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A76354 The worst enemy conquered A brief discourse on the methods and motives to pursue a victory over those habits of sin, which war against the soul. Delivered, on June 6th. 1698. the day for election of officers, in the Artilery-Company [sic], at Boston. By Mr. Joseph Belcher, Pastor of the church in Dedham. [Two lines in Latin] Belcher, Joseph, 1669-1723.; Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.; Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. 1698 (1698) Wing B1783; ESTC W20950 15,646 39

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Corruption as well as Grace Though Sin be beat out of its strong holds yet it hath betaken it self to its inward Castle where it will remain and have a being in us as long as we shall have a being here in this world This Canaanite will dwell in the Land nor can the Children of God drive it out of this City God doth with us in respect of Sin our inward Enemy as the Psalmist prayed against his outward Enemies Psal 59.11 Slay them not scatter them by thy power and bring them down O Lord our Shield Thus doth the Lord do in respect of Sin and Corruption in his Saints here in this World those enemies are brought down from that power and dignity in which they were wont to be but they are nor wholly slain They are surrounded are taken arraigned a Sentence of death is past upon them and they are dead in Law but yet they have their lives lengthened out for a season during our bodily life nor can we till the death of the Body expect perfectly to be freed from the body of death The wise man proclaims a Challenge to all the world to enter the Lists with him upon this account Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made mine heart clean And though there may be some of man-kind that may falsely and presumptuously say that they have yet none can truly and safely say that they have For if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1.8 Conclusion 5. Sin not being thus quite overcome and destroyed it follows that every man who hath listed himself under the banner of Christ hath a diversity of principles in him between which there can be no amity and friendship but on the other hand a continual warring The principles Sin and Grace Flesh and Spirit are diametrically opposite one unto another are the greatest contraries in the whole world as contrary as light and darkness as life and death as good and evil as Heaven and Hell And being so opposite and contrary they cannot be dormant and latitant in the Soul but must needs be up in armes indeavouring to vanquish and expell each other These two principles are as it were the company of two armies Cant. 6.13 They lie intrencht and engaged one against the other As long as a man keeps his league with sin and serves that he feels nothing at all of this While the strong man armed keeps the Palace his goods are in peace Luk. 11.21 A● long as Israel is subject to the Egyptians and doth their drudgery all is well there 's no stir but when once they shake off that Servitude and set out for Canaan then they are pursued with all the forces and powers imaginable to be brought back to their former bondage Especially therefore upon a mans first chusing of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Captain of his Salvation is this onsett high and not only then but when we have made considerable proficiency and have obtained much victory over Sin Yea those that have arrived to the highest Attainments are not free from this combat within but like Rebekah have twins struggling in their wombs the Flesh and the Spirit like the twins in her womb do war and strive one with another The law in the members wars against the law in the mind Rom. 7.23 the fleshly lusts war against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 and the Soul also wars against them Gal. 5.17 The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these two are contrary one to the other Conclusion 6. This keeping under the Body of Sin and bringing it into subjection consists in such a warring with Sin as to endeavour its death and destruction and the subjecting all our faculties and members to the Service of God and Christ We must endeavour the death and destruction of sin in this sense there must be a Resistance unto blood striving against Sin Heb. 11.4 Sin will have it pleas to be spared and saved alive and we may be willing to deal gently with it as David gave charge concerning Absalom this Prisoner of War will cry for quarter when the life of it is in danger and will speak us fair and make seemingly great propositions Some sins will promise us profit and worldly gain if we will not slay them as those ten men said to Ishmael Jer. 41.8 Slay us not for we have treasures in the field Others will promise us promotions and worldly honour as Baalak said to Balaam Am I not able indeed to promote thee unto Honour Others will promise us pleasures and delights if they may be spared and indulged Others will plead they are little ones and therefore will desire they may escape yea and others will plead they are our Relations and our Kindred flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones and no man ever yet hated his own flesh but we must stop our ears against all their most cursed charmes endeavour to do by every Sin as Joab by Absalom thrust it through the heart 2 Sam. 18.14 Both small and great must be dealt with after this manner The great ones the Champions the Goliahs that come out of the Camp of these Enemies these Philistins