Therefore they hardly have the Spirit in a special saving way at least working with them who only seek to get sin down but mind not to get grace up Sixthly This is a sure rule whatever the Spirit helps us to do it causeth us to do from a gracious principle to a gracious end so in the present case if the Spirit stir up any to mortifie their sins it causeth them to endeavour the death thereof from a principle of hatred of sin love to God and faith of his Word and if the Spirit work with us it causeth us to strive to ruine sin not only as contrary to us but as contrary to the law nature and name of God and honour of Christ Whoever aims only at himself in what he doth he acts from and of himself and is not acted by the Spirit For though the Spirit love all in whom it is it loves God more and Christ more than it loves us Though the Spirit aims at our good yet more at the honour of God Jesus Christ Seventhly Though the Spirit if you are acted by it do put you on to pursue all your sins to death yet some of them principally as the more strongly and lively any sin is the more it steals or keeps the heart from God the more it hinders you in religious services the more hurt it causeth you to do to others by offending by hardning and causing them to stumble and whatever sin it be by which Gods name your profession and your souls most suffer that you especially strike at and war upon chiefly your chief sin your iniquity your master corruption which is in you the worst for the Spirit of God is a Spirit of wisdom and when it affords its assistance it is according to true wisdom Therefore it spake Saul to be acted by his own Spirit in that he spared Agag the chief of the Amalekits against whom God sent him whereas of all other he should have put him to death so when any indulge and are tender to their head sin that which sits upon the throne in them which above all should be mortified Eighthly If you have the Spirits assistance then you do ordinarily mortifie your sinful motions under strong temptations as well as under weak for all things are alike to the Spirit whose power and whose understanding are infinite Strong and weak temptations differ as to us not as to the Spirit therefore when it vouchsafeth its assisting presence it doth help under and against all sorts and kinds of temptations It may be objected hath it not been known and do we not read that the best men under very strong temptations do greatly miscarry For answer to that it 's true but it 's also true that even they who have the Spirit of God do sometimes turn out of the way under weak temptations God so ordering it that they may the better know themselves and be the more humbled yea it is known that they who stand out against very mighty temptations are for a time born down by some that are of no great strength compared with those which they withstand David's temptation to take away the life of Shimei who cursed him flung stones at him then when he was King and had reigned long his Servants also pressing him to let them go and take off the head of that dead Dog seems much stronger than his temptation to cut off Nabal and all the males of his house because he refused to shew him kindness yet David absolutely refused to give way that Shimei should be medled with whereas he vowed the death of Nabal and of all the men of his house and armed himself and march'd forth to execute his purpose against him which he had done had he not been stopt as himself confesseth 1 Sam. 25.34 In very deed as the Lord God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from hurting thee except thou had'st hasted and come to meet me surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall So then it is not barely the greatness of the temptation that makes a good man to stumble but the withdrawing of the Spirit at such a time and then whether the temptation be small or great he is carried away thereby Wherefore I say if the Spirit of God be in you and work with you for the most part you mortifie the motions of sin under all kinds of temptations as you usually stand out against small so usually against great temptations also Lastly You ascribe all that victory that at any time you gain against any sin to the Spirit if you are acted by it for when the Spirit helps it makes the soul sensible that it could not do what it doth of it self Luke 1.49 He that is mighty hath done for me great things and holy is his name so saith the soul that is in a truely gracious frame and is carried forth against sin by the Spirit Not I have done great things to the curbing quelling and killing my sins but he that 's mighty the mighty Spirit of God hath done great things in me for me and by me as Isa 26.12 he hath wrought all our works in us not we our selves of our selves but he yea he hath wrought not some but all our works in us Sermon 7. Use 9. SEe how great need they have to seek the Spirit who have it not so necessary as the mortifying any sin is so necessary is the having of the Spirit for as hath been said we must have the Spirit e're we can do any thing by it to the slaying our sins therefore so many lusts so many evil affections and motions so many sins as are in any one of us so many engagements to seek the Spirit without which not one of them can be subdued They who have not the Spirit of the Lord they do they will walk after their lusts nor can they walk otherwise Jude 17 18. Beloved remember ye the words that were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts how so v. 19. these be they who separate themselves i. e. from ordinances from the Societies of Saints sensual not having the spirit hence they did they could not but walk after their lusts because though they pretended high as if they had the spirit and that in a larger measure than others yet in truth they had it not Whoever are without the Spirit are in the flesh Rom. 8.9 Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be the Spirit of Christ dwell in you but which is implyed if the Spirit of Christ dwell not in you then are you in the flesh in the hands under the power of corrupt nature therefore cannot possibly mortifie the deeds of the flesh But get the Spirit once so shall you through it be able to bring under and tread
