Prophets and hewn them with the word of my mouth so the Spirit by Scripture words slayes hacks and hews our sins as Antichrist is consumed by the breath of the Lords mouth so is sin within us which is the worst Antichrist of all and but for which there had been no Antichrist at all Lastly The Spirit mortifieth our sins by producing and begetting fruits in us contrary thereto such as those Gal. 5.22 23. the Apostle in the foregoing verses declares what are the fruits of the Flesh thereupon makes mention of the fruits of the Spirit such as love peace long-suffering goodness faith meekness whereby he teacheth us that the Spirit by causing these good things in us doth expell and destroy the fruits of the Elesh which are contrary thereto and there is one fruit of the spirit not there mentioned but implyed in love which the spirit works whereby the power and life of Sin is greatly abated yea even taken away according to the measurc and strength of it and that 's hatred hatred of all Sin which makes us eager in seeking the utter extirpation of it out of our Souls I might have added The Spirit breaks the force of Satan's temptations who seeks to defend Sin and keeps it upon the throne in us and therefore tempts violently stirs up and doth all he can to kindle it and feed it by pouring in such and such thoughts as by other means but the Spirit opposeth and withstands him to which that may be applyed Isa 59.19 When the enemy shall come in like a floud the Spirit of the Lord shal lift up a Standard against him The Spirit well understands all Satans wiles and what correspondence he hath with Sin in us and the Spirit either driveth him away and makes him flee from us or counterworks him dictating answers to all his temptations and as casting water on the fire which Satan endeavours to blow up in us Sermon 6. I Am now in the second place to shew what we are to do that we may have the help of the Spirit in mortifying the deeds of the body For answer whereto briefly in a few particulars First We must receive the Spirit we can do nothing this way through the Spirit unless it be in us dwelling and abiding in our Souls which it will not be except it be received by us 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received the Spirit which is of God So have all we who truly believe and they who have not must receive it or never will they give any of their sins a deadly wound through it If any keep their hearts shur against the Spirit they cannot have the help of it in the work of mortification or any other work to their Salvation As till the Soul come into the Body and dwell in it the Body doth not cannot work act or do any thing by it so till the Spirit come into the Soul and be received to dwell there the Soul doth nothing by it to the subduing it's lusts Secondly They who have received the Spirit must call in or call for it's help and assistance when you find corruption stirring when you go about the killing your sins you must desire and ask the Spirit 's co-working with you O that the Spirit of the Lord may now work with me O that it may now assist me let it now please to help me in destroying this evill affection in mortifying this and that sinfull motion I feel stirring in me You must never attempt any thing without looking for and seeking the Spirit 's assistance Ps 143.10 Thy Spirit is good it 's a good guide lead me into the Land of uprightness by it O Lord be pleased to lead me in the good and upright way in the strait path the way everlasting till I shall come to that place appointed for upright ones and where nothing of hypocrisie is but all uprightness and sincerity only grows So you should pray Lord thy Spirit is holy and mighty it is every way able to help me O let it assist me in mortifying mine iniquities till they shall be all destroyed till I come to that Country where no such poysonous hurtful thing as sin doth grow or live or hath any being Thirdly You must wholly rely on and trust in the Spirit for its direction and powerfull co-operation with you in this work not having any thought as if you could put to death or do any thing for the destruction of any sin of your selves but knowing remembring and acknowledging also your own utter weakness and insufficiency your trust confidence relyance must be altogether on the Spirit As Jehosaphat said We know not what to do but our eyes are to thee which implyes trust and dependance on God so your eyes must be to the Spirit Psal 38.19 Mine enemies are lively and they are strong i. e. they are too strong for me what then V. 15. In thee O Lord do I hope So when our Spiritual enemies are lively and when they are as indeed they alwayes are too strong for us we must hope in the Spirit of God for strength from it Ps 47.3 He shall subdue the People under us and the Nations under our feet we will not think or attempt it in our own strength but as elsewhere it is In the name of the Lord I will destroy them yea in the Lords name will I destroy them I will not trust in my bow nor shall my sword save me c. So we must not think that any means we can use can lay dead any sin but we must still purpose resolve and endeavour the slaying of every sin in the power and strength of the Spirit Fourthly