is not like to hold out long against the outward Arts of Sin when it shall have let in such a Multitude of Enemies and such an Army of lusts have got possession laying close Siege to the Will and almost continually Assaulting and Importuning it to Surrender and give up its consent naturally to be sure it will yield and the Filthiness within abounding grieves the Holy Spirit and provokes him to withdraw his Supernatural Strength and leave it destitute and when Sin and Satan have beaten a Christian out of this Post and overcome the Will which is as the walls to a City the Strength and Fortification of it and its Defence then the day is its own when the walls are won the City is taken so when the Consent of the Will is come over to Sin but a step from the Will to the Deed a quick and an easie passage then for to work out Uncleanness and to fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh For though the Spirit Lusteth against the Flesh and so may disappoint it for once or twice in the sudden motions of the Will for consent as by stirring in the Conscience and awaking it at the Instant when it would have Sinn'd or by denying it opportunity or by presenting some unexpected Let or Remora in the way of Sin yet if the Will remain deliberately in its choice evil Inclination and Disposition to Sin if it can have a fit opportunity opportunity will not ever be wanting nor a Will to Sin when Temptation and Opportunity serve and when once Mens Lusts break forth they are Fruitful and Multiply to the working all Uncleanness with greediness so that unless we mortify our inward Corruption and keep the Heart right or bent of the Will against Sin we lose all Hiâ— labor hoc opus here is the difficulty in thâ— work of Mortification The next thing to be considered is Covetousness an Evil coveting after Riches for measure more than God gives us a greater portion than his Providence deals out to us in our Place and Calling and iâ— they be desired or sought after in an undue manner any way that is in consistent with our Duty to God or Man this Covetousness is tearmed Idolatry Spiritual Idolatry as you read Ezek. 14. 3. Of those that set up their Idols in their Hearts the giving that inward Worship to a Creature which is due to God by loving our Wealth more than God and Godliness fearing the loss of them more than the loss of Gods favour of Christ and of Heaven taking Riches for their chief good and comfort Setting up Wealth for their strong Mountain and Defence against evil and putting their Confidence therein or trusting in the multitude of their Riches seeking them more earnestly or serving not God but the World with all your strength But this is somewhat besides my intended discourse and hath been excellently handled as to the matter by Mr. Richard Allen in his World Conquered or Faiths Victory over the World to which I referr you against the World ¶ I come now to the general Duty contained in the words that all Uncleanness is to be mortifyed God will have the Body of this Sin destroyed and every particular Limb or Member Fornication Inordinate Affection evil Concupiscence Root and Branch none of it must remain unsubdued be stubbed up by the Roots as well as the Boughs lopped off 2 Thes 4. 7. God hath called us not to Vncleanness but to Holiness and he will have us to be clean that so we may be holy that our Bodies be not abused to Fornication because that 1 Cor. 6. 13. The Body is not for Fornication not designed by him that made it for such an use and that our Souls do not resemble the unclean Spirits that they do not enter in and dwell there but that our Souls and Bodies be preserved pure and chast Jud. 28. our inward and outward Man cleansed from all Filthiness Gal. 5. 24. and that we hate even the Garments spotted with the Flesh or Crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and the Lusts thereof The first Argument for Mortification of our Lusts is for to answer the Purity and Holiness of the Christian Religion Our Religion is pure and undefiled in respect cuse us of them Minutius Foelix p. 24. Such infamous filthiness which we do not care to hear and may much less defend As to the Jews their practice did not reach the purity of the Christian Religion Abraham had his Hagar and Issue by her as well as by Sarah his Wife Jacob had his two Wives Leah and Rachel and their handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah Gen. 30. David and Solomon had their many Wives and Concubines and no doubt but they did offend therein though it was not so plainly and undoubtedly evil as it is now in the clear light of the Gospel As to the Turks those whom they call Imailer or Religious Brothers of Love are worse than Beasts in their Lusts sparing neither Women nor Boys they take many Wives according to their Wealth and Quality and the Grand Seigniour his Seraglio full of Virgins for his own use When Malachi ch 2. 14. 