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 it had been so in comparison of those stirrings of it which he found when the Law came to his conscience verse 9. When the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed and the commandement which was ordained to life I found to be unto Death to his own death the death of his former hope and comfort not the death of his sin and
thus he saith it was with others before converted verse 5. When we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death the motions of sin which were by the Law i. e. which were begotten or drawn forth by the Law through our corruption Therefore they are Gospel Truths especially and no Truths without these that are an efficacious means for the mortifying of sin These are the weapons of our warfare as the Apostle calls them 2 Cor. 10.4 which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds they are spiritual and so effectual through God to the subduing our carnal affections As the work of mortification is begun so it is carried on but it is begun in regeneration and that 's by the Gospel as we read we are begotten again by that 1 Cor. 4.15 In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel Therefore the Gospel and the truths thereof should principally be made use of The curse of the Law should be considered but if a man would get his sin indeed destroyed let him seek a spiritual understanding of and let him be much in meditating on the grace of the Gospel the doctrine of Christ Fourthly By the Spirit is understood the Holy Ghost the third Person in the Trinity thus it 's taken both before my Text ver 9 and 11. as also after my Text ver 14 15 and 16 c. and in this sense we are to take it in the words I am upon if ye through the Spirit through the Holy Ghost i. e. through the Spirit of God do mortifie the deeds of the body Yet this includes the three other acceptations of the word Spirit for whoever do mortifie any sin through the Holy Ghost they are engaged in the work with their whole souls their whole heart is in it and they do destroy the deeds of the flesh by acting and exercising grace and this they do through hearing considering and acting Faith on Gospel Truths as will be shewn afterward Q. 2. Why is this work of mortifying our sins to be done by the Spirit of God A. 1. Because it cannot possibly be done without the Spirit of God Whatever is done against sin without the Spirit gives it no deaths wound it only covers or somewhat curbeth sin but doth not at all destroy it Christ saith John 6.63 It 's the Spirit that giveth life or that quickneth so it 's the Spirit that mortifieth the Spirit quickneth the Soul and the Spirit mortifieth sin in the Soul A dead carkass shall as soon maintain a fight against and kill a powerful enemy as any man slay his sin any one lust without the Spirit of God As it is natural to our visible body to save it self and every member thereof so is it natural to the body of sin and every member of that to save it self and as it is natural to a Father to save his Child so to Satan to do his utmost to defend and preserve fin in us Therefore it cannot be that we should of our selves or by the help of any creature alone mortifie any lust could we without the Spirit of Christ destroy our sin then might we be in a great part our own Saviours He that knows not the necessity of the Spirits special assistance in this work is certainly a great stranger to the mortification of sin that is most true in this case Zech. 4.6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts It is too great a work too mighty and too honourable for any one of himself to get the victory over sin which is our strongest and our worst enemy Outward enemies cannot be destroyed without the help of God especially when many and potent much less can spiritual enemies which are the worst and strongest Psal 33.16 17. There is no King saved by the multitude of an host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength an horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength So all Means Duties Ordinances Power and Ability of the Creature is vain weak and to no purpose to deliver and save a man from his sin unless the Spirit of the Lord put its hand to the work and by its might effect it Secondly As this cannot be done without the Spirit so may it be done by the Spirit what though our lusts are never so many It 's all one as we read with the Lord to save with many or with few so is it all one with him to destroy many or few what was that great Host of Senacherib which came against Jerusalem one Angel of the Lord destroyed it in one night we read of the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin every sin is exceeding deceitful besides how deceitful is the heart how deceitful is Satan how deceitful is the world which is one great reason why we cannot mortifie our evil affections of our selves we want not only strength but understanding also our Lusts seem dead while in truth they live they make us think we wound them when the blow falls quite beside we seem many times to do all we can against our sins when it s nothing so that sin seems least in us which is greatest and most hurtful Now the spirit of God is a spirit of wisdom therefore through it we may destroy our sin notwithstanding its deceitfulness though we oft are the spirit of God cannot be deceived What though our iniquities are never so mighty the spirit of God is Almighty Ps 74.15 thou driedst up mighty rivers yet dryed and dryed up though rivers though mighty rivers or as the word is rivers of strength what great things did the spirit of God do in the creation when it moved on the face of the waters such like things it can do and doth when it moveth powerfully in our hearts Psal 93.3 The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have Dfted up their voice the floods lift up their waves what then who can still them can any man No they as the Psalmist speaks make the Marriners at their wits end they know not how to save themselves much less to quell and calm the floods when they do lift up their voice and their waves to the highest I but the Lord the Spirit of our God is able to command them silence as it there follows verse 4. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters yea