You must lye in the way of the Spirits working as Marriners do lay their Vessell in the way of the wind or the Miller turns his Mill that way the wind blows because the Ship will not sail nor the Mill grind without the wind So you must lay your selves in the way of the Spirits breathing and turn your Souls to that blessed wind that way it bloweth I mean you must attend under Ordinances you must give your selves to religious holy duties to hear to read to meditate on the Word of God to confer with others and joyn in prayer with them as you have opportunity c. John 3.8 The Spirit worketh As the wind bloweth where it listeth not where we list but where it self pleaseth and where is it that the Spirit listeth to work sure it is in the way of it 's own appointments Fifthly We must yeild up our selves to the Spirit to be acted moved and ruled according to it's pleasure as Souldiers follow your Leader observe his Commands yea every beck or wagging of his head or hand and accordingly order themselves so we must well mind all the dictates take notice of all the movings of the Spirit in us and comply therewith Gal. 5.16 This I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the
put his spirit within his people to save them from their sins and when are we saved from our sins when they are killed we are saved from them this also is promised v. 25. I 'le sprinkle clean water upon you I 'le give you that is my spirit and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness viz. spiritual filthiness or sinfulness This also is included in that promise Isa 44.3 4. I 'le pour my spirit upon thy seed and they shall spring up as among the grass as willows by the water courses that is they shall thrive and flourish spiritually they shall grow in knowledge and grace go forward in good but there is no thriving spiritually encreasing or growing in grace without the mortification of sin only so far as sin dyeth doth grace grow therefore God there by consequence or in effect promiseth his spirit to slay sin in his people Sixthly God hath actually given his spirit to his people all who are effectually called all who are in Christ for this end hast thou the spirit of God in thee it was given thee as by God so for some end what end partly this that thereby thou mightest mortifie the deeds of the body of sin For that for which God promiseth his spirit to his people for that he giveth it to them yea and it doth work powerfully in the Saints of God this way Ezek. 39. last neither will I bide my face any more from them for I have poured out my spirit upon the bouse of Israel saith the Lord God Gods hiding his face is for fins unmortified therefore when he saith I will not hide my face from them for I have poured out my spirit upon them this is signified I have given them my spirit to subdue their sins and it shall subdue them and so I will not hide my face any more as heretofore from them and from these things it follows that it is the work and business of the spirit it 's part of its office to help the people of God in slaying their lusts the spirit hath undertaken to be our helper therein that work for which God hath promised and given his spirit to us that work it hath undertaken and is engaged to help us in the doing of Lastly We honour the spirit when we give our selves through it to mortifie out corruptions as it is an honour to the spirit that it is promised and given to help us in this work so do we honour it when accordingly we make use of it But if we seek the destruction of our sins and not through the spirit then do we highly dishonour it we put it out of office As if any shall think to satisfie for their sins they greatly dishonour Christ so if any think to mortifie their sins of themselves this is a high dishonour to the Holy Spirit Q. 3. How are the deeds of the body of sin to be mortified through the Spirit A. This is to be done through the help by the assistance of the Spirit As that good that is in men is frequently mortified through the evil Spirit through him the Image of God was mortified in our first Parents so though with a difference that evil that is in Gods chosen is mortified through the good Spirit There are two things I shall speak to in answering this enquiry 1. I shall endeavour to shew what it is that the Spirit doth in helping us to mortifie our sins 2. What we are to do that we may have the help of the Spirit in this work 1. What is it that the Spirit doth in enabling us to mortifie the deeds of the body A. 1. The Spirit of God doth shew a soul its sin we are naturally exceeding unwilling to behold our iniquities and we are very blind at home more apt are we as our Lord teacheth us to see a more in our Brothers than to perceive or be sensible of a beam in our own eye many of our evils lye quite out of our sight though great and heinous as Saul's persecuting Christ till he was convinc'd thereof from Heaven as himself saith he verily thought he ought to do what he did so naturally men sin fouly and think they ought to do as they do or they see no evil therein hence those speeches what hurt is there in this and what hurt is there in that and as for those sins we do see we have naturally a weak and slight sight of them