are from the evil treasure of the heart Luke 6.45 so that they are plainly the deeds of the Body But hence we see what friends these people are to inward holiness and that the perfection they boast of is but a Cheat even suppose they were altogether free of outward acts of sin which yet they are too blind and credulous that believe it A 5th false way of Mortification is the laying sin asleep Now a sleeping man looks as if he were dead so does sin till upon some occasion it be awaken'd yea and it grows thus stronger than before Saul one would think had now overcome his wicked malice when he cryes out My son David thou art more righteous than I but it grew upon him and soon broke forth with more violence It may be that for want of opportunity of a temptation or provocation thou mayst think thy corruption mortify'd when its only like waters bound up or like fire under the ashes A 6th false way is the letting of sin die alone or of its self as youthful lusts vanity prodigality revenge c. Either sin kills thee or thou must kill it but when it dies alone it 's an evidence that it has undone thee and now like a victorious Champion it dies in peace on its bed and is not vanquished by thee O Sinner shall thine Enemy die in peace wilt thou not pursue it to death and be avenged on it for thy two eyes for thy two hands c. for all the miseries sorrows and woes that it has wrought thee This is a sort of natural and necessary mortification arising from impotency to sin and to fulfil the lusts of the flesh Children have no passions for Treasures Houses and Lands c. yet that is not mortification there is a living seed of sin there There is as much Fire virtually in every bit of flint as would burn a City and there 's as much sin in seed in every Infant as would set on fire the World So in the aged all the actings of the man are blunted that which Barzillai says of himself may be in the letter of it truly said of some that have not mortified the deeds of the body 2 Sam. 19.35 There may be some deadness of actual lusts yet Original sin lives as the root of the Tree is fresh when leaves and fruit fail in the Winter yea it may be when the stock above ground may be either cut or rotted for the Soul is the chief seat of sin and it never waxes old Hence Sins that are more special are often ripest in old age so that the conversion of an old person is harder and rarer and for bodily sins if the case be altered it 's from no change upon the soul yea nor is sin gone out of the body but as Flint or Steel have Fire virtually in them even when beaten into dust though you cannot now strike it out of them So there is sin in the very dust of Sinners for they go to their grave with their bones full of it and that not only in respect of the guilt thereof 7. There 's another sort of counterfeit Mortification which is more occasional and transient The sight of a dying dear Friend or an occasion of some great loss by Sea or Land the sudden fall of some great man the burning of a stately House or City the pain and sickness the miserable and ignominous end of some Sinner suppose some unclean wretch these often excite abhorrence of sin some contempt of the World how many unmortified souls can on such occasions talk of the vanity of the World and the mischief of sin And such may even die with these or the like words in their mouth O what is man he is like water spilt upon the ground O this vain vexatious World I would not live again for a Kings Crown Sore trials especially of long continuance breed a weariness of the World and a sort of carelesness of worldly concerns which is often mistaken for Mortification Sometimes this transient mortification comes from some common Convictions from some awaking work which is ordinarily accompanied with some restraining-grace Judas can now despise his thirty pieces of Silver when the smell of Hell comes up into a mans nostrils it will make him throw away his Idols When Achan is to be stoned he thinks not much of his wedg of Gold when under Convictions Sin often couches and contracts its self and when these are over it dilates its self None of these occasions are fit seasons for men to make a Judgment of their mortification So much for the counterfeits of Mortification Amongst which I might have reckoned that which naturally arises from mens Complexion by reason whereof some are more meek temperate chaste than others which when set off by Wit and Learning looks very like Mortification Come we now then to shew what it is having seen what it is not Mortification may be either actively or passively considered considered actively it is a work of the Spirit whereby the Soul strives not only to beat down the motions and stirrings of every sin but endeavours to destroy the body of it and to slay it in the root thereof which in some measure every Believer does effect Mortification passively considered lies in a deadness of the whole Man in order to things forbidden and in some sense also to things lawful the Soul is taken off from sinful Objects and from inordinate appetite of lawful Objects Now to speak to it in both these Considerations Mortification actively considered it lies not in unconstant uneven and flashy fits of indignation and opposition against some sin as some take vengeance upon some sins and spare their prime lust as Saul did the King of the Amalekites but it 's a constant and daily warring of the Soul against great and small especially against our Idol-lusts wherein the man not only endeavours to destroy the love of sin and delight in it but the very being of it And this leads us to the second thing proposed the consideration of the object of Mortification actively considered And this is first and chiefly the sin of our Nature Paul calls it a Body of Death Rom. 7.24 It was this that Paul had most in his Eye it was this that laid him low it was the sight of Original Sin especially that first slew him Ver. 9. And after all his Attainments it 's this that keeps him humble and O how blind are they that see not this Body and no man that sees it but will say of any sin Am I a Dog to commit this It will keep a man upon his Watch-Tower and help to maintain a holy fear and diffidence of self and dependance on Grace It it right convictions of this that advances the Souls esteem of Christ of his redemption and of free grace yea of the all-sufficiency of grace O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me as if he had said If ever grace or strength
were posed it would be in delivering of me c. but I thank God through Jesus Christ ver 25. And indeed the sinfulness of Sin the exceeding sinfulness of Sin the mysterie of it is never understood till the Original pravity of our Nature be seen Rom. 7.13 Sound Convictions discover the evil of actual sins but they let us see more malignity in this than in all the sins of our life yea than in Murders Adulteries Lying Swearing it 's a fruitful womb that has millions of sin in it and would be eternally bringing forth though there were no Devil to tempt nor to Midwife it into the World And finally they let us see that its being transmitted to us and not contracted by us does not lessen the guilt nor danger of it Here then Mortification must begin it will be in vain to dam up the streams while the Fountain runs it will either carry down the dam and run the more impetuously as is evident in the case of many who have been a while under restraints or it will run out some other way and find out another Channel for it self And indeed mens devised false methods of Mortification serve only to dam up sin or to lop off its branches it 's the light of the Spirit accompanying the Word that only discovers this Rom. 7.7 I had not known c. and it 's by the Spirit only that this is mortified as the Text shews hence it is only the true Believer that does any thing to purpose in this and the more the Believer is exercised in the mortification of Original corruption the weaker and fainter are the acts of Sin and the stronger and the purer are the actings of his Grace for it 's the strength of this that does sensibly weaken the actings of Grace and does secretly and insensibly weaken the principle of Grace Now this corruption of our Nature is sometimes called 1. A body of sin to hold out the greatness of it and 2. A body of death because it works death and has Death and Hell in it and because of its being loathsom and burthensom to the Believer 3. It 's called Enmity against God Rom. 8.7 to shew its desperate and dangerous Nature 4. It 's called Sin that dwelleth in us Rom. 7.17 to shew its nearness to us and its access to hurt us 5. It 's called The law of sin in our members Rom. 7.23 to shew what usurped Authority it has over us 6. It 's called The old man Col. 3.9 to shew its Skill and Cunning and because it has the first possession of us and in the Regenerate is waxing feeble 7. It 's called The flesh Rom. 8.1 Gal. 5.24 to shew as some think how it is propagated and how it is cherished viz. by Flesh-pleasing Objects and how it inclines to Flesh-pleasing courses and puts the flesh in the room of the Soul And finally to shew how dear it is even as our flesh 8. It 's called Lust that intices to shew its restless Activity it will not let thee alone though thou wouldst forbear it James 1.4 9. It 's called A root of bitterness Heb. 12.15 to shew its hidden Nature and its fixedness in the Soul and that as in its Soil it is not ingraft or inoculated in us so does it influence our Actions there is no sap in the Branches but what comes from the Root but O the bitter fruits of it there 's no true sweetness in the Root nor in the Branches Lamentation sorrow and wo grow upon it Now how this should be mortified may come to be spoken to in the Application 2. The Effects or Actings of this Original Corruption are also the Objects of Mortification actively considered This bitter Root has many Branches this Body has many Members These Paul calls our Members which are upon earth Col. 3.5 that though differing among themselves yet make up one intire body of Sin and does execute what the law of sin commands They are formed in us as soon as hand or foot of our natural Body and grow up as the outward members do and by these members Sin fights and wars against the Soul and yet are they as dear to us as a right Eye or Hand or Foot Finally it holds out to us how sin is seated in every member and so powerful is the law of sin in our members that they may be called members of sin they are so animated as it were with sin Rom. 6.13 Sometimes these be called the lusts of the flesh Rom. 13.14 Gal. 5.16 1 Pet. 2.11 The Apostle speaks of the Kind and Species too Rom. 6.12 and Rom. 7.8 He insinuates great variety of Lusts 1 John 2.16 we find three especial Lusts mentioned sometimes these are spoke of as acts of the mind and heart hence it 's called the imaginations of the heart walking in the vanity of their mind And sometimes taking in mind and affections too hence called the desires of the flesh and of the mind Ephes 2.3 Now though these Original Corruptions have originally the fame interest in the man yet by reason of some accidental advantages as a mans natural Complexion Education Employment c. some get above the rest and prevail so as to make other lusts Lacquey them and upon every occasion to give place Sometimes the lust of the Eye that is Covetousness sometimes that of the Flesh or Voluptuousness sometimes Pride Sin is as a great King and these are its three chief Princes that command all men under it they are universal lusts some call them Sins or the Worlds Trinity and these admit many subdivisions some of these may more properly be called the lusts of the flesh that have the sensual and brutish part of men only or mostly for them at least engage only mens corrupted affections some of these are more subtil and refined and are called the lusts of the mind when they gain not only our affections but our Judgment to be for them Men by their prudence may disguise their Pride their Covetousness their Prodigality especially when it runs not on sensual Objects and hide it not only from others but from themselves Indeed ordinarily the Affections are first intangled and these bribe and byass and corrupt the mind and engage it first to contrive the fulfilling of their lusts and then to justifie them And one would wonder to see men rational in other things and so much blinded in the matter of their predominant lusts Now these must be mortified and this is held out to us by plucking out the right Eye c. they that are Christs must crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof 1. We must not fulfil the lusts of the flesh we must not let Sin bring forth Nay 2. We must not let it conceive much of this Duty of Mortification lies in beating down the first motions of Sin and the first risings of corruption in the heart be it of Pride Covetousness or Unbelief as soon as the evil tendency
of Love and this kills the love of sin which is the life of it But this the Spirit does more especially by exciting Acts of Faith which do in a peculiar way destroy sin Acts 15.9 We can never advance holiness nor ruine sin by meer multiplying of Duties Indeed we are said to be purified by obeying the truth through the Spirit 1 Pet. 18.2 But the Apostle means thereby believing as appears from ver 21 which is called the obedience of faith Rom. 1.2 Hence the unbelieving and the defiled are the same Tit. 1.15 But unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled Now Faith does expel sin not only as it is a part of the Image of God renewed in us for such the habit of Faith is though indeed in its actings it answers not to any divine Perfection at least as it imports trust confidence and dependance on another and a part of our inherent holiness Nor only as it excites and brings into exercise other graces that tend to the mortification of sin in us But 1. And especially as it is the Mean whereby the Spirit unites us to Christ and which receives and applies the bloud of Christ whereby we are cleansed from sin it 's called a cleaving to the Lord Deut. 4.4 Acts 11.23 which infers a separation from sin and if the woman by a touch of Christ did fetch Vertue from him for drying up her issue of Bloud how much more shall the Soul derive Virtue from him to heal its plague by a constant cleaving and sticking to him by Faith it keeps the Soul near the Fountain that washes away sin it lays sin close under the stroke of him who came to destroy sin and to save from it 2. The Spirit does by drawing forth the exercise of Faith let into the Soul the efficacy of those means that are subordinated to the blood of Christ and have their efficacy from it for the taking away of sin As 1. There is the Word hereby we are made clean John 15.3 and sanctified John 17.17 and healed Psal 107.20 It is the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6.17 whereby the Spirit wounds and kills sin It 's quick and discerning in finding out of sin Heb. 4.12 and powerful for preventing sin and rescuing from it The Spirit brings the Word seasonably to our remembrance and also puts life in it The Spirit brings the Command with Authority upon the Soul when the Commands and Prohibitions of the Word come in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit they come with power 1 Cor. 2.4 When the Commandment comes as to Paul Rom. 7. sense of sin may live but sin is really wounded he that is the father of sin could not withstand Christs Word for it was with power Luke 4.32 None despise the Word but such as never felt this Power 2. The Spirit puts an edg on the Threatnings they are Corrosives to sin when the Spirit fastens such a Word as this If ye live after the flesh ye shall die it 's as a Nail driven into the Temples of sin Better that sin die than I die says the Soul 3. The Spirit makes the promises of the Word effectual to work out sin 2 Cor. 7.1 Who would not zealously oppofe sin and throw it away that he may be interested in such precious promises or who that knows his interest in these promises would not study the greatest possible freedom from sin who that knows that God is his God and Father and will dwell and walk with him 2 Cor. 6.16 17. will beg or borrow from Satan or the World or think to better his Condition by the honours profits or pleasures of sin Who that knows that he is the temple of God will prophane himself with Idols and who that knows he is the member of Christ will make himself the member of a harlot and who that has the hope of eternal life would not purifie himself 1 John 3.3 Now it 's by exciting Faith that the Spirit makes either the Commands or Threatnings or Promises of the word available to the furtherance of Mortification 3. The Spirit renders these Ordinances we call Sacraments effectual for the mortification of sin 1. For Baptism It 's not only the sign of our dedication to Father Son and Spirit but it 's a sign of our fellowship with Christ in his death Rom. 6.3 Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death ver 4 therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death ver 6 Knowing that our old man is crucified with him c. ver 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin ver 11 Reckon c. Now it 's the baptism of the Spirit that effecteth this John 1.33 Acts 1.4 and this John calls Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire Matth. 3.11 probably alluding to the live coal which the Seraphim took from the Altar and wherewith he touched the Prophets lips saying Lo thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is purged Isa 6.6 7. Now it 's by Faith that the efficacy of this Ordinance is taken in sometimes at the time of the Administration of it sometimes afterward what Faith Infants have I shall not debate I see not why some sort of actual Faith may not be admitted in them and why a supernatural instinct may not carry them forth to Christ as well as a natural instinct prompts them to seek the Mothers breast John Baptist leaping in his Mothers womb at the salutation of Mary c. does seem to confirm this Luke 1.41 which did not proceed meerly from the Mothers joy as appears from her words being filled with the holy Ghost in ver 44. For lo as soon the Babe leaped in my womb for joy and though there may be something extraordinary in it yet it plainly says that Infants are capable of some spiritual Acts as well as of natural so 2. For the Lords Supper The bread we break and the cup of blessing is it not the communion of the body and blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 therein we have fellowship with him in his sufferings and all our Communion with Christ is through the Spirit 2 Cor. 13.14 Hence now there is required in such as partake of this a more especial separation from sin for we cannot drink of the cup of the Lord c. that may be said of other Sins as well as Idolatry 1 Cor. 10.21 And the abuse of this Ordinance we see in a special manner punished 1 Cor. 11.30 Sometimes Satan goes down with a Sop and it feeds sin but when Christ is indeed received by Faith the evil Spirit goes out and there comes in a new recruit of power to expel sin 4. The Spirit sanctifies Providences and renders them of use to the mortification of sin as for instance The observation of Gods severity upon others more especially our own afflictions they are Gods Furnace
he threshes us that our husk may go off Zech. 13.9 Isa 31.15 48.15 1 Cor. 3.13 Materially all afflictions belong to the Covenant of Works but by the Cross of Christ they are transferred to the New Covenant they are thereby made healthful as the Tree that Moses cast into the waters took away their bitterness which some think was a type of this Afflictions are bitter and men murmure at them as the Israelites at the bitter waters but the Cross of Christ makes them wholsom waters they are like Salt to the Sacrifices Levit. 2.13 They consume mens excrementitious and corrupting humours we are apt to taint and corrupt to settle on our Lees therefore we are emptied from vessel to vessel Roots of bitterness spring up that defile Heb. 12.15 so Afflictions like Salt pierce and macerate a Man and we must be macerated ere we come to Heaven and what is Mortification but the quashing and macerating of the Irascible and concupiscible faculties of the Soul More particularly 1. Afflictions are witnesses of Gods displeasure against sin yea they are sensible demonstrations of the bitterness of sin for God would have us lay all at sins door Jer. 2.19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee know therefore and see c. how Gods anger at sin and the felt evil of it sets the Soul against it 2. They dissolve that wretched union between our corruptions within and tempting Objects without us such an Union is this that they never present themselves to our corrupted faculties but they excite and draw out some sinful Act we never let out our hearts upon the Creatures but we are corrupted by them we cannot think of filthy Lucre or sensual Pleasures but they defile us Now the Cross crucifies us to the World and it to us Gal. 6.14 Many take the Cross there metanymically for what we bear the heart now is not so inclin'd to commit Lewdness with them as Rebukes from the Lord makes a mans beauty to consume away like a Moth Psalm 39.11 so it takes off in the mans eyes that beauty and desirableness in the Creature that drew forth inordinate desires and it does enervate the strength and vigour of the affections that used to stir at the first seeing or hearing of any thing that was desirable 3. Afflictions open a door to the Word and lays the Soul open to its smitings and woundings for when God speaks in mens prosperity they hear not Now he does not spurn at reproofs of sin but is content to have it exposed 4. Afflictions quicken the actings of Grace of Faith of love submission hope c. and these do secretly wound and work out sin It is an ill sign when there is no notable acting of some Grace at least or when Affliction is gone off and no sin wounded or slain when we are consumed with Affliction and no sin consumed Jer. 6.10 when the work is over and done and we purged from no sin and made partaker of none of the holiness of God Heb. 12.10 Tremble at the thoughts of this O dreadful to be burned up with the fire of affliction and sin not touched to be wounded and sin whole to be broken with affliction and not a bone of the body of death broken it 's sin it 's your corruptions that the holy Lord aims and levels his strokes at But foolish we interpose and venture our Souls to rescue and save sin for which of it's evil Offices is it that you will make war with God and die for sin It 's for some Sheba that God besiegeth thee and batters thy wall as Joab did the City Abel 2 Sam. 20.15 deliver him up cut off his head and he will retire ver 21.22 Now all this is the Spirits work hence called a spirit of judgment and of burning Isa 4.4 By Afflictions the Spirit judges condemns and executes sin and helps us to judg and condemn and destroy it When God has taken his Spirit from Saul he runs to Endor in his straits Some are consumed some pine away some are hardned when the Spirit is not at work And finally it 's by Faith that the efficacy of afflictions is let into the Soul for it sees them coming from God and that according to his Word and it sees what they aim at and sometimes can look upon Gods chastning as his proper dealing with sons Heb. 12.7 We come now to the Application Vse 1. For Tryal the Scripture tells us there are but two sorts of Men two Principles two Ends two Ways and two eternal states of Men And it does also plainly tell us to which of these we belong we need go no further than the Text to the same purpose is that Gal. 6.8 He that soweth to the flesh c. If you think Marks be tedious and that some have too much multiplyed them here 's a short Tryal And were men but serious in applying this they might easily divine what shall be their eternal state But here lies the difficulties There are so many Counterfeits of Mortification and by the power of Self-love some are so passionately carried forth against some Sins as contrary to and inconsistent with their happiness And on the other hand where sin is routed yet it keeps some broken feattered Forces on foot and where it 's mortified it 's not nullified That it 's not easie to satifie the sincere Soul nor to undeceive the pretender only Sin sometimes goes out when it is not cast out it 's often asleep when it 's not dead it often retires when it 's not defeated Or if in some particular it be resisted it is either gratified some other way or it reinforces its self and then prevails Yea how many Professors keep up a green and flourishing profession that know not what Mortification means and it may be are clean in their own eyes yet are not purged from their sins And I doubt not also but that for some time there may be some encrease of true fruits where there is no growth downward no advance in Mortification Indeed it will be hard for any long time to keep up a green Profession when the root is withering or when a man is going back in the secret part of Religion If the roots of sin be lively and strong it will be hard to keep it under-ground Now in short There be these things which speak out the strength and liveliness of sin in a Man 1. When a man makes a mock of sin and thus bids a defiance to the Almighty and says Aha to his Trumpets 2. When a man has much pleasure in sin and sins with greediness Ephes 4.19 and does evil with both hands earnestly Mica 7.3 when a man seeks to extract all the pleasure that is in sin and would suck out the heart of it 3. When a man solicites his own heart to sin Prov. 1.12 13 and 7.18 and complains as it were of his slackness in it he is not surprized nor overtaken but devises iniquity Mic.
