lastly which may evidence it and it is when one can upon suitable and convenient occasions of acting such a predominant sin have their lust set on fire and endeavour to act it they may question the reality of their Mortification I know the great bond which restraineth many from the acting of their predominant lust is not the apprehension of the holiness of God but the want of secrecy O! but if we had secrecy we would not mourn much for these sins which we commit in secret neither would we be much in desisting from the acting of these things unto which our lust doth lead us It was certainly a commendable practice of one who being tempted unto the sin of uncleanness did condescend to satisfie the desire of one that did pursue her upon this condition that he would bring her unto a place where nothing should behold her which he attempting to do and bringing her to the most retired imaginable place she then most piously uttered forth these words doth not God behold us which words had influence upon him to whom they were spoken that he desisted from further prosecuting such woful and carnal designs O! but the apprehension of the omniscience of God would keep us much to the crucifying of our most predominant lust We shall shut up our discourse at this time only we shall say a little unto those who are guilty of that predominant lust of Covetousness which we conceive is not only a predominant lust but an universal lust Sin is an universal King over the most absolute Monarch and over every one that sits upon the dung-hill And we conceive that covetousness is one of Sins greatest Princes acting under this absolute Monarch and having manyest subjects And we would only propose these things by which you may be helped to mortifie such a lust and idol O! meditate much upon the disadvantages attending this idol of covetousness we conceive the disadvantages thereof are clearly pointed forth 1 Tim 6. 9. 10 where the Apostle Paul enumerateth four disadvantages of that sin of covetousnesse 1. That it is that which maketh people erre from the faith 2. It drowneth them in destruction and perdition 3. It is the root of all evil And lastly It pierceth them through with many sorrowes And for those whose god is the world we would only propose this consideration to them which we conceive hath most influence upon such be perswaded of this that covetousnesse will abbreviat and shorten your life as is clear Iam. 5. 3. where this is one property of this idol of covetousness that it shall eat up your flesh as it were fire It is not an unsensible cutting short of your life but most sensibly it will abbreviat and bring you in the midst of your dayes to your long and everlasting home And there is this disadvantage of it also that covetousness is that sin which doth most directly commit a breach of the first command Thou shalt have no other gods before me as is clear Col. 3. 5. where this sin of covetousnesse is called Idolatry and covetousness which is Idolatry And certainly what are those things that you pursue after but white and yellow dust and glistering clay the excellency of which we conceive doth consist as much in the estimation of men in the rarity of these things as in any intrinsical and internal worth and excellency And how contemptible a thing riches and the world is doth not this speak it that when there is abundance of these things they become contemptible as is clear from that word that Solomon made silver as stones in the streets of Ierusalem which doth not only speak out this the abundance of these things in his dayes but likewayes it speaketh forth this that abundance of these things maketh them contemptible and moveth us to undervalue them And that which Solomon hath Prov. 23. 5. Why settest thou thy heart on that which is not for riches take to themselves wings and flee away e're long the world shall either leave you or you shall leave the world Now we shall desire to shut up our discourse with this that ye would seriously intend the mortification of your lusts and that ye would be much in the imployment of the spirit of Christ Christ hath killed the damning power of sin and hath promised to us the Spirit of Mortification by which we may kill the dominion of sin And certainly a Christian ought to act so in dependance upon the Spirit of Christ as if they were meer patients and instruments under his hand but with all we conceive that in respect of activity and endeavours a Christian ought to act so as if he acted independently from him and did act all himself but withall in respect of self-denial he ought so to act as if he acted nothing at all but the Spirit acted alone in him and therefore should cry forth after he hath done all that he is but an unprofitable servant O! that ye would be perswaded seriously to ponder and ballance these things that except ye be the ruine of your iniquities iniquity shall certainly be your ruine and ye know not how long it is unto that day when that decree shall be past in heaven against you they are joyned to their Idols let them alone I shall only say that word which Iohn hath in his 1 Epistle 5. last Little children keep your selves from Idols SERMON VI. Gal. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts IT is an unchangeable and unalterable decrce of heaven which cannot be repealed that the wages of sin is death and that which a man soweth that shall be also reap Though we conceive there are many that are possessed with this imaginary delusion that though they adde drunkennesse to thirst and do daily taste of that forbidden fruit yet at last they shall obtain a place to walk in amongst those that stand by They conceive that there is a possible union of pure Religion and undefiled and the want of Mortification though we think that religion without mortification is nothing else but the mortification of religion and the crucifying of Christ afresh Are there not many here who in stead of traveling in birth untill Christ be formed in them are traveling in birth till they bring forth iniquity and till the Image of that old man be fully framed in them Now there is this that we would have you know and wish that it were engraven upon the fleshly tables of your heart as with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond that there are two Tribunals upon which God doth sit to judge there is a Tribunal of Justice where all the sentences past are pure unmixed wrath without all temperament or mixture of mercy And before this Tribunal all flesh must once appear and receive that dreadful sentence of eternal separation from the Majesty of the Lord and if you do well you must say Amen unto the equity
thing then the most part of us do imagine it to be And we confesse it is a difficulty even to attain that length of endeavour in mortification which the natural man by these things which we have spoken may attain to But for the difference betwixt their debates the first is this that a natural and unregenerat man doth mainly wrestle against these sins that are outward and more grosse and not so much against those sins that are inward and falls not under the eye of man we do not deny but a natural man may wrestle against vain thoughts and have some small opposition against the stirring of corruption within his own bosome but we conceive that there are these two secret sins which a natural man is not at all taken up in wrestling against at least very little viz. his original corruption and his unbelief whereas one that is really godly is much taken up in bearing down these Paul is here taken up in wrestling against his original sin and David Ps. 51. 5. compared with ver 2. and 7. is likewise taken up in wrestling against it and that good man that is recorded in the Gospel who cryed forth Lord I believe help my unbelief was much taken up in wrestling against his unbelief and David Ps. 77. from the beginning to the I0 verse and forward and certainly one that never was taken up in wrestling against these two at least in some small measure and degree he may hesitate much whether or not he was ever seriously engaged in this holy warfare O! but if many that passe under the notion of Professors were posed when they did enter into the lists with original corruption there are many who without breach of truth might say they never knew what it was to contend against it And this certainly speaks forth much of our ignorance of original guilt And believe me there is more difformity unto the Image of God in original sin then in a thousand actual outbreakings And it is but in vain for a Christian to attempt the mortification and cutting off of branches till once he study to pluck up the root which doth bear wormwood and gall A second difference is this a natural man wrestleth against his corruptions rather because they bring him under the stroak of the justice of God than because they are contrary to the holinesse of God Hence is it that the most part of a natural mans wrestling is when he is under affliction somewhat of which is pointed out Ps. 78. 34 35. Now this difference is clear in Ioseph and Paul who made the holinesse of God the great topicks and common place whence they did produce all their arguments for contradicting sin as Paul in this Chapter and Ioseph in that precious sentence Shall I do this and sin against God but Cain who was a man cut off from the right hand of the Lord had another principle of contradicting and wrestling against his lusts My punishment is greater then I can bear Gen. 4. 13. And hence is it that a natural man doth never oppose sin as it is a cause to interrupt fellowship and communion with God or from that divine principle of Christs love constraining him O! but the principle of a natural man wrestling against corruption be selfish and low and if there were not a hell and a place of torment natural men would take a latitude to themselves not to mortifie sin But sure it argues a divine and heroick spirit and most suteable to them who have Christ in them their hope of glory that though there were neither any regard or remuneration of their obedience neither any punishment of their disobedience yet simple desire to please God and not to profane his holinsse which he loveth doth tye them to obedience I may confidently say that these who never knew what it was to have that threefold cord and that precious triple chain binding them to obedience and inducing them to mortifie their lusts to wit the holinesse of God the fear to interrupt communion and fellowship with him and the love of Christ they may question whether or not ever they were seriously engaged in this holy warfare But withall we do not deny but the fear of punishment is likewise a most divine principle of mortification in its own place but except there be somewhat higher it is not to build upon The third difference is this that a natural man studieth more to restrain sin then to mortifie it for he is a man that resteth satisfied with the restraint of the actings of sin though there be no mortification of that vicious inclination which is in the man this is clear in Haman Esth. 3. 