not a presumptuous reliance on the Merits of Christ will save Men with their Sins The Atonement made to Divine Justice by the precious Sacrifice of the Lamb of God was never designed for the reconciling God to those who with depraved Obstinacy continue in their Sins 't is utterly inconsistent with the Divine Wisdom Holiness Justice and Truth to appoint a Sacrifice for the Expiation of final Impenitency Such out-sin the Death of Christ I will not say as to its infinite Merit but as to the Application and intended Benefit of it The Value of his Death to abolish the Guilt and the Vertue of it to mortify the Power of Sin are inseparable The precicious Balm has a fragrant Smell that revives the Spirits but without applying its Substance to the Wound the Scent will not heal it The Soul must feel the Power of Christ's Sufferings to kill our Sins otherwise the pleasing belief of his Righteousness
recorded of Craesus when pursued by the Army of the Persians he fill'd a straight Passage between the Mountains with Boughs of Trees and set fire to them and thereby secur'd his Retreat If Men were so wise as to set the Fire of Hell between the Temptations of Sin and their Affections it would be a sure defence from their Spiritual Enemies But the Scene of Torments prepared for unreform'd Sinners is little understood and less believed by Men whilst they are in Prosperity tho the Saviour of the World has in great Mercy revealed them in such Expressions as may terrify even secure Carnalists that only live to Sense Infidelity lies at the bottom and renders the most terrible Truths ineffectual There is such a Riddle in the Tempers of Men they are not sensible of Divine Mercies till deprived of them nor of Divine Judgments till they feel them But if right Reason were attended to they must be convinced of unseen Rewards and Punishment to be dispensed in the next State. For the Light of Nature discovers an essential Difference between Moral Good and Evil From hence proceeds the Reflections of Conscience either approving or condemning our own Actions and making a Judgment upon the Actions of others by that common Rule according to which all acknowledg that Men ought to live This Truth is so engraven in the Humane Nature that even the most wicked Sinners who endeavour if it were possible to make Conscience so blind as not to see and stupid as not to feel yet cannot totally exclude the Application of it to themselves and will acknowledg the Obligation of it in the general and with respect to others Now the Law of God written in Mans Heart necessarily infers a Judgment upon the Transgressors of it and the Judgment includes a Punishment becoming the Majesty of the Lawgiver that ordains it and the extent of his Power that executes it Divine Revelation makes this Truth much more clear and certain The Apostle tells us If we live after the Flesh we shall die and will God cease to be holy and just and true that impenitent Sinners may escape Punishment But there are some poisonous Principles infus'd into the Hearts of Men that encourage them in their Sins notwithstanding their Assent to the Doctrine of a future Judgment Some cannot perswade themselves that God will be so strict and severe that for a single forbidden Pleasure when they respect other Commands of his Law he will condemn them for ever The secret Presumption that one Transgression will not provoke their Judg to extream Wrath hardens them in a sinful course But St. James declares He that offends in one Point is guilty of all One known allowed Sin that a Man habitually commits involves him in the Guilt of Rebellion against the Divine Authority that made the Law. It was observ'd before Herod did somethings according to John's Divine Instructions but he would not part with Herodias and that one Sin denominated him wicked Many are like him they observe some Rules of Religion perform some Duties are zealous against some Sins but there is an Herodias a Sin pleasant to the Taste of their Temper that they will not relinquish and without any Promise nay against the Threatnings of God they believe he will be merciful to them notwithstanding their Wickedness This Presumption is an unnatural abuse of God's Mercy This exasperates that high and tender Attribute For what can be more provoking than to imagine that the Divine Mercy should encourage Sin and protect unceform'd Sinners from the Arrests of Vindictive Justice The Blood that Ahab spar'd in Benhadad induc'd a deadly Guilt as that he spilt of Naboth as God spake by the Prophet to him Because thou hast spared that Man whom I appointed to Destruction thy Life shall go for his Life The Application is easy to spare the Life of Sin will cost the Life of the Sinner One Lust that adhering Custom or the closer