which yet they thought curable by moral Habits but they never saw it as sin nor in its deadly damning Nature Nay nor did ever any common work of the Spirit give such a discovery of it as is necessary to the mortification of it the Hypocrite sees no more of it than what he thinks some common work sufficient to cure Hence it is that all such as advance Nature are depressers of Grace and that such as extenuate original Corruption make no great business of Conversion And e contra hence it is also that we find not a Hypocrite in all the Scripture complaining of this original Corruption as we find Paul and David doing Rom. 7 and Psalm 51. Now in order to this sight of Sin 1. Thou must be much in the study and observation of thine own heart and of the secret motions of sin there they are strangers to their own hearts who may not find every sin there even such as they never heard named or as the gracious heart complies with such Duties as may be it never heard to be such so does the corrupt heart encline to such sins as are not to be named or upon the mention of every sin there 's some inward stirring to it especially if it be plausibly spoke of 2. Study the spirituality of the Law there thou mayst see the holiness of God which will not admit of the Ieast motion to Sin and there also thou mayst read thine own Impurity and sinful Impotency 3. Seek the Spirits light it 's the Spirits work to discover Sin let it be thy Souls desire that he would open some door or window and let thee see more inward greater and greater Abominations and what is doing in the secret Chambers of the Imagery of thy heart and when thou hast discovered the depths of Sin and the exceeding sinfulness of in-dwelling sin sit down and bewail thy felf and mourn over it And alas two months will not sufficiently bewail it Judg. 11.37 Thy seventy or fourscore years are too few for thee to go up and down the Mountains with thy Companions Now godly sorrows break the heart of Sin tears that are squeezed and wrung from a man and that come only from some inward Compunction and pricking of the heart may fortifie and feed Sin but when they are the juice of a broken heart or flow from a contrite heart that is melted down by the heavenly warmth of Divine love they stifle and extinguish Sin Sin can dwell with fear and horror for these are the native fruits and products of it and when Sin shall be perfected in Hell so shall these but it cannot bear with godly sorrow nor can this sorrow tolerate it or it strikes at the root and fundamental evil of Sin 2. Cherish Grace in the heart the two inward principles of Grace and Sin work upon one another as Fire and Water Sin is like a strong malignant humour in the Body Now the way to expel it is to corroborate and help Nature in its operations as the New man grows up he wears off the Old out of doors Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and be cloathed with humility love long-suffering mercy and brotherly-kindness and pride anger wrath malice will vanish away See Col. 3.5 6 7 8 10 12 13 as Light comes in Darkness goes out Bend a crooked stick streight and its crookedness is gone Grace and Sin are alway acting against other and no Conflict can be long in equal terms either Grace or indwelling Sin is upon the growing hand Vivification and Mortification the two parts of Sanctification do advance equally 3. Observe and trace every Sin and run it up to the heart from whence it had its rise then drag your heart before the Lord and cry Lord here 's the Atheist the Unbeliever the Murmurer the injurious person here 's the Rebel and the disobedient person The poor Believer even many times would tear his heart in pieces and is ready to say Except I had a better heart I would I had none had I only drunk Poison I might be pitied but when the poison of Asps is in my Nature I deserve to be abhorred did I hide the Lords Enemy in my house only I were a Traytor to him much more when I hide and nourish Sin in my heart Bring the body of death before Gods Tribunal and cry for Judgment against it and say Lord here 's thine and mine Enemy life for life and blood for blood 4. If thou wouldst mortifie Original Sin thou must be sure to mortifie Self for selfishness is the soul of Sin This is the great Idol that all others truckle under Mans first sin was self-exaltation and self-satisfaction and that depravation of our Nature which is the punishment of this first Sin does mostly appear in our self-willing self-loving self-seeking self-pleasing The Natural man beholds himself apprehends some excellency in himself believes himself loves himself pleases himself designs himself and that as his last end wherein he rests Hence the first step of our recovery to God is self denying self-abasing self-loathing self-annihilating and the lower self be the weaker is the body of Sin the more a man is emptied of self and dead to self the more he is filled with the fulness of God and alive to God When Christ is all and Grace is all the Old-man and indwelling Sin are at the lower ebb when self is nothing and Christ is all the mans light and life All to the Judgment heart and affections all the mans wisdom all his righteousness all his sanctification all his redemption and all his strength this stabs Sin at the heart Arminians and Jesuits no wonder they oppose the doctrine of Original Sin for their principles as they are the very issue of the body of Sin so they feed and cherish it Self-exaltation has begot their Tenets and they honour and advance Self as their Father 5. As Self is the soul of this body of Sin so Pride Worldliness and Voluptuousness are the chief members of it the lust of the eye and of the flesh and the pride of life are as it were the head and heart of the body of Sin a wound in these is deadly mortifie these radical lusts and you mortifie the body of Sin knock down pride and you dash out the brains of Sin Bring the flesh under a due subjection unto the Spirit so that it bear no sway nor act any thing against the Government and interest of Christ in the Soul and you wound the heart and stop the breath of this Body of Sin This leads us to a second Branch of the Text viz. To mortifie your most prevailing lusts your Idol-sins which your Condition Calling or circumstances do often expose you to And O what a hard task is this considering what the power of Sin is in some as I have formerly shewn what interest it has got in them in their judgment their heart and affections that it often engages them in
unsuccesful warring with sin that makes men unmeet to die He goes in at the Gates of Heaven with flying Colours and has an abundant Entrance ministred unto him how much more will it make a man joy in Tribulation It 's some unmortified Corruption that makes the Cross heavy that makes a man uneasie under affliction or suffering O what Dust will a lively lust raise what confusion and combustion in the Soul When the hand of God falls heavy upon a Man while he is dandling some Idol or pursuing some carnal Interest the man is out of measure amazed every unmortified Corruption makes even the thoughts and apprehensions of trouble full of horrour and no wonder for it 's fearful when God comes to take vengeance on mens inventions even when he forgives their iniquity It 's true in such cases when the Lords people are meeting with trouble from men for his sake he makes not his quarrel visible he often scourges their Conscience when he does not visibly contend with them and one lash from his hand is sorer than Pauls 39 from the Jews indeed he sometimes suspends his quarrel when he does not bury it And sometimes Adversaries wrath does as it were mitigate his Deut. 32.27 Now a mortified man cannot be moved by any thing If there be no lust alive no trouble or affliction can come wrong In the next place let me offer you some Directions how to carry on the mortification of prevailing Corruption And first in general Get a clear sight of your sin or else you cannot level your strokes at it aright be content that God should by his Word and Spirit light upon your Idol and wound it And if any man will tell you of sin your Enemy count him thy Friend say as Saul to the Ziphites when they told him where David was Blessed are you of the Lord for you have had compassion on me 1 Sam. 23.20 21 that which you can least endure a Reproof for is your Master-sin as likewise that which you are most partial in seek most to cover or excuse which you wish were no sin and are readiest to pardon your self for or else are most sorrowful when it cannot be dispensed with Matth. 19.21 22 that sin which rises and goes to bed with you which haunts you when alone or in Company when in your shops and in your Closets which you are at the greatest toil for which you do or suffer most for that is the sin that like the man of sin 2 Thess 2.8 exalts it self O look to Heaven and see what work it made there how sin cast so many Angels out of their first habitations and thrust them into chains those evil Spirits that now solicite thee to sin are dreadful Examples of the mischief of sin it 's a wonder they have a face to tempt to sin it 's as if Murtherers hung up in Chains should solicite Men to murther Look to Paradise and see what desolation it made there it had almost in a moment ruined the whole Creation Look to Golgotha or Mount Calvary or the Garden and see what sad work it made there Look into Hell and hear what a howling it has raised there Alas we paint it and then play with it as Children do with painted Lions And when thou has seen it then thou cryes out O the exceeding sinfulness of sin and of my sin And let one sin set thee in quest of more but never think thou sees all thy sins nor all the evil that is in any one sin O comply with the Spirit and do not defeat his firk Work which is Conviction and when thou has seen thy sore hold thy finger upon it and cry to him who is the soveraign Physician of Souls to make incision there cut off this hand or foot that gangrenes yet keep not both thy eyes upon it lest it should overwhelm thee with horrour 2. Get your hearts broken for Sin your hearts are as fallow-ground you cannot pluck up your thorns they must be plowed up you must rub and reinse your Souls seven times in the waters of Marah in tears of godly sorrow ere thy Leprosie die but see thy tears bathe not sin instead of drowning it and beware thy throws go not off when thou art even about to be delivered from it it 's a token of the strength of sin the Soul is at a low ebb when trouble for sin is gone when sin has made its peace again Some mens troubles do not kill sin but only break some bone of it which when healed again is stronger than before therefore when thou has got a Nail fastned into the Temples of the old man or into the heart of the body of death drive it to the head when the Spirit brings home any word and smites Sin follow home the blow and endeavour to maintain the warmness of that word and the power of it upon thy Spirit till thy Soul be drench'd with tears of Contrition till thy heart be melted and the dross go away 3. If thou would mortifie Sin thy heart must be filled with distaste of it thy sorrow must be attended with hatred and this seeks the life of Sin this will make a man defile the covering of his graven-Images of Silver and the Ornament of his molten-Images of Gold nothing less will serve thee than the death of thy Sin thou wilt pursue it in thy self and others as Haman's hatred sought Mordecai's life yea and the life of all the Jews for his sake Hide not thy Idols as Rachel sate upon hers search thy heart and thy way that thou may find all out and what thou canst not find pray the Lord may find for thee Psal 39.34 leave no Corruption which Satan may fit and brood upon These things must needs be previous to Mortification Now more particularly for the means of carrying on this great business of Mortification 1. Prayer especially private Prayer is of singular use I mention only this at present not being solicitous of Method I say private Prayer for your secret Sins and particular Corruptions may shelter and shroud and hide themselves from all your prayers in publick or in fellowship with others and alas many who are others mouths to God have enough to do to mortifie pride and vanity and selfishness in praying with others let it be by their prayers to get other Corruptions mortified or to get pride and selfishness in other things mortified Prayer and Lusts or Corruptions are like Moses and the Amalekites when Moses hands are up Israel prevails when they fall down the Amalekites prevail so is it in this case It was Pauls Relief 2 Cor. 12.7 8 when Satan was working on the remainder of some Coruption For this I besought the Lord thrice and he was helped It may be sense of some prevailing Corruption has sent you to your Closet and put you upon your knees and you have found Relief and then you have lest off praying and your Corruption has prevailed again Hence
that these motions are conformable to the Law of God or subservient to any spiritual good What Armies of vain Imaginations that are unaccountable you know not how they come in nor how they go out infinite are the occasions that excite these You can see nor hear of nothing but habitual Corruption may some way stir yea you think of nothing whether existent or not but it excites some inordinate Motions hence they are called the Imaginations of the heart Gen. 6.8 The wandring of the desire Eccles 6.9 It 's true this is a further degree of sinful stirrings in the heart when it entertains wild Imaginations and pleaseth it self with idle Fancies that give rise to many sinful projects Indeed Nature it self teacheth this to be a sin and it 's an evidence of a discontented frame of spirit for ordinarily these phantastick rovings of heart respects some other persons Condition or something at least that we want the delight that accompanies these is enough to prove them sinful but it 's plainly something less than these that Paul speaks of Rom. 7 for it 's something he had not known to be sin but by the Law Now men by Natures light know that inordinate motions consented to though not acted yea or but delighted in are sinful But it 's the Scriptures-light only that convinces of the sin of these first stirrings in general and it 's the Spirit 's Saving-light that affects the heart with godly sorrow for them in particular For the second thing proposed viz. Why they abound so much with some more especially that they are exceeding frequent with all I think none that know themselves will deny and what swarms of them do mens busie-Minds and Imaginations bring forth How hard is it to bring every thought inconsistent with that Duty and love we owe to God and that we owe to Men into subiection It 's hard to expel them when they come in and much harder not to suffer them to come in such is the cunning and activity of sin such access has Satan to work upon us and so Leavened are our Imaginations and Minds with sin Yet in some they are more frequent than others the best groan under them but some are almost smothered with them to speak so and their grace almost suffocated with them Habitual Corruption is a fruitful Womb and this is livelier in some than in others and the same person is nearer God and in a livelier frame and has more inward serenity and composure of spirit at one time than another and so is like a City with Gates and Bars At other times a man is at greater distance from God and out of frame and then he is like a City broken down and without Walls and the heart is haunted with Satyrs and Owls When the heart is in an ill frame it is like damp Tinder to divine Motions but it 's like dry Tinder to every spark of a temptation that comes in by the senses or by roving Imagination yea it takes fire of its self and if it be not well watched would quickly come to a flame Indeed it 's no easie task to keep out these there is so many several passages they come in at and they can creep in at a small rent or hole therefore there 's need of the utmost watchfulness and diligence to keep them out and to knock them down when they come in For the third thing proposed viz. Some Considerations for pressing the mortification of these first stirrings of our Corruptions 1. I shall mention some Aggravations of the sin and sad consequences of these 2. I shall mention some advantages the Believer has by mortifying these For the first of these Consider 1. How frequently by these you incur the guilt of sin O the numberless multitude of these inordinate motions When are you free of them When is the body of death asleep not when you are asleep for waking and sleeping these inordinate motions are some way stirring and it were easie to prove every inordinate extravagant lustful covetous ambitious motion even when asleep and dreaming to be sinful and defiling and indeed what proves the first motions of sin when awake to be sinful does also prove them such when asleep and the more power a Christian when awake has over them the more holy he be the less is he troubled with these and it is manifest that they are the flowings out the bublings and springings up or emanations of our Original Corruption or the imperfect motions of vitious principles or habits for as Innocent dreams follow the sinless constitution of the body so sinful dreams follow the vitious constitution of the Soul which possibly a mans natural temper of body hath advantaged and so are gross outward acts of sin also which yet does not prove them to be no sins We cannot think that our Nature in the state of Innocency would have brought forth any such inordinate motions sleeping or waking so that the Apology some make for them as being Natural is naught they are in no other sense Natural nay nor necessary than the same motions when one is awake If any shall say they are from Satans injections which render us not culpable I Answer 1. This is the same with what the Quakers say of the first risings of Corruption when one is awake the contrary of which our Lord tells us Luke 6.45 And James tells us they are from a mans lust James 1.14 And truly I think we do often sinfully transfer our guilt over to Satan when there 's not sufficient ground for it no not so much as Eve had though her plea was not relievant Ordinarily we attribute horrid blasphemous or other abominable thoughts or Imaginations to him when we cannot apprehend how such or such a thought should arise in us so whatever we think unaccountable we lay at his door when indeed the height and depth of our Corruption is unmeasurable and its subtilty and activity and way of operating is unaccountable 2. It is not Satan that thinketh or willeth in us he may represent Objects but the acts are ours he can dart in a Temptation but it 's through our sin and Corruption that it takes fire in the least indeed such is now our Constitution that a temptation cannot enter but there is something within that complies with it and is excited by it and this is one great reason why we ought to pray not to be led into temptation were there no Corruption in us Satans temptations would be like little sparks of fire thrown into a Sea of water and indeed Satan would not be so busie with his Injections into our Minds when sleeping or waking did he not intend thereby to defile us with them and involve us into sin his design cannot be meerly to afflict men with them for they are no grief nor affliction to many that are yet filled with them It 's true the Saints grieve more and are more affected with them and humbled for them