we do'nt think them to be so evil as indeed they are Mal. 1.6 Where is my fear saith the Lord of hosts unto you O Priests that despise my Name and ye say wherein have we despised thy Name ch 2.17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words yet ye say wherein have we wearied him Chap. 3.13 Your words have been stout against me saith the Lord Yet ye say what have we spoken so much against thee Some sins they denyed quite and others they denyed in part though they had spoken yet not so much against the Lord as an Antient saith men use to deny and excuse their sin saying I have not done it or if I have done it I have not done ill or if ill not very ill or if very ill not with an ill intention c. therefore a sight of sin being necessary to the death of sin the Spirit comes and openeth the eyes of our understandings sets our transgressions before us points as it were to this and that sin and holds our thoughts upon it 1 Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God so it searcheth the deep things of our hearts discovering our secret evils to us as hereafter all the hidden things of darkness shall be brought to light and in that day the councels of the hearts shall be made manifest 1 Cor. 4.5 So now when the Spirit gives its assistance to any in destroying their sins it doth bring to light unto them those lustings that were secret to them before it doth make manifest to them the evil councels of their heart it declares and makes evident to them their secret purposes desires and the other hidden workings of sin in them the Spirit evidenceth both that they are guilty of such sins and it reveals the sinfulness of them causing the soul to view them till it be soundly convinced John 16.8 when the Spirit comes it reproves or convinceth the world of sin Secondly The Spirit doth bow our wills and make us sincerely willing to have our sins subdued no man by nature hath a true will to this the destruction of his sin hence such ado in men to save their sins when they are told of them or the word meets with them never did any one seek so or more industriously to save the nearest relation the dearest friend as a natural man his sin by using all cuning to hide it by denying it or cloaking and excusing it as a man at Cudgels seeks to save his head so doth a natural man to
under your feet every sin that is in you God is able saith the Apostle to cause all grace to abound towards you so the Spirit of God is able to cause all sin to decay wither and dye in you Judg. 15.14 When Samson came to Lehi the Philistines shouted against him and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire and his hands loosed from off his hands Thus when the Spirit comes into any soul and works mightily in it all its lusts are as nothing of no strength Wherefore whoever yet hath not the Spirit let such a one be perswaded to look out for it with all earnestness and diligence to seek it should you not having the Spirit set your selves to mortifie your sins this as so would not be obedience to God nor pleasing to him because he requires you to do this work through the Spirit and consequently to get the Spirit that you may do it therefore they who have not and seek not the Spirit do not obey nor please God by the things they do against their sins yea they disobey God and highly offend him in that they take not his Counsel that holds true in this case Isa 30.1 Wo to the rebellious children saith the Lord that take counsel but not of me and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit that they may add sin to sin It is rebellion against God it is adding sin to sin when men think to help and save themselves outwardly much more when any think to save themselves spiritually from their sins without the spirit such do bring a heavy wo upon themselves Q. What then should one do that hath not the spirit that he may attain A. 1. It is a good step for one that hath not the spirit to 〈◊〉 convinc't that he is without it and that he stands in a most absolute necessity of it so that he is utterly and eternally undone if he have it not Many void empty of the spirit dream and strongly fansie that they have it yea many times when men are filled and acted by the evill lying spirit they are very big with a vain conceit that they have much an eminent measure of the holy spirit of truth 1 Kings 22.24 Zedekiah a man filled with the lying spirit went to the good Prophet and smote him on the cheek saying Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee he verily supposed himself to have and to be moved by the good spirit of God and he seems to speak as if he only had it so that none could have it but from him or at least that he had it first Which way saith he went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee Which he spake scoffingly deriding the holy Prophet even thus are men oft most wofully deluded a strong perswasion have they that Gods spirit is in them whereas the truth is the evill spirit not the good rules and works in them Others they have no sense feeling or conviction of their need of the spirit so they have no desire after it hence they continue without and while it is so with any they are not like to become partakers of it labour