Nature or any carnal Interest so endears to Men that they do not sincerely desire and endeavour to mortify and forsake will be fatal to them for ever Some habitual Sinners when terrified with the Apprehension of future Judgment for God sometimes thunders in the Conscience as well as in the Air endeavour to quiet their Fears by presuming that the Death of Christ will reconcile offended Justice and his Blood cleanse them from all Sin. They will lean upon the Cross to save them from falling into the bottomless Pit but not crucify one Lust on it The Vanity of this has been shewed before I shall only add that 't is most opprobrious to the Son of God and most destructive to Sinners for 't is to make him the Minister of Sin as if he came into the World to compose a Church of rotten and corrupt Members and unite it to himself Such a Mystieal Body would be more monstrous than Nebuthadnezzar's Image of which the Head was Gold and Feet were Miry Clay And this will be most destructive to their Souls for by turning the remedy of Sin into an occasion of sinning they derive a woful Guilt from the Death of Christ instead of the precious Benefits purchased by it for true Believers For an unreformed Sinner to oppose the Blood of Christ to the Fears of Damnation renders his Condition desperate The most who continue in a sinful course strive to elude the Warnings of Conscience by resolving that after the Season of sinning is past they will reform and apply themselves to seek the Favour and Grace of God. But how hazardous how incongruous is the delay of serious Repentance How hazardous The Lives of Sinners are forfeited in Law their time is a Reprieve depending meerly upon the Favour of the Judg how can they have a Warrant for a day But they are young and strong and think the day of Death and their last Account to be at a great distance Vain Security as if Death were not in every place and every hour as near Rebellious Sinners as their Sins that deserve it If thou doest Evil says God to Cain Sin is at the Door Damnation is ready to tread upon the Heels of Sinners and if Divine Clemency and Patience did not interpose would immediately seize upon them God sometimes shoots from the Clouds and breaks the strongest Buildings into Ruins it is not the Error of his Hand but his Pity that impenitent Sinners escape his visible Vengeance But who can assure them of future time Besides suppose that Sinners who hate to be reform'd whilst present Temptations are so inviting had a Lease of Time can they command the Grace of God They now suppress the Motions of the Spirit and in effect say to him as Felix to St. Paul awakening his Conscience with a Sermon of Righteousness and Temperance and Judgment to come Go away for the present when it is a convenient season I will call for thee But will the holy Spirit assist them at Death who have always resisted him
from him Of our selves we cannot conceive a good Thought through Christ strengthening us we can do all things Spiritual Blessings he purchas'd for us by his Humiliation and confers in his Exaltation He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctify it and cleanse it by the washing of Water and the Word Being risen and ascended he received of his Father Divine Gifts and gives Grace unto Men. He gives Repentance which principally consists in the mortifying Sin he blesses us in turning us from our Iniquities The Mortification of Sin is peculiarly attributed to his Death 1. With respect to its meritorious Causality that reconcil'd God to us and obtain'd of him the sanctifying Spirit that is the Seal of his Love to communicate the Divine Nature to us by which we escape the Corruption that is in the World through Lust. The Redemption of a Captive may illustrate the Redemption of Sinners for as in restoring a Captive to Liberty there must be the payment of the Ransom and the breaking of his Chains so in redeeming a Sinner there was the price laid down the unvaluable Blood of the Son of God to procure our spiritual Freedom for the ignominious and cruel Bondage under Satan was the penal Effect of the first Transgression and the invisible Chains the Darkness of Mind the Hardness of Heart the Rebellion of Will the Disorder of Affections and all the vicious Habits that kept him in the Bondage of Satan are to be broken and removed For this reason 't is said God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemning Sin in the Flesh that is Christ dying as a Sacrifice for Sin reconciled God and the Fruit of that Reconciliation is the breaking the Tyrannous Empire of Sin under which we were involv'd that we may enjoy the Liberty of the Sons of God. Sin brought our Saviour to the Cross and he brought Sin to the Cross when he dy'd naturally Sin dyed legally