the Lord less jealous now than he was Does his clearer coming under the most kindly and condescending Relations any way abate it Nay they rather heighten it though they may occasion some change in his way of resenting injuries and expressing his displeasure Jer. 2.14 The Lord deals with his people now in a more Son-like way he chastizes them as much or of tner than formerly but not in that manner he will keep up his Soveraignty even when he is owning thy Soul hee 'l have thee know that he must be thy Lord and thou must worship him Psalm 45.11 so shall the King greatly desire thy Beauty for he is thy Lord c. He will not have his kindliest Relations diminish his Honour nor wear out our inward awe and fear lest an unsuitable frame or any unholy motion of heart should provoke his jealous Eye It 's a remarkable word Deut. 28.58 He will have his people fear this glorious and fearful Name The Lord thy God may be you think Thy God a sweet name and a kindly ay but he glories in it and so mayest thou and yet ought to be also a fearful Name And truly a Conscientious care to prevent the very first stirrings of sin in the heart is the most genuine fruit and the most satisfying evidence of this fear and of our Covenant-state Other things may influence and incline us to oppose sin in its further proceedings as on the other hand an awful Impression upon the heart of God as God and as our God is of great efficacy to keep out sinful Imaginations It will make the soul not only tremble at yielding to such a sin as Joseph was solicited to but even shrink at the first touch of the smallest temptation and this leads to another direction 3. Indeavour to keep thy heart in a holy tender heavenly and lively frame What 's the reason that temptations and suggestions from Satan do at the first excite some sinful motions in the heart the fundamental reason is our remaining Corruption that they work upon But the nearest reason is an ill frame when Satan finds us as dry tinder he strikes fire and every part catches and kindles 1. Then maintain a tender frame and this will make thee feeling and sensible of every inordinate motion of the heart It will grate upon the Conscience and thou wilt be loath by these to grieve the spirit as well as by consenting to or acting of them to quench or resist the Spirit for as the eye is hurt by the smallest dust or smoaks and if it were aware would shut it self against them so is it with a tender Conscience and if any dust has got into the eye it is not at ease till it has wept it out or till it be wipt out so is it also with the man who has true tenderness of heart 2. Maintain a lively Spiritual frame let thy heart be always bending and working towards God stir up holy thoughts and affections and let thy soul be filled with these and there will be no room for sin to get in do you not find that sometimes when the heart is strongly caâ—â—ed out to God that sinful Imaginations dare scarce present themselves for as we use to say that liveliness in duties is the way to prevent wandring thoughts in them and that Birds will not light upon burning Sacrifices so it 's in this case But when the heart is dead and cold and empty and idle then Satan and indwelling sin take their opportunity and fill it and busie it he comes and warms it and kindles fire in it when therefore any thing is offered to thy eye or thy ear or thy taste or thy thought that may excite any inordinacy in thy heart or in the least measure raise thy Corruption to stir antidote thy heart and prepossess it with some gracious Acts. Let the understanding the heart the affections the memory yea thy senses and outward man be filled with the fulness of God then shall sin be some way out of doors you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh yea there shall be no room to the lustings of the flesh If thy soul be exercised in holy meditations and affections and thy hand be much in heavenly work if thou converse in heaven and live near God and dwell on High were the soul always upon the wing and flying heaven-ward and were God every way thy all Satan durst not offer to force thee in the presence of thy Lord and Husband Satan shall not have such access to thee and this poor world and its gilded nothings should not work upon thee and if the body of death should stir you might with the more ease at least beat it down When the Soul is as it were in Gods presence alway Satan will not venture so to force it as it were Esth 7.8 Yea the body of sin it self would shrink into a corner when the virtue received from the Loadstone is worn off the needle wavers hither and thither but when new touched it bends steadily Northward So it 's with the soul that 's under fresh influences and that is near God But 2. How shall we do with these first motions of sin how shall we deal with them in their first attempts upon us Ans 1. If any sin begin to stir in thy imagination or mind look well it get not into thy heart or affections for that will instantly weaken thy Judgment 2. If thou would keep thine own Vineyard well pluck up every weed as soon as it appears else it will quickly be overgrown as soon as thou feels sin stir let thy heart recoil and start back with abhorrence indeed sin is so often stirring that thou may possibly weary to be always watching and warring with it and the heart does so easily and naturally move that way that it may possibly be a pain to thee to oppose it Therefore thou must be armed with a great deal of resolution not to hear the pleadings of the flesh nor to parley with a temptation and know that when ever sin stirs in thee thou art under an actual temptation to more sin 3. Protest and bear witness against every motion of sin in thee enter thy dissent from it And though this cannot absolve thee in the Court of strict-Justice yet the Court of Grace shall acquit thee This was Paul's Gospel-plea Rom. 7.15 19. and from this he infers ver 17 and also ver 20 Now then it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me What thou dost not own and dost not consent unto God will not charge upon thee so as to condemn thee even as what thou hast consented to if thou hast retracted it by repentance he will not bring it in in judgment against thee I do not mean as if there were no need of repentance for these for thou cannot sincerely protest against them if thy heart be not penitent for them It 's one of the loose Doctrines of the
the Spirit be gone thou wilt be as other men any Cords will now bind thee Satan will put out thy eyes and make thee grind in his Mill. But more particularly I told you The Spirits first work in reference to the mortification of any Sin was a particular conviction of it therefore thy first care must be to welcom and entertain Convictions of Sin Take heed of holding out or smuthering divine Light none so hardned in sin as such who have opposed most the Spirit 's Light there is more hope of a man that hath only Natural light than of him that hath opposed much Divine light and in such oft-times God puts out Natural light when Men refuse the greater light the Lord blows out the lesser If they will not see with the Sun he often blows out their Candle the Gospel Maranatha extinguishes it Hence some that have been once enlightned turn prodigiously prophane and Sin is never so secure nor strong than where it has repelled and out-striven most Convictions And alas Is not the godly mans faint assent to and compliance with the Spirit 's light when convincing of sin in them the reason of many a disconsolate hour for when Satan comes to question our state and the truth of our Grace we run to a tryal with it and often can find nothing to repel Satans allegations with we can see nothing but sins set in order before us these stare us in the face especially our injurious dealing with the holy Spirit of God And is it any wonder that when we comply not with the Spirit 's light discovering sin in us that he deny light to let us see Grace in us and without his light we cannot make a clear and comfortable judgment of our state If we comply not with his Convincing and reproving Light we shall not have his comforting Light and it 's upon this account that many poor Souls under trouble and exercise are not able to discern any gracious fruits of the Spirit in themselves but their eyes are held poring upon the fruits of the flesh upon those sins especially whereby they have grieved the Spirit when the Spirit says to the Soul as Reuben did to his Brethren in their strait Spake I not unto you c You are now in trouble and under terrors But did not I tell you did not I admonish you the Spirit helps our spirits to repeat the good motions and the charming-Arguments that we repelled and be sure Satan will not fail to act his part at such a time Oh say not to the Clouds Drop not and to the Winds Blow not and to the Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecy not and to the Spirit Convince not Reprove not For the Spirit not only admonishes men of sin but argues with them as the word imports John 16.8 But some other listen not or else endeavour to answer the Spirit 's arguments or to oppose carnal Reasons to them But if thou would through the Spirit mortifie any sin cast open thy doors and windows to the Spirit 's Light the Spirit often darts in Beams of Tormenting light whether men will or not but he does not mortifie sin whether men will or not Oh be thankful for heavenly Light put thy finger now upon thy sin and hold it there may be thou hast formerly known such a thing to be a sin but now thou hast an opportunity to know the exceeding sinfulness of it And truly the Spirit 's light does leave that impression of the sinfulness of sin as the first effect of it which if lost once is not easily recovered again And if this impression upon the Mind be lost or lessened it will be so with any effect left or impression the Spirit made upon the heart or affections or any further endeavours to mortifie sin 2. Comply with the Spirit of God when he begins to affect the heart with godly sorrow for sin Zach. 12.10 The first kindly effect of a thorow Conviction and of a right sight of the sinfulness of sin is sorrow the Conviction of the Righteousness of God and of the guilt of Sin breeds fear the Convictions of the holiness of God and of the ugliness of sin breeds a holy shame the Convictions of the graciousness of God in Christ and of the injuriousness of sin to the grace of God in Christ breeds godly sorrow according to that passage Zach. 12.10 11 where this sorrow is mentioned as the first eminent and sensible fruit of the pouring out of the Spirit Oh beware you lose not that first Impression that a thorough sight of sin makes all thy smiting and hammering upon thy heart will not recover it And according to your measure of this so may you judg what measure of the Spirit you have you who are whole and unbroken you have none of the Spirit and it 's a sign the body of death is whole and found I do not mean you who may be cannot mourn deep sorrow sometimes causes deep thoughts of heart when less sorrow will have more tears therefore look you miss not this proper and kindly effect of right Convictions let not the Spirit 's work stop here Some leap over this step they are moved by some Convincing work of the Spirit 's to forsake and relinquish sin but sin cannot be mortified till the heart be imbittered against it the Spirit affects the heart with a fense of sins accession to Christs death and puts the Soul to seek a Revenge and nothing but the death of sin will satisfie it Oh cherish godly sorrow if you would morifie sin think it not a legal frame when the Spirit moves thee to go alone and makes Company and business burthensom to thee and begins to melt thy heart take hold of the opportunity thou knows not the meaning of the Spirit when there is some sorrow seeking a vent fall thou to pump it out yet think not that tears will drown sin they sometimes feed it and make it more fruitful but where they flow from a broken heart they tend to the death of Sin 3. When the Spirit moves thy heart against Sin and excites hatred distaste and indignation against sin and stirs up thy anger against it blow upon the Coal Some let not the Sun go down upon their anger at it such are not true to the Spirit of God his Controversie with sin is like that with Amaleck for ever When the Spirit is lusting against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit joyn thou with the Spirit Now thou hast an advantage against sin which if thou improve may tend more to the death of sin than many months or years of thy single endeavours or fruitless formal Complaints Pursue the advantage thou hast and press hard upon sin If the new Nature in thee cannot bear sin and when its weak and the Spirit comes into its assistance how glad should thou be and how welcom should this aid be when the Spirit discovers sin excites the
heart and affections too against it If you will now awake your self as the Psalmist when his heart is fixed and when he has awaked his tongue and his harp Psalm 57.7 8 I my self also will awake You may cut the sinews of your predominant sin but if you shrink back and comply no further with the Spirit than your carnal ease or interest will admit you cannot but look for the withdrawing of the Spirit and the prevalency of some evil Spirit And suppose you only resisted the Spirit in some things you cannot but think it righteous that he should not afford you his assistance in other things but leave you to your own lusts and to the swing of your own hearts When the Spirit then does animate thee against any sin hath bended thy heart and raised or corroborated holy resolutions against it maintain them for the heart is naturally like a miscarrying womb pray as 1 Chron. 29.18 and fall instantly on the mortifying of that sin Holy endeavours strengthen holy purposes and if these be vigorous and strong thou mayest now get over the difficulties that used to hinder the mortification of that sin and may do so hereafter that is may hinder hereafter if through delays or neglect of present endeavours you let not your purposes cool or slacken whereas probably if this difficulty be overcome thy Conquest of sin may ever after go better on But do not think that when you are aided by the Spirit you shall meet with no difficulties or that because of sins vigorous opposition you are not influenced or aided by the Spirit There is no War without trouble and difficulty and danger the Spirit does not altogether remove difficulties the lusting of the Spirit does not extinguish the lusting of the flesh yea the Spirit may be stirring the heart even when the flesh is prevailing the groans of a holy Soul even when overcome by sin are from the Spirit but it 's the Spirit 's work to help over these difficulties which were otherwise insuperable and this he will do if there be no failing on our part But ah the Spirit 's aid meets with such opposition and reluctancy from the Soul in so far as it is unrenewed that neither spiritual purposes nor endeavours can be mantain'd and kept up without striving and earnest contending on our part and this must be done maugre our ease humour and the mighty opposition of the body of death He that would not be worsted by sin must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 13.24 Strive as in an Army there 's no striving with other things that will put the Soul in an Agony set aside Sin there 's no difficulty besides this in the way to Heaven see Heb. 12.4 The power of sin will put any sensible Soul in an agony as well as the guilt of it Paul seems acquainted with it Rom. 7.24 and no doubt he had much of the Spirit even when he thus cryed out Do not then expect such assistance from the Spirit as will kill thy Corruption at one stroke the truer thou art to thy help the more thou shall have and the more the Spirit does the more thou must do 4. When the Spirit who is a spirit of supplication does strongly influence thy heart in Prayer improve it unto the mortification of sin for the necessity and usefulness of Prayer in reference to Mortification I have spoke to already and now urge the improvement of the Spirit 's assistance in Prayer as one of those ways whereby through the Spirit we are to mortifie sin And in order to this whatsoever measure of the Spirit 's aid and assistance thou hast let thy Prayers be chiefly levelled against sin and that not only nor mostly against the guilt of sin but especially against the power of sin Nature may raise the desires of freedom from guilt high which may be mistaken for the influence of the Spirit It is true that Natural self-love may also draw out strong desires of freedom from the power of sin as their passions and corrupt contradictory lusts and affections do molest and trouble them but especially as they know them to be inconsistent with any well-grounded hope of Heaven as for unregenerate mens usual formal Petitions for deliverance from temptations and from the power of their sins there is ordinarily not so much as moral sincerity in them even when that may be in their Prayers for Pardon they really would not that God should hear them and are sometimes afraid he should so that what Augustine confesseth of himself before his Conversion is indeed a Common Case But to return When the Spirit makes intercession in thee helps thee to make intercession with groans which cannot be uttered Let these groans be against sin rather than for Divine Comforts Groan rather for Redemption from sin than from any other misery do you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Spirit as the Apostle beseeches the Romans for the love of the Spirit to do with him Rom. 15.13 we render it Strive together the Spirit makes intercession with groans as if he were in an Agony O for the love of the Spirit strive together with him c. And when the Spirit gives greater enlargement and mightily draws out the heart in Prayer know that then the Lord is saying to the Soul as it were What is thy Request Thou hast now got the King's Ear then let thy Request be the death of thy sins and amongst all thy sins especially that he would give thee the head of thy greatest lust that has most dishonoured God and done the most mischief that has often left thee wounded and groaning Now thou hast an opportunity to be rid of it and avenged on it pursue thy advantage and return not from the pursuit till thou hast divided the spoil thou may now get more ground of sin than by many years praying against it in thine own spirit when your prayer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is James 5.16 that is full of the holy Ghost or Prayer wherein the holy Spirit puts forth his Power and Energy and sets the whole Soul on work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies one possessed with and acted by a spirit If it do not instantly kill sin and deliver thee from such a Corruption yet it avails much to the death of it and if continued in thy sin shall not so far prevail as to mar thy acceptance with God or Communion with him or darken thy evidence for Heaven 5. If you would by the Spirit mortifie sin comply with the Breathings and influences of the Spirit in Ordinances in the Word Sacraments This were the way says one to make Ordinances and the times also glorious the Apostle useth the dwelling of Christ and of the Word in us promiscuously men grieve the Spirit when they despise the Word or any helps that God hath given them Isa 7.13 they are the means whereby the Spirit discovers sin purges it away or kills it Psalm
