of the wicked Psalm 58.10 And how great joy will that bee when as a Christian shall see the revenge upon his sinnes that they that were his enemies are fallen before him it is hard unto flesh and blood to be thus cruell especially against himselfe as to turne his mirth into mourning his howers of recreation into times of devotion to beate downe his body by fasting and to afflict his soule with shame and sorrow This I say is difficult but yet 1 Sam. 6.10 if you would overcome nature you must become in this thing unnaturall as it was said of those two Kine that had their calves taken from them that were appointed to draw the arke of God they went along the high way lowing as they went untill they came to the coasts of Israel a strange thing it was and it may seeme to be unnaturall that they should leave their calves and do thus yet they did it because it was Gods worke so I may say that though this may seeme unnaturall and a kind of cruelty yet we must set upon it because it is Gods worke Ps 137.9 happy is that man that takes these brats of Babilon dashes their heads against the stones for in not pittying of them he pittieth his soule CAP. XV. Shewing the great necessity of contrition which is fourefold 1 A necessity of thâ— precept 2 THe second thing is the necessity of a broken heart In point of mortification there is necessitas precepti of Gods command hee hath commanded us to doe this duty hee hath commanded us to mourne they should weepe as a Virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth and so turne to the Lord Ioel 1.8 where there is the greatest love there should be the greatest sorrow now the first love is the greatest love and therefore the first losse doth require the greatest sorrow 1 Which doth shew unto us that nothing should be more grievous to us than our sins seeing God hath commanded it as a thing necessary to this worke why should wee not do it Againe we are enjoyned shame thence it was in the Law that when they had transgressed the Commandements of the Lord Neh. 9.1 they used to put sackcloth on their loynes Ier. 4â— â—7 and powre ashes on their heads being tokens of shame and sorrow Againe Psal 39.3 we are commanded to before displeased with our sinnes Davids heart was hot within him and the heart of Iosâ—ah was melted at the abominations of those times and the great transgression against Gods Law this is that the Lord doth require Lastly that there should be a holy revenge I suppose that vow of of the Nazarite that he should abstaine from wines and from the huskes of the grapes was chiefly ordained as holy revenge upon occasion of the abuse of the good creature of God Now whatsoever God commandeth us that is necessary but you see that God hath commanded us to labour for a contrite and a bleeding heart therefore it is necessary as the servant of Naaman the Syrian said unto him 2 Kingâ— 5. â—3 If the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much more then when he saith to thee wash and be cleane so say I if God should command you some great thing for the mortification of your sinnes and the salvation of your soules suppose it were to goe bare-foot to Jerusalem or to bestow all your goods on the poore or give the first borne of your body for the sinne of your soule would you not do it how much rather then Psal 51.17 when hee saith onely this that a broken and a contrite heart shall stand instead of all these 2 There is necessitas medii a necessity of the meanes 2 Of the meanes it is a speciall meanes that this body of sinne may be subdued for as it is with water when it overflowes the ground it drives out moles and wormes and other such creatures 2 Cor. 7.11 as do infest and annoy the ground and eate up the rootes of plants fit to become food for man so it is with true contrition it doth so overflow the heart with godly sorrow as that it drives out these troublesome Inhabitants that doe annoy our spirits and would spoyle those good beginnings of grace in us therefore put wee our selves on the meanes and stand not like the hand that is set up to guide us the way and yet moves not it selfe But if wee know these things blessed are wee if wee doe them if you say that to doe thus is troublesome to flesh and blood I answer it may be so but as we say that sometimes the things that are not the most toothsome are very wholsome and good so howsoever they may be some trouble yet so long as this trouble doth free us from a greater trouble all is well it is better to mourn here wher wee have comfort than to mourn and burn in hell where wee can neither have ease nor remedy Againe our comfort will recompence our trouble for every houre of grief shal be recompenced with thousands of yeares of joy and consolation when a man hath beene ten thousand yeares in heaven and then shall looke backe and consider what a short time of sorrow it was that he endured and withall how many millions of yeares are behind which can never expire I conceive it will not repent him that he hath repented nor grieve him that hee hath mourned In one word this necessity is confirmed by the practice of such as are gone to heaven already as Saint Paul that did struggle with his corruption and beat downe his body Num. 7.27 and Saint Peter and David and the rest 1 Cor. 9. And it is prophesied of the people of God that they should goe weeping to seeke the Lord Ier. 51.4.5 and should aske the way to Sion with their faces thitherward saying come let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall covenant that shall not be forgotten Comfort your selves therefore in the use of good meanes for your passage through the valley of Baca Psal 84.6.7 or valley of mourning is to meet the Lord in Sion 3 Of our actions 3 It 's necessary in respect of all our actions that they may be right it is necessary that they should come from such a heart as hateth sinne Psal 66 1â— For if I regard wickednesse in my bea rt the Lord will not heare my prayer now a man is said to regard wickednesse when the parting with it is grievous unto him as it was when Abraham was bidden by Sarah to cast out Ismael Gen. 21. the matter was very grievous unto him because he did regard and love him so it is when we respect and love our sinnes wee will be loath to part with them and then know that what action soever you doe Luk. 16.15 you cannot please God The reason is
be allured with their pleasant songs to bee drawne backe unto them againe it is a good evidence that sinne is a dying and declining in him I deny not but time may weare out our appetite unto some sins as an old man that hath beene given in his youth to lust and voluptuousnesse may leave them but yet he liveth still in some other sinne which is equivalent and as dangerous to his soule yea and when his naturall apetite is taken away yeâ— his sinfull appeâ—ite may remaine so that when a man wants strength to sinne yet may he have a minde to sinne and wish that he were young againe that he might sinne Whereas were sinne mortified these sinfull affections would â—ye sooner then our naturall 2. A man is then a dying man when he is a burden to himselfe whereas hee is not able to beare his owne weight when you see a man hardly able to goe on his legges you say that unlesse he doe recover againe he is not like to continue long so say I inregard of sinne then when you see a man that feeles and findes sin to be such a burden as hee is not able to beare but groanes under the burden of it that assuredly then sinne is a dying Rom. 8.23 well may sinne mak us groane and buckle under it when it makes the whole creation groane nay that which is so heavie a burden as the Lord that made heaven and earth and beares them up by his owne power and never complaines of the burden of them Complaines of this behold I am pressed downe under you Amos 2.13 as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves you therefore that feele your sinnes to be no burden but can carry your sinnes away with you as easily as Sampson carried the gates of Gaza upon his shoulders Judg 16.3 it is an argumeÌ„t that you are Sampson-like in your sinâ— sinne doth abide in you in its full strength if some man shall say I hope I shall doe well then for I finde sinne a heavie burden but I would aske him this question then whether doe you finde sinne a burden in regard of it selfe or in regard of some circumstance that doth depend upon it as namely the wrath of God or the shame and disgrace that you may have among men by it if that sinne be the burden then your case is good if not then may you suspect your selves to be unsound as suppose a man that hath a certaine quantity of spunge on his backe which he carrieth lightly away but now this man travelleth all a sore rainy day which doth so fill the spunge with water that his burden that was light before now becomes intolerable so it is in this case it is not the weight of sinne that troubles them they carry it roundly away but now that which troubles them is those showers of wrath from Heaven and that shame and contempt that they receive from men that makes them to cry out as Kain did my punishment iâ— greater then I can beare wher as the penalty that is annexed unto sinne were the sinne removed moved off to a mortified man it would seeme light and little 3. A man may then be said to be a dying man when as his disease prevailes upon him so as he hath lesse power to resist it every day then other so likewise when that sinne decayeth and doth languish away in us and grace doth so prevaile and get the upper hand as that corruption and sinne is not able to stand against it as it hath done the understanding is so farre convinced by the cleare light that shines into it that it is not able to stand nor shift any longer but it is beaten off from all those false reasonings Prox. 3.5 secret turnings and cunning equivocations so as a man dares not any longer rest on it the will is also fairely perswaded and will resist the holy Ghost no longer but yeelds up the hould unto Christ and saith Lord not my will but thy will be done Hence commeth a generall mortification of the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 by affections understand those inordinate affections which beare sway in the hearts of men as immoderate anger griefe also pride unnaturall affections and by lusts all insatiable desires after the things of this life they are now all crucified so as they will yeeld no more blind obedience either to sinne or Sathan so as grace hath drawn the strength of the soule unto it and cutteth off that wherein the great strength of corruption lay It is reported Cyrus finding the City of Babylon impregnable and almost impossible to be taken by land by reason of a great wall that did compasse it on the one side and finding the river Ephrates to hemme it in on the other side caused his souldiers to cut the river into many channels and to divert it another way and so surprized the City and subdued it just thus it is when we shall divert those