must be fought with and kill'd and the little ones must be also dasht against the stones This slaughter must be like that which Saul was commanded to effect against the Amalekites 1 Sam. 15.3 all sorts both young and old must be put to the Sword and not so much as one Agag must be spared alive And as there is in the duty we are speaking of an endeavouring the death and destruction of Sin so an endeavouring to subject all our faculties and members to the Service of Christ every thought we must endeavour to bring into obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10 5. Our members not only the parts of our Bodies but the faculties of our Souls also these must not be yielded as Instruments of unrighteousness unto Sin but yielded as instruments of righteousness unto God Rom. 6.13 we must not any longer live the rest of our time to the lusts of men but to the will of God as it is exprest 1 Pet. 4.2 Our bodies i. e. our whole man I conceive a part is put for the whole man Rom. 12.1 Our whole man must be presented a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God and when we do sincerely endeavour this viz. the death and destruction of Sin and the improving the whole man for the Service of God though in many things we may fail and sometimes by our indwelling enemy be put to the worst yet if this be our bent inclination sincere desire and endeavour it will be accepted of God and we shall be accounted by him as such as do keep under the Body of Sin and bring it into subjection And thus of the first thing proposed to be spoken to we pass to the second Secondly We shall endeavour to shew how this keeping
alledge the old proverb Physician heal thy self Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self To anticipate therefore prevent every thing of this nature and to draw them to be active industrious and very diligent in their Spiritual warfare he tells them he ran in the same Spiritual race with them contended in the same Spiritual warfare that he was their fellow Souldier and gave them no other advice than he himself practised and would only have them follow Himself as Gideon said to his army Judg. 7.17 Look on me and do likewise as I doe so shall ye doe In the words of our Text we have the Apostle asserting and declaring how he fought and behav'd himself in his Spiritual warfare and this the Apostle lays down 1. Negatively So fight I as one not beating the air 2. Positively But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection Where we have 1. The object or enemy that he encountred or combated with in those words My Body 2. The act or manner how he manag'd himself towards that object or enemy and this is exprest by two terms 1. I keep under my body 2. I bring it into subjection So Fight I not as one that beateth the Air but I keep under my body He fought but it was not as one that beateth the air He did not act like a young Fencer making only a flourish and beating only the air but he fought in good earnest and beat his adversaries The Enemies of his Salvation My Body Body is not to be taken here so much in a Physical as in a Moral sence We are not to understand by his body only the Apostles fleshly part that part of him which consisted of flesh and bones which body is put in Scripture sometimes to signify but by his body we are to understand besides his outward man his Sin that which the Apostle else where calls the body of Sin Rom. 6.6 And the body of death Rom. 7.24 The old man The flesh with its affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 Those carnal lusts and affections which warred against the peace of his Soul These he maintain'd a war with and indeavoured to keep under and bring into subjection I keep under The Greek word UPOPIAZO which is here rendred keep under signifyes to Seize to lay hold of to grasp and to gripe as a man would his adversary and one with whom he contends for the Mastery and not only so but to beat knock thump and pound as Wrestlers and Champions were wont anciently to do And as some think the terme is borrowed from those Runners and Wrestlers who were wont to contend in the afore-mentioned Games and who were wont to beat and pound one another till they were black and blew and of a gore blood and forc'd to acknowledge themselves vanquished and over-come I bring it into subjection The Greek word DOULAGAGEO which is here rendred to bring into subjection is sometime used for a leading Captive and most properly signifyes to bring under Command in Servitutem redigere to make one a Servant Thus the Apostle tells us how he acted in his Spiritual warfare and in telling us what he did he tells us what we ought to do If we would be Spiritual Fighters as all the Saints in their several Generations have been and if we consider what the Apostle lays down here affirmatively viz. the keeping under his body and bringing it into subjection as some do as the means by which he came to be more than such a fighter as only beats the air as the means by which he came not to loose his labour in his Spiritual warfare There seems to result this plain truth which we shall briefly by Divine assistance insist upon from the words viz. DOCTRINE That those that would fight to purpose in the Spiritual War must indeavour to keep under their Body of Sin and bring it into Subjection Or thus Those and only those do fight to purpose in the Spiritual War who do indeavour to keep under and bring in Subjection all those carnal lusts and affections whsch they have warring in them In the brief speaking to this Doctrine we shall