15. The Lord hath been witness between thee and the Wife of thy Youth against whom thou hast dealt treacherously yet is she thy Companion and the Wife of thy Covenant and did he not make one One Woman for one Man only Eve for Adam and wherefore one that he might seek a Godly seed an Holy seed or posterity in Gods way and according to Gods Ordinance in its first Institution in Paradise and not according to the depravation and corruption of it afterwards by Poligamy I shall conclude this head with an excellent Relation out of Eusebius his Eccles History lib. 8. c. 14. p. 312. When Maximinus the Emperour governed in the Eastern parts among other effects of his wild and brutish fury and extravagance he filled all places where he came with Adulteries and Ravishments abusing Women and deflowring Virgins which succeeded well enough says the Historian with all others except only Christians who generously despising death made light of the rage and fury of the Tyrant The men underwent all sorts of Punishments which Cruelty could invent the Women bore up with a Courage no less manly and unconquerable and when any were drawn out to be abused they rather submitted their Lives to Death which showes that the Lives of those Primitive Christians was answerable to the preceptive part of their Religion and their practice above all others Second Reason for Mortification of all Uncleanness Because that while our Lusts remain unmortified all our Services will be rejected Isa 1. 13 14. Their 〈…〉 ings were vain Incense an Abominatiâ—â— their Religious days their New-Moons â—â—eir Sabbaths and their appointed Feasts my Soul hateth saith the Lord their religious Assemblies too I cannot away with it is Iniquity even your solemn meeting In the 16 vers Wash you make you clean inwardly clean or as vers 10 implies cleanse
need not mention that Heathen Prince as punished Adultery with the putting out both the eyes of the Offenders and his Son being caught in the Crime he put out one of his own eyes and one of his Sons eyes to satisfie the Law To mention but one instance more of this kind because of Civil and not Ecclesiastical Relation The Emperour Aurelian having found one of his Souldiers to have committed Adultery with his Hostess in his Exercise of Military Discipline he commanded that having bowed down the Heads of two Trees growing nigh together the Souldiers legs should be tyed thereto which being suddenly let go he was torn in two parts the one hanging by the one Tree the other by the other Some of the Brutish Creatures may teach us Discipline and Storks a sort of chast Birds which are accustomed to beat those Storks out of their Number that having a Mate joyn themselves unto another And shall not we Christians separate them from our Communion who defile other Mens Wives And some keeping company with them openly and leaving their own Wives and Husbands for the Adulterous Lover Others keeping their Whores under their Wives Nose Is there no remedy from the Civil nor Ecclesiastick Censures against this lewdness Or is there a lukewarmness and indifferency among the Neighbourhood as unconcerned and not offended at their vile practices Is there no Scandal in these things Are they not a â—oul Spot and Reproach to that Church which suffers them within its Communion Is there any Quaker Anabaptist and Independent who doth not make the Lewdness and Debauchery of some Conformists the chief reason and ground of his Separation Why are our Censurers saith Bishop Tailor Epistle before Lib. of Proph. in Collect. of Disc Polem and Moral so zealous against those we call Schismaticks and Heretick and yet great Friends with Drunkards Fornicators c. Let it be remembered that the Apostle speaks as freely against Communion with Fornicatours and all disorders practical as against Communion with Hereticks in 1 Cor. 5. 11. I am as certain that a Drunkard or Fornicator is as contrary to God and lives as contrary to the Laws of Christianity as an Heretick and I am sure I know what these are but I am not sure such a Perswasion is Heresie or Schism c. and therefore the former are fit Objects for a pious Zeal to contest against It were to be wished also that Parents and Family Governours would do their parts and suffer it not in their Children or Servants to do so wickedly Though they cannot purifie and sanctifie or work Grace in the hearts of those committed to their care yet they may check the first Motions to such evil courses and by their Authority rebuke them sharply and restrain them from such lewd Places and Persons Books Ballads Plays Songs and the like as have any natural tendency to corrupt them and those that are hardned in such Practices and incorrigible they may send them going if Servants and get better in their rooms and if Children not to satisfie themselves in such a faint Reproof as Eli gave his Sons 1 Sam. 2. 22 23 24. Eli being very old heard what his Sons did unto all Israel and how they lay with the women that Assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and he said unto them Why do ye such things for I hear of your evil doings by all this People Nay my Sons for it is no good report that I hear ye make the Lords People to transgress In the Third Chap. and the 13 vers I have told him saith the Lord that I will judge his that is Eli's house for the Iniquity which he knoweth because his Sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not Therefore the Lord expects that Parents should use their Authority and restrain their Children from filthy Speeches c. when young by Correction afterwards by Rebuke and a Sense of their Displeasure at their evil ways and all other good Means which can be used And that every good Christian should shew his Zeal against this wickedness frequently and powerfully reproving it to discountenance the sin that it may be ashamed and confounded and carry it no longer in Vogue and Al-a-mode And to this end O that all manner of Christians would bewail the present guilt of the Nation in a self-abasing self-condemning Humiliation as the Lord calls for in Jer. 3. 