exhortation Rom. 11.20 be not high minded but fear he adds v. 21 22. if God spared not the natural broaches take heed lest he spare not thee behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them that fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off As a Mother leading her little Child it goes towards the fire or water and though she hold it fast sure that it shall not fall in yet to make it careful she saith take heed if you fall into the fire you 'l be burn't if into the water you 'l be drowned so that we may not be secure and careless and self confident we have divers such If 's in Scripture spoken to Gods Children Thirdly True Believers may have and too oft have through compliance with the Flesh great falls though they live not after the Flesh they act much according to it therefore to cause them to maintain a continual sight against the Flesh and to keep at the farthest distance from it and to quicken them to repentance when they have turned aside therefore are they to be put in mind what an enemy the Flesh is even such that if they do live after it they shall dye eternally and so far as they act according to it they do dye spiritually For such reasons as these the Apostle speaks that Heb. 10.26 If we sin wilfully he faith not you but we if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment c. that is even for us if we so sin It may be objected is this a sit and proper argument to work upon true Believers to keep them from the wayes of the flesh or to bring them to repentance when they are seduced thereby should not such rather have other things Preached to them A. Other things should be Preached and that chiefly as the death of Christ love and grace of God c. but this also ye shall dye if c. all considerations are needful in this world to keep us awake God thought it a proper and fit argument to lay before Adam when he had no Flesh no corruption in him in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye why then is it not a proper and fit argument to be propounded to those who have much sin remaining in them though they being in Christ are not under that Covenant under which Adam was and cannot fall as he did yet is this argument rather more suitable to them than to Adam even the argument of death in this respect because they have much Flesh in them which both in it self deserves death and enclines them or moves them to walk in the wayes thereof sweet arguments may more take with the renewed part but this may more curb remaining Corruption and work upon the heart when in a fearless careless frame and if the soul be in never so good a frame to hear that they who live after the Flesh shall dye may stir it up to thankfulness that through and in Christ it is secure and the more thankful the more obedient shall we be to God If any say that grace most works upon them I answer the more any are drawn by Grace the less do they need to be driven by this truth yet even this truth minds us of and sets forth to us the grace of God in that but for it we had all lived after the flesh and there is love in this very truth that the Lord is thus pleased to warn us It may again be said but is this right to avoid or turn from the wayes of the Flash because they bring to death A. We are bound to believe all the word of God and it 's the nature of true faith to Believe all believing all things saith the Apostle that are written in the Law and the Prophets Acts 24.14 therefore all Scripture truth is to be Preached and whatever we do in faith from true faith is as so well done and acceptable to God as Noah's building an Ark because through faith he was moved with fear c. besides death implyes separation from God and this is very good it is love to God to avoid sin that by it we may not be separated from him Application Use 1. Whether do you or any of you live after the Flesh It is as great a question as whether you shall dye Be the more inquisitive each one as to himself because multitudes are strangely mistaken some seem as if they did live after the flesh yet really before God they do not 2 Cor 10.2 I beseech you that I may not be bold with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh the Apostles themselves seemed to some so to walk yet were they far from so walking On the other hand there are and that many more who make a shew as if they did not live after the flesh yet in truth after it do they live Thus men also mistake concerning themselves thinking that of themselves which is contrary to truth It 's like if the question were put in the general to any of you whether think you not there are some here present who live after the Flesh you would every one say if you should speak your thoughts yes some here do so live or I fear there are some whose life is such but let every one be ask'd as to his own particular probably he would say I do not or I hope I do not live after the Flesh I beseech you Brethren deceive not your selves for if you do thus live whether you think so or no of your selves you will find this true that ye shall dye I would be helpful to you in this enquiry for which purpose I shall briefly offer divers things to your serious thoughts to be made use of in self examination I say self examination for you know it 's not that God requires of you nor that which concerns you or not so much to try others as each one himself and her self 1. Whoever hath not had a great change in his heart a mighty turn he doth live after the Flesh however he may seem to live for all by nature are dead in their sins and the uncircumcision of their Flesh Col. 2.13 all naturally are born of Flesh and are Flesh having no good thing in them and if the tree be bad the fruit cannot but be bad also if any are dead in the Uncircumcision of their flesh it 's certain they live after it Secondly To live in the doing of any of the works of the Flesh though it be but in some one or two of them is to live after the Flesh Q. What are the works of the Flesh A. They are very many and they are all or most of them very manifest as the Apostle tells us Gal. 5.19 The