noble faculties of the soul another way namely from taking part with sin to take part with God it will not then be hard to mortifie and subdue our corruptions if it shall be said then how commeth it to passe then that men after that they be grown Christians that they fall into such sinnes I answer it is not because sinne is stronger but either by reason of their slothfulnesse or spirituall pride or else by violence of something which may befall them while they resting carelesse and secure are supprized and overtaken which howsoever there be neither want of strength nor weaknes of Grace yet for want of watchfulnesse this may befall a good man as it did David and Peter yet let me adde this one thing that is that this in the event turnes to a greater good and for the time to come to make us more carefull to gird our armour about us and more watchfull that we sinne no more the burnt childe as it is in the Proverbe dreads the fire so will a Christian that hath been once scorched by such a temptation CAP. XVIII Shewing the third articular that is the meanes whereby this worke is done and that is by the spirit COme wee now to the third particular and that is the meanes whereby this great worke of mortification is effected and brought to passe for the better understanding of this particular observe these two propositions 1. First that the spirit must be had of us 2. That wee must by the helpe and assistance of the spirit mortifie our sinfull nature 1. For the former that we must have the spirit there is great necessity of this for then wee are in the spirit Rom. 8.9 when the spirit dwelleth in us and if any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his God saith that in the time of the Gospell hee would powre upon them Zac. 13.10 the spirit of grace supplication that is as they were annointed with oyle that
whited wall and as old Ahiah said to the wife of Ieroboam 1 Kings 146. when shee came disguised Come in saith hee thou wife of Ieroboam why fainest thou the selfe to be another I have heavie tydings to tell thee so may I say unto such that I have heavie tidings to tell them that is this Act. 8.23 that they are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity and if there be any fire in that bottomlesse tophet hotter than another it 's prepared for the hypocrits and therefore when God tells men of great punishments that the wicked shall have hee tells them that their punishment shall be with hypocrites that is making them a patterne of greas punishment to others Mat 24.41 Againe this body of sinne it doth so worke and cover it selfe that it makes a man to mistake his owne condition as the young man did when hee said Mat. 19.29 All these have I done from my youth and yet poore soule he knew not the deceitfulnes of his owne heart that he was mistaken had a deceitfull heart that would not submit to the will of Christ and we read of Herod that hee did many things untill it came to the leaving of his Herodias hee was content but there he stucke So it is with men they are so well conceited of their conditions as he that goes a jot beyond them goes too farre and hee that comes not to their pitch is too prophane and that rule which they have taken up is the only rule but to such I will say no more than our Apostle doth Let him that thinketh hee stands take heed lest hee fall and that his foundation be not built on the sand 4 Seeing that this body of sinne is thus active 4 How suspitious we should be of our selves it should make us suspitious of our selves and be very jealous over our selves in all the actions that wee doe seeing that there is one within us that hath a hand in them that is our mortall enemy Prov. 26.25 who albeit hee may speake us faire and make his voyce gracious yet as Solomon saith in another casâ— there are seven abominations in his heart if a man have a servant in his house that hee neither can turne out nor may trust will hee not then be suspitious of him and often call him to account Jer. 17.9 yet behold such is our owne hearts deceitfull above all things and who can know it it hath such turnings and windings that unlesse we watch it narrowly it will deceive us Aske we our hearts this question whither they went then at such a sermon when the word was powerfully opened it will answer as Gehezi did Thy servant went no whither Aske it againe whether it doth beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ for life and eternall salvation it will answer yea hee hath beleeved ever since hee can remember and never doubted in all his life Aske him againe whether hee be in such a condition as hee may goe to the Lords Table hee will answer againe goe in peace Thus like another trecherous Iudas hee will for his owne ends betray his owne Master now I appeale unto your own hearts whether this be so or no whether you have not offered such strange fire unto God and thought that such blind and lame services would serve your turne Have you not cause here to be suspitious of your secret enemy that lurkes in your bosomes that is so ready to deceive it selfe and you When that King of Syria saw that his plots were still discovered that his warre did not prosper against the Kings of Israel 2 King 6.11 Will you not tell mee saith hee which of us is for the King of Israâ—l So it should be with you that when your designes and good purposes are interrupted you should enter into your chambers and commune with your owne hearts and call up all your thoughts together say to them