then to know your want and to feell your need of the spirit in order to your seeking and attaining it Secondly The great thing of all to be done for the gaining of the spirit is believing Gal. 3.14 the promise of the spirit is received through faith there must be a heart receiving the Gospel and Jesus Christ held forth thereby there must be a soul setled perswasion of the undoubted certainty of the doctrin of Christ and a soul trust and rest on him to the receiving the promise of the spirit a right to that great promise and the fulfilling thereof That is a famous promise divers times repeated 1 Pet. 2.6 Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone elect precious i. e. Jesus Christ and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded by what shall he not be confounded Not by any thing not by Satan not by sin in it's guilt or power not by any lust But how so For as he that believeth in Christ is cloathed with his righteousnesse so he is made partaker of his spirit Put then thy trust in Christ Jesus fasten upon him by faith and that for this end that thou mayest through and from him receive the spirit For these two things Christ is to be believed in for his righteousnesse to justifie us in the sight of God before the justice of God and for his spirit to mortifie our sins so to sanctifie our souls whoever beileved in Christ in good earnest and in truth for these things but they received them their persons are clothed with his most perfect righteousnesse their souls are endowed with his most holy blessed spirit Rev 4.1 2. I looked and behold a dore was opened in heaven and the first voice that I heard was as the voice of a trumpet talking with me which said come up hither and immediately I was in the spirit So when a soul doth hear the voice of God in the Gospel powerfully and effectually saying come up hither in thy heart come to Christ in Heaven by hearty faith then the soul obeying this voice immediately hath the spirit from Christ communicated to it There should be also a believing in particular the promises which God hath made of giving the spirit who ever embraceth by true faith any promise of the spirit as made in Christ he receiveth the accomplishment of that promise by Christ Christ graciously bestoweth the spirit upon him Thirdly None receive the spirit to dwell in them without turning from their evill wayes for there is no true faith without a heart turn from known sin and while any give up or yeild themselves to sin they do vex the spirit Isa 63.10 They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit But who is like to receive the spirit to dwell in him while he rebells and vexeth it Wherefore that word is to be remembred Prov. 1.23 Turn ye at my reproof Behold I will pour out my spirit unto you Then I 'le pour out my spirit unto you when you have a heart to turn till this be a man is a down right enemy to the spirit his heart is lock't and barr'd up against it who will go and dwell in the house of an enemy while he continues in open hostility against him A man must lay down arms and not maintain fight against him whom he needs and desires to come and dwell with him and if his desire be right he will do so A man cannot truly will to receive the spirit unlesse he will to leave his sin Fourthly That sweet word of Christ should be thought on Luke 11 13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy spirit to them that ask him If asking follow or
go along with believing and turning it 's then sure to prevail receiving will be the fruit of such asking So then the Scripture is full and plain in declaring how you may attain the spirit what you should do that you may gain it Which things though it 's granted they cannot be done without the spirit yet are they not spoken in vain To all whom God intends to save he vouchsafeth a heart to hearken to these counsels and so affords them the indwelling and constant assistance of his spirit while they live though it work not always alike in them Therefore my advice is to any one sensible of his need of the spirit and desirous of it that he would take those Scriptures mentioned and spread them before the Lord and hold on so doing till he feel the power of his spirit and be made sensible of the influence of his grace in his heart O Lord gracious God who delightest in mercy who art a God hearing prayer thy word saith the promise of the spirit is received through faith be pleased I pray thee to give me faith for it is thy gift Thy word saith turn at my reproof and I will pour my spirit out unto you I beseech thee turn me and I shall be turned for turning is thy work thy word saith to them that ask thou wilt give thy holy spirit O cause me to ask as I ought open my mouth and my heart that I may so ask as to receive according to thy word for none call upon thee in truth unlesse thou beest pleased to quicken them thereunto Did ever any soul think you do thus and continue so to do in uprightnesse who was denied No verily the Lord our God is a God full of compassion he will not let any one that sincerely waits at the dore of his mercy perish for want of living water his holy spirit Is not God more mercifull than you are would you let any one though an enemy ly