conquest over principalities powers Ephes 1.19 20 so that our impotency can be no excuse to us Faith gives the Soul the greatest resemblance of Divine Omnipotency 2. Take that word Rom. 8.1 You feel and know that there are many things condemnable in you yea enough to condemn millions of Men or Angels But O the mysterious depths of Free-grace that should divide and separate between Condemnable Condemnation Indeed the more Conscience one makes of mortifying sin the more sense and assurance of their Absolution and Indempnity If sin be prevailing it 's hard to maintain the sense of this yet in some cases one may as when the Soul is under a deep afflicting sense of prevailing-sin and solicitously striving against it Psal 65.3 Iniquities prevail against me c. You may yield to the Antecedent and deny the Consequence yea you make the prevailing of sin an Argument in prayer for Pardon Psalm 25.11 Those same Iniquities that set Justice a-work Gen. 6.5 He can make an Argument for mercy Gen. 8.21 Indeed if one keep up any perswasion of their freedom from Condemnation it 's a great doubt if they can keep up the comfort of this perswasion too for these are often separated David has his Absolution 2 Sam. 12.13 yet does he afterward beg the comfort and joy of it or at least a closer Application of it 3. Know that oft-times Satan and Corruptions stir most where they have least possession and real power and also that they make most ado when they are nearest to be cast out But if you enquire why the holy Lord does suffer sin to prevail so much over some of his own I answer The Captain of our salvation knows how to bring his followers to Glory and he knows that it 's better for some to be kept sighting even though often foiled than to be Triumphing The rising of some is their falling and the falling of others is their rising Success is sometimes worse to carry under than a Defeat Pride and Self-righteousness often get up upon our Trophies over sin and for this end sometimes the Lord suffers some sin to prevail If he see a Soul enclining to establish its own righteousness Ezek. 33.13 If he trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity Pride often rises upon the ruins of other lusts but thus the Lord suffers not the foot of Pride to get up he keeps the Soul under a deep impression of its exceeding sinfulness and vileness indeed it is a trial to Faith when the Soul sees nothing in it self and yet can believe and then is Faith purest when others reckon upon themselves as the worst of Sinners David reckons himself as a beast Psal 73 And he not only mourns for sin as a man but he roars as it were like a pained beast Psal 32.3 He seems fitter for a Wilderness to cry out than for a secret Chamber to weep in at other times he can water his couch in the night now he roars all the day-long at other times his moisbure is dried now his bones the pillars of his house shake and wax old 2. Thus the Lord lets the Soul see its need of constant supplies of Grace and so keeps it in a closer dependence on himself were we always victorious we should not know so well our own insufficiency nor the sufficiency of Grace Some are kept Cripples because they would either run away from him or neglect him It 's evident that we are oftnest with God when we have most need of him how often does necessity prompt us to Duty more than love or conscience of Duty hence we pray seven times when we praise once 3. The Lord often punishes his people by this letting them know the difference between Christs yoke and sins 4. He manifests his power in their final Conquest after so many foils On this account Paul glories in his infirmities 2 Cor. 12.9 10 thus also he manifests the riches of his Grace The Conversion of the Soul from sin to God is a wonder of Free-grace but the Conversion of some is a greater wonder Mortification of sin in any Soul is a marvellous work of the Spirit but more marvellous in some where sin was deeper rooted and more fortified and where the name of lusts was begun even so the salvation of the most mortified Soul is a new wonder of Free-grace but the salvation of some Souls is a supereminent act of superabounding-grace the High-praises of God shall be in all their mouths but the songs of some shall rise higher than others were not the holiest so much in admiring how themselves were saved it might be an astonishment to them to see may be some in Heaven whom in their thoughts they have sometimes reprobated how much sin do some bring to Heavens-door with them At Heavens-gate is the grave and burying-place of many strong Corruptions Death which is the wages of sin is made the grave of sin And what the Red-sea was to the Egyptians these Corruptions that keep poor Souls in bondage and that still pursue them they shall see no more the certainty of your final Conquest Is it not good news from a far Countrey that the Captain of your salvation stands ingaged for you and it is more his concern than yours that you be victorious And O what Hosanna's shall be sung to him when he shall ride in Triumph through the streets of the new Jerusalem that is above with his triumphing followers each having a Crown on their head and Harp in their hand his Conquest is a pledg of yours John 