we are double-minded and double-hearted in our approaching the Presence of God Secondly If we do not mortifie our corruptions they will yea they 'l cause us to mortifie whatever good motions or purposes are in us one of these two must be either we must destroy our sins or through them we shall destroy that which is contrary thereto for good and evil cannot both be together in the soul with allowance if we so allow that which is evil as not to seek the destruction of it we shall so disallow all good that 's contrary to it as not to suffer it to live in us And so we shall joyn hands with Satan for that 's it he seeketh Rev. 12.4 The Dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her Child as soon as it was born so he stands ready to devour the child of every good motion purpose conviction or working that is at any time in us Take heed therefore that you do not put that good that is in you as it were into Satan's mouth Thirdly Have you not listed your selves under Christs Banner have you not taken Christ's Name upon you therefore you ought to war against and seek the death of all sin in you Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation expects this of all who enroll their Names as Souldiers under him Col. 3.9 Lie not one to another seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds Ye who make a profession of Christ have done this at least by profession professing Christ ye do profess to have put off your former corrupt nature with the deeds thereof if then you mortifie them not you contradict your profession And if you are as you would seem Christians indeed then are you members of Christ therefore are you obliged to mortifie your members that are on the earth you are of the Mystical Body of Christ therefore should withal industry seek to destroy the deeds of the body of sin and that the more because this was one end of Christs death Rom. 6.6 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 and consequently that we should morrifie it for either we are shall and must be the enemies of sin or we are and shall be the Servants of it 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness but we are not dead to sin nor can we live unto righteousness if we subdue not the evil deeds of the Flesh Fourthly This is acceptable service to God because our corruptions are enemies to him as well as to us and he calls us forth to war against them therefore when we endeavour their ruine we serve God and God takes it as service to himself and he will graciously therefore reward it at last with his blessings Heb. 7.1 Melchizedeck King of Salem Priest of the most High God met with Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him Melchizedeck was a type of Christ who is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchizedeck In the foregoing words chap. 6. last verse Abraham the Father of the faithful signifieth all Believers his seed his children The Kings may signifie our lusts which naturally reign as Kings in us Lot whom the Kings took captive notes our souls captivated by our lusts Abraham's destroying those Kings imports our destroying our corruptions as Believers through faith Melchizedech his blessing Abraham thereupon speaks and gives assurance of a blessing to us from Christ we so doing Would you that when you have finish'd your course and fought the good fight of Faith Christ Jesus should so come forth and meet you and bless you then up and be doing up and be fighting smite kill and slay all your iniquities This is fighting the Lords battel therefore as it is said of Meroz Curse them because they came not forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty so cursed is every one that goes not forth with all his might against his mighty sins But blessed he that takes Babilon 's children yea her little ones as the Psalmist speaks and dasheth them against the stones In a word though to wound your natural visible body or any member thereof be an unnatural thing causing grief and pain to destroy the body of sin and its deeds is a gracious work from whence flow peace and joy Great peace have they who love thy Law saith the Scripture but the more any fight against their sins and destroy them the more they do and the more they thereby will love the Law of God Therefore awake to this good work Use last Be ye constant in this work Never give over in any case any place at any time for you carry the body of sin about you wherever you go and there are allurements every where and baits to draw it forth in evil lustings It is too common a thing and one of the greatest faults amongst Christians that they are no more constant in this blessed work sometimes they bestir themselves herein but at other times how negligent are they they sit down and fall asleep at this great and necessary duty Which how dangerous is it to stand still though but one hour one quarter of an hour in a hot close fight hand to hand is it not full of danger ten to one the man that doth so is knockt down dead But if by negligence in this work you should get no deadly wound you would not escape some wound which perhaps you shall not have cured a long while it may be not while you live and you 'l find the work harder when you begin again then you left it when you left off Some they grow weary and faint in this spiritual combate but let them remember if they stop they must renew the fight again and then however difficult it be now it will be more hard to them for sin gains ground when we sit still But hold on and thus shall you find the work easier and thus shall you have constant peace without any considerable or long continued breach thereof though sin stir strongly yea though it prevail much yet while you keep diligent and constant in resisting and opposing and beating it down your peace will abide There is no inward true peace but where there is inward war against sin and while this war is maintained and carried on heartily and vigorously there is inward peace for this is exceeding pleasing to conscience that sits as it were looking on and is greatly pleased delighted to see the soul lustily wrestling with contending against and pursuing to death its lusts and sinful lustings Yea the Lord the Captain of our salvation is highly pleased to behold this and therefore will speak peace to those thus employed and daily exercised Go over your experience and say when have you