and starve and perish at your dore if he should throwing down his arms come and lay himself at your threshhold crying for a draught of water or put case a man through distemper phrensy or madness should have done you much hurt if he at a time coming to himself a little should entreat with earnestness that of you which would cure him and therefore desire it that he might no more do you wrong would you not give it him we read when the Prodigal came to himself he went to his Father and his Father with all readiness pity and love received him when any go to God for his Spirit in Christ then begin they to come to themselves God saith to us if thine enemy thirst give him drink sure then if any soul though it have been a great enemy to God do thirst for his Spirit and lye at the door of his mercy crying for it through Christ There is mercy enough in the heart of God to look out upon it as it were to come forth to it and bestow his spirit upon it Prov. 8.32 33 34. Now therefore hearken unto me O ye Children for blessed are they saith wisdom that keep my wayes hear instruction and be wise and refuse it not Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my Gates waiting at the posts of my doors Why is such a one blessed 〈◊〉 for who so findeth me findeth life intimating they that so seek shall find Doth not Christ commend the good Samaritan who had compassion on the wounded man who could not help himself and poured in oyl into his wounds Luk. 10.33 34. surely the Lord is as good himself I and much more compassionate towards poor sinners who are far more miserable and helpless If then thou wounded soul by thy sins and no way able to heal thy wounds to subdue thy sins shalt indeed look to him cry unto him will he not pour the Spirit which is called the oyl of gladness into thy heart Yes no doubt he will I dare say this to thee O soul if thou hast a heart to go sensibly and sincerely to Christ and to tell him of that himself hath spoken concerning the good Samaritan and humbly to ask him whether he have not a more loving tender heart not doubting whether he hath or no but being perswaded that he hath and to plead what the Samaritan did with Christ entreating that he would do the like for thee spiritually Christ will not take it amiss no his bowels will be troubled for thee as the Lord saith his were for Ephraim and he 'l surely have mercy on thee so as to vouchsafe the spirit to thee even to thee as it is Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together So will the Lord say concerning thee how shall I give thee up to thy lusts wounded soul how shall I deliver thee to the rage of thy deadly corruptions crying heart how shall I make how shall I set thee as the reprobates as those who are drowned in perdition and destruction by their foolish and hurtful lusts mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together they are as all up and on a flame together all my bowels yern towards thee here 's my spirit for thee take it receive thou the holy Ghost is not that Christ's own word Rev. 21.6 I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Use 10. Seeing it is through the spirit that our sins are to be mortified take the spirit's time for the mortifying of them What time is that it is the present time The spirit loveth no delayes in a matter of so great consequence it hates our sins therefore would that we should seek to destroy them immediately without any putting off O! Alas how many have been ruined by their sins because they have deferred to seek the ruine of them They have never had the Spirit 's help because they would not take the Spirit 's time Beware that be not true of any of you Rom. 10. last But to Israel observe that to Israel a people enjoying the word and living under ordinances he saith all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gain saying people I have tendred mercy offered help and assistance to a people who have all day long from morning to evening of the day of grace slighted my mercy and refused my help the teaching and leading of my Spirit No delay past shall be charged upon you if now you have a heart to yield your selves to the Spirit for the subduing your iniquities but take heed of delaying still Now even now the blessed Spirit offereth you its help now in the Gospel now in the Word Preached my Spirit saith God shall not alway strive with man believe it now the Spirit striveth
with you and makes a tender of its assistance But more especially doth the spirit offer its help when it begins to move and breath and work in any soul Give ear I pray have you no movings no workings no stirrings or convictions of the Spirit do you barely hear a sound of words do you feel â—â—thing within doth not the Spirit many times convince you doth it not frequently stir you up against your sins and against this or that sin in particular have you not now some stirrings of the Spirit Remember this whenever the Spirit moveth in you it offereth you its assistance therefore if you have any hatred of your sins any love of your souls any desire to be helpt by the Spirit against your corruption accept its offer now accept it and set upon this good and necessary work forthwith take up arms and use them against