16. You are often thinking that some day you will fall by the hand c. You have had as good aid engaged to save you as Christ had Ephes 1.19 20 and you being so nearly united to him he reckons not his Conquest compleat as long as you are in a Militant state If you be fighting the good fight Christ is upon his way to relieve and fetch you off victorious Know you not that he has said I will that they be where I am he knew his Trust and that it was the Fathers will and well it is for us it depends not on ours Vse 2. What we have said does speak sadly to such as either neglect this great Duty on which the Text lays so much stress or who think to mortifie sin by meer moral means or considerations For the first sort 1. There be some that instead of mortifying sin cherish and feed it and make provision for it that are in league with it that have common Friends and common Foes with it yea to some it 's as themselves It 's as a right-hand c. yea it 's their life wound their lusts and their heart dies speak to such of Mortification and you may as easily and more perswade them to stab or at least to lance themselves Hence men have found out so many counterfeits of Mortification they will rather kill thousands of Rams and Bullocks yea their sons and daughters
for mortifying sin nor can you expect that your sins should be all killed at once nay indeed a man that desires not and seeks not the death of every sin cannot without a contradiction be said to desire or seek Heaven nay put an unmortified man in Heaven and it would be a Prison to him as a stately Palace would be to Swine Seneca brings in Nero knocking at Heavens-gate Answer is made That there was nothing there wherein he delighted whereupon Hercules is ordered to beat him away with his Club. It 's by our success in Mortification that we make our access to and acquire a fitness for Heaven Can ye love and cherish sin here and think to hate it in Heaven Ye mistake Heaven if ye think it stands so much in freedom from trouble as in freedom from sin and indeed the successful practice of Mortification will clear more what Heaven is to you than all your studies and speculative Contemplations of it If any Object that if sin hinder our Union Acceptance or Communion with God how can any on Earth enjoy these since every sin is not actually slain in any Soul Answer 1. The Soul wherein sin lives and reigns can have no fellowship with God that of 1 Joh. 1.6 does hold all you say of it and expect of it as a lye and will prove such 2. While sin the dreg of our Disease remains with us there 's no perfect Communion with God nor is the Soul so compleatly united and sodered to him but there 's some disjuncture as it were and what makes eclipses in the Soul but the interposition of some sin 3. Our Union and Communion with God in Christ is by the new Nature through the Spirit it 's only in so far as we are freed from sin Now whatever sin be in the person there 's none in this new Divine Nature the seed of God is pure and undefiled with sin 4. While we are pursuing sin to death there 's no remainders of it that debars us from Communion with God according to the Covenant of Grace None were cut off of old from the congregation for being defiled that did not neglect the appointed Purifications Hear the rule of our acceptance with God and of continued Communion with him If ye through the Spirit do mortifie c. Finally the Christian that makes conscience of Mortification is helped in his work by his Union and Communion with God in Christ there 's some Union necessary to the taking away of sin and there is some that is the reward of Mortification Our Lord took not his Church to be one with him to be his Spouse because she was pure but that he might make her so Ephes 5.25 26 27. In a word we cannot have full nor immediate Union and Communion with God till we be like the Angels in Heaven nay till we be like God which is the highest description of Heaven 6. Ponder the weight of the first word of the Verse If ye live c. Compare with Col. 3.6 which shews the necessity of it Finally Consider the necessity of it in order to Eternal life Ye shall live Compare the Text with Col. 3.4 5. Mortifie therefore c. In the fourth place we should consider what is the Spirits work in Mortification Of this a word only I Answer 1. The Spirit discovers sin sin is the fruit of Ignorance Acts 26.18 Satans Kingdom is a Kingdom of darkness Sin reigns by Deceit it entices James 1.14 There the Apostle speaks not of outward Objects allureing Now the Spirits Light makes sin manifest Gal. 5.18 19. It discovers that to be sin which the light of Nature never charged a man with John 16.8 1 John 2.20 Now discover sin once and you ruine it it cannot abide the light this sets a man a-work to War with it and destroy it 2. The Spirit affects with shame and sorrow for sin it lets the Soul see sin not only in the glass of the Law but of the Gospel as it is against Christ and the love of God and this imbitters it and raises the heart against it The Soul cannot endure that that which was the death of Christ should live in it Zech. 12.10 The Spirit also lets a man see sin practising and warring against his Soul plotting and acting against his life and so true self-love