13. Onely acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scatiered thy ways to the Strangers c. In Building men use to lay the Foundation low that so the Work may stand firm and sure and so must we lay our selves low before that Majesty which is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity that our Reformation-work may hold it when a sound Humiliation lays the foundation for it that we remembring our way and our doings which have not been good and loathing our sinfull and polluted selves for all our abominations our sins of this king may not be had in remembrance against us as the sins of Manasseh and the Jews were in the days of Josiah 2 King 23. 26 27. even to a decreee to remove Judah into Captivity Though we enjoy as it were another Josiah in our days yet how deep in guilt the preceding Princes were you cannot be ignorant And the Judgments of God declaring against this sin you may discern Amos 4. 11. I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha While our sin was as Sodom and we burned in our Lusts towards one another no wonder if our Punishment was as Sodom upon the great City of the Nation Was not that place Isa 1. 10. Hear the Word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom and ye people of Gomorrha applicable unto us when our Lusts had so prodigiously encreased beyond what was ever known before And last of all O that the few living Names as in the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 4. which have not defiled their Garments or as Rev. 14. 4. which are not defiled with Women and those from whom the Lord hath taken away their filthy Garments as is said of Joshua the High-Priest Zech. 3 4. would inter cede for a sinful and polluted Nation as in Ezek. 36. 25. the Promise runs I will sprinkle you with clean wnter and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness will I cleanse you v. 29. I will also save you from all your uncleanness v. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways c. and shall loath your selves c. For his Names sake that he would do it as in the 22. v. I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine Holy Names sake and for his dear Sons sake Tit. 2. 14. who gave himself for us to redeem us from this and all other iniquity and purifie us unto himself as a peculiar People zealous of good works A Prayer O Most Holy Lord God the Heavens are not clean in thy fight and the purest Seraphims veil their Faces before the transcendent Purity and Splendor of thy Glory how much more may I sinful Creature polluted and unclean be ashamed and blush to lift up my eyes unto thee who canst not behold evil nor look upon Iniquity nor suffer any but the Pure in Heart in thy Sight and Presence Not only my Nature is exceeding vile and corrupt and prone to evil but I have offended the pure Eyes of thy Majesty by the naughtiness of my Heart in a multitude of filthy Imaginations and evil lustings and as Guilty or not Guilty put in or leave out the following words corrupâ— communication actual pollutions and uncleanness multiplied Whoredoms and Adulteries and it is in my Nature yet to sin against thee and to work all Uncleanness with greediness adding sin unto sin until I have filled up the measure of mine Iniquity in an utter hardness and impenitency of Heart But as there is in me a Fountain of Iniquity sending forth evil Thoughts Fornication and Adulteries if thy Grace be not ever present to restrain and prevent it So thou hast opened a Fountain for Sin and Uncleanness the Blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth from all unrighteousness Look upon me in him with distinguishing mercies wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my Sin Make me clean O God purging out every corruption It is thy work to sanctifie and purifie the Heart and to rescue it from the World the Flesh and the Devil to thy Self and thy Service By the mighty Power of thy Grace enable me to do Violence to my corrupt Nature to crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof to reject it's motions resist its temptations and remembring my ways and my doings which have not been good to loath my self for all mine Iniquities and Abominations And Lord grant that I may never betray my Soul to sin by Gluttonny or Drunkenness Ease and Idleness spiritual Pride or any lewd Company but that I may ever escape the Pollutions which are in the World through Lust and Soul and Body be preserved chast and pure to be undefiled Members of Christs Body and Temples fit for the Holy Spirit to dwell in And finally by thy Mercy that may attain that Inheritance which is incorruptible undefiled reserved in Heaven for me through the Merits and Mediation of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen FINIS