your sin giving up yourself to the Spirit that it may enable you to do that for which you are utterly impotent and insufficient in your selves Go along with the Spirit that way it moves you that way go what it putteth you on to that do It is a most dangerous thing to neglect the offer of the holy good Spirit of God to slight or let slip any of its counsels or motions as Christ said to Jerusalem so may the Spirit now say to many a one Mat. 23.37 38. how oft would I have helped you and you would not behold your soul is left unto you desolate Use 11. Take heed all you who have the Spirit that you do no way provoke it no way grieve it because the great war you are still while you live to carry on against corrupt nature and its lustings can only be effectually managed by the help thereof Why is it that the Spirit of grace doth assist us no more in this warfare whence is it that the enemies of our Spirits so oft prevail and get us under Is it because the Spirit in us is not able to help us that cannot be it hath given our souls life when quite dead therefore it can lay our sins quite dead at its pleasure and give our souls life more abundantly Is it because the spirit is not willing or ready to afford us its assistance neither can that be it being given to us to help us to think it unwilling is to think it unfaithful but the holy spirit cannot be unfaithful and to think it unwilling is to think it unloving unkind uncompassionate but that spirit that works all kindness love and compassion that is gracious in every soul must needs be exceeding loving kind and full of compassion it self What 's the reason then that this that and the other sin so oft gets the mastery in us who have the spirit in us Whence is it that spiritual slothfulness so much prevails in some worldliness in others lukewarmness pride envy c. in others whence are some so unstable in the truth so unconstant in that which is good whence such dead heartedness such carnality such vain-glory such discontent and uncircumspect walking among us Sure the Spirit is not kindly entertained by us as it ought to be we grieve it we offend and displease it As Israel was never beaten by their enemies but still prevailed against them unless God were some way greatly provoked by them and so left them in a great degree to themselves to their own strength and counsels which ever proved too weak short and foolish to hold them up when the Lord was withdrawn from them So it is when our foul enemies prevail the Spirit of God is displeased by us Therefore be more kind to be more tender towards it Let us ever be careful as for our lives that we never grieve our great and only helper There are many wayes that the Spirit is offended one is that even now mentioned neglecting its motions not working when it calls upon and puts us on to work not fighting when it moves us or not as it moveth us to fight against our lusts Besides which there are five or six wayes I shall now mention of grieving the Spirit First Running upon temptation when you do so you tempt the Spirit which tempting it is grieving it when you needlessely run upon an occasion of sin and venter upon any foreseen temptation having no call hoping the Spirit will help you against it Secondly Willing or careless neglect of any duty Believe O that you would believe me when I speak truth you never willingly or carelessely neglect a duty but you grieve the Spirit You may pretend one and another thing but the Spirit cannot be deceived it searcheth all things and as for you in whom it dwells know you it doth more especially observe your whole conversation and all the workings of your spirits Thirdly Yielding to any thing at any time against your conscience when you offend conscience you grieve the spirit if conscience be displeased the spirit is displeased though not alway in the same respect thy conscience saith doing such a thing thou dost not do well yet wilt thou do it now dost thou provoke the spirit Fourthly Not trying those motions that are in you by the word what they are or whence they come For hereupon you oftner then you are aware of give entertainment to Satan's motions and yield to them as if they were from the spirit of holiness especially then when Salan transforms himself notably into an Angel of light and what a grieving the spirit this is it 's easie to conceive for you through negligence rashness or inconsiderateness and not trying things as you ought to follow the wicked one instead of the Holy one Fifthly Despising the counsel of such who have the spirit which is too ordinary a case I suppose it will be confess'd this is a grieving the spirit and it must be granted it is too too common Either the counsel of such is despised by not seeking it when it is needful the law should be sought at their mouth who have the teaching of the spirit Mal. 2.7 Hagg. 2.11 or when good counsel is given and is not followed but is neglected be it through flightiness obstinacy conceit of your own understanding or a being bent to your own mind 1. Cor. 7. last it is so after my judgment and I think I have the spirit of God he means as to that his Advice and therefore as if he should have said beware that you despise not my counsel lest you grieve the spirit whose counsel it is by me Sixthly Giving way to unbelieving thoughts the suffering to lodg in you any evil thought grieves the spirit particularly and especially a thought of unbelief when you entertain it nourish it or strive not to turn it out Now let the consideration of your need of the spirit and the great work you have to do by it which can by no means be done without it make you heedful that the spirit be not grieved by you these or any