sets a man to seek its death 1 Pet. 2.11 yea and lets him taste so much bitterness in it and gives such experimental knowledg of the malignant nature of it that makes a man weary of it and seek to extirpate it 3. The New Nature which is born of the Spirit cannot bear it the Spirit hence is said to lust against the flesh there 's a contrariety between them that like Fire and Water in the Cloud make a thunder in the Soul the man that wants the Spirit has no principle in him that opposes sin as sin or that seeks the death of sin 4. By the Spirit we are united to Christ and by vertue of this Union with Christ we are enabled to overcome sin we thereby receive strength and supplies of Grace and are made conformable to him we are crucified with him and die with him and rise with him Gal. 6.14 The Soul sees not only a Pattern of Holiness and mortification to sin in Christ but is made partaker of the same holiness that is in Christ and so has the same abhorrence of sin and the nearer it be to the Soul the Lord Jesus had no sin in his person the more it loaths it That which put him on destroying the works of the Devil prompts them to seek the destruction of sin 5. The Spirit promotes Mortification by actuating assisting and strengthning Grace in us the Spirit excites the exercise of Grace Now says Paul If ye walk after the Spirit ye shall not c. Gal. 5.16 Compare it with John 7.38 The exercise of Grace engages the Spirit to assist his own work and this he will do if not grieved And thus the Spirit does not only hinder the fulfilling or bringing forth the lusts of the flesh but also marrs the conception of them the Spirit by filling with the fruits of holiness and righteousness leaves no room for the works of the flesh Gal. 5.19 21. Phil. 1.11 2 Pet. 1.9 Now these Acts of holiness c. the Apostle calls the fruits of the Spirit for these the Spirit excites and produces not by moral means only but by an internal immediate effectual work for which end especially he dwells in them viz. to cherish his own work and to excite the actings of Grace as in the old Creation the Spirit moved upon the waters c. and they brought forth living creatures so does he move upon the New Creature in the Soul and it brings forth fruits which for this reason I say are called the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.19 The Spirit draws forth godly sorrow and that is like poison to sin the Spirit draws forth Acts
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.
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
they cry Crucifie him and spit in his face The mortified man is peremptorily about nothing here he trembles at such a word as give me children ere then I die nay Children or no Children Riches or no Riches that 's well or when one loves rejoyces weeps as if not c. 2. The heart goes slowly and faintly out after Creatures if any thing work upon the mortified man it affects him not much Acts 20.24 Peter will not have the Saints burning quick strange to them 1 Pet. 4.12 Psalm 131.2 as a weaned Child Grace makes the heart move leisurely to all things beneath God A mortified man is as a Sea that hath no winds that ebbs not and flows not Psalm 62.2 He only is my Rock I shall not be greatly moved The mortified man sings and is not light and weeps and is not sad is zealous in Gods cause and yet composed in spirit he is not so eager on any thing but he can quit it for God Ah! few can act but they over-act There 's often in young Converts too great and fervent out-goings of the Soul even after spiritual created Comsorts this is some way childish Mortification is a gracious well-composed grave temper of Soul as for God the man weeps as if he weeped c. the Soul goes forth in its full strength 3. The actings of the mortified man in reference to the Creatures are in some sense no actings rejoycing c. is as no rejoycing things here are but shadows and pictures of being God only is therefore our affections should be but affections Psalm 35.12 They speak mischievous things ver 13 But I as a deaf man heard not Psalm 39.9 I was dumb c. Eccl. 2.8 he cannot find in his heart to sing and dance at shadows Grace longs at nothing it shouts admires wonders at nothing it weeps also at nothing The mortified man he is dead he is crucified with Christ pleasant sights and sounds work not upon him Now for you in whom sin lives and reigns we have but heavy tidings to tell you The Text layes a heavy burthen upon you if it was the Gospel that Paul preached this Gospel condemns you you are dead while alive your right-eye that you will not pluck out and your right-hand that you will not cut off shall be the chief seat of your pain there shall the fire begin and never cease burning and these shall be as fewel to burn the whole body Out of these shall the worm that never dies grow And for you Christians that are slack and negligent and not strenuous and successful in this work of Mortification you mar your own mercies it 's this that renders you uncapable of Divine Comforts and it 's this that multiplies your sorrows you may be first in profession in knowledg and gifts in doing of works of holiness and righteousness and first and chief in sufferings for the Gospel and yet be last