attend only these three things 1. We shall indeavour to speak something of the nature of the duty viz. the keeping under the body of Sin and bringing it into subjection 2. We shall indeavour to shew how this keeping under this body of Sin and bringing it into Subjection is necessary in order to the fighting to purpose in the Spiritual War 3. We shall conclude with some brief Application cast off its Service and are resolved to live in perpetual Hostility with it Conclusion 3. As when a man lists himself under the banner of Christ he breaks his league and correspondence with Sin and proclaims a War with it so he hath had a mortal wound given to the habit of it by the Spirit of God When a man voluntarily offers himself to the Service of Christ upon his proclamation call I say when a man is brought effectually to answer that call as he renounces his correspondence with sin and enters upon a War with it so there is by the Spirit of God a deadly blow given to the old man our habit of sin However in a mans natural estate he is under the dominion of sin Yet when Grace comes into a man the Spirit of God which is stronger than that strong man armed comes upon him overcomes him and takes from him his armour wherein he trusted Every one that doth indeed actually belong to the Lord Jesus Christ is freed from the reigning power and dominion of sin that is accomplished in him Rom. 6.12 14. That sin hath not dominion over him and sin shall not reign in his mortal body that he should obey it in the lusts thereof The Spirit of God hath spoiled sin of its power and dominion and given it its Deaths wound An unregenerate mans heart is Sins Territory Sin is in such a mans heart as in its Throne before the Spirit comes but when that comes and by that the nature is changed and renewed Sin is cast out of its Throne and condemned to die Conclusion 4. Though a mortal wound be given by the Spirit of God to the habit of Sin when a man Lists himself under the banner of Christ yet Sin is not then quite overcome and destroyed in a man However Grace doth really subdue Sin yet it does not wholly destroy Sin Though it doth really purify a mans nature yet in this life it doth not quite perfect his nature A Christian must not expect to experience a state of perfection here in this life No that estate is reserved till he comes to experience a state of Glory The best of men in this life have a double nature in them as we may see of man in general that he consists of Body Soul so we may say of every Godly Man in a Theological sense that he hath both Flesh and Spirit
may more easily conquer and tame if we set upon them while they are Whelps whereas if we let them grow up as in a little time they will to be salvage beasts we shall find them very formidable if not unconquerable As soon therefore as we find this enemy to rebel and to begin to War let us rise up in Arms against it and endeavour by force of the same to quell it and bring it into subjection Direction 2. Hold no parley with this Enemy it is so treacherous as that we had need awe our selves with a fear of being ensnared by it and therefore must avoid all occasions of it Keep out of the way of its temptations It s excellent advice Prov. 4.14 15. Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men avoid it pass not by it turn from it and pass away This enemy will say to us as Jael to Sisera Turn in Turn in to me fear not but if we do hearken to its Sollicitations it hath a Nail to strike into our Temples and be the death of us It will take us as Joab did Abner by the beard as if it would imbrace us but if we take no heed it will smite us under the fifth Rib and shed out our bowels to the earth It will come and kiss us as Judas did our Saviour when as with him it hath been plotting nothing less than the betraying us into our enemies hand we must therefore hold no parly with it nor come any nearer than needs must to any of its quarters Nor will it be cast upon us in the day of Judgment as a piece of Cowardise thus to retreat from our enemy but will be reckoned our greatest valour and courage It is the truest Magnanimity and most Heroick valour in our Spiritual warfare to be afraid of the least iniquity Happy is the man that thus feareth always Direction 3. Cut off all the provisions and supplies of Sin this is the Apostles advice Rom. 13.14 To make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof If we would ever subdue our Lusts and be the death of them we must cut off all the provision which hath a tendency to support them and keep them alive It is counted excellent policy in War to leave as little provision as may be in the Enemies way It 's best to burn it and destroy it though it be in our own Country if otherwise it will have a tendency to relieve and support our enemies Thus must we endeavour to weaken the force of Sin even this way we must set a guard over our affections and inferiour appetites lay every thing under bonds that we are in suspicion will take part with the enemy Endeavour the utter consumption of whatsoever would be like provision to our Lusts to support them and keep them alive We must endeavour to starve our Lusts and if we afford them no sustenance but endeavour to deprive them of every thing of that nature we may hope that they cannot hold out long but must surrender and acknowledge themselves conquered Direction 4. Improve all the weapons that the Christian Armour will afford you This armour consists of several pieces We have a list of them Fph. 6.13 14. And we must not content our selves with one or two pieces of this armour but we must put on the whole armour of God Especially of all the pieces of armour we must see to it not to forget the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God of this Sword we may truly say as David did of Goliahs there 's none like it It is a two edged Sword to cut the Nerves and Sinews of Sin asunder And Pray always this is not only a part of our Christian armour but it is that which helps us by which we are inabled to make a right improvement of all the rest this is ne●essary all along through the whole of our encounter with the body of sin We must therefore endeavour to manage this without ceasing we must be continually lifting up our hearts and eyes to God and when ever an army of Temptations doth assault us say with Jehosaphat 2 Chorn. 20.12 O our God we have no might against this great Company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are unto thee This is the way to fetch Christ into the field and battel for our help and then we may be sure of defence and protection yea of Victory and Conquest Direction 5. In the Combat with Sin aim principally at the General of those Enemies I mean your beloved darling Iniquity plant your main Artilery against that that 's the Goliah of these Philistins a mans darling Sin is a captain sin that bears the authority in the Soul and his other sins are under it as Souldiers it saying to one Go and it gos and to another Come and it comes a mans other Sins are subservient unto this This is the sin that is so much tended and waited on Now if we would keep under those enemies and bring them into subjection we must endeavour primarily and principally to destroy this principal of them as it was said to them 1 King 22.31 Fight neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel So say I sight neither against small nor great Sins comparatively but against this kingly this master enemy bind this strong man and you will easily take the house Slay but this Champion and the rest will flee as we read of the Philistins 1 Sam. 17.51 When they saw that their Champion was dead they fled Direction 6. When you think you have attained any Victory or Conquest over Sin take heed of Security Though the Enemy may be quiet yet fear least he should not be quite routed therefore be always upon your watch ready to withstand a fresh assault Let every day be a day for the training and exercising of all your graces have them always in Battel array See that they be continually in a Military posture and set an exact guard upon your hearts that so when ever your affections move or stir unseasonably or disorderly they may be made to stand not let to pass till we know from whence they come and whither they tend did we do so in what excellent order might we have and keep our Souls Direction 7. Do what you do in this Combate not in your own but in the strength of your Great Commander If ever we would storm and beat down the strong holds that are within us it must be by the concurrence of Divine Grace the Weapons of our warfare are mighty through God 2 Cor. 10.4 we come to be more than conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 8.37 This Enemy will fling us down as fast as we can rise if we encounter it in our own strength if therefore we would beat it down we must say when we Encounter it as David to the Philistin 1 Sam. 17.45 I come unto thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts the God of the Armies of Israel whom thou hast defied Asa when he had a vast Army of Two Hundred and Fourscore Thousand Mighty men of Valour to fight with the Ethiopians he prays and trusts to God as if he had not one man 2 Chron. 15.11 Help us O Lord our God for we Rest on thee and in thy Name do we go against this multitude So must we say when assaulted with Sin Help us O Lord our God for we have no power against the same but do rest on thee God is able to make us stand against Sin Through him we may do valiantly Psal 60.12 he is the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battel Psal 24.8 Though the archers may sorely grieve us and shoot at us yet he can make our Bow to abide in strength and the arms of our hands may be made strong by the Hands of the mighty God of Jacob Gen. 49.23 24. Direction 8. In the strength of your great Captain endeavour to persevere and hold out to the end The Crown is at the end of the Warfare it is not wont to be given till the Victory is gained the promise is not to him that begins but to him that overcomes Our Lord Jesus Christ our great Captain went forth conquering to conquer and however we may pretend to be his Souldiers yet we shall never obtain the Crown unless we endeavour in our measure to imitate him in this regard O then let us all endeavour to be faithful to the death that so we may receive the Crown of life and it is but a little while that we have thus to engage and combate with sin if we are faithful in the Service and hold out e're long we shall have done fighting and shall come to triumphing We shall put off our armour and put on a victorious Crown The Great Lord of Hosts under whose Banner we fight within a little time will remove our Quarters he will draw us off from the Army Militant here upon earth to the blessed and triumphant in Heaven Then we shall be out of Gun-shot shall never be any more annoyed molested or disturbed with the body of sin but shall be perfectly freed from it made perfect in Holiness and shall for ever be giving thanks and singing the praises of that God who giveth us the Victory through our LORD JESUS CHRIST Amen FINIS