us from Adams sin and â— from God and the Holiness of his firâ— estate Crucifying the flesh we read of and Crâ—cified to the World an Allusion to Christs death upon the Cross a painfull and tormenting death and so is Death commonly attended with pain the pains of Death at the last hour and the preceding hours and sometimes days which makes Nature look upon Death with a great deal of horrour and reluctancy And thus corrupt Nature looks upon mortifying the fleshly lusts as a sore evil it puts the flesh to a great deal of pain and misery it afflicts the Body in denying it satisfaction crossing it in its sinful desires its evil lustings and therefore it is compared in Scripture to the plucking out a right Eye to the cutting off a right Hand or a right Foot and casting it from one so difficult is it for a man to deny himself herein in the Mortification of his darling Lust This to mortifie your members c. saith one of the Fathers is the hardest Text in the whole Bible and the hardest Duty in Christianity that we can go about Mortification of sin is the giving a deadly wound to sin to the reigning and commanding power of sin which is the Life of sin subduing the Corruption and wickedness of our Natures the evil Inclinations and dispositions of man in his saln sinful state so that the heart is cleansed and purged from the love of sin sin disabled from lording it and having the dominion over us every unruly Lust overmastered and brought under This is Mortification or the giving a deadly wound to sin even as a man is said to be a dead man when he is mortally wounded or when he is inwardly decayed as to his vital parts or the breaking some principal Vein in the Body albeit in some such cases they have some remainder of life and that may continue sometimes years after or as when the main Body of an Army is routed and beaten out of field or dead upon the place though there may be some striving and strugling or faint resistance from the remainder yet it doth not hinder them from the Victory Even so it is here when the main Body of sin is subdued and beaten out of the Heart of a Christian though there be some Reliquiae or remainders of corruption yet sin is mortified for this mortifying work iâ— not perfect here it doth not root out sin and dispossess it wholly that we should have no sin at all left in us or sin no more and be pure from sin after Mortification For the most righteous man upon the â—acâ— of the Earth hath the seed of sin the rooâ— of evil in him Flesh as well as Spirit aâ— Heart deceitfull and desperately wicked considered naturally in and of it self as well as a new heart and a new spirit formed in Christ Jesus And therefore the unregenerate part hath need to be still mortified lest otherwise it break out into those evils and abominations which we read of in Lot's Drunkenness and Incest Jacob's deceitful dealing with Laban Davia's Murther and Adultery Solomon's Idolatry and Carnality Jonah's great Impatience and Murmuring against God and self-justifying in his so doing Peter's denyal of his Master with Cursing and Swearing too St. Mark 14. 71. Which are sad evidences of the frailty of our Nature and the abiding of sin alter sanctification as Rom. 7. largely proves our indwelling sin to be soliciting and tempting and stirring to evil and we have need of continued Influences of the Spirit to carry on this work of Mortification continually it is not to be only for a time by fits and starts but when we have masterâ—d sin and conquered its temptation at present it will renew its strength and return upon you again like that Monster Hydra's â—ead it will repullulate and find you work or repeating your assaults and reiterating â—our mortifying blows like a conquered Nation which will be labouring still to recover its former power and soveraignty and must be continually kept under with standing Garrisons so sin will be restless and striving still for the mastery taking all occasions to soil us if we do not hold up a constant work killing sin when it is reviving nipping it when in the bud least it sprouâ— and grow up again and bring forth its corrupt fruit But more of this in the Use for Trial of our Mortification Having shown what Mortification is we come next to shew what is meant by Members Piscator says of the Apostle Cupidi tates vocat membra and Mr. Leigh in hiâ— Annotations much the same Lusts some oâ— which he nameth afterwards Dr. Hammond understands it of our inordinate Affections Dr. Preston says by Members iâ— meant Sin or any foul Affection or desirâ— of the Heart when our Affections fix oâ— settle upon an unlawful Object as anotheâ— Man's Possessions another Man's Wife oâ— any acts of Uncleanness as those out of married estate are all unclean any Heathenish or Popish Antichristian Honour and Preferments Or when the Heart is set upon lawfâ— things in an undue measure an immoderatâ— distrustful care of his worldly concernâ— which otherwise were lawful and must bâ— cared for with Faith and Sobriety A Man may take some kind of Pleasure and use some sports Hunting Fishing Hawking Bowling for his Recreation while he hath the command over his Affections but if he be captivated and his heart brought under the power of any as 1 Cor. 6. 