in Gods reckoning and least in the Kingdom of heaven above thou mayst with much difficulty get through the Needles-eye and through the strait-gate but thou losest thy hundredfold here and for any thing thou knowest puts everlasting life to a venture you mar and blur this great evidence for Heaven in the Text you cannot read your name in the Promise If sin be not your death yet it blackens lames cripples and wounds you and keeps you weak and your Soul always a bleeding any unmortified sin marrs your freedom with God it 's like a weight upon the Soul that thou cannot run thy Race Heb. 12.1 2. Or it 's like a thorn in the foot it 's like a Wound in the working-hand it leaves a print upon every Duty any unmortified lust brings on deadness and formality and Duties are rather Ornaments than meat and drink to the man Or upon the bearing shoulder It is hence that some real Christians bear afflictions with more trouble and impatience than some others afflictions wound our Idols and these are as pieces of our selves they are like Davids forked arrows stuck into our right-hand or right-eye we have a quick sense of these God would have us pluck out the eye and let all go or cut off the arm and we should not feel the arrow but we pluck at the arrow and tear our flesh What is it but our loathness to let our Idols go that makes affliction bitter It 's not poverty or want of Estates Trading Relations that in themselves afflict for we see many contentedly want these but it 's our unmortified corruptions our inordinate love and desire of these this in less or more is common to some godly with others 2. The holy Lord doth by afflictions often bring forth mens secret unmortified lusts and writes them on their foreheads Ezek. 16.36 37. Sometimes by the kind of their afflictions sometimes by their carriage under it But 3. There is besides this in the Believer a quicker sense and apprehension of Gods anger than in others and this makes afflictions sit the sorer to them Hence comes such Complaints as Lam. 3.1 This by-standers do not consider but observing their trouble think it comes from the same cause that the trouble of others proceeds from Ah! it s our short-comings in Mortification that makes men confound us with others that darkens our difference from the World in every state of life we are in If under wants we are perplexed and thoughtful as others if we abound we are vain and frothy and proud and supercilious as others This is the bane of many Professors for this the Name of God is spoke ill of for this the imputed Righteousness of Christ is reproached for this the Spirit in his in-dwelling and workings is reproached by the Rabsheka's of the time for this Free-grace and Gospel-faith are reviled did we not put this sword in our Enemies hand they should have no Weapon wherewith to fight against Truth or us this may indeed wound us though it wound not Truth Reproach hath broken my heart saith David it would not have done so had he not given occasion for it Our works does not justifie our Faith the fruits of the Spirit are not manifest as the fruits of the flesh are our deeds are not so different from others as our principles and profession are different from theirs Yet something I must say for the encouragement of such as are sensible of their defects and short-comings in Mortification 1. I must offer you Pauls Relief Rom. 7.25 for however successful he was yet the encouragement is such as may serve every Soul that does heartily fight the Battels of the Lord though not so successively the poor Believer is often crying out as Elisha's servant Master What shall we do But were our eyes open we should see more for us than against us the Father the Son and the Spirit are engaged too through this blessed Work ye have right to the same aid if ye will but use it that Christ had in his contest with and
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
I do not say that the Lord would have the Believer content to lie under the impressions of wrath much less content to be damned but he would have the man lie at his feet under chese and bear witness to his holy Justice when under outward or inward troubles Now the more spiritual mens sins be and the more refined these lusts are they are the more provoking 2. As the sins of Believers are in some respect more exceeding sinful than the sins of others so the more grace one have his sin is proportionably aggravated Moses suffers more for a word than many others for deeds 3. As afflictions are Covenant-mercies and fruits of fatherly affections to all the children of God so the more dutiful any child of God be the greater may his Corrections be when he does fault and so God is most gracious to him yet the more a man tolerate any sin if he be not more afflicted than others there 's at least more anger in his afflictions which is the soul and spirit of afflictions or the more spiritual are his punishments Finally The reason why some eminently godly are under many outward afflictions may be because they have some time or other may be dishonoured God by some publick sin whether before or after conversion and as they are provoking to God and scandalous to others so he manifests greater severity on such this is plain in Davids