that is was condemn'd to lose its Power in the Hearts and Lives of Believers The excellent Ends of our Saviour's Death are express'd by the Apostle He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity abolish the guilt of Sin and purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works 2. By way of Representation As Christ died for Sin we must die to Sin He expiated the guilt of all Sin for penitent Believers and a universal crucifixion of Sin is the imitation of his Death The Apostle insists on this as a Truth of the clearest Evidence to Christians Know ye not that so many as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his Death Therefore we are buried with him in Baptism that as Christ was raised up from the Dead by the Glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of Life For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his Death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Knowing this that our Old Man is crucified with him that the Body of Sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve Sin. The sum of which Reasoning is that our crucifying the corrupt Nature with all its various Affections and Lusts is a lively resemblance of the Death of Christ which was design'd both to be operative in us of the Death of Sin and to be significative of it From whence it follows 't is the indispensable Duty of all Christians to transcribe the Copy of his Death in their Hearts and Lives 3. The Death of Christ mortifies Sin by moral Influence as 't is an Expression of God's transcendent Love to us and his Righteous and Holy severity against Sin both which are such powerful Motives to destroy Sin that whoever does not feel their Efficacy is dead as the Grave without the least vital Spark of grateful Love to Christ. Now the unfeigned belief of the meritorious and efficacious Sufferings of Christ is the means by which the Value of his Death is applied and the Vertue of it derived to us for the killing of our Sins 'T is by Faith we are united to him as our Head the Fountain of Spiritual Sense and Active Power He dwells in our Hearts by Faith and by the eminent Operations of his Spirit strengthens the inner Man. Faith excites us to mortify the inhabiting Corruption by arguing from the Love of Christ in dying for us He left Heaven for us shall not we leave Earth for him He denied his natural innocent Wills to submit to the Death of the Cross for our Salvation Shall not we deny our depraved rebellious Wills for his Glory And unless desperate Sinners who are fallen as low as Hell who can resist such melting Perswasions The Apostle speaks with the most feeling Expressions The Love of Christ constrains us has an absolute invincible Empire over us because we thus judg that if one died for all then were all dead that henceforth we should live to him who died for us And 't is the noble and sensible Effect of quickning Grace to mortify Sin. Faith as it obliges so it encourages to subdue our Sins by reflecting upon the End of Christ's Death which shall certainly be accomplish'd St. Paul in his conflict with an uncessant Enemy was fortified by an Assurance from God My Grace is sufficient for thee The Temptation was not presently removed but strength conveyed by which he was superior to it Our special Sins so easily encompass us that considering our imminent danger we may fear the Issue of the Fight but the believing remembrance of our Saviour's Death inspires new Life and Heat into us knowing that he hath not died in vain Faith raises the drooping Spirit by reflecting upon the compassionate willingness of Christ to relieve and strengthen us in the Holy War. When he was upon Earth he prayed his Father to keep us from the Evil of the World. This was the Copy of his continual Intercession for us in Heaven from whence we are infallibly assur'd that he is most tenderly inclin'd to assist us and preserve us from the malignant influence of the World. For these Reasons Faith in Christ has a cleansing Vertue a victorious Efficacy attributed to it Faith purifies the Heart and overcomes the World. A sincere Believer that makes use of the Divine Ordinances Prayer hearing the Word the confirming Sacrament and other holy Means for the subduing his Corruptions shall certainly obtain a final Victory and the reward of it a triumphant Felicity FINIS Some Divinity Books printed for and fold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard MR. Pool's Annotations on the whole Bible in which the whole Sacred Text is inserted in two Volumes in Folio Useful for Families and Closets Dr. Goodwin's Works In two Volumes in Folio Viz. on the Ephesians Revelations The Kowledg of God the Father Election c. His Treatise of the Punishment of Sin in Hell In 8o. Dr. Manton's