12. to love the World to love his lawful Comforts or his Child excessively if his love to any Creature eclipse his Love to God and draw away his Heart from Religion and deaden his joys and delights in God and Duty or be so predominant that a man cannot resign up that Creature that Comfort to God to bear the loss of it it becomes sin and defiles the Man Our Lusts and corrupt Affections are called Members because 1. The whole Corruption of Man's Nature is compared to a Mans Body and called the body of Sin Rom. 6. 6. and the body of Death the latter not only because it was so grievous to the Apostle as that lamentable Exclamation noteth O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. that it was as death is to a natural Man or worse than death to him but a body of death in that sense as we are dead in trespasses and sins being the cursed fruit and effect of spiritual death the remainder of that death and called a body because of its quantity there being a mass an heap of Corruption even in the Saints though it be overpowred by God's Grace and hindered from breaking forth in their Lives in that measure as it doth in the Unregenerate Now every soul Affection is as a Member of this Body every unmortified Lust a limb in this old man of sin 2. Lusts are called Members because they do work in our Members Iam. 4. 1. Whence come wars
work you off from Prayer and you cannot pray against them or no otherwise than St. Austin before his Conversion Domine da castitatem da Continentiam sed non modo Lord give me Chastity give me Continence but not now If people are loth that God should hear their prayers but if they pray really and the heart truly desire what they pray for so long it looks well and no longer or if a man means to make a Truce or Cessation of Arms and Hostility for any time during the heat of Summer or the presence and Company of this or that beloved Body he throws away his Weapons he yields and is overcome and if he live in a continual Peace and League with them and do not recover himself and renew his Spiritual Warfare he is utterly lost and undone for ever Fifth Argument We must Mortify our Lusts or if you will lustful Members according to the literal sence of the words because our Bodies are Members of Christ and this Argument the Holy Ghost urgeth 1 Cor. 6. 15. Know ye not that your bodies are the Members of Christ Shall I then take the Members of Christ and make them Members of an Harlot God forbid I must snew in what sence our Bodies are the Members of Christ and then how that argues for Mortification of our Lusts Christ and Christiâ—ns are one Body one Spiritually as 1 Cor. 6. 17. and Eph. 1. 22 23. Christ is said to be head over all things to his Church which is his Body c. Christ the Head and Fountain of Spiritual Life Sense and Motion and Christians Members of that Body influenced acted and enlivened by one and the self-same Spirit which Christ received without measure or infinitely in perfection that so he might abundantly communicate it to his Members enabling them to mortisie the evil Concupiscence in their hearts and the Lusts of the Flesh that Flesh and Blood or Bodies of Sin which they carry about them Now since there is such a Spiritual Union between Christ and us and we are taken into such a near Relation unto Christ as Members in that Mystical body whereof he is the Head of Influence should not the Members bear a Conformity to their Head If he was pure even to perfection ought not we to resemble him in that Purity by a Mortification of Uncleanness And as it is in the Marriage Office Keep your selves undefiled Members of Christ's body Again Our Bodies are Members of Christ as they are Members of the same Flesh and Blood or bodies of the same kind with that which Christ â—ook upon him in the days of his Flesh as it is expressed Hebr. 5. 7. Chap. 2. 14. For as much then as the Children are partakers of Flesh and Blood he also took part oâ— the same and so exalted our Nature above the nature of Angels by assuming it and uniting it to his Divine Nature He was God-man or God manifest in the Flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. And thus he honoured it in the highest Nature and made it adorable in that Hypostatical Union with the Divine Nature Again He honoured it by the Purity of his immaculate Conception through the power of the Holy Ghost and not after the ordinary manner of men in their fallen and corrupt State by a sinful Generation and by the pure manner of his Birth of a Virgin undefiled and free and pure from men The force of this Argument consists herein If Christ so highly exalted our Nature above that of Angels shall we abase it to the Beasts that perish by living to sense and the sinful cravings of the Flesh Shall we make that Flesh vile by our Lusts and so contemtptible which the Son of God made Venerable by his Incarnation and which is glorified in Christ as in Capite and which we expect hereafter to be made like unto Christ's glorious Body Can we expect this corruptible subject to corruption in the worst sence of the words should put on incorruption unless it put off all its corrupt Lusts before it dyes on this side the grave that so it might be sit for that Inheritance which is incorruptible undefiled c. Sixth Argument for Mortification of our Members or Lusts Because our Bodies are Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God Our Souls and Bodies were Dedicated to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in our Baptism and thereby Consecrated and become Holy even Temples of the Holy Ghost through his gracious presence and Inhabitation But by Lust these Temples are polluted and profaned and become the Habitation of Devils and the hold of every foul Spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hateful Bird as it is prophesied of spiritual Babylon Rev. 18. 