5. in Saul 1 Sam 24. 16 17. and following verses compared with 1 Sam. 26. 2. and in the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23. 25. But the mortification that the Gospel requireth quireth is of a higher nature Gal. 5. 24. where we are commanded to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts not only to restrain the acts but to mortifie the habits we confesse it is a difficulty to determine the difference betwixt the restraint of sin and mortifying of sin and this maketh it the more difficult that sins which are really mortified sometimes a Christian may be overtaken to commit which I conceive seldome or never holds of sins that are more gross but holds oft-times of sins that are of a lower nature and degree Yet these things may a little point forth the difference first a Christian who hath sin mortified is filled with much divine joy and satisfaction in the mortifying of it which we conceive partly doth proceed from this that a Christian when he is honoured to mortifie a lust he ordinarily then receives the intimation of his peace and interest in God in a more lively and spiritual way And secondly because at that time also he doth receive much precious and sweet communion with God his soul then is in life somewhat of this is pointed out to us Rom. 8. 13. and Rom. 7. 24. compared with vers 25. Thirdly the difference may be known by this that when a man hath been much in the exercise of fasting and prayer for the mortifying of such a lust and idol and hath not attained to this with great facility there is great appearance that upon the desisting of tentation and the actings of his spirit to commit such a thing such a lust is mortified and not restrained only there is somewhat of this pointed forth Matth. 17. 20 21. where it is said that power of casting out of devils goeth not forth but by fasting and prayer We conceive the place is principally to be understood concerning the faith of miracles though by proportion and analogy it may hold of sanctifying faith O! our lusts in these dayes do rather go out then are cast out they rather die to us then we to them Fourthly the frame of spirit which we have after mortifying of a lust may let us see
of sin but to desist also from the first motions and lusts of sin There is this lastly a Christian would be much in the exercise of prayer for that spirit who convinceth the world of sin that what you do not know as of your selves he who is the great convincer of the world may imprint those convictions upon your souls which may make you sit down and bewail your selves in the bitternesse of your spirit And we shall at this time shut up our discourse only we would say to these who are entertaining this holy warfare against their corruptions that they would not be much discouraged though they see not sensible victory you must know that sin must be with you while you have a being we may certainly allude unto that word Dan. 7. 12. and may say that the dominion of your sins shall be taken a way though their lives shall be prolonged for a time and for a season As likewayes we would say this for your encouragment who have your corruptions stirring most within you that ordinarily Sathan when he is in the way to remove then stirreth and acteth most as it is observed that the last beating of the pulse in a dying man is most strong so the beating of corruption when it is going to be cast out may be most violent And we shall only give the reason why Christians are not much affected with this that the day is coming when once they shall prevail over their corruptions and shall tread Sathan under their feet why the feet of those who bring such glad tyding are not beautiful upon the mountains And we conceive that it doth either proceed from this that Christians are not seriously engaged in this holy warfare for that is most certain that if you were fighting day by day then the hope of victory and of a blessed issue would be as glad tyding from a far country and should be as cold water unto a thirsty soul that though your hope were deferred untill your hearts were sick yet the accomplishment of your desires should be sweet to your souls or else it doth proceed from this that Christians do not believe this truth that there is an issue and period of their fight if once you could be brought this length to seal this truth that that victory shall be once heard in heaven Speak comfortably to Ierusalem for her warfare is accomplished if we may allude unto these words or if a Christian be seriously debating with his lusts and hath also the faith of this truth in some measure then it doth proceed lastly from this want of the distinct perswasions of our interest and want of the assurance of our peace with him for as long as a Christian is under debate concerning his eternal rest he cannot be much affected with joy under the declaration of these means that there is a period of their fight and that they who have been made partakers of the first resurrection over them the second death shall have no power O! what a blessed day suppose ye shall that be when your feet shall stand within the gate of the new Jerusalem when you shall receive these two precious badges and eternal trophies of your victory a crown put upon your head of infinit more value than all material crowns and a palm put in your hand We conceive it is impossible to determine what joy will accrue to a Christian upon the reflect thoughts of this that he hath