will none of you shew mee which of you are for Saâ—han I find many good motions that are all stifled in the birth a law of the members that doth rebell against the law of the mind and then complaine of this enemy unto him that is able to helpe you and say O wretched man that I am good Lord deliver mee from this body of death CAP. VII Of the second principall thing viz the doctrine of Mortification with certainc distinctions to cleare it NOw the second thing layd downe in the text is the duty that is commended unto us by our Apostle namely that the deedes of the body are to be mortified Joel 2.13 this is no other than that of the Prophet Rent your hearts and not your garments c. now the renting of thier garments was but in the best use of them to put them in minde of the disposition of their hearts and what serious thoughts God would have them be affected withall They did use to rent garments either in case of some great evill of sinne or evill of punishment in case of some great sinne 2 King 18 So Hezekiah rent his clothes at the blasphemy of Rabsheke Hest 4.1 the foule mouthed enemy of God and so in case of some eminent danger so Mordecay rent his garment out of trouble of heart for that great Massacre that was likely to befall the Jewes and may not the like misery sway with us to make us rent our hearts and mortifie the deeds of the body especially when we consider the greatnesse of our sinnes both in respect of their number that they are many and of their nature that they are foule and make us loathsome in the sight of God for their quantity they are as heavie as mountaines of lead Deut. 19.18 and for the quality they are rootes that beare gall and wormwood The like exhortation the Apostle gives Non dicit Apostolus non sit non habitet hoc enim impossibile sed non regnet peccatum c Greg. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies that you should obey it in the lusts thereof It is true that sinne will remaine in us but it must not raigne over us for if grace raigne in your hearts then sinne must not raigne grace will have no competitor Wee read of Alexander the great that hee was never content till he had conquered all the world so is it with grace it is never at rest till it have conquered this little world this body of sin and put downe every high thought that doth exalt it self against God This exhortation is urged more plainly Mortifie therefore your members that are on the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affections c. as before sinne is compared to a body so here particular sins are compared to so many members of that body that as all the members doe worke together for the preservation of the whole so doth every least conduct and concurre to the preservation and continuation of this
of the sinne wee feele bee able to conceive of that we feele not and to say as Paul did Vers 25. God be thanked through Iesus Christ our Lord that though in my flesh I serve the Law of sinne yet in my mind I serve the Law of God Imperfect mortification is when the worke is begun but not finished it is with us in case of mortification as it was when the Israelites came to possesse the land of Canaan God would have them cast out the inhabitants by little and little Dent. 7.22 and not to bee consumed at once So in this case it is not to bee expected that sinne should be consumed at once but by little and little The degrees of mortification are some more temote some more neare For the better clearing hereof observe two particulars whereby you may conceive by what steps and degrees sinne is mortified First some of them are more remote Secondly some of them are naere Remote 1 1. For the more remote degrees of mortification give me leave first to intreat of them as in going downe a paire of staires you must go downe by degrees step by step so in bringing downe the proud heart wee must not thinke it can be done at once but by a kinde of graduall motion wee say in Phylosophy that natura non facil saltum that nature works successively and makes no leapes for it is as true in grace 2 Pet. 3.18 that it doth admit degrees Degree 1 1. The first remote degree is a breaking of league with sinne for naturally there is a league between sinne and our soules And they are like Simeon and Levi brethren in evill sinne is then pleasant unto them and whosoever speakes against it are none of their friends but now when wee see that sinne hath deceived our soule and played the Iudas with us that it hath betraied us into the hands of Sathan and hath procured the wrath of God upon us then we breake our friendship with it and are sorry that we had ever any thing to doe with it Eph. 5.11 have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse but rather reprove them that is we must not have any more to doe with them God charges the people of Israel to take heede that they marry not with the heathen Deut. 7. for they would turne away their sonnes and daughters from serving God So will sinne doe if you make league with it or doe not breake from it and so procure the heavie wrath of God upon you it is the charge which our Saviour gives unto those that went into Babylon Rev. 18.4 2 Cron. 19 2. Come out of Babell my people be not partaker with her of her sinnes that yee receive not of her plagues It was a good speech of the sonne of the Prophet to Iehosaphat shouldest thou helpe the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore in wrath upon you from the Lord So there is nothing a greater