2. Conceive we of Mens Lusts flying up and down in their Minds and Imaginations as Birds do in the Air or shut up in their Hearts as Birds are cooped up in a Cage ready to fly out upon opportunity and break loose as the Lusts of Mens hearts are almost upon every Occasion and Temptation You have heard in time of our Domestical Wars of turning Churches into Stables and polluting them but it is to turâ— these Temples of the Holy Ghost into worse than Stables if we prostitute them to our vile lusts You read in Eph. 4. 29 30. a Caution Let no Corrupt Communication proceed out of your Mouth and it follows in the next verse And Grieve not the holy Spirit noting to us that the pure and holy Spirit of God is grieved afflicted and as it were made sad by naughtiness of our discourse thoughts or actions and so provoked to withdraw from us and to leave us The most nasty Kennels or Gutters and Sinks that receive the filth and off scouring of things the very Excrements themselves and the worst dunghils are not such an Annoyance and Offence unto us as our vile Lusts and corrupt Affections are to the Holy Spirit of God these are more loathsom and a greater Abomination unto him than the most stinking unsavoury smells are unto us The last Argument shall be taken from the tremendous Judgments that the Lord hath Denounced and Inflicted on Sinners in this sort Heb. 13. 4. Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge and that severely too punishing them commonly in this World and in the World to come Gen. 6. 2 3. shows you that it had an hand in drowning the World When the Sons of God that is the holy Seed of Seths Race saw the Daughters of Men wicked Men and the Children like the Parents wicked too according to the sence of the words that they were fair they took them to Wives their Lusts within was smitten with the others Beauty and betrayed them to that graceless Match then it soon follows even in the next verse My Spirit shall not always strive with Man and after it The wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and it repented the Lord that he had made Man And the Lord
done against tâ— Marriage-Covenant ceaseth to be a Duâ— then unless it be at the hour of Deatâ— for then none ought to go out of tâ— World with such a Guilt upon their Coâ—science and not confess it and the Trâ—pass Third Help to Repentance Appâ— your self to the Person or chief Persoâ— with whom you have Sinned testifyiâ— your Repentance to them and Exhortiâ— them to Repentance And if you be yâ— weak in your Repentance and Resolutioâ— do not trust your self alone least tâ— Temptation stir and prevail in your pâ—vacy but write your mind which mâ— be more fully delivered in writing thâ— by word of Mouth or Conference or taâ— a Serious person along with you as a wâ—ness of your chast Behaviour and thâ— bespeak your Fellow Sinner as that greâ— example of a Penitent the Lord Rochestâ— did some of his Brethren in Iniquity Reâ—mber all the Evil that you and I have been â—ilty of together and that before it be too â—e that you may come to the like Repentance â—ich by the Grace of God I have given me â— to this effect You may intimate to them â—at you are going to give an Account or â—lled hence to Judgment and as ever they â—pe to find Mercy from the Lord and to â—pear before him with Comfort so that â—ey would break off their Sins by Repenâ—nce How can any one hope for Mercy â—at dyeth in these Sins unrepented of â—d if it be true Repentance it will use â— good means for bringing others to Reâ—ntance as well as bringing Guilt and â—ndemnation upon them by Sinning with â—em Fourthly Call in help from the Prayers â— others thy Minister if he be a discreet â—d Religious Man or any eminent Chriâ—an and take all opportunities of pubâ—k Prayer on the Week-days as well as â—e Lords-day that the Prayers there for â—rdon of Sin and power against Sin â—ay be heard for thee and the Prayers of â—y Relation thy Wife or Husband espeâ—ally may more acceptably intercede as â—gainst whom thou hast offended The first Means for Mortification of our Lust is Abstinence that is a more spariâ— Diet and Fasting much commended aâ— practised upon this account by the Primâ—tive Christians in the hotter Countries â— keep the Body under as St. Paul speaketh â— 1 Cor. 9. 27. to tame the unruliness of tâ— Flesh and bring it in subjection to tâ— Spirit And Origen contra Celsum lib. â— p. 264. We in all our Abstinences do â— only to keep under the Body and â— bring it into subjection endeavouring â— mortifie the deeds of the Body to eâ—pel and to extinguish our Members whiâ— are upon Earth Fornication Uncleaâ—ness inordinate Affection and eveâ— evil Concupiscence and Desire Sinâ— the Holy Ghost recommends it in tâ— Word of God 1 Cor. 7. 