trode Sathan under his feet and hath bruised the head of him who hath so oft bruised his heel And as for those who are strangers as the most part of us are unto this spiritual warfare be convinced of this that within threescore and fewer years God shall enter into an eternal warfare with you where there shall be no cessation of armes neither shall there be any interruption It is better to fight with your lusts than to fight with a living and eternal God when he shall declare himself to be your opposite and enemy Man once was made perfect but he did find out many inventions and amongst all those inventions he found that accursed one how there might be a separation betwixt him and the living God and except He whose name is Prudence and hath found out the knowledge of many witty inventions had found out that precious invention of reconciling sinners unto God we should have been Magor Missabib terrors to our selves O! that you might be perswaded once to contend with your lusts that ye may endure the heat of the day and the cold of the night in wrestling against sin know this that sin goeth not out but by fasting and prayer it is so straitly united unto us it is easier for a camel to passe thorow the eye of a needle than for many of us to mortifie our corruptions We shall shut up all that we would say in this one word be perswaded of this that the day is approaching and near at hand when our blessed Lord Iesus shall come with ten thousands of his Saints what if this were the day O unmortified sinners that ye should behold that white Throne Fixed in the clouds and ye should have a summons given into your hands without continuation of dayes to appear before his Tribunal What could ye answer when ye are reproved Would not silence and confession be your best desence Certainly there is an eternal curse to be pronunced against those who do not exercise themselves unto this precious act of Godlinesse of crucifying the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof There is a law of death over your head and there is a law of sin which is within your hearts and ye shall be eternally subjects unto these two Laws except the Law of the spirit of life do make you free SERMON V. Gal. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts THe walk of a Christian who hath Christ in him the hope of glory is most sublime and it being from spiritual principles for spiritual ends is also according to a spiritual rule The walk of a Christian is from faith and love in Iesus Christ as that predominant principle nay more from the spirit of Christ living in the soul of a Christian by faith and dwelling in it by love which is that primum mobile and first wheel of all its motions as likewise it is for a spiritual end it being for the glory of God and to subordinate unto this their own salvation and advantage they are not like Ephraim empty vines bringing forth fruit unto themselves but it is their design to make Christ all and themselves nothing though it be natural unto a man to deifie himself and to make himself the first Alpha of his actings and the last Omega of all his performances as likewise it is according to a spiritual rule it being conformed unto that precious word of life which is perfect in it self and leadeth man unto perfection But this
is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation that we love to take such a liberty to our selves and such a latitude in our way and walk to heaven There is much fear and complaint amongst many for the losse of their civil liberties and that they are detained captives in their own land by the hand of straingers but there is a captivity and bondage that is lesse lamented and yet more intolerable and that is the bondage of sin and iniquity that though we should expire and spend seventy years which is one of the utmost lines of our life under this captivity yet we should not cry forth Return our captivity as the rivers of the south Are there not many amongst us who ly with as much contentment under the bonds of their sin and fetters of their iniquity as if they were chains of Gold and ornaments of fine gold Mortification is a mystery unto our practice That which was a paradox to Saul that a man should find his enemy and yet keep him alive that paradox is often commited in these dayes when we do not study to crucifie the lusts and affections of our hearts I think Christians in these dayes when they reflect upon those unmortified corruptions that are within them must be constrained to cry forth that all their hope doth consist in this that a living dog is better than a dead lyon and that their confidence is terminate upon this that yet they are within this side of eternity We love singularity in opinion but hate singularity in practice though the one no doubt is much more commendable than the other May we not wish for two moneths wherein we may go unto the mountains and bewail our virginity that we have not been espoused unto that precious and excellent one Iesus Christ and that we have not been endeavouring to conform our selves unto his blessed and precious image We confesse this may be a mystery to many every day that they are not eternal monuments of the justice and indignation of God and that somewhat of Cains divinity doth not possesse our hearts that whosoever shall find us shall kill us We would only say this that ye would be as much in the exercise of the mortification of your invisible lusts as ye are in the exercise of the mortification of your visible lusts and iniquities At the last occasion that we spoke upon these words we told you that the second thing that was held forth concerning Mortification was the extent of it that a Christian ought to mortifie not only original corruption but also his predominant lusts and the first motions and occasions unto sin Concerning the mortification of original sin we have spoken somewhat and shall insist no further only we would say this that we laid down this as a conclusion that original sin could not be mortified in its body but only was to be mortified in its members and the ground of this assertion we conceived to be this because it is impossible for a Christian to take up original sin in its body as is clear from Ier. 17. 