BELIEVERS Mortification Of SIN by the SPIRIT OR GOSPEL-HOLINESS Advanced by the Power of the Holy Ghost on the hearts of the Faithful Whereunto is added the Authors Three last Sermons on Gen. 3.15 By the Learned and Pious Mr. Alexander Carmichael formerly of Scotland and late Preacher of the Gospel in London Published by his own Copy LONDON Printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings-Arms in the Poultrey 1677. To the Christian Reader especially the Godly and Reverend Allies and Acquaintance of Mr. C. deceased Dear Sirs T This little Posthume left very fairly Transcribed yet not intended for the Press humbly begs your Patronage shall I say or rather perusal When our Friends are gone down to the Chambers of Darkness we are then apt highly to value their Pictures when we cannot enjoy their Persons And why then may not these Papers find grace in your Eyes for in them you will find worthy Mr. C's very Picture drawn to the life Here Sirs you have the genuine off-spring of those two great burning shining Lights of yours Knox and Gillaspy exactly Lim'd out by his own Pencil Sic occulos sic ille manus sic ora ferebat Whoever intimately knew the Original will easily conclude these to be the Copy the real Transcript both of his Brain and Life the most Lovely pourtrait both of judicious Learning and mortified Conversation As to the Work it needs neither Bush nor Paint Let it be but seriously perus'd by a person really vers'd in that great and Heavenly though now horribly neglected Work of Mortification and it will certainly be priz'd at no little Rate As to the truly Worthy Author himself It had been impossible for me so far to have curb'd in my Zeal as not to have attempted at least a display of those many and great Excellencies which with so much modesty and humility he endeavour'd to conceal from the World but that his dying breath fixt a Lock upon my lips and utterly denied me the liberty of being but just in his Commendation Only this he left as his grand Depositum with me to be faithfully declared by me That he died with very great peace of Conscience with full satisfaction of Soul in those wayes of God wherein he had walked and wherein he died in particular That God as a gracious Father had abundantly made good to him that faithful Promise Matth. 19.29 Mark 10.30 Thus for him that 's gone before As for that flesh of his flesh and the fruit of his Loins as for that Ruth and Gershom that he hath left behind him I question not but so long as the Saints among you continue to bear your old Name Philadelphia so the old Puritans of England have us'd to stile you you will not you cannot forget to shew kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake No more but the Psalmists prayer for every one of the faithful Brethren in the whole Church and Nation Psalm 122. 6 to the end with his Amen Amen Who is Your real Brother and Companion in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ Tho. Lye ROM VIII 13. If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live HEre is Life and Death laid down before you If ye walk after the flesh ye shall die a dreadful word spoke even to those who are in Christ and to whom there is no Condemnation who yet need to be warned of their danger Conditional-threatnings may be mustered to them without bringing them back to a spirit of bondage and the Lord works on their fear as well as on their love and will have them keep one eye on Hell and another on Heaven or rather he 'l sometimes have them look behind them that at the sight of Hell and Wrath they may flye the faster to the Hope that 's set before them do not deceive your selves with an opinion of your Priviledges Well then What must we do that we may be saved the words of the Text tells you where mark that the Apostle is speaking to such as are in Christ If ye ask what an unrenewed man should do to be saved the Scripture Answers Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Act. 16. 1 Joh. 3.23 Get into Christ But if ye ask What the man that is in Christ shall do the Text tells you which takes in or rather supposes holy walking or walking after the Spirit for as light comes in darkness goes out so that Mortification is one part of the Condition upon which we attain the possession of eternal Life though it be by faith by our first believing that we acquire a right to it Now in the words we have 1. The Act enjoyned Mortifie 2. The Object about which it is conversant 3. The way or the means by which this is to be effected through the Spirit 4. The Promise annexed Ye shall live 5. The Conditionality of the Promise If c. For the first What it is we shall after shew only now the Original word signifies to slay to pursue to Death Sin is not at once slain itgets a deaths-stroke by the first saving-work of grace it never recovers that but yet it dies but lingringly therefore called a Crucifixion and it s a great part of the Christians work to follow it to death to be driving nails into it and keep it bleeding till it expire For the second Let us observe the various Scripture-expressions as 1. Flesh so frequently in this Chapter this sometimes signifies the state of the natural man he that is in the flesh cannot please God so John 3.6 Sometimes the remainder of sin in the Regenerate Gal. 5.16 And so we read of the works of the flesh Gal. 5.19 these are the deeds of the flesh 2. Sin is spoke of as a body as in the Text sometimes called a body of sin Rom. 6.6 Sometimes the body of this death Rom. 7.24 It 's a Body not a Phantasm we are to conflict with it 's not to beat the air we are called to its weight is not found because it is in its place in its Element Now this Body hath various Members these we are to mortifie Col. 3.5 The stump of sin cannot be got out but we must be daily mutilating it and cutting off its members the stump we cannot pluck up the body and mass of in-dwelling sin we cannot discern nor reach but its deeds and workings we feel And albeit Gods faving-work upon the Soul wherein we are passive does wound and weaken the Body sin yet any work of grace wherein we are active does immediately only strike at the members of sin and at the deeds of it therefore says the Text If c. mortifie the deeds of the body 3. Sin is called a Man an old Man to hold forth the strength and cunning of it and its interest in the soul and body of a man It 's not a dead Carcass nor is it seated only in the outward members of a man Now we read of the deeds of this old man
out but smothers or blows it out What disorders have mens lusts filled the World with see some hint of Nature Rom. 3.13 14 15 16. It 's not the outward man he intends only but especially the power of mens lusts and the inward readiness of the mind to all ill The thousand part of what is plotted there breaks not forth for one man can contrive more wickedness than all the World can Act. See some account of mans inward wickedness Gen. 6.5 Evil only evil continually evil Mens lusts are insatiable such as have the greatest opportunities and advantages for satisfying them do but encrease them and this is mens sin and plague both and issues into mens ruine and the less men know or feel this the greater their misery so that Sinners heaven is indeed a part of Hell in them for their lusts even now do torment them and all their relief is in their various sinful Objects which feed their lusts and encreases their misery Now Mortification only can cure this true some are naturally of a sedate temper and not subject to such perturbations and enormities as others But there may be more dirt and mud at the bottom says one where there be fewest Waves and a River may run with great strength when yet it runs smoothly and without noise Some are ingeniously educated which may a little polish the outward and inward man both but refining of lusts is not mortifying them there 's no recovery from our misery and servitude and disorders through our Corruptions but by the putting off the old man and mortification of the body and its deeds Let this then be a second Consideration which shews the necessity of it viz. That it 's the cure of our sin and misery which lies in the frame and actings of corrupt Nature If any say That those who set themselves to mortifie sin do but raise tumults and disorders in the Soul who has less inward quiet than Paul Rom. 7. Some that are well Educated and of good natural Tempers seem to have the better of many who pretend to Mortification I Answer 1. The peace of unmortified Souls is much like that in Hell among the Devils they are all combined against God and are not divided amongst themselves If this sort of peace please you you may have your fill of it in Hell 2. Other mens peace proceeds from their 〈◊〉 of servitude rather than to endure the trouble of a Conquest-World If the Believer give the Tyrant Sin it's will he should have peace with it but he chuses the trouble of a constant War with it rather than to War with God and his Conscience Sin Reigns over others and keeps all quiet but Grace Reigns in the Saint and Sin rebels and breeds some disturbance but never is able to ruine and dissolve the Government of Grace 3. It is indeed no trouble to the godly man to oppose sin for he does it with delight he has peace with God and joy in his heart when he is in the midst of his Conflict with sin and the more vigorously he opposes sin the greater is his peace he is heartned and animated when he remembers what he contends for and when he thinks on his Assistants And more when he feels strength renewed he is put on frequent acting of Faith and there is some inward pleasure in every act of Faith yea and when sin is too strong for him he is drawn forth in Acts of godly sorrow wherein the Believer has a real pleasure the trouble of others for sin is but the beginning of sorrow and of the same kind with that which is in Hell therefore they would fain flee from them but sorrow for sin is the bitterest fruit of these Conflicts yet it is mingled with Joy Outward Joys have a sting and a wound in them and the mortified man is uneasie under them But godly sorrow has a sweetness in it therefore the Believer by all means seeks to cherish it Finally Every advantage he gets against sin raises his heart and the hope yea the assurance he has of a final Conquest does so far animate him that he can antidate Praises and sing a Triumph in the sight of Victory Rom. 7.25 He finds may be some strong Lust so rooted in his natural Temper which one well resembles to the mire without which the Rush cannot grow which has often prevailed and to the acting of which his own heart prompts him and Satan also solicites him yet when he looks to Christ to his strength and grace and redemption from the guilt and power of sin Rom. 7.25 and to the sure word of Promise Rom. 6.14 he is heartned to oppose it May be some will further say that many who pretend to Interest in Christ and to have the Spirit are yet proud vain passionate envious unpeaceable revengeful How then does Mortification cure the distempers of our Nature Answer If any who pretend to have the Spirit be such the more shame to them these are unlike to the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 But many lay claim to that which they have no right to and by reason of such is the way of God evil spoken of What has given so much occasion to men to Preach and Print That Nonconformists are the worst Parents Masters Mistresses Wives Neighbours c. If there be such or if any pretend to the Spirit who do not thereby mortifie c. Let us rather question or deny their Religion than that Grace or the Spirit does not mortifie sin 2. Some need more Grace to mortifie sin than others Some have as much as others yet not enough if I may say so for themselves Some have a harder task than others in mortifying the deeds of the Body Sin has greater advantages in some than in others some are under worse circumstances than others such as raises and draws forth their corruptions 1 Sam. 1.6 Her Adversary provoked her sore for to make her fret Some have fewel daily laid in for their Corruptions and it may be want of this that makes others corruptions look as if dead as Fire wanting fewel and when under ashes looks as if it were gone out So it may be ordered for the tryal and humiliation of some What Saint almost seems more impatient than Job yet who more mortified than he Finally there is in every Believer a spiritual principle that is working towards the death of all sin But for the expediting the matter our utmost diligence is necessary 2 Pet. 1.5 Sin is at first really wounded but not at once killed and when we pursue not our advantage against it it recovers some strength and rages and is exasperated more than where it was never touched 3. Let us consider that it was our Lords Errand into the World to destroy sin which is the work of the Devil it was sin that crucified and killed him and it ought not to live in us but by his Death he slew and vanquished sin and by the vertue
2.1 compare with ver 3.4 4. When a man makes provision for his lusts when he plows wickedness and sows iniquity and is at a great deal of pains to satisfie and gratifie his lusts The Christian is not at half the toil in mortifying lusts that others are in satisfying them if the one be hard work the other is impossible so that the poor Creature is tormented between the restless and impatient cravings of his lusts and the weakness and scantness of the means he has to satisfie them 5. When a man sins under a small temptation or none at all some are like Powder and Flax set on fire by a spark yea some draw on temptations and then out-go them Isa 5.18 they are not drag'd by a temptation but draw and pull and pain themselves to sin they meet the temptation mid-way and are glad of it as the Jews were when Judas offered to betray his Master unto them Mark 4.10 11.6 When one is got above Convictions of sin and above shame Prov. 30.20 the adulterous Woman saith she hath done no wickedness Jer. 8.6 and 6.15 Were they ashamed c Jer. 3.3 Thou hadst a whores forehead or 2. When one sins after frequent convictions of the folly and hazard of sin Isa 57.10 Thou wast wearied in the greatness of thy way yet saidest thou not there is no hope when a man will adventure to wade through wrath to satisfie lusts and overtake his Idols when Divine Commands and threatnings which to the godly man are more than Angels with drawn-Swords are no lets nor banks to sin when the Omnisciency and Holiness and Justice and Power of God even when actually represented to the man yet does not restrain him from sin It 's said of some that they did evil in the sight of the Lord 1 Kings 21.20 3. When one hates Convictions and endeavours to hold them out or to kill them 4. When one is under Rebukes for sin yea may be under terrors for sin yet goes on as Isa 57.17 Isa 22.13 14. Jer. 2.25 Thou saidst there is no hope c. Ezek. 33.10 These things shew forth the absolute power of sin in the Soul But now in the second place there are some things that are evidences of great short-coming in Mortification yea even in the Regenerate 1. When a man is under continual indisposition to Duties and wants a readiness of Soul to them and is much distracted or diverted in them When sin is mortified and Idols thrust to the door a man will be at more leisure to pray and meditate without disturbance and the spirit will be more composed a mortified man has more power over his spirit he is not like a City without walls but for the unmortified he has many to please this Idol must have a look and this must have a word and he cannot serve God without distraction nor with all his Soul nor with delight nor does he thrive by his Duties for his Idols consume and eat up the profit of them think on this you who complain of distractons in Duties Indeed sometimes the heart is carried away by more trivial Impertinencies but ordinarily it 's our Idols that come in so freely and unseasonably and may be these more trivial diversions have some respect to them at least they proceed from want of a deep sense of the Majesty of God upon the heart which also evidences some notable defect in Mortification for as much as we die to sin we are alive to God Finally When a man wants freedom and confidence in his Approaches to God a Child that 's often faulting cares not for the Fathers presence sin makes a shyness to God less or more it does secretly estrange the heart from him When the North-wind of the Spirit has killed sin then the Spouse is inviting Christ Song 4.16 then the Soul is saying O when shall I appear before thee But when a temptation to gratifie carnal ease prevails then the Soul cares not for his Company it has no eyes nor hands nor legs Song 5.2 3 4. 2. An habitual unwillingness to die shews the power of some sin there may be some unwillingness at certain seasons proceeding from some other cause but ordinarily this is it a mortified man is like a ripe Apple that comes away with the touch of a hand or as a loose tooth that comes out with a gentle pluck Moreover the more a man exercises himself in Mortification he is the more afflicted with the remainders of sin and the more successful he is in mortifying sin the more feeling he is of every motion of sin hence he is often crying out I am oppressed underdertake for me or with Paul Rom. 7.24 This Captive-exile doth lawfully hasten to be delivered this Prisoner is looking out at his Windows till Christ come and knock off his Irons and this makes him groan earnestly for his full freedom from sin and he cares not how fast the outward man decay if the inner-man be renewed and if sin decay as fast it 's easie to die when sin is first dead but if there be any lust lively the guilt of it makes a man dread Eternity and the Judgment to come and the strength and liveliness of it makes him dread death when the Soul is strongly united to any Idol Death is like the rending of one member from another But a mortified Soul does leave the body as chearfully as a man throws off an old torn ragged suit of Apparel 2 Cor. 5.1 He is much in longing for and in rejoycing in the hopes of Heaven and Heaven is Heaven to him rather for it's freedom from sin than for it's freedom from troubles that now annoy whereas an unmortified man has cold thoughts and faint desires of Heaven why do ye not lift up your heads it's either from unbelief or some prevailing lust were you fighting for your life the news and assurance of Victory would anticipate the Triumph for the man is no further carried out after the true happiness than he is taken off the false Hence one that is wholly under the power of sin cares no more for the true perfection of the Soul than a beast cares to be a man yea and the regenerate man that 's under any prevailing-lust can hardly keep up his assurance at least he has no actual aptitude and meetness for Heaven and no wonder he long not much for it but see what a Song that is in 2 Tim. 4.7 8 I have fought the good fight of Faith c. 3. When the Soul is in a continual restlesness and vexatious anxiety when there are many inward perturbations and disorders in the Soul may be sin has not the throne yet is it breeding great tumults and making many and great insurrections against grace in the Soul the guilt of them fills the Soul with fear their opposition and contrariety to grace makes them painful to the Soul in so far as it is sanctified and then there is that Torment which is