5. That ye mâ— give your selves to Fasting I need not â— ashamed to mention it though some maâ— take occasion to make it matter of spoâ— and pastime It is not a piece of Romish Sâ— perstition not lying upon the cold grounâ— nor rolling your selves among the Thorâ— or among the Nettles nor Whippinâ— and Scourgings until the Blood comâ— nor eating Fish in Lent that will do tâ— work to humble and subdue Mens Lust I do confess the Abstinence in Lent amoâ— the ancient Christians as that in use noâ— among some Protestants was to a good intent as then the Summer drawing on when Mens Lusts stir most and the Temptation is strongest to humble and afflict both Soul and Body for past sins and as a good Preventive of future to lay up a stock of Prayers beforehand to help us in the time of need and strengthen us in the â—our of Temptation On the contrary high gluttonous feedâ—ng is known to add fuel to this fire to â—ourish and cherish it Jer. 5. 7 8. When â— fed them to the full they then committed Adultery and assembled themselves by troops â—n the Harlots houses They were as fed Horâ—es in the morning every one neighed after his â—eighbours Wife And fulness of Bread you â—nd among the Sins of Sodom that is not â—o be understood of meer Plenty and Abunâ—ance but the abuse of these to Gluttony â—ampering their Bodies that they might â—e strong for their Lusts 2d Means for Mortification or at least â— good Preventive and Preservative from â—s of this kind is Sobriety or Temperance â— to Drink as well as our Meat 1 Pet. 5. 8. â— sober be vigilant for your Adversary the evil goeth about seeking whom he may devour â— make his Prey intimating to us that we be not sober and sober we are not like to be unless we be watchful to keepâ— sober company the Devil is like to havâ— an advantage against us And indeed Drunâ—kenness makes a man fit for any wickedâ—ness or lays him open to all sins that thâ— Devil or lewd Persons tempt them to â— have read of a sad Story that one of thâ— Fathers of the Church had a Son who iâ— his Act of Intemperance defiled his Sisteâ— murthered his Father or Mother who wouâ— have hindered it Considering the Temâ—tations and Opportunities that Men haâ— of sinning in publick houses many of whiâ— drive on a double Trade and deserve moâ— the name of Brothel-houses than Ale-house And those that live by the sins of the Peâ—ple in one sort as Ale-houses that seâ— not for lodging and entertaining Guesâ— Travellers and the like but to uphâ— Drunkenness who matter not how mâ— People drink to excess if they do â— spend their Money largely may very â— be supposed to make little Conscience other sins especially such as are thou to encrease their Trades and bring custâ— to the House as they reckon their naâ—ty Women do Considering the hoâ— Oaths and Curses the Sabbaths profaâ— the great wast of God's Creatures by sotâ—ness and intemperance the many Whâ— doms and Adulteries lying and cheating by false Reckonings and abundance of all sorts of Wickedness committed in such Houses one might expect almost that every stroak of Thunder should tear them down to the ground or every flash of Lightning consume them to Ashes or the Earth open her mouth and swallow them up alive for their wickedness but that there is a great day of Accounts when all these things shall receive the recompense which is meet 3dly The keeping our selves employed in our honest Labour or some good Calling with due diligence therein is a good preventive and preservative against Satans Temptations in this sort and a means to weaken and enfeeble the strength of Lust which is heightned by indulgence to the Body in ease and idleness The poor Horse â—hat fares hard and works hard all the Week long is not neighing after others â—o game some as the Horse that lives at ease â—nd in full Pastures Idleness was one of â—he sins of Sodom as Ezek. 16. 49. Abunâ—ance of Idleness was in her and in her Daughâ—ers and she abounded in Lewdness and is â—nfamous for it Idle Persons you know are â—ll for their
been ensnared and captivated and ruined Soul and Body for ever This hath been the undoing of thousands and hath made them a grief to their Father and a shame to her that bore them Christians are out of Gods way and consequently out of Gods Protection while they are in such bad Company fall they may and that foully too And many a Young Maiden or Young Woman more innocently minded by the temptations and continued solicitations of lewd Persons whose Company they delighted in have been robbed of Modesty and Chastity at once And when once they have transgress'd they have thought there was no other way of saving their Credit but by multiplying their Whoredoms in a promiscuous Concubitus whereby they think to hide their shame from the World as if they had not sinned after the way of an Adulterous Woman that wipeth her mouth and saith I have done none ill And thus it comes to pass that those who at first had some modesty in sinning and sense of shame in so doing and were fain as it were to offer Violence to their bashfulness yet in time come to grow bold in sin and from being tempted fall to tempting and soliciting others and make a trade of sin sinning their souls into desparation or an utter hardness and impenitency of Heart Improve all the Ordinances of God to this end to the Mortification of your Lusts I shall begin with Baptism You know we are all born in sin polluted and unclean as Job 25 4. How can he be clean that is born of a Woman Ch. 