9. where it is said that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it It is above the reach of any man to fathom and comprehend the deceitfulnesse of his own heart It is a mystery that was never unfolded and as long as we are within time cannot be unfolded We would only say this that a Christian who is convinced of original sin that there is the spawn and seed of every imaginable corruption within him will be much in the magnifying of restraining grace and will sit down and pen a song of praise unto the unsearchable grace of Christ who hath redeemed them I confesse that which makes Christians have so much to do with pardoning grace which was Davids practice 1 Sam. 25. 32. We may call original sin Gad for after it cometh forth a Troup chorus vitiorum a troup of vices it is that fruitful womb that doth alwayes bear Twins And we conceive that Christians who are so called ought to be much in the study of original sin It is a wonder that we walk with such woful contentment to heaven and to that imagined happinesse which we suppose to have can such a delusion as this overtake you that you can reap in joy who never did sew in tears and that you can return bringing sheaves in your bosome who never went forth bearing precious seed we think to climb to heaven by that short ladder of presumption I would say it and wishes that you may consider it we are affraid that there shall be many woful and sad disappointments of many of our hopes and we shall be constrained to reject our confidence we separat those things which God hath conjoyned we either pursue for holinesse without justification or else we pursue for justification without holinesse Now in speaking upon the mortification of predominant lusts which are here called affections because the spirit of a Christian and of any are most strongly united unto these we shall not insist to prove this unto you that it is the duty of a Christian or of any to mortifie their predominant lusts it is clear from Matth 18. 8 9. Where we are commended to pluck out our right eye if it offend us the meaning of which is this that if we had a lust as dear to us as our right eye if it hurt and offend us we should pluck it out and from Mark 9. 45. and 47. and from Coll. 3. 5. where we are commanded to mortifie our inordinat affections Neither shall we insist much upon that distinction of predominant lusts that there are some predominant lusts which are more pure and refined which ordinarily passe under the notion and vail of vertue as pride when it is mixed with prudence in its actings passeth under the vail of generosity and highness of spirit and prodigality when it is not sensual and brutish passeth under the notion of mortification to the world and Sathan in tempting people to the acting of these predominant lusts doth not only study to gain the affections but likewayes studieth to gain our light and our judgement unto the acting of these things There are some predominant lusts which are more grosse the sinfulness of which is more easily discerned and Sathan in tempting people to the acting of these lusts studieth mainly to gain the affection which in so far gaineth the judgement as it sets about to devise and meditate upon the way how such predominant lusts may be effectuat and accomplished O! but the mind of man will plot subtil iniquity and the affection and heart will execute the plottings of the minde with greatest carefulness and sedulity Now that which first we shall speak upon the work of mortification of predominant lusts shall be this what are these disadvantages that a Christian hath by not studying to mortifie and crucifie his predominant lusts but giving way and concession to them to
nothing to make a Christian watch over his own heart so much as this to see that spawn of iniquity which is within him to behold that fruitful mother of iniquity which never was declared barren and never shall be till sin shall be no more within his own There is this fixth advantage a Christian hath by being convinced of original corruption It is that which will keep the soul under the highest estimation of Christ and will make the grace of love to burn most vigorously within a Christian O! but when one shall reflect upon these two the spotlesse holinesse of Christ that absolute purity of that precious Lamb and shall again descend to reflect upon these mysteries of iniquitiy which are within himself it is no wonder that sometimes he be put to use Peters divinity to cry forth Depart from me for I am a sinful man but when he improveth the sight most fully his case is to have his soul transported and as it were in a holy extasie of love toward that precious and matchless One And there is this last advantage that a a Christian hath by being convinced of original sin It is that which putteth a Christian to a holy diffidence in his own strength and maketh him to be much in the employment of the strength of him whose name is Iehovah What is the reason that Christians commit a breach of that first Command so much trusting to their own strength and not making mention of his righteousnesse and laying hold upon his strength even upon his only It is this because we do not dwell under the constant impression of original corruption We conceive it is as great a mystery to mens judgement as it is a mystery to their practice to mortifie it What made Paul so much to cry forth Rom. 7. 