unseparable from all corrupt inclinations and lusts which proceeds from the impossibility to satisfie them It 's upon the account of this lust especially that the man that is defective in Mortification is troubled partly also in respect of the guilt of sin For the second The more success in Mortification and the livelier Grace be the more feeling has the Soul of every stirring of sin and the more pain it is to the new Creature and indeed the more that sin be struck at the more it struggles the Old man has a strong heart and is loath to die and our lusts being as a right-hand cannot be cut off without pain but that which is painful to the Old man is a pleasure to the New It 's the strength of remaining sin that afflicts the New man The more the Soul be delivered from sin the more it thinks it thinks it self a captive and the fuller freedom it breathes after Rom. 7.24 the remainder of sin in the midst of his highest comforts are worse than Water amongst Wine so that the poor Believer needs a Banner even when he is taken into the Banquetting-house Song 2.4 How pitifully does the poor Spouse speak Song 6.13 in the beginning of the ver Return return O Shulamite return return that we may look upon thee see her Answer What will you see in the Shulamite as it were the company of two Armies Alas What will you see in me but War and Bloud and Rebellion when the poor Christian thinks he has cut off one head of sin there starts up another or more the more you make it your work to mortifie sin the more discoveries you shall have of sin and the more ye will lie in wait to discover it the more of the Spirits light shall you have to see sin That which is but a shadow to others is a Body to Paul it was once otherwise with Paul Rom. 7.9 He was as whole and sound as any man he was as little troubled with sin as the Pharisees of our time who with disdainful pride scoff at the humble bemoanings and self-abasing confessions of serious Christians and will not admit that Paul Rom. 7 speaks of himself as Regenerated I wonder what such think of their own Liturgie which frequently teaches them to call themselves miserable sinners at which the Quakers were wont as foolishly to Triumph as now they do at us for the like humble acknowledgments of sin 4. When the reflecting upon and remembring of former lusts and Idols do excite our affections or is accompanied with delight or does provoke new desires Ezek 23.19 she multiplyed her whoredomes in calling to Remembrance the days of her youth or as it is ver 21 The lewdness of her youth this is an acting over of sin It 's sad when we cannot look upon the Picture nay nor read or hear the name of our Idol-lusts but we bow down our head and our affection is kindled or some corrupt passion stirs where sin is mortified every remembrance of it revives our sorrow for it it 's like a new stroke upon an old wound especially after the Soul has been held over Hell for it and may be under much outward trouble also for it s indeed some unmortified sin that ordinarily brings on desertion and trouble Isa 57.17 when the Moon an Emblem of this World is under our feet Rev. 12.1 there can be no eclipse of the Sun and no storms The Lord may for his own holy ends exercise the most mortified Christian but it s ordinarily some root of bitterness springing up that he strikes at And O what a Sea of temporary wrath does our indulgence to some sin expose us too yet how hard is it to bring us to lay all at the door of a beloved lust it were easie to cure most mens inward troubles were they but faithful to themselves 5. When one is not constantly underfelt-need of Christ not only to save from the guilt but the power of sin The man that labours in Mortification he is hourly calling on his Aid he cannot live without Christ sin is sin indeed to him and Christ is Christ indeed to him he cannot exalt Christ enough nor magnifie the grace of God enough he sees it 's no little help he needs and that no common aid will serve his turn I do much question if such as oppose the doctrine of special Grace ever knew what Mortification was he speaks with another spirit than the Pharisee when he thanks God that he is not like other men Luk. 18.9 10. You see the Free-willers as you vulgarly call them for such were the Pharisees in Christs time owned the necessity of some Divine Assistance how warmly doth Paul speak Rom. 7.25 as he had with much feeling bemoaned himself Ver. 24. He seems to want words to exalt God and stops as it were in the middle his thoughts are over-matched thus praise waits or is silent for God it is silent to other things and it waits to be employed about him Psal 65.1 The Believer is often put to a Non-plus in crying up the grace of God and wants words to express its greatness yea to answer the elevation of the thoughts the heart indites a song of praise but he cannot tune it The Apostle is stopt as it were through admiration which is Silentium intellectus for when the mind can rise no higher it falls admiring hence some say God is most exalted with fewest words The experience of the supplies of Grace for overcoming sin is one of those mercies that uses to provoke the Soul to cry out Exalt thy self O Lord worthy art thou to receive Blessing and Honour c. But thou art above all Blessing Praise Others make no great matter of this 6. When a mans heart is pierced through with sorrows when his Idols are blasted and smitten when in the time of trouble fear and sorrow sill the heart when our Idols are fallen or when our lusts out-live their Objects As suppose a mans Estate be decayed or his dear Friends be dead before inordinate love to them be decayed or dead we are apt to sit down upon the graves as it were of our buried Idols and cry out Ah my Lord Ah my Comfort Ah my Hope But how does a mortified man carry in reference to the lawful things of this World Answer 1. With a great indifferency If he live if he be rich if full if he abound it 's well and if he die if he be poor or empty it 's also well If David be on the Throne it 's well he can then also pen Songs of praise If he be at home in his house in the Sanctuary it 's well if banished and chased from the house of God it 's well Hezekiah is Victorious the Assyrians are slain it 's well Isaiah prophecieth that his Treasures shall be spoiled and his Children carried captive this is good too Our blessed Lord is the same when the people sing Hosanna and when
suitabless of it to our corrupted Natures there is something in Applause that gratifies that Self-exalting principle in man Men find pleasures sweet and they cannot but believe their senses before any testimony from without they see and feel and taste some sensible good in sinful Objects and it 's hard to dispute a man out of his Senses Nature craves something and the things of this World have some subserviency and suitableness to Nature in its pure primitive Consideration And Sinners cannot now distinguish between purely Natural and inordinate desires and indeed the pleasures of sin are now as suitable to our corrupted Nature as poor natural delights were suitable to Adam in Innocency Now look what pain it is to have Nature starved or oppressed such pain it is to have sin mortified 6. The splendid Condition of some and the merry life that Sinners lead makes men in love with their way they who deal most kindly with their sin and indulge and satisfie a proud and sensual disposition they live the gayest lives and with their blustring Jollity they carry the voice in the opinion of most men who have no Sanctuary-light As for Mortification they think it dispirits one or makes a man a Mope and that to mortifie sin is to mortifie all Pleasure and Mirth 7. Libertinism or perverting of the grace of the Gospel some have doctrinally and others practically made that a Sanctuary for sin which God has made a City of Refuge for penitent Sinners Some think it improper to speak to Believers of sin or mortification at least that we should not to them preach against any sins but such as argue them to be in a good state as there are some diseases that argue a good constitution of Body and that we should urge love and gratitude only and not Hell nor Wrath but whose doctrine is the Text and to whom is it directed This pretended heat of Spirituality has often issued into loosness and prophanity This practical Abuse of Grace is that wherein all unsound hearts do really conspire Antinomian Libertine and Ranting principles are the most immediate inferences and conclusions that natural hearts draw from the doctrine of Free-grace which were not men strangely byassed and prejudiced by their lusts may easily appear to be horrid perversions of the Gospel Thus he that came to destroy sin is made the Saviour of sin For the second Question Whence it is that some complain of the power of sin yet rest in something short of the mortification of it 〈◊〉 1. Some are convinced of the power of sin in them and are troubled at it but hope that Duties will weaken it and wear it off when alas they never hurt it Or 2. That time will do it that when temptations are over and fewel withdrawn lusts will die of themselves and that when they are got out from under such and such circumstances Corruptions will not have such advantage against them when alas sin can live without temptations and has fewel enough within and can create temptations to it self Or 3. Upon every inconsiderable resistance to or advantage against their sin they begin to hope well of themselves as Micah foolishly concludes that God will bless him seeing he had a Levite to be his Priest so do some dream of Heaven upon every little success against a temptation to sin or upon every passionate wish to be freed from sin as inconsistent with the hope of Heaven though such wishes do often grow out of Nature and self love Or 4. Such satisfie themselves with meer complaints of sin trouble for sin does sometimes secretly harden in sin and issues in secure despair as burning though it be painful yet it stops bleeding or else such satisfie themselves with some common Comfort and are all on a sudden as Jovial as ever There 's a great deceit in folks coming out from under Soul-trouble or if they can get some tears to bewail their sins these are to them as good a Plaister as Christs blood O the deceitfulness of tears when they are not the juyce of a broken heart they do but water sin and make it more fruitful Or finally By their passionâ—â—â— Complaints they get the pity and prayers of others and are well lik'd of and look'd upon as the Mourners and broken-hearted whom our Lord has blessed and the prayers and good-likeing of others does insensibly work them into a good opinion of themselves In the second place They deserve Reproof who think to mortifie Sin by their own endeavours or by meer moral means No endeavours no Duties no consideration of Sins opposition to and inconsistency with our happiness without the influence of the Spirit can mortifie any one Sin The Apostles manner of urging this great Duty deserves a Remark on the one hand he will not have people think that the Spirit was to do all and they to do nothing or that they are to be meerly passive in the business of Mortification If ye mortifie and on the other hand he will not have them think that there is any power in them to mortifie Sin but that it is through the Spirit It is the Spirits special work and hence we may be instructed how to press all Gospel-duties so as to avoid Enthusiasm and Antinomianism on the one hand and Arminianism on the other For there 's nothing more common than for people to apprehend some sufficiency of power in themselves to obey when they hear Gospel-obedience pressed and on the other hand to grow sloathful and secure and to expect such a power as will kill Sin and carry them through Duties without their concurrence or may be knowledg when they are told of their Impotency and of the necessity of the Spirits special assistance whereas in respect of dependance humility and self-denial we should carry as if the Spirit acted all but in respect of diligent endeavours we should act as if we acted all and not the Spirit Vse 3. Of Exhortation If you would escape the second Death if you desire or hope to live with God and to be eternally happy in the enjoyment of him set about the mortification of sin 1. Original corruption must be mortified the root of Sin must be killed lay the ax to the root of the tree one stroke at the Root will do more harm to the Tree than many strokes at the Boughs In the Doctrinal part I hinted at the necessity and usefulness of this I shall only now point a little at the way of mortifying the Body of Sin 1. A through sight and discovery of it is necessary I do not mean that any man can fathom or comprehend the heghth and depth of it Jer. 17.9 Who can know it Now the deceitfulness of the heart is but a branch of the corruption of it It 's a Mysterie that we cannot now unfold yea and without the Spirits teaching we cannot have such a discovery of it Rom. 7.7 Some Heathens have seen and bewailed it as their disease
in approaching to God yet he has no pleasure in God he comes not to him as his exceeding Joy though may be he cannot pass evening and morning without saluting him in a formal complementing way in such a manner as men use to many they care not for and indeed many know no other use of their prayers than of their formal Salutes and Complements viz. to keep fair terms with such as they care little for yet are not willing to disoblige Is it any wonder that God regard not such prayers any unmortified sin shuts Heaven and lays an Arrest upon the profit of thy Duties there 's no profitable trading between the Soul and Heaven there 's no profiting by Means or Ordinances if thou would lose the Arrest mortifie thy sin give up thy Idol cast over board thy Jonah's If thou hast any suit depending before the Throne of Grace if in the mean while thou offend God or grieve his Spirit thou art like to lose thy cause who will provoke the Judg when his cause is before him Hence that word Deut. 23.9 When thou goest forth against thine Enemies then keep thee from every wicked thing When a man has some special dependance on God and has some special expectation from him it 's unseasonable then to provoke him to Jealousie 5. Think what thou wouldst do in a dying day how will you look upon your Idols What will you do in the day of Visitation where will you hide your glory How would you look upon a Temptation or upon the tempting Objects of your darling lusts all your sweet morsels and stollen waters will then be bitter but the more sweetly any sin went down the bitterer will it be when it comes up again may be your Idols and you were pleasant in your lives but they are sad Company in the valley of Death Can the Camel go through the Needles-eye nay if there were no more to hinder but the bunch upon his back he could not Can you go through the strait gate if there were no more but one unmortified lust you cannot Can you think to leap into Heaven warm and smoaking with sin as many times you come to speak with God when the last word you spoke was with your Idol Can you sing that sweet triumphant Song O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.55 For lo here sin that is the sting of death and the victory of the Grave sticks in thee when others shall be singing Hallelujah and harping with Harps Death is no dark shade to the Son of Righte ousness having lightned it by his passing through it thou shalt be little better than the Hypocrite whom fearfulness surprizeth c. If the Master knock when thou art either asleep or wasting his goods or eating and drinking with the drunken thou will be afraid to go down and open he must break open the gates if he get in O what sad work will any living lust make when thou comes to die Let us now mention a few advantages you shall have by the mortification of sin especially your most potent sin 1. The mortification of your most predominant lust will be a great evidence to you of your sincerity Psalm 18.23 I was also upright before him c. When any lust is strong or when any Idol has a great interest in the Soul the heart is as 't were divided and then cannot know whether Christs interest or its prevails and bears most sway in the Soul but where there is no competition the case is clear when one can say If any thing interfere with Christ it 's this If any thing render my case suspicious or intrench upon Sincerity it 's this Corruption this Idol But sure I am this is so far under that it cannot disprove my integrity when the Lord tryes his peoples sincerity he uses to hit their sore to prove them in their Idols indeed when he intends to discover their weakness he puts them to tryal in the grace they excel most in as Peter in his Courage Moses in his Meekness if thou can deny thy self in this if thou can offer up thy Isaac hereby thou mayst know thou fears God and that thou loves God Now the knowledg of this fills the Soul with exceeding Joy 2 Cor. 1.12 O the sweet Calm it brings in it 's better felt than can be told whereas the prevalency of any Corruption deprives you both of the Testimony of the Spirit of God and of your own spirit 2. If thou can mortifie thy predominant lust thou may with the more ease mortifie other Corruptions Commonly all a mans lusts are made subservient to some one though indeed sometimes they thwart as pride and covetousness pride and sensuality or covetousness and sensuality if you can kill that the greatest difficulty in Mortification is over if you can take the strong City all the Villages and Countrey about will be subject to you If Goliah be slain the Philistins will fly may be you complain of many things and innumerable evils compass you about but see if some one unmortified Corruption do not maintain them all and you cannot conquer these till you have subdued that which sets these on work and which feeds and recruits them this would ease you of many evils you complain of the cutting off one member of sin will weaken the Body of sin they are so united that it will make all the other members of sin to languish and does help on to a through Conquest 3. Consider that there is more real satisfaction in mortifying lusts than in making provision for them or in fulfilling them There 's more true pleasure in crossing and pinching our flesh than in gratifying it were there any true pleasure in sin Hell would not be Hell for the more sin the more Joy you cannot satisfie one lust if you would do your utmost and make your self never so absolute a slave to it you think if you had your hearts desire you would be at rest you much mistake they had it Psalm 78.29 but yet they were not estranged from their lusts ver 30. How many a man in the fulness of his sufficiency is yet in pain for more Job 20.22 O but the mortification of that sin makes a Jubiles in the Soul Who are they that sing Triumphs here and set up Trophies of Victory and divide the spoils when others are living under troubles without and within and have their Soul removed far from peace who shall wear Crowns on their heads in Heaven and Palms in their hands and have High-praises in their mouths but they who turn the Battel to the Gate who have overcome their Enemies Would you be able to sing a Triumph even when drawing your last breath See what 's the Tune what 's the matter and the ground of Pauls Song 2 Tim. 4.8 and with what a Transport of Spirit he sings it as on the other hand it tells us that it 's faint or
of Bashan howl Zoch 11.1 2. He makes these smart that others may fear But Oh shall such things as happen for Examples and are worthy to be recorded for Admonition to the end of the World have no effect upon thâ—se to whom they happen Shall the same generation repeat yea out-do their former sins Can you with grief remember your Losses and with no regret remember your Pride and Covetousness Will you frustrate Reproach and defame Gods Methods of Judgment and proclaim to the World that his design has miscarried upon you and that you will not be healed Shall the Rod in Moses's hand cleave the Rock and shall it in Gods hand cleave no hearts Must the Lords Ministers with grief of heart go and complain against you to him and say Lord Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive Correction they have made their faces harder than a Rock This is a Nation and this is a City that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord nor receiveth Correction And O that we could sigh for this even to the breaking of our Loins Now how can you weep with them that weep that have forgotten your own afflictions or rather never could weep aright for your selves Or if there be any Mourners among you yet sure I am you are far from Sackcloth and Ashes But do you think that God has done with you there 's a dreadful word Ezek. 15.6 7 I will set my face against them and they shall go out from one fire and another shall devour them Hath he not strange punishments for the Workers of Iniquity If London's sins be greater now than before the Pestilence or before the Fire what Wonder if greater Judgments from God come If God shall give you up into the hands of bloody Papists it will be worse than Fire or Pestilence in Davids reckoning as we see by his choice and yet better have fallen into the hands of the Philistins or Ammonites or any Enemies David had than into the hands of Antichristian Butchers And for any thing we know we are not half a hand-breadth from it I pretend not to any extraordinary Discovery of Gods Counsels but as we may Prophecy from sin to punishment so from greater and stranger sins to greater and stranger punishments I might mention other Directions as the ingaging all thy might against that sin that prevails most over thee 2 Chron. 8.30 and the endeavouring to grow particularly in the opposite grace Finally the Consideration of Christs second Coming Col. 3.4 with ver 5. 1 John 3.2 with ver 3. Will you wallow in sin when Christ is so near Must thou be made like to him and wilt now let thy Soul swarm with noisom lusts Can thou look for him and not mortifie what crucified him But I proceed to speak in the third place to the mortification of the first motions of Sin Now here I shall 1. shew the sinfulness of these 2. I shall shew whence it is that they abound so much with some 3. I shall press the mortification of them from several Considerations 4. I shall mention some helps to this For the first That every motion arising from the Corruption of the Heart or from habitual Lust whether it has a particular Object or be but a vagrant Imagination though not delighted in nor consented to is sin before God will easily appear if we consider 1. That they arise from a sinful Principle they are born of the flesh and are of the nature of Original sin and if the Tree be corrupt so must every bit of the fruit 2. They are disconform to the Law of God and so must be sinful in their Nature as well as in their Rise they lust against and oppose the Spirit Gal. 5.17 and so must oppose the Law of God If they be against the Law in the heart they are also against the written Law Though you should crush them yet once they were if they had no inordinacy in them why were they crushed If there be any disorder or inordinacy in them it is from us they have these and so they must leave a guilt upon us 3. Their sinful tendency and effects prove this To instance but a few 1. They are incitements to sin and promote obedience to the law of sin and the fulfilling of its commands 2. They make way for other sins beside what they do immediately and directly tend to they open the door and keep it open for temptations to gross sins and gives Satan access to blow up the Cole 3. They keep out good Motions and so must obstruct Duties and unfit a man for them 4. As they are contrary to right Reason and not answerable to that Angelical Holiness and Purity that should be in us so they cannot but leave some blot and defilement behind them let these Motions be never so passing and transient and run never so swiftly through us they must needs taint us by reason of our corruption that in less or more still sideth with them they have alway the virtual consent of the will in as far as not regenerated and so cannot simply be said to be involuntary which is the great Objection made against this Truth though they be against the renewed Will which Paul speaks of Rom. 7. O how many vile sins are stirring in the heart that are not deliberate nor explicitely consented to yet are voluntary because they have their seat and rise in the Will as well as other faculties 5. They hinder our Communion with God do you think that if he had his due there would be any room left for these Have they any place in Heaven where the Saints enjoy full Communion with God and if they be inconsistent with that they must be a hinderance to this Now it is upon these accounts that the faintest Motions and stirrings of sin are grievous to the godly especially when it is best with them The tender lively Christian as he groans under a body of sin so it never stirs but he feels it and is pained with it the most sudden vagrant motions of the Mind Heart and Affections are burthensom to him and that not only as they bewray a living principle of sin in his Soul but as they are sinful gaddings and in some measure whorish departings of the heart from God and inconsistent with that intire and uninterrupted delight the Soul should have in him and that continual affectionate working and out-going that should be in the Soul toward him It may be indeed he delights in the Law of God after the inward-man yet he cannot reach full conformity to it within more than in his practice outwardly when he resolveth on some good ere he be aware his heart is wandring a hundred ways and so ill is present with him O be convinced of the sinfulness of this how often is your Mind stirring and roving for it 's a restless thing and how rarely can you say