enemy unto God nor unto your salvation then sinne is therefore breake your league with it lest you procure the fierce wrath of the Lord of heaven and earth against you Degree 2 2. When men professe themselves open enemies unto sinne that is then when they hate every false way and when no perswasion that lust can make nor proffer that can be propounded will prevaile with them but they stand like a mountaine and will not be perswaded so as those secret insinuations of their owne hearts and those venomous blandishments of Sathan fall from them as the Viper from Pauls hand without any hurt or taking any strong impression upon them where there is the greatest unity and friendship when such fall out there is the greatest enmity and discords thence it is that Solomon saith Prov. 18.19 that a Brother offended is as hard to winne as a strong City and their contentions are like the barres of a Castle so is it with this contention because as their freindship hath beene great so also is the contention stronger therefore some of the Martyrs when they have beene pressed by their friends to renounce their religion with what indignation have they spoken that if every haire of their head were a man William Sparrow pascalis they would burne them all rather then goe from the truth And some have blessed God even that ever they came in prison or that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ all this out of a desire of the enjoyment of Christ and the hatred of sinne Degree 3 3. To cut off all the strength provision that the flesh can make that so we may starve the flesh out of the holds that it hath made for it self Rom. 13.14 So the Apostle put on the Lord Jesus Christ and made no provision for the flesh sure it is when men are carefull for the body and carelesse for the soule when they expend the greatest part of their lives and meanes in the minding of the things that pertaine to the satisfaction of the flesh and in the prosecution of their lusts and pleasures and say unto their soules Luke 12.19 eate drinke and be merry what doe they all this while but foster and nourish that body of death even unto the day of slaughter but on the other side a man doth then make no provision for the flesh when he lives as a Pilgrim and as a stranger and doth abstaine from fleshly lusts that fight against the soule When a man makes a covenant with his eyes 1 Pet. 2.11 that he will not look on a woman to lust after her when hee shutteth his eares Job 31.1 and will not heare the voyce of the Charmer charme hee never so wisely when that he lookes to all his wayes and takes heed Psal 39.1 that he offend not in his tongue in one word that keepes his heart with all diligence Pet. 4.23 that howsoever voluptuous and sinfull thoughts may knock at the doore yet they may finde neither entrance nor enterrainment when hee hardens his heart against sinne as much as Dives did that hee would not permit Lazarus the crummes that were under his table but suffered the Begger to dye at his doore So when wee deny our lusts their least requests and will not permit them the least or lowest roome in our hearts 2 King 6.32 when we deale with sinne as Elisha caused his servants that kept the doore saith he hold him fast handle him roughly or presse him at the doore so should we do with sin if hee offer to make intrusion repell him backe with a holy violence 1 Cor. 9.27 I beate downe my body and bring my flesh in subjection that when I have preached to others I my selfe may not be a cast-away CAP. IX Shewing those more neare degrees of mortification 2 NOw I come to those that are more neare degrees of mortification as you see in warre there is many lesser assaults made before
they winne the maine battell so is it in this spirirituall contestation and contention between the law of the members and the law of the minde 1 Degree Heb. 12 4. Gal 5.17 Venit avaritia vendicat in me sibi sedem jactantiacupit dominari mihi Superbia vult mihi esse Rex luxuria dicit ego regnabo ambitto de tractio invidia iracundia certant in me ipso de me ipso cujus ego potissimum effe videor Ego quantum valeo resiste renitor quantum suvor dominum meum Iesum reclamo paule post dico non habeo regem nisidominum Iesum veni demine disperge illos vertute tua regnabis in me quia tu es ipse Rex meus Ber. him 4. betweene true grace and corrupt nature 1. First is in that strong relâ—ctancie that the spirit maketh against the flesh so as there is very hard strugling who shall winne the victory gravis lucta saith Saint Bevnard non contra hostes sed contra hospites a grievous warre it is and the greater that it is not against enemies but guests howbeit they are in deed secret enemies The flesh musters up all her forces and sets them in battell aray which as they are many in number so are they strong and resolute every one ambitious of a crown but now the soule it flyeth unto Christ as a prisoner of hope oppressed by the enemy unto his strong hold Zach. 9.12 That as the Jewes would have no King but Caesar so a Christian will have none to raigne over him but Christ this reluctancie is the greater in me quia tu es ipse Rex mous Bet. him 4. because that the object of their contention is exceeding weighty it is as much as a mans soule is worth it is the losing or winning of a Kingdome it is not pro finibus not for the bounds but pro haereditate for the inheritance and therefore it is that neither side will yeeld to the other Sathan will not yeeld up his right because they once belongd to him nor Christ will not lose his right because hee bought them with a price hence it is that the Kingdome of Heaven is said to suffer violence Matth. 