18. to disclaim his own ability and ver 23. was it not the conviction of original sin which was within him Now that which we shall secondly speak unto shall be this to presse a little upon you the necessity of the mortification of original sin and we conceive these things point out its necessity first this That all mortification is in vain and as the beating of the air untill once original corruption be mortified What is all your mortification without this it is as it were the lopping off of the branches while the root doth remain intire it is a damning up of the streams while the fountain is still running and no doubt that mortification will easily grow vain you must once mortifie this which is the mother of sin And we would only say this by the way that under correction we conceive that original sin is not nor cannot well be mortified in the body but only is to be mortified in the members that is we must study to mortifie such a part of original sin to mortifie some living lusts which are within us and to be groaning under the rest for we conceive it is hard to take up the whole body of original sin and to make that the subject of mortification or to lament over it There is this secondly which speaks forth the necessity of Mortification of original sin it is that which is an undeniable evidence of a Christian to be taken up in the mortifying of this sin for we conceive it to be impossible for a hypocrite to attain to such a length as to study the real mortification of original corruption It was the practice of these two holy men the Apostle Paul Rom. 7. 24. and of David Psal. 51. 5. where they sit down to lament over the iniquity which was within them And the reason why the mortification of original sin is an undenyable character and evidence of a Christian is not only from this that one that setteth about the mortification of original sin is a Christian that hath most distinct discoveries of himself as likewayes some discoveries of the holinesse and spotlesnesse of God It is hard to be convinced of original sin by the light of nature if at all for to us it is a question if he can be which the Apostle seemeth to intimate Rom. 7. 7. Saying I had not known lust except the Lord had said Thou shalt not covet There is this thirdly which speaks forth the necessity of the mortification of original corruption that all the duties that proceed from a Christian are exceeding defiled and polluted except he endeavour the mortification of this sin for this was a paradox to the Apostle Iames chap. 3. 11. That a fountain at one place shall send forth bitter water and sweet and till the fountain of corruption be removed it is probably to be conceived that all the actings of duty by us shall be exceedingly polluted O! but when original sin lyes without the stroak of a Christians mortification his duties will not ascend with acceptance upon his Altar And there is this fourthly which pleads the necessity of the Mortification of original sin that it is that sin which doth exceedingly war against the grace of God in a Christian would you know why grace is in such a languishing estate it is because of the power of original sin We conceive this that the opposition of original sin to the advancement of grace is more invisible and the opposition of actual corruption unto the actings of grace is more visible and obvious but certainly that which doth intangle a Christian in his walk and maketh him not to ascend as pillars of smoak from this present wildernesse is that original sin this is clear from Rom. 7. 23. and Gal. 5. 17. Where the spirit warreth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit and these two are contrary one to another Now that which thirdly we shall speak upon the mortification of original sin shall be this what is the way how a Christian may be convinced and brought unto the spiritual impression of original sin And certainly we conceive that if a Christian shall exercise himself in these three he may attain to some spiritual convictions of this sin First let him be much in the exercise of self-examination and when he shall reflect upon himself he will behold the invisible motions of iniquity unto every sin that hath been named among the Gentiles who is so great a stranger unto his own heart but if he will reflect upon it may sometimes see the stirrings of unknown almost corruptions which speaketh that aloud to the Christian that there is a fountain and spring within him that would send forth such bitter waters except they were graciously restrained There is this secondly by which a Christian may be brought to the conviction of original sin and it is to be much in the exercise of the study of the spirituality of the law which was the way that Paul attained to the conviction of original sin Rom. 7. It is that compendious cut by which one may behold that holinesse of God who imposeth a command not only to desist from the actings