than for many afflictions that in themselves are more troublesome but this inward trouble of Conscience for them in the godly does rather prove them sins than meer afflictions If any say That these Motions when asleep are not acts of our Reason but of meer phancy and Imagination and so not sinful I answer 1. The holy Law of God reaches to the whole man even the Imagination and we cannot suppose but that imperfect holiness and persect holiness in Heaven extends to every faculty of the Soul 2. They are not meer acts of the phancy for the Mind has some use of Reason though more imperfect even when asleep Hence there is some correspondence ordinarily between mens thoughts waking and sleeping and sometimes one asleep will reject a temptation upon rational and solid grounds I do not indeed think there 's so much guilt in these Motions asleep as when awake because of a more perfect use of Reason in a waking man 2. Consider the innumerable Objects of these sinful Motions and so into how many several species or forts of sin these Motions engage and involve you in You cannot see nor hear of any thing you cannot think of any thing whether it have a being or not but it may minister occasion to some inordinate motion Innumerable are the occasions of these what stirrings of desires and wishes and sometimes how pleased with idle Imaginations 3. Consider what pretences men have to evade Convictions of the sinfulness of these Motions when not consented to nor may be delighted in especially when the object of these is some lawful thing much more when it s some spiritual good the Spirit that is in us doth often lust secretly to envy others when may be discontented or envious thoughts are not perfectly formed these are but little observed in us 4. Consider that not mortifying of these is the way not only to further sin but it does insensibly bring on hardness of heart when the heart is habitually haunted with these it 's hard to expel these swarms that have had quiet possession they do exceedingly wear out tenderness and the sense of the sinfulness of Sin in every degree of it 5. They do unframe the Soul and unfit it for spiritual Duties Thus when we would do good evil is present with us they justle out holy Meditations at least they weaken and divert the Soul in it and cause many interruptions in it they mar fixedness of heart in Duties and they not only polute them but eat out the life of them they are like ravenous Birds upon our Sacrifices that are not to be suffered to light upon them Finally What a woful tendency have they and what an inlet to temptations and to further degrees of Sin they even invite Satan to tempt Satan and Sin never say they have enough every conception of Sin is in order to a Birth and every stirring of Sin is for the carrying on its war against God and thy Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 But of this already Now 2dly A little of the advantages of mortifying the first motions of Sin 1. This is the way to prevent much Sin and were we making conscience of this we should find Mortification a much more easie work An Oak when a plant is easily pulled up a little spark is soon quenched you complain of the strength of your Corruptions but you are first to blame that you have suffered the habits of Sin to grow so strong and then that you crush not the first actual Inclinations of these corrupt habits If you suffer them to proceed but a little they may be indeed too hard for you O foolish Souls who put off this Is it hard to mortifie the first motions of thy heart to Sin and does thou think it will be easie to mortifie Sin at once when it 's increased into thousands and fortified with strong holds If thou cannot tell the first thoughts of it how wilt thou do when it has got thy hearty consent thy love and delight and long possession 2. This is the way to keep the Conscience pure and clear a renewed Conscience will charge guilt upon thee upon the account of these and no reasoning or extenuations will satisfie it till thou be truly humbled before the Lord for these and vigorously also setting thy self to suppress them A tender Conscience has a deep Impression of the sinfulness of these as Paul had Rom. 7.24 and thou cannot maintain thy peace nor assurance of thy freedom from Condemnation nor keep up thy glorying in God but by dealing with them as he did Oh how small a matter if I may so speak will break a tender Christians peace less than a wrong look or word will do it he cannot let half a thought away without a challenge he has but one eye upon his priviledges and comforts and a little Cloud will darken that What makes a man go without much light or comfort in whom yet you can see no spot nor flaw and who also are not under the power of any particular inward or heart-sin the Spirits Comforting-work and Witnessing-work is easily marred Oh but the man that is daily keeping or beating down the first risings of Sin may glory as Paul Rom. 7.25 8.1 He thus preserves a sweet serenity and calm within he suffers no Clouds to gather he dissipates the malignant Vapours that arise from within and suffers them not to unite He crushes Satans design against him in the very Egg. 3. This will keep the Soul in case for conversing and walking with God in case for speaking to him and for every spiritual Duty every inordinate Thought or Imagination is a looking away from God and imports a heedlesness and a listlesness to him Walking with God requires an holy even uniform frame of Spirit And O how much would this raise and spiritualize Prayer Meditation and other Duties then are our Sacrifices holy and untainted when neither Birds nor Flies are suffered to light at least not to sit upon them 4. This were the way to weaken and destroy the very body of sin When a Tree is cut down the living Root sends up a great many sprouts and small twigs But if you will pave the place where the Tree stood or make a High-way over it the very Root will die which otherwise would have preserved it self So after Sin is sore smitten yet the Root abiding through the seat of waters that is Satans Influences it may spring But when these first shootings up are nipt when the Root of Sin cannot put forth it self it dies this does as it were stop the breath of Sin this makes the old man pant and die even as Grace languishes when the actings of it are obstructed Now in the fourth place take a few Directions 1. For preventing these stirrings of sin within and 2. For compressing and laying them when they are up For the first of these take these Directions 1. In general what is formerly said of Watchfulness is of use here
times that for lesser sins there is a pardon in course and that there needs no repentance and if thou hast wilfully betrayed thy self into such occasions as drew forth these acts of sin these first stirrings of Corruption thy subsequent dissent and crushing them will not serve without more particular and solemn repentance I mean therefore such motions of sin as are excited by the suddenness and subtilty of temptations and such as are the natural and necessary effects of the body of sin and the hourly breathings of it If thou with tears protest against them God will not charge them on thee yet finally every dissent from or dislike of them will not discharge from the sin of them some may dislike them for their tendency and others as they are troublesome But I mean a dislike of them for themselves and protesting against them as provoking God and polluting the soul 4. Ejaculatory prayer as it s called is a notable expedient for crushing the first motions of sin we formerly commended secret prayer for the mortification of predominant lusts But its impossible one can have opportunity for solemn addresses to God every time they find Corruption stirring in them these sudden motions of sin must have some speedier cure they may be opposed and smuthered by sudden ejaculations and desires sent up to heaven which no straitnedness as to time place or business need to hinder They may be in a prisoner before his Judg in a Courtier when he is standing before his Prince Neh. 2.4 This way of praying is more especially necessary 1. When thou hast no opportunity of retiring in secret so that thou needs not say thou wants time or place though I fear some does without necessity restrain private prayer under the pretext of this 2. When there is a good motion started in thy heart that it may be cherished that a good purpose may be kept in the heart for ever 3. Upon every change of thy Company and upon lesser change of what business thou art about when thou goes out and comes in when thou comes from Company to Solitariness e contra when thou visits thy friend reproves or advises him yea when ever thou opens thy mouth in Company or ever thou resolve on or promise any thing though it seem small and nothing disputable many such occasions might be instanced But 4. That which is to our purpose is when any spark of a temptation comes in when Habitual Corruption begins to stir when any corrupt affection does in the least begin to take fire this is a good way to quench it This the godly man finds true in frequent experience but if this doth not then get into thy secret Chamber this is an honest errand to the throne of Grace cast thy self down at his feet and tell him That if he will trample upon thee let him do it thou will lay thy hand upon thy mouth but let not thine enemy and mine oppress me and tread me under Lord I would not sin against thee but thou seest how I am oppressed O undertake for me Lord I rather dye at thy foot than live as Satan and my corrupt heart would have me Worm Jacob that prevailed with him did not wrestle upon an honester account than this is If thus thou betake thy self to him thy bow shall abide in strength and thou shalt find him to be strong and mighty in Battel Psal 24.7 8. In the secret of his tabernacle in his Pavilion shall he hide thee and set thee as upon a rock Psal 27.5 O do not yield to Satan nor to indwelling-sin for it may be ere you rise off your knees you shall have help to allude to 1 Sam. 11.9 I am sure he is faithful who has promised c. and never any that took his appointed method that were overcome by a temptation 1 Pet. 5.7 5. Take the method prescribed in the Text You cannot rightly mortifie sin in its rise or after some progress you cannot mortifie Original sin nor your predominant lusts nay nor the first motions of sin but through the spirit If you walk in the Spirit you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16 Sin shall never conceive nor bring forth Now in the beginning I told you that by the Spirit we may understand the graces of the Spirit by the acting of which mortificaon is carried on But 2. And more especially The Holy Spirit by whose immediate efficacy sin is mortified for the former I did commend the cherishing of grace in the heart in order to the mortification of Original sin and habitual lusts and did also mention it as necessary to the mortification of predominant lusts That one should indeavour to grow especially in and to cherish that grace which is most directly opposite to that sin If it be pride set thy self especially to study humility if worldliness heavenly mindedness if passion study meekness look what sin is most advantaged by your natural temper for ordinarily that is the predominant and set your self especially against that else it will marr the lustre of any grace or excellency that may be in thee and it will keep thee a dwarf in Religion all thy days and like Reuben thou shalt never excel indeed a little grace when any way advantaged by education or the natural disposition will go far and this makes it hard to judg of the comparative degree at least of other mens graces and oft-times makes men mis-judg themselves or think too highly of themselves But when grace is to roll against wind and tide both it had need to be strong when Original corruption is so and so advantaged in any of its particular members But as to our present purpose when any Corruption begins to stir in you if you would through the Spirit in this sense mortifie it put thy heart instantly upon the acting of that grace which is most opposite thereunto So the Psalmist At what time I 'm affraid I 'le trust in thee correct carnal fear by hope and holy confidence in God If inordinate worldly sorrow be stirring labour to beat out of thy heart some spark of spiritual joy If thy wants or losses begin to afflict thee indeavour to unlock the Cabinet where thy Jewels and treasure lies come study and behold an All-sufficient God and an All in all Christ See if thou misses House or Land Son or Daughter Brother or Sister here If thy heart be inclined to run out in carnal frolick mirth let deep and serious reflections on the sufferings of Christ without which a sinful thought could not have been pardoned on a dying hour and the last trumpet and followng judgment give check to it If pride begin to stir go and abase thy self thus sin shall be a loser by every attempt it makes 2. If thou cannot come this length if thy heart and affections will run out so and so then indeavour to alter the objects of them turn the stream a little aside into another
119.9 and 107.20 John 15.3 and 17.17 Heb. 4.12 Render them not powerless to your Souls by letting the Impressions that the Spirit has made by them wear out Has the Lord by his Word and Spirit discovered sin to you fix your thoughts upon it and pry more and more into the sinfulness of it Muse upon it till your heart be hot within you and till your heart be fired with anger indignation and zeal against it and when the Word makes your heart burn within you blow upon the Coal that it die not out again you must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit sometimes wounds the Soul for sin and makes some word like an Arrow pierce the heart but Sinners pluck it out again and lick their wound whole again and thus sin is whole again sin puts the Soul between the stroke and it whereas when the Spirit by the Word smites we should expose sin to it and be content to have it not only discovered but beaten and left dead upon the place be content to find the Word as a two-edged sword and love those best in whose mouth is the sharpest sword and hold up thy sins to its strokes when they are found out Be content that the Word be as a Corrosive-plaister to thee and keep it close upon the sore place O how many have their judgments enlightned by the Spirit in Ordinances but they imprison Light imprison Truths and suffer not the power of them to reach their hearts and affections True some find also the heart shaken and troubled for sin and resolutions raised against it yet it is not mortified all miscarryes and why Truly because in some these have no root and for others that are truly godly they yet take not pains enough with their own heart to maintain what the Spirit by the Word has wrought in them they labour not to drive the Nail to the head and to keep the Bow in bent Slothfulness is a slighting of the Spirit and provokes him to withdraw and when the Sun is gone light and heat is quickly gone When the Spirit does by any Ordinance animate you against sin and fix it upon your heart to seek the death of any sin give it no reprieval for an hour give not Satan time to tempt thee nor sin time to prepare some charm to entice thee again let not these things that use to choak the Word deface and obliterate spiritual Impressions if when the Spirit by the Word has heated your affections you immerse your self in your business this like frosty Air will soon cool you if you do unwarily meddle with it it will quickly take off your edg and they are the most dangerous colds that come after great heats hence many not only abate their zeal against sin but sin is advantaged by this means the heart like the earth which in Winter is thawed by the Sun at Noon freezes the harder the next Night 6. Observe and comply with the Spirits motions and methods when under affliction which is a special season of the Spirits teaching and working afflictions use to be the Seal to Gods Instruction Job 33.16 Seals give weight and authority to Writings the Spirit now sets Instructions home Therefore consider what sin thou hast most need to mortifie and what the Lord does especially aim at in afflicting thee and in order to this observe what his Spirit did charge most upon thee before affliction came and mark how the Lord follows affliction the Spirit uses to bear in some sin more especially and to make a mans Conscience deal impartially with him hear what that says especially after Prayer and when the Spirit by afflictions does humble thee and cause heaviness in thee 1 Pet. 1.5 let not sin raise up it self for thou canst never rise again but upon its ruins and when the spirits work tends to the stirring up of Grace in all thy acting of Grace have an eye upon the sin that has most indangered thee and comply with the spirit especially when thou art moved to the acting of that Grace that is most contrary to thy strongest Corruption It 's a token of a sanctified affliction when thy sin is discovered in its sinfulness when there is fixed purposes of heart raised against it and when there is some notable acting of the Grace that is most opposite to it excited And now when the lot is fallen upon it do not spare it do not think to roll it to shore and save it alive do with it as the Jews did with Paul Act. 21.28 They laid hands on him crying out Men of Israel help This is the man that teacheth the people against the law and hath polluted this holy place Labour to fix your thoughts and purposes and affections you now have and afterwards be often asking thy soul what is become of them and deal with sin as then you wished you had never done I shall in the next place answer some Objections against what has been delivered And 1. May be some see nothing in themselves that need to be mortified they can say as the Pharisee Luk. 18.11 yea can bless God that they are free not only from such gross things as the Pharisee mentions but even from such abominable thoughts and motions of heart and from such horrid temptations and suggestions as some complain of Answ 1. Was it any better with the Pharisee for his foolish opinion of himself but would thou see thy self as in a glass See Rev. 3.17 Look thou be not like a standing Pool that has more mud and dirt at the bottom than the raging Sea and indeed sin is never more stirring than when it seems asleep or moves smoothly thou art not yet come the young mans length Mark 10. who may be has outdone thee in every thing yet saw there was something lacking and indeed besides faith in Christ there was mortification to the world wanting 2. How came thou by this freedom from sin and so much inward quiet thou must be in League with Hell sure I am the holiest Christians make sad complaints of sin within and temptations without and seldom want some excercise but it seems you let sin live and sin lets you live 3. It 's a token that sin has never been irritated much less slain we know thou art not pure by nature more than others nor can education purge out sin though it may qualifie it and we know that it cannot be mortified with much ado such an interest has it got in the soul But here it is the Commandment has never come in its spirituality and power to thee till then Paul troubled himself as little with sin as thou dost sin prevails in the heart yet is not grievous because there 's nothing in thee that is contrary to it to oppose it It 's but a short way that a natural Conscience goes it charges no man with Original corruption nor with the first motions of sin that the body of sin breaths out every moment