11.12 and the violent take it by force there is nothing to be gotten without contention That you may not bee mistaken in this businesse of so great consequence give me leave to lay downe some rules to know whether your warre bee a right warre yea or no for when our Luke 13.24 Saviour doth exhort us to strive to enter in at the straite gate he tels us that many shall secke to enter and shall not be able shewing that all striving will not serve your turnes not every one that saith Matth. 7.21 Lord Lord shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven thence it is that Saint Iames tels us that we may aske and not receive because we aske amisse and this was the reason why such as shall at the end of the world come and say Lord Math. 7.22 Lord wee have prophecied in thy name and in thy name wee have cast out Devils and in thy name wee have done many wonderfull workes why such I say should bee rejected because all this was not done in sincerity and in a right manner therefore for the clearing of it take this rule 1. They differ in ground and so the quarrell for howsoever that the I quarrell may be occasioned from the same generall ground in respect of the use of it How the naturall spirituall combate differs namely sinne 1 In the ground yet in speciall the one lookes at sinne as it is sinne the other at sinne as it brings punishment after it the one could hee escape the punishment would be glad to enjoy his finne the other is farre more willing to suffer than to sinne an example of the former you have in Cain who made no great matter of his sinne but indeed his punishment was greater than hee could beare and for the latter you have another example of Ioseph who notwithstanding the wanton sollicitations hee had from his Mistresse and withall his owne unmarried condition and being in the strength of his youthfull yeares which is most licentious and voluptuous yet behold hee repells them all with a most chast resolution Gen. 39. How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God He thought not on the punishment that would follow but on the sinne as the maine thing It was a good speech of him that sayd it Anselme that hee had rather be in hell without sinnes than in heaven with them on his conscience and indeed what comfort could a man have in heaven so long as he had a hell in his conscience and on the other side hell would be no hell to him were his conscience faire therefore men should not thinke that all is well because they sind sometimes a troubled or a trembling spirit for the devills beleeve and tremble and yet are their spirits stout enough and stubborne enough against God so Jam 2.19 it may be in men by that conviction that they may have although it may not be accompanied with any sound conversion have you not seene many that when they have beene in some great straite as Balaam betweene the vineyards not knowing which way to turne himselfe either under some sad and heavie crosse or else under some present perill of death poore soules how have they quarrelled with their sinnes and with themselves as though they would never have had any friendship with them more well deliverance comes and health comes behold now the battell is over they shake hands againe with their lusts and are the same men they were but now if there be a principle of grace in you that makes your hearts rise against sinne then to say no more goe on and prosper ye valient men for God is with you 2 They differ in respect of the seat of the combate 2 In the seate the naturall combate is 1 Sometimes nothing but the distemper of the body that is the seat of the conflict a sicke body doth occasion a distempered and sicke minde is it not strange to see what strange effects that distemper of melancholy doth produce what feares and terrours have they felt at sometimes as though they had beene scorched in the flames of hell what joyes and exultations they have made at another time as though they had beene rapt up into the third heaven what conflicts they have supposed they have passed through yet all is nothing but the production of a distempered body deeply affected with melancholy Now this differs from the true combate 1 First they differ as much as the shadow and the substance one from another that combate betweene the flesh and the spirit is really true but that is but imaginary like as you see upon the stage one is a King another is a Judge another a souldier which when the action is
undertooke any speciall office so Christians when they are made by grace Kings and Priests unto God they have this oyle of the spirit powred into their hearts our blessed Saviour confirmes this unto us in that speech to Nichodemus that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Ioh. 3.6 As Adam begot a man in his owne likenesse so the spirit it begetteth us like unto it selfe holy as it is holy heavenly as it is heavenly For the better understanding of the point in hand know that the spirit is to be considered 2. waies either according to its essence or according to his guifts graces now according to its essence and being it is every where it filleth heaven earth as it is excluded out of no place so neither is it included in any but in this sense wee can no more be said to have the spirit than other men and creatures can in whom and by whom wee all live move