case so that it 's still some unmortified sin that brings on trouble A second prejudice that comes by the prevalency of any Corruption it keeps the Soul lean and low and makes it a Cripple in Duties it not only mar◠Confidence and Chearfulness in Duties but diligence and activity also for these may be separated yea it insensibly hardens the heart What a fearful security and stupidity brought on sin upon David Where was Davids tenderness now when he can plot Vriahs death it's as sickness to the Soul for sin is the Souls disease that does enervate its strength and make it languish What is said of whoredom and wine is true of every sin they take away the heart yea and the hand too the man as he is like a silly Dove without heart he cannot behave himself a right in Gods presence so he cannot speed at Gods work for he works cum laesis facultalibus his foul hands blackens holy Duties his fingers drop much sin upon them the old man leaves the print of his heels upon them O what is it that keeps you out of Heaven at least from seeing it afar off it's some sin that besets you and hinders your motion Heaven-ward how few paces have you advanced for these many days Heb. 12.1 2 Whence is it that you see not so much as the top of the Towers of the new Jerusalem How come many that did begin after you yet to get before you some weight presses you down some corrupt affection like a long-garment entangles you or you stumble and fall often in the way It is not so much external Duties as the secret exercise of Mortification that keeps grace lively and when this is neglected and any sin prevails Grace withers and often the Lord blasts a mans gifts also or if gifts be intire they are left for a share as Eccles 2.9 It was Solomons snare that when he was pursuing vanity My wisdom remained with me says he It is the Curse of many this day and that which hardens them in their ill way that their Gifts and Learning rémain with them 3. Think what loss of Communion with God you sustain by your Idol or your unmortified corruption Sampsons Delilah cost him his two Eyes his Liberty and at length his Life But the departing of the Spirit of the Lord was the saddest of all by letting the king of your lusts live as Saul did Agag you hazard your Crown of Glory at least you have little of Heaven upon Earth Tell me Christian when was you last in Heaven it may be not for many days and know you not what keeps you out It 's a sad word Ezek. 14.5 They are all estranged from me through their idols Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betwixt you and God and your sins have hid his face from you yea and often-times prevailing-sin does blot out the impression and sometimes the remembrance of that solacing sweetness that the Soul had in his Company begets some satisfaction in this dreadful state of distance from God thy Idols of Jealousie separate thee from thy chief Friend by this means thou wears out thy intimacy if not thy Acquaintance may be thou makest not a visit to Heaven in many days and if the Lord at any time come to thee thou art not at leisure but busied entertaining thy Idols Ah! have you no sense of these things I need not tell you what 's the mournful moan and ruful complaint of many Souls Ah! it was well with me till such a time O how many good days had I what a Heaven upon Earth had I what Communion with God in Prayer in the Lords Supper and other Ordinances till I did begin to dally with such an Idol till such a Corruption began to get power of me but since thou intermitted the vigorous exercise of Mortification where are thy Trophies and Triumphs where are thy Bethels thy Penuels thy Eben-ezers And it 's well for thee if ever thou recover this Distance from God and indisposition to Duty grows more in one day than thou canst make up or wear out in many I doubt if ever Davids bones were as sound as before if ever he had such Joy and gladness in Gods Company in the Sanctuary or elsewhere as before or that ever God appeared to Solomon as he had done twice before his fall I doubt the holy Lord deals with many of his people in this life as he did with the Levites Ezek 14.44 who had gone astray from him after their Idols they were to be keepers of the charge of the House for the service thereof as keeping the Gates and slaying the Sacrifices but they shall bear their iniquity and they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a Priest unto me nor come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place c. See ver 11.12 13 14 He will not put thee out of doors yet may never let thee come where thou hast been and never set thee so high on this side of Eternity 4. Any Idol or unmortified lust will clip the wings of Prayer and intercept the return of it Isa 59.1 2 The Lords hand is not shortned nor his ear heavy c. But c. Ezek. 14.3 4 and 20 31 As I live saith the Lord I will not be enquired c. Psalm 66.18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me the man that has his Idols set up in his heart he grieves the Spirit who helps our infirmities in Prayer c. if he has any pleasure
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
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
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