and which the smallest temptation will excite And in many reason and conscience and affection and all is in bondage to sin and there is nothing to present its proceedings but there 's a thorough satisfaction with its servitude Sin is in thee as in its proper place and therefore feels not heavy 4. Thou mayest easily mistake when thou compares thy self with others whose Corruptions some sharp tryals or strong temptations has brought forth there may be much more sin at bottom in thee 5. Know that such as Satan has possession of he does not so much trouble them he cares not how peaceably they come to hell he lashes few till they begin to turn out of his road he cares not how neat a way they come to hell nor how swept and clean the house be and how well garnished There may be access and room for the more evil spirits And truly I think that Satan may be as careful to keep temptations from some lest they should be discovered to themselves and to others as he is to multiply temptations to others here 's the misery of many God bindeth them and Satan bindeth them and they cry not God blinds men and Satan blinds men and they feel not discern it not and will not believe it Joh. 9.39 40. He hardens them and they know not how the stone in the heart grows as insensibly as the stone in the bladder 2. Some Carnal hearts may object the pain that is in mortifying a sin that 's dear and useful and that to mortifie sin is to mortifie mirth This has been formerly obviated In short you must know 1. That this is not the proper time nor place for mirth Joh. 16.20 Ye shall weep and lament but the world shall rejoyce and when we rejoyce our mirth must not be a-kin to theirs We read but once that Jesus rejoyced in spirit and that was not with the joy of this world Luk. 10.21 He was a man of sorrows and it becomes not his Disciples to be men of mirth I speak this the rather because that under pretence of removing an occasion of offence and stumbling of some at the way of God many drown themselves in Carnal mirth No man comes leaping and laughing to heaven then and not till then shall all tears be wip't away were there none there needed no wiping as long as sin is not throughly purged away sorrow must not fly away 2. There is indeed pain and trouble in mortifying sin as there is in cutting off a living member of the body and as there is in the rending of the soul from the body for sin cleaves as close to the soul and to the body as the soul and body doth to one another Yet 3. This pain is only or at least more especially at some times as when a man first sets about the mortification of sin But when sin has once begun to fall before him he is heartned and his work goes more easily on and difficulties fly away 4. It is the being of sin and the strength of sin that breeds trouble and grief and pain to the godly man not so much the mortifying of sin for that relieves him 5. As we formerly told you there 's a great deal of more pain in serving and satisfying any lust than in mortifying it Job 20.22 Psal 78.29 30. Would you set about the mortification of sin and make tryal you should find it so The reason why men think not their lusts burdensome is their love to them and their being habituated to them disingages the affections to them and they torment a man that which makes them sweet is the vicious constitution of their souls and bodies when a man is recovered of his disease they are like gall and wormwood to him that which lessens their trouble and pain in serving of them is their imputing it to the scantness of provision for them whereas when they have multiplied and diversified the objects of them they are ne're the nearer satisfaction in them 6. Man is born to affliction as the sparks flie upward and if the godly man find pain and trouble in mortifying sin he has rest in the evil day to compensate that If sin be mortified it 's easie to bear a cross if sin be dead it 's easie for a man to die Whereas others are uneasie under afflictions and on a death bed unmortified sin makes a man feeling of affliction the trouble and pain of it is more than the pleasure of sin and more than the pain of mortification and how much more does the pain and sorrow of hell exceed these Will you chuse to pine away in pain rather than let a gangrene Limb be cut off or a broken Limb be set again Will you lye a million of years in torment ere you indure a moments pain the odds is not so great as between time and Eternity 7. Where there is a principle of true Grace it 's greater pain to the new man to sin then to mortifie sin 8. It is no pain or trouble to a man in so far as he is renewed to oppose and mortifie sin he does it with delight and the more effectually he do it the more is his peace and joy 9. If at any time sin prevails the heart is drawn forth into acts of godly sorrow and indeed the godly man chuses that before the worlds mirth and therefore cherishes it whereas the trouble and anguish others have is a kin to that of hell which makes them shun it and fly from it Yea 10. The very trouble which the mortification of sin breeds to the old man is a pleasure to the new then one rises upon the ruins of the other and when he considers what assurance of a final conquest he has he is heartned he knows that the death of sin is his life that if he through the spirit mortifie sin he shall live he can bear to have a right hand cut off when his life is at the stake and if he feel pain and trouble and complain of it as Rom. 7.24 he checks himself next word and turns his moan into a Song Act. 25. 8.1 3. Some object the impossibility of mortifying such and such Corruptions some will acknowledg a self-denyed and mortified life to be the best life but say you No body knows my temptations and circumstances there 's such a woful proneness in my nature to such and such things that I know not how to withstand it though I have prayed and resolved and hoped against it Answ It 's true thou art utterly impotent and by thy own endeavours thou cannot mortifie any sin but art thou a Christian and hast no faith or in Christ and hast thou not the spirit of Christ Hast thou Christ in thee and the Spirit of the living God in thee and yet no strength or cannot mortifie a beloved lust by it But does not this excuse them that want the Spirit and his special assistance Answ No 1. Because some such at
walk by the Spirit O let not convictions cool nor holy motions die turn every motion against sin into a purpose and every purpose into endeavours against sin Attend diligently on Ordinances Act. 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the Holy-Ghost fell on all them that heard the word But mark what 's said ver 33 Now therefore we are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Thou must see thy self as in the presence of God and get a heart ready to receive his Instructions or Commands Finally If thou hast lost that aid of the spirit that thou wast wont to have search how thou came to lose it If there be not some secret lust that thou wast willing to spare this may not only undo thy comforts but universally marr the Spirits operations May be there is some old reckonings which were never distinctly counted for nor scored off which the Spirit has brought to your remembrance and yet you will needs bury them But ordinarily its something in thy present frame or way and may be it 's something that you think but little of often the cause of Gods Controversie with a land or with a particular person is that which we would little suspect may be a fretful unbelieving or injurious thought take heed to the first motion of sin for sin has no bound says one but what the Spirit puts to it whom therefore we should not oppose but kindly intreat therefore look to thy thoughts and to thy words see the Gonnexion Eph. 4.29 50. especially in carnal company whose converse mightily cherishes these sins in us which we should mortifie and by complying with or gratifying their spirits we often wound our own and grieve Gods Spirit and thus give sin some reprieval We cannot converse with such but they will either afflict us or defile us look diligently then into thy carriage and remember when and where the Spirit began to withdraw his usual aids and when you have found out the cause 1. You must by renewed acts of re-repentance and faith be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ for the bestowing of the Spirit is an eminent fruit of the satisfaction of Christ and of the favour of God and is not given to dwell in the soul and habitually to assist till one be first reconciled to God and expect no new gift of the Spirit till thou hast made up thy peace again with God through Christ 2. Beware of that way in the beginning of which thou found the Spirit begin to leave thee if thou think that this requires great circumspection and heedfulness it being a matter of such infinite advantage to thy soul thou needs not think strange that it should especially considering how careful thou art to keep some friend here and what diligent endeavours thou uses to provide or secure a little of this worlds goods that will not go far with thee and wherein thou hast not such assurance of success for thou mayest rise early c. and eat the bread of sorrow all the day In the last place Let us speak a little to some few cases And I begin with that touched upon in the third Objection viz. the case of such as complain of the strength of their corruptions If their mortification of sin be so necessary to salvation alas what shall I think of my self who am so much under the power of this or that corruption Answ There are several degrees of the power and prevalency of sin 1. The highest degree of it is when men voluntarily yield themselves as servants to it Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death c. when men are agents in resigning themselves up to sin as servants tender their service to their master they do not explicitely intend to be captives but it necessarily follows and they are willing sufferers or patients under it the word used for Christs giving himself for us Eph. 5.25 and committing himself to God as judg 1 Pet. 2.23 is used of some mens giving themselves over to Lasciviousness to work uncleanness with greediness or in abundance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.19 this is the case of unrewed man whose heart and will is for sin and who do manifest an utter want of mortification from this degree of sin the Apostle acquits the Romans ver 17.18 2. There is a lower degree of it 2 Pet. 2.19 Of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought into bondage This being overcome imports some opposition yet not what is sufficient 3. Another degree of the power of sin we find Rom. 7.23 I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members Where we see the law of sin is not in the mind or will but in the members that is the carnal affections Grace has beat sin out of the higher powers of the soul and it has fortified it self as it were in the affections and in the nether part of the soul And observe that here the Captivity is not a leading to outward acts of sin but a bowing down the power of the mind and a weakning of the actings of Grace in the mind and will and impeding the lively effects of Grace in the heart Now judg which of these is your case the first cannot be the case of any godly man such as are under it mortifie not sin but the Convictions of Conscience and the common motions of the Spirit and herein they are often successful whereas a Believer accuses himself and joyns actively with the Spirit to convince of sin and to mortifie it Psalm 51.1 21. Dan. 9.5 6. Convictions come on them and they tremble and seek to be rid of them For the third case it 's common to the holiest among Believers to such as are most exercised and most successful in Mortification It is the second case then that is doubtful there is some opposition made to sin so that this case differs from the first but without success yet are they servants to sin and so this case differs from the third the Mind is not only bowed down oppressed and captivated but a man is carried to the outward actings of sin and the fulfilling the lusts of the flesh or the desires of the body of sin Now this is the case that many poor souls complain of And 1. What ought we to judg of it How may a poor Soul be helped out of it will appear in what we shall speak to this Case For the first of these I Answer That in some cases a poor Creature may make use of Pauls encouragements even when the body of death prevails much more than it did with Paul Rom. 7 and does not only inwardly lust against the Spirit but the power of it breaketh forth in words or deeds as when thou
he be displeased with the acts and stirrings of sin yet not with the root of them If he can restrain the acts he could let the body of sin dwell contentedly in him But it 's far otherwise with the godly for as sin opposes every gracious act so Grace opposes every known sin yea and does secretly though not so sensibly resist every sin whether known to us to be such or not Grace in the heart feels that to be sin and contrary to its nature which knowledg in the head does not discern to be sin the Law written in the Heart goes farther than what 's in the Head as eating of what one has antipathy against will cause trouble though the man knows not of it but more if he does 4. As the Natural man is not uniform in opposing all sins so he is not even as to all times he seldom or never pursues sin but when God or his Conscience are pursuing him and he is never so eager in his opposition to sin but he will admit of a treaty with it and is easily induced to grant a cessation of Arms he is content to hear what can be offered to reconcile such a thing to the Law of God and for shewing the consistency of it with peace of Conscience here and with the hope of glory at least with his interest and honour in this World the new man is deaf to any motion of a parley and stands out to the last and fights upon his knees and is sometimes overcome but never treats nor yields the Natural man opposes sin as a flowing Tide does a Vessel going down a River but straightway the Tide turns and helps the Vessel But the Conflict in the renewed man is like that between fire and water there 's no yielding nor cessation of Arms till the one be overcome nay not then True the Believer often intermits vigorous opposition to sin and may lose more ground in an hour than he can regain in many days yet Grace never gives over entring its dissent and protestations nor intermits all opposition to sin even when its worsted 5. The unrenewed man never strives lawfully against sin he goes forth against it in his own strength not in the name and strength of the Lord 1 Sam. 17.45 46 He seeks not to engage the Spirits assistance he considers or knows little the strength of spiritual Adversaries and hence is easily overcome 6. In Natural men the conflict is between the Conscience and the depraved Will or corrupt Passions which is like a foreign War but in the renewed it 's like an Intestine War as one calls it the renewed Conscience against the unrenewed the renewed Will and Affections against the unrenewed There 's a Will and a Will-not in a Believer hence the Notion of a double person Rom. 7.15 19 20 there 's no such division in others they may do what Conscience approves not but cannot say that they would not the godly hate the evil they do and love the good they do not whereas the Natural man does hate the good the spirituality of it he does and loves the evil which he does not and may be dare not do In Natural men there 's some sparks of light in the Conscience but there 's no sanctified light in it the Will and Affections are totally corrupted so that there 's nothing in them as a principle to set them against themselves but in the renewed man there 's flesh and spirit in every faculty so that the fight is more close and in every gracious and in every sinful work they both put forth themselves and as the flesh weakens the acts of the Spirit so the opposition the Spirit makes weakens the acts of sin in the Believer for division weakens and so a Believer never sins with all his heart as other men do the renewed part never gives over all resistance And it 's upon this account 1. That the sins of Believers are not so great as the sins of others It 's true Gods electing Love Redemption and Regeneration lay special Bonds upon the Believer which highly heightens sin and adds many degrees of guiltiness to it But if we look to the principle of sin and whence it immediately proceeds the unregenerate mans sin is greatest for it is with all his heart there 's not a bit of the man that be-friends Christ there 's nothing in such of you that holds with him As for what opposition the Conscience makes it is not with your will if there be any made at all it 's grievous but no pleasure to you so that you seek out shifts and means either to stifle it or bribe it or bring it over to be for that which the will and affections are for Some think the Believers sins are more heinous because against more Light indeed this were a good Argument if the Mind were the only principle of our actions and not the will or elective faculty But let none abuse this for truly sin is so dreadful in both that it 's not easie to tell in whom its worse Hence 2. We see the reason why the Believer hath not so much pleasure in Sin as others have having two parties in him whatever pleases the one displeases the other the natural man having but one is more pleas'd at heart with sinful objects the opposition the Conscience makes hinders not but that he deliberately chuse and delightfully act it and obstinately persist in it The Believer is sometimes tasting of the forbidden fruit but Grace marreth the result of it and the more he finds he is pleased with it the worse he is pleased with himself 7. The Natural mans opposition does not any way break the power of Sin nor does continue till the man get up again if he fall he lies still whereas the Spirit in the Believer ceases not to strive till he be got to his feet again Sin was painful to him in the going down but it s more bitter in his belly and he resteth not till he hath vomited it up again the Conscience will cease to strive but grace never yea the godly man often rises by his falling he grows more humble and watchful and dependent the grief which sin breeds consumes the Sin that bred it Whereas the natural man when he overcomes he is overcome he grows proud and conceited the seeming mortification of one Sin does vivifie or give life and strength to another 8. The Natural mans opposition tends only to restrain or keep in Sin not to mortifie it if Sin will be quiet and peaceable he can let it live the Believer seeks the death of it the extirpation and abolition of it If you ask how we shall know when a Sin is mortified and when restrained only or what 's the difference between restraining and mortifying a Corruption Answer 1. When any Corruption is mortified one is thereby advantaged against all other Corruptions for the killing of one member or any branch of Original Sin does weaken