Saul before David right endeavours wherein the whole soul is employed are not in vain if they are in outward matters yet are they not in spiritual things a man may with all his heart do his utmost to get rid of a sickness and yet it grow upon him and increase But it is otherwise as to our lusts he doth prevail and prosper who in sincerity and good earnest is engaged against them Q. How shall we know that whether we get ground upon our corruptions or no A. 1. If your spirits are more constantly than they use to be in a gracious holy frame the breakings forth and strong workings of any corruption spoileth the present graciousness and spiritual frame of our spirits if then you are more constantly in a godly heavenly temper as if you have more holy thoughts if your minds do more frequently and freely work upon God the words and things of God if you have more constant breathings after God if you now have a more continued readiness to do good works c. then do you gain upon your lusts if you are not so oft as we say off the hooks out of tune in your spirits in a carnal vain listless careless drowsy and sinful temper Secondly If when corruption moves and gets advantage against you it doth less mischief than it use to do though it doth hurt yet not so much it may discompose you put you besides your Bias somewhat but not in so great a degree it alters the frame of your spirit but not altogether not so as to lay all wast as formerly But even then when sin stirs most you find grace with all stirring much as fear of God dislike of sinful lusting and rising of heart against it more than at such times was wont to be Thirdly If you find your heart upon reflection and a review of the workings of your spirits and your conversations more ready to see the miscarriages thereof and what of sin hath been therein as also more enlarged in confessing and judging your selves for the deeds of the flesh and more grieved broken ashamed and humbled for them the more of these things the more are your sins mortified the more do you prevail against them Fourthly If you are more fearful of sin lest it should break forth and so more careful to prevent the stirrings of corruption and more fervent in crying to God day by day to order all your steps in his paths to keep your hearts and to enable you to order your conversations aright according to his will if you can and do more earnestly and frequently present that petition Lord that thy will may be done by me on Earth as it is in Heaven or to that effect Fifthly If when sin doth stir it is more speedily supprest than heretofore you find perhaps the same sinful motions ever and anon but then they don't continue so long as they did you sooner quench them or get them down underfoot It speaks a full victory coming on when the enemies attempts are more suddeâ—ly quasht so if the workings of sin are more speedâ—â—asht and turn'd back And when you sooner recoâ—er your selves and come to a right frame I may add Sixthly If it be now more easie to you to withstand temptations and to stand out against the risings and movings of sin this speaks corruption hath some considerable wound and that it is dying when a man hath a less adoe to quell it and master it Yet consideration must be had of a time of special extraorâ—â—â—ary temptation It is possible a mans sin may be sorely wounded and yet out-reach him and give him such a fall as it never did before because he may meet with such a trial as all things laid together he had not before which was Noah's Lot's and David's case Vse 7. Let me speak a little to excite you to give your selves more and more to this necessary Duty Necessity they say hath no Law Nothing must be hearkned to or regarded to stop a man in a case of absolute necessity which is very true as to the matter in hand because this is most necessary nothing must let us we must break through all opposition and shake off all discouragement whatever we neglect this must not be neglected How ost is necessity pleaded as to the things of this world I am necessitated saith one saith another I am under a necessity to do this or that O remember no necessity in any worldly matter like to this Some plead a necessity of sinning as Esau for the selling his birth-right I am at the point to dye said he Gen. 25.32 but we know there can be no true necessity to sin unless we shall say it 's necessary for a man to provoke God and destroy himself or such a necessity shall be pleaded as this it 's necessary to save a penny though thereby a man beggar himself It 's necessary for a man to save his cloaths though thereby he lose his life But behold necessity indeed this is true necessity this is necessity in the language and judgement of sound wisdom to mortifie all the corruptions of our