have our being Act. 17.28 but in the second sense in respect of its guifts and graces so some men are said in speciall to have the spirit as the spirit quickens 2 Cor. 3.6 and conveyeth a principle of life into us whereby wee live the life of grace and that is called spiritus inhabitans that takes up his seate in our heart and spiritus obsignans Iam. 4.5 that sealing spirit whereby the spirit witnesseth with our spirits that wee are the sonnes of God now in this sense we may be said to have the spirit Rom. 8.16 2 That there must by the helpe assistance of the spirit Mortifie the deeds of the body Ez. 36.27 a new bea rt will I give you and I will take away your stony heart c. that is that this mighty power of the spirit is that which will helpe forward to the taking away of this stony heart the Lord is said to wash away the filth of the daughter of Zion and to purge the blood of Jerusalem by the spirit of Judgement Esa 41.4 and the spirit of burning that is this spirit shall be in us and shall enable us to judge our selves and kindle such a fire in us as shall melt away the drosse of our corruption That you may the better understand what assistance it is that the spirit giveth unto us in this worke of mortification give mee leave to lay downe unto you these three things 1 By what meanes the spirit workes or helpeth forward this worke of mortification although I deny not but the spirit may can work where it listeth and when it listeth Ioh. 3.8 either by meanes or above meanes yet our taske is at this time to shew how it worketh by meanes 1 It awakeneth conscience it doth convince us of sinne and discovereth unto us the greatnesse of their number and the foulenesse of their nature thence it is that Christ when hee commeth doth convince the world of sinne of righteousnesse and of judgement of sinne because they believe not on him that howsoever the guilt of the Law lye heavie Ioh. 16.8 9 10. and the weight there of as a penalty greater than a man can tell how to beare yet then to have added hereunto another conviction that is the conderâ—ning sinne of infidelity Ioh. 3.18 this doth much aggravate Mar. 16.16 and make sinne out of measure sinfull therefore it is that our Saviour Christ saith that he that beleeveth not is condemned already as if hee should have sayd if a man were a drunkard or a swearer or a profane person and yet if he can beleeve there is hope of pardon but so long as hee doth not beleeve there is no hope at all for as much as hee is without God and without the Covenant of Grace Eph. 2.12 now the spirit when it commeth convinceth our judgments of this till such time as the spirit hath done this wee are like Ionah fast asleepe in the bottime of the ship the sea rageth the Mariners rowe the waves beate the ship is tossed up and downe yet all this doth but rocke Ionah faster a sleepe Iona 1.6 till the ship-master comes to him and sayes What meanest thou c. thou sleeper arise and call upon thy God c. So it is with us while we are asleepe in our sinnes the heavie wrath of God hangs over our heads yea and the judgements of God are abroad in the world yet wee lye fast asleepe senselesse and secure not dreading any anger but now when this blessed spirit of Christ shall waken us and shew us the danger and aske us what wee meane to continue in this condition then wee beginne to bethinke our selves and to shake off sluggishnesse and to cast about for our owne safety Act. 9.1 2 3 4 5 6. Saul thought himselfe safe enough when hee was a persecutor and that authority that hee had from the High-priest was sufficient to beare him out that while hee did breath out slaughter against Christ Ioh. 16.2 he thought hee had done God good service till Christ caused a light to shine from heaven and a voyce saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee this indeed wakened him and made him shake and tremble and say Who art thou Lord and what wouldest thou have mee to doe by this meanes it was that Paul of a persecutor becometh a preacher had his corruptions and cruell dispositions changed in him that of a fierce lion hee became as meeke as a lambe 2 The spirit of Christ it setteth home the meanes that God useth for our mortification 2 Cor. 10.4 the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God it is God that puts vertue and strength into them now there are severall sorts of weapons that the Holy Ghost useth for this end as 1 The preaching of the Word of God it is called the ministration of the spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 it is called the two edged sword Heb. 4.12 that which is sharper that it cuts asunder the soule and the spirit the joynts and the maâ—row and discovereth the secret intents of our hearts 2 Cor. 4.7 but what is that that makes this word so powerfull Sure it is the Holy Spirit of God that doth it wee have this Word in earthen vessels that the excellencie of the power might be of God and not of us it is not the Ministrie that can make the word virtuall and powerfull nor is it in the letter of the Word but in the spirit therefore when you come to the Word and heare it opened unto you 1 Cor. 3.6 doe not looke at the man who hee is nor the instrument but at the power which is from the spirit Saint Paul may plant Apollos water but it is God that must give the increase when it pleaseth God to accompany his word Ier. 23.29 with the influence of his spirit then is it like fire to purge out our drosse and like the hammer that breakes in sunder