the whole whereas the restraining of any Sin does not weaken the body of sin for when it 's only restrained what the body of sin loses one way it gains another way Try then Art thou universally advantaged against every Sin 2. Is thy mind will and affections dead to that Sin mortifying sin is a metaphorical expression and this death that it implies is not only nor principally the ceasing of the acts of Sin but especially a deadness in the Soul as to Sin 1. In the Mind and Judgment Sin has lost the mans good opinion of it 2. In the will and affections he cannot think nor hear of it without abhorrency where Sin is only restrained a man can yet with pleasure roll it in his Mind the inclination to it is not broken many a man likes and loves the Sin which he does not the mortified man hates the evil which he does 3. Thou mayst know by what went before and by what follows 1. Did thou come easily by this power over Sin It 's true there is often difficulty in restraining Sin but what means did thou use to compass this and overcome the difficulty Was it by Prayer and Fasting and after much wrestling with God and by the blood of the Lamb that thou overcame Or was it by other means or by the meer force of an obstinate resolution thou took up 2. After the mortification of any Sin there 's a new Song ordinarily put in the mans mouth and the Soul is not only some way eased but is filled with Joy There is some Joy that flows natively from the mortification of Sin and there 's more that follows by way of reward as for a Natural man if he have any Joy upon restraining the acts of Sin it is but a spark of his own kindling or it results meerly from the nature of the thing the travel and labour the man is at in suppressing Sin does more than counter-balance that and is but the scant fruit of the testimony of his natural Conscience it will not bear him out to challenge Death and the Grave it heartens not a man against them some such may die securely but never one I think died triumphantly Mens delusions may suspend the horror of Hell from them for a while when a-dying but it 's some true Faith true Holiness true Mortification that fills the Soul with joy unspeakable 5. Sins that are only restrained do ordinarily break forth again and that with more force than before as waters bound up that do fortifie themselves and then carry all down before them but a Sin that is mortified as it rarely recovers so if it do yet it is so broke that it is but half an act But here may come in two other Cases 1. What is to be thought of the case of such as relapse into Sin 2. What 's to be thought of the case of such as after some serious Essays to mortifie feel their Corruptions more lively than before For the first That a godly man may commit an act of that Sin which is in some measure mortified is past all doubt else it were impossible he could sin at all for the first sanctifying saving work of the Spirit does strike at the root of every Sin and so begins the mortification of every Sin but this doth not nullifie or wholly extinguish Sin No Believer is absolutely secured from any particular act of Sin pro hic nunc except from the great Transgression 2. When one is in the state of Grace as after their particular Repentance for some particular Sin he is fallen into so after special endeavour yea and success too in mortifying that Sin he is not absolutely secured from every act of it for the future for though a mans Pardon as it imports a freedom from eternal Condemnation be perfect yet neither is Repentance nor Mortification perfect Now to clear this Let us consider 1. The gracious encouragements God hath given to such Jer. 3.1 Isa 55.7 compare with ver 3. His Covenant does not secure against every Relapse but it secures the multiplication of pardon Jer. 3.14 19 23. Hos 14.4 Back-sliding supposes some former recovery Mark there the ground of what 's promised I 'le love them freely the falling into such Relapses is the highest provocation to God and a Sin against most love and Recovery from such is the notable effect and Signal discovery of the greatness and freeness of Gods Love Consisider 2. That the mortification of such a particular Sin gives a man a greater advantage against that Sin and puts at some greater distance than from other Sins yet this advantage against this and distance from it is only gradually more than against or from other Sins and so makes the return of it not so probable or easie and if it return do aggravate it but not impossible more than the return of any other Sin especially when we consider that that Sin which by the first sanctifying work of the Spirit was in a special manner opposed and mortified may yet recover And 3. The advantage that the most holy man has over the most mortified Corruption is of the same kind but for degrees much below the advantage that Adam in Innocency had over every Sin and so is not able to secure it self the strongest Grace cannot preserve it self from the most mortified Corruption Hence the Believer must watch and pray and depend for asstance against it else he should more easily fall into it than Adam did into sin It 's true there are Promises ascertaining the Believers preservation from the dominion of Sin and his final Conquest over Sin whereas Adam in Innocency had no promise of the like nature but there is no word I know of in the Bible that ascertains the Believers preservation from every act of that Corruption which through the Spirit he has particularly mortified 4. There wants not Examples of the Saints relapsing into Sins as Sampson Judg. 16.1 4 Abrahams twice denying his Wife the Disciples twice contending for Supremacy Jehoshaphats instance is remarkable 2 Chron. 18.1 2 31 32 19.2 yet ch 20. v. 35 he Relapses Not to instance several things related of Peter These Examples though they do not answer in every circumstance to the case proposed yet by plain consequence they confirm our Position For if a Believer may act contrarily to that grace which is strongest in him and may be overtaken with that Sin or an act of that Corruption which is weakest and that over and over again as was Abraham and Peter then there is no degree of Mortification that secures him from repeating an act of that lust that is mortified If any say that though Mortification do it not yet true Repentance does it I answer If true Repentance does it it 's either from the nature of Repentance or some special promise of Grace made to the Penitent Not the former For 1. The nature of Mortification should rather secure from it 2. If true Repentance
at first Conversion do it not why should it do so afterward Not the 2d Let that Promise be produced what ever Promise that I know of can be produced will plead as much against a Believers falling into any Sin which at his first Conversion he did truly repent of But to prevent Abuses of what 's said Let me admonish you 1. That there are some Sins which Paul calls dead works Heb. 6.1 Peter calls them mens old sins viz. which they had lived in before Conversion Ephes 2.1 9 and the pollution of the world 2 Pet. 2.19 in these the whole World wallowed before Christ's Coming A Relapse into these he speaks of as dangerous Ephes 2.2 19 20 21. Much debate there was about this of old and many utterly refused to re-admit such into their Communion as in times of Persecution did comply with Idolaters and returned to Idolatry which was the chief of these old Sins that Peter mentions 1 Ep. 4.3 And I doubt not but in the debate that arose thereupon there were extreams on both hands those that fell upon the one hand were many and by their multitude helped to carry the decision of the Question in their favour and the promiscuous re-admission of such tended to the Corruption of the Church ever after yet on the other hand I dare not deny but a godly man may be intangled again in some act of these old sins through the force of some great or sudden temptation Yet I must add that it is a rare case the fixed bounds how far and how often God doth not determinately set in his Word I think the Lord does not ordinarily suffer his people to fall again and again into those gross acts of Sin though we cannot say but they may be overtaken with Passion Pride inordinate love to the World which though no less sinful in their own nature yet in their inward actings are not so scandalous nor such occasions to others to blaspheme Nor can we deny but that there may be and will be some lustings towards the gross actings of these old sins But the acting over of them I think rare A man may fall into some other heinous sin of another nature with more ease for mortification of a particular lust does in an especial manner advantage a man against the return of that though it weaken the whole man of sin yet it weakens that particular lust in special Hence there is often a change of the godly mans greatest Corruption and he gets some special advantage against that which sometime did most prevail and another lust comes in its room which shews the strength of the body of sin yet disproves not the truth of the mortification of the former prevailing lust For the 2d Case mentioned viz. of those who after some serious endeavours to mortifie Sin find their Corruptions more lively than formerly In answer to this Case 1. If Corruptions break forth more than formerly it 's the same with the former Case and thy safest course is not to stand disputing thy state before that but to study acquaintance with the depths of Sin in thee and in the humble broken-hearted sense thereof to fly unto Jesus Christ for pardon and for grace to sanctifie thy Soul and to mortifie Sin If they be only more stirring inwardly than before and so seem more strong it is a Case commonly incident to such of the people of God as before their regeneration were careful to walk blamelesly and were morally educated and such as were formal in Religion And 1. This may proceed from the malice of Satan who when his interest in the Soul was not brangled made no great noise Now as the Dog is put to the Door he howls to be in again so he blows the Trumpet to an insurrection and intestine war in the Soul and if it were possible would have possession again or have the Soul back into bondage again and this the holy Lord suffers to manifest the strength of his Grace and that he may having brought forth the strength of indwelling sin have occasion with more observation to discomfit them As sometimes Rulers in policy let some discontented party break out on purpose to ruine them more effectually 2. It may be thy inward Corruption is not stronger than it was but spiritual light and gracious tenderness may be growing the Spirit now may be opening up the depths of thy Corruption And this the Lord usually does by degrees as he dealt with Ezekiel in a like case Chap. 8.6 7 9 12 13 15. where mark that they had put a wall between God and them he is shewed greater and greater Abominations so the secret Chambers of Sin are opened up and thou sees that which makes thee tremble and abhor thy self more than ever for the first saving-Conviction does not convince to the utmost the first saving-light shines not into every Corner or at least not so brightly that the man can dive into all the mystery of Sin within but leaves room for after-discoveries such Complaints as Pauls Rom. 7.24 are rather the fruit of growing-discoveries of Sin and growing Mortification than of the growing power of Sin Bless the Lord for such discoveries for they are necessary to the mortification of Sin 3. It may be thou wast going about to establish thine own righteousness and the Lord sees it meet to fright away such thoughts by suffering Satan to rake up the Dunghil of thy Corruptions when thou art aiming at such a measure of holiness and freedom from Sin in the strength of thy own endeavours and with a secret neglect of the imputed Righteousness of Christ and when thou will not make use of that till thou hast overcome such a Corruption and will not maintain thy Justification without such a measure of Sanctification and Mortification I think not strange if God should let open the sluce of thy Corruption to constrain thee to hold by the righteousness of Christ for Justification and also on his Spirit for the mortifying of thy Corruptions and to live by faith in Christ both for Righteousness and Sanctification or Holiness and to seek neither of these nor any part of them any other way for it may be if thou be not proud of thy Righteousness to thy own sense yet thou may think too much of thy own strength indeed the one is rarely or never really separated from the other for wheresoever a man thinks he has one of these he seeks the other also Hence there are none erroneous in the point of Free-will and Grace but they err also in the doctrine of Justification e contra Isa 45.24 and lay too much stress on the strength at least of the sincerity of thy purposes and endeavours against Sin These can no more secure thee against Sin than a single thred can hold a Ship at Anchor in a storm the Lord will teach thee the necessity of this Method in the Text by the Spirit to mortifie Sin And this leads
man puts some restraint on Satan he takes away the power he had to lead the man Captive does as it were cancel his Commission Satan cannot come and go as he did he was wont to come as a man to his own house Now he comes as a thief or a robber he cannot set such a lust on fire nor blow up such a Corruption nor send on such an Errand nor employ the mans Eye or Ear or Tongue or Hand or Foot as he did he must have Christs leave Now 2. He spoils Satan of his goods the members of the body and the faculties of the Soul Satan made a purchase of them in Paradise there they were marred and spoiled and unfitted for Gods use and fit only for Satans First Christ recovers them to the right owner he first makes them meet for him and then restores them to him he retrieves the Mind from ignorance errour and diabolick light sets the Will at liberty from lusts breaks the refractoriness of it and makes it sweetly yield in the day of his power Psalm 110.3 and so all within and without are now yielded as weapons of righteousness unto holiness 3. He takes away his Armour that wherein Satan trusted Satan though he had secured his interest in the Soul by customary sinning which had strengthned the habit of sin and hardned the heart in it and made the man bold in sin Christ comes as a Prince and makes the man tremble he gives repentance and breaks the stone in the heart May be 2. Satan had corrupted mans judgment and fortified his interest with carnal reason when the true light comes the man sees himself a fool Or may be 3. He has strongly engaged the affections in sin and trusted to that Christ disintangles them Or may be 4. He had fitted them with suitable temptations for as there is a malignant influence and energy in all Satans temptations so he uses to chuse out suitable temptations from pleasure perhaps riches or honour Christ imbitters these and debases them they lose their operation And now having destroyed the power of sin he destroys Satans reign in the Soul for all the title Satan has to Sinners is by means of sin which is his feed Christ had done all this meritoriously upon the Cross as a publick person in the Elects stead according to the promise in the Text there he judged and cast out Satan John 12.31 He was formerly judged and cast out of Heaven but becoming head of sinful men he is again judged and dethroned by Jesus Christ see this at length Col. 2.13 14 15 He spoiled principalities and powers in Greek stript them Hence Isa 53.68 He shall divide the spoil he made a shew of them openly an allusion unto Conquerors who for a Trophy use to hang up the Armour and Ensigns of their conquered Enemies so that Satan was out-witted in putting Judas on betraying and the Jews on crucifying him triumphing over them in it he led Captivity captive and as Conquerors used to bind their Captives to their Chariots and lead them in Triumph so did he on the Cross and by virtue of this Conquest the Elect are preserved and kept alive and also kept from sinning irremedilesly or unto death before their Conversion and in due time are actually rescued from Satan and set against him Now we come to the second thing observable viz. That this enmity to God is not all removed at once Satans head is not bruised at first either in his person or in his seed he that has decreed the enmity between the godly and the wicked hath also decreed the enmity between Grace and sin what is of Christ and what is of Satan in the same Soul there 's something in the man who is in Christ whereby Satan has access to trouble and molest the Soul he makes the poor Believer go halting and makes all his spiritual motions uneasie and ungrateful were it not for this had not Satan some part within us we might laugh at his assaults and were it not for this the World could not defile us 1 John 1.15 It 's true Satan invaded man and prevailed when he had no part within him but he has now further advantages against us we cannot hold him out though we would as man might then have done he has some within to open the gates to him he has a party still in Arms for him within us a whole body of sin that has many members and these all under the law of sin and stir when ever Satan will Rom. 7.23 24 And O how fierce are the assaults of this body of sin It made Peter swear against Christ It made Asa rage against the Prophet It made fierce dissention between Paul and Barnabas and there 's no reconciling this enmity Rom. 8.2 7 it will not and cannot be sufficient c. The old man may be slain and mortified but will never yield Observ 3. That all who side with Christ must resolve to maintain enmity and war against Satan and that party that Satan has in them From the day that one is born again there 's a war begun there 's two parties in the man and there 's nothing the one does but the other opposes so that neither good nor evil can be done with full consent or with the whole Soul If Satans side carry it Christs party dissents and protests and bears witness against it If any good be set about the old man shall either make the work to cease or else some way marr it Satan shall have his soul fingers on every Duty all who lay claim to Christ are bound to maintain this war and hold up this enmity and think it a mercy that God will let you call the better part in you you your self and the worst part but your flesh Rom. 7.25 So then with the mind I my self serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin Obs 4. That Satan and indwelling sin are limited and bounded the guilt of sin shall not outlaw the Believer if the Serpent sting you yet your wound shall not be deadly Satan may leave his marks upon you and indeed were it not for him who was lifted up after the manner of the brazen Serpent every bite of this Serpent were mortal this remaining inward enmity will be working and Satan will be sneaking about your heels and seeking to intangle your affections which are as the feet of the Soul but he can come no higher than your heel he may darken your light indeed but it 's by corrupting your affections and when he has done all he cannot extinguish Divine Light Indwelling sin may raise Sedition and cause much opposition and disturbance to Christs Kingdom within but it shall not be able to dissolve his Government Obs 5. That all who side with Christ and maintain this enmity against Satan and his seed shall in the event be victorious Christ in them shall bruise Satans head for we must not think to hold