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean But Baptism is an Ordinance for washing and cleansing us Souls and Bodies from this natural pollution and defilement by sin Christ is said Eph. 5. 26. to cleanse his Church by the washing of Water c. that is by Baptism and the Blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth from all sin St. John 1 Ep. 7 vers latter part of the Verse As Water applyed to the Body is of a cleanâ—sing nature to wash away Spots and Stains so the Blood of Christ signified by the Water in Baptism this Blood of Christ in its spiritual and gracious Effects is of great power and efficacy for cleansing the Soul â—rom Sin And if Naamans washing in Jorâ—dan because it was Gods own Command was blessed to the curing and cleansing him from his Leprosie how much more â—hall the Blood of Christ the eternal Son of God and as Zech. 13. 1. the Fountain openâ—d for sin and uncleanness who through the â—ternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God I say this Blood of Christ through the Power of God working with it in his Ordinance purge our Hearts and Consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. and that Service out of a pure Heart Then there is as hath been shewed a power in Baptism towards the washing away of sin and cleansing the Soul from sin 1. To washing away the Guilt or Stain that Sin leaves behind it upon the Soul even for a long time after the Commission of it Acts 2. 38. Repent and be Baptizeâ— every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the Remission of sins Now whensoever any true Penitent labours under the sensâ— of his sins past and finds the guilt lyâ— heavy upon his Conscience or his paâ— sins returning upon him though he be dilâ—gent in the use of the means of Grace anâ— walk with God rather better than before let him know it is a sign that his past siâ— of this kind remain unpardoned anâ— that there yet lacks that particular Râ—pentance and humiliation for those sinâ— though they were committed a lonâ—time ago and sueing out Pardon througâ— the Blood of Christ and the Improvement of our Baptism to that â—ffect whicâ— is Gods Ordinance for washing away of siâ— as Acts 22. 16. said to Paul Arise aâ— be baptized and wash away thy sins Baptism signifying and sealing the Pardon of their sins to those that truly repent Every Ordinance of God hath a greater blessing working along with it than every thing that is not an Ordinance Mr. Calvin excellently improves this Notion in his Institutions in the Part de Baptismo S. 3. Quocunque Baptizemur tempore nos semel in omnem vitam ablui purgari Itaque quoties lapsi fuerimus repetenda erit Baptismi memoria Puritas enim Christi meo oblata est jis tantam qui sub peccatis suis fatigati desolati gemunt ne in desperationem ruant To remember the washing away our sins Now the efficacy of Baptism is not to be tied only to Baptism to keep us from despair for sin in troubles of Conscience in the very instant of Baptism but may be of force afterwards At what time soever a Sinner repenteth of his sins in general and after of any sin in particular that he should find his sins done away through the Blood of Christ and the comfortable sense of Gods Mercy pardoning him sealed unto him in Baptism conditionally upon his Repentance Pardon being conjoyned with Repentance as Acts 3. 19. Repent that your sins may be bloted out with Luke 24. 47. So that the Blood of Christ with Peacâ— and Pardon by it is never applyed to anâ— in their sin but upon their Repentancâ— and Purification from Sin And so as to the power in Baptism tâ— cleanse from the filth of Sin This may bâ— of some force and use afterwards noâ— only monitory to us that as we were washed in Baptism which we know is an Ordinance for cleansing from sin so wâ— should keep our selves Souls and Bodies pure and clean and not return again witâ— the Dog to his Vomit or the Sow that iâ— washed to the wallowing in the mire but thaâ— also afterwards when we come to yearâ— of Discretion by Faith to lay hold oâ— the inward and spiritual Grace of Baptism that we may then find our Soulâ— sanctified and cleansed by the washing oâ— Water or the mystical washing away oâ— Sin of unclean to be made clean and purâ— from the spots and filth of the Flesh This Improvement of Baptism is to be made especially in the Interim between Baptism and that Age that is fit for admission to the Lords Supper Those thaâ— are troubled with youthful lusts thaâ— they may find some Power from this Ordinance for certainly there is a power in every Ordinance and help against this sin a great Power and effectual that cleanseth from natural pollution and this is done in those lusts that shall die after Baptism in a state of Salvation and so clean and holy who are born unclean Because that our natural inclinations are so strong to this Sin therefore it is that our lives are so much stained with it And if Baptism doth cleanse our Natures as when the inward Grace accompanies the outward Sign it certainly doth the efficacy of Baptism must needs be great and the benefit of it being great we must in