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
reject the Word as those Ps 81. 11 12. But my people would not hearken â—o my Voice i. e. the word of God Whereâ—ore I gave them up to their own hearts Lusts God will make those vile in whose eyes â—is Word is vile or any other Ordinance â—f God Rom. 1. 25. Who changed the truth â—f God into a Lie and Worshipped and served â—he Creature more than the Creatour who is â—lessed for ever For this cause God gave â—em up unto vile Affections unnatural Lusts â—nd so in the 23. ver and all this for disâ—onouring God in his Worship If thou â—alt lye like a Logg in the presence of â—od in in such a câ—reless irreverent Bruâ—sh Posture as manifesteth a downright â—ontempt of Gods Worship thou disâ—nourest God in this Worship and God â—ay punish and make thee as vile by thy â—usts and Dishonourable We read of polluting the Sabbath Is 56. 2. â— the Ordinances of God when we alâ—w and indulge our Lusts in the very â—emple of God and Acts of Worship â—r upon the Lords Day follow our Lusts â— do any thing which makes the Lords â—ay vile this may provoke the Lord to â—ave us to pollute our selves But as the Word of God and the Orâ—nances of God duly performed promote Purity so there are other things as contrary to it to be carefully avoided as fearful Temptations and Provokatives to Lusâ— such are lewd Ballads Plays Stories anâ— Lascivious Songs of Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostom calls them Songs of â— Devils composâ—re which vitiate and coâ—rupt the minds of Youth it being natâ—ral for the Heart and Mind to be wrougâ— upon by those things which are much â— the Mind and the Tongue until they râ—semble and are made Conformable unâ— them as the word to work Purity othâ— things frame the Mind into Wantoâ—ness The last means is Prayer and this I pâ— in the last place because Prayer must gâ— Gods Blessing upon all the other meaâ— Every thing is Sanctifyed by the Word aâ— Prayer The Word put in as bringing â— to the knowledge of Christ in and througâ— whom all things are Blest to us Eph. 1. 3. evâ— our Prayers accepted being offered up â— his Name which the Word teacheth usâ— do but Prayer that especially begs aâ— obtains Gods Blessing Grace to flee thoâ— Evils which may Corrupt us and to prâ—ctise those things attend those Ordinaâ—ces which may purisie us It is not enougâ— to know our Duty our Helps to Vertueâ— and to this of Chastity in particular and our Temptations and Hinderances but if we would have Grace and Strength enabling us to practise accordingly Prayer must procure it But besides Prayer of it self is a special Help in this Case Pray â—hat ye enter not into Temptation Mat. 26. 41. that ye be not drawn away of your own Lusts â—nd enticed and allured with the pleasure of this Sitâ— For then are you Tempted as St. James 1. Prayer is an excellent fence and preservative against this Temptation â—nd therefore David Prays Make me a clean Heart O God Ps 51. 10. and keep thy Servant back from presumptuous Sins then shall â— be undefiled and innocent from the great ofâ—ence in the Church Translation of the Psalms However Davids great Offence was his Adultery with Bathshcba that cauâ—ed the Murther of Vriah her Husband A Praying Christian may plead thus with God It is for thine Honour to kill â—very Corruption It is thy work to Sanâ—tifie and Purifie our Hearts Christ gave himself for that end to redeem us from all â—niquity and purify to himself a peculiar peoâ—le zealous of good works or that we may â—eny our selves and do Violence to our corrupt Nature Crucifying the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof Mortifying our Members Fornication Vncleanness inodinate Affection c. That our Bodies mâ— be pure and undefiled Members of Christ and not the Members of an Harlot Thâ— our Bodies may be preserved evermâ— chast and uncorrupt Temples fit for tâ— Holy Ghost to dwell in That we may scape the pollutions which are in the Worâ— through Lust and adorn that pure and uâ— defiled Religion which we profess O Make us clean Hearts O God and renâ— right Spirits within us that we may remeâ—ber our own evil ways and our doings that we not good and loath our selves in our own sigâ— for our Iniquities and our Abominations Tâ— is very fit to bring us to Repentance eâ— for a Personal use or in behalf of the Nâ—tion And for young persons that thâ— may have Grace to fleÌ„e Youthful Lust And to follow after Righteousness Faith Câ—rity calling upon the Lord out of a pure Heaâ— Prayer is a drawing nigh to God Aâ— God draws nigh to us with his Grace aâ— Spirit when we draw nigh to him he nigh at hand ready to help us but â— stand at a great distance from God looks upon us too as a far off when â— make no Conscience of this duty of Praâ—er When we absent our selves from tâ— Throne of Grace and are not seen wiâ— God in Secret then God hides his Face from us and upon Gods withdrawing and deserting our Spiritual Enemies are present the Flesh and the Devil and the Alâ—urements of the World they Tempt Atâ—ack and prosper How others find it I â—annot tell but I am sure I find that the Devil is busie with me whenevâ—r I neglect Prayer some evil thoughts or other he â—ollows me with but then my Heart is â—ure when I am most constant in Duty â—nd keep closest to God in Prayer which God never appointed in Vain but as a means and a very choice means to fetch â—n Grace and help against the World the Flesh and the Devil But I think it is imâ—ossible for those Christians to have pure Hearts or good quiet Consciences who â—ive in the neglect of daily Prayer We â—all find our selves strong in the Lord and â—he power of his Might or his Almighty â—ower engaged for us when we give God â—is due in Prayer and then our Lusts will â—e weak But when we neglect prayer â—e are weak our strength is gone our supâ—ort and our props drawn from under us â—nd nothing left to bear us up and keep â—s from falling It is Gods usual course â—hen People for a long time leave God in â—ot Praying or Reading c. and doing the good they shall do in Religion not oâ—ly to with hold his further Grace bâ— to withdraw the present measure and leaâ— them first to Temptations that they mâ— awaken them and if they amend noâ— then to fall under them doing those Wicâ—ednesses and Abominations which shall bâ— bitterness to them in the latter end Whâ— Sin or the love to your Lusts work oâ— Prayer then you may Sin on in a courâ— of Sinning until you be hardned in Sin and past Feeling or Remorse for Sin Bâ— if you hold on in Prayer which should â— a mighty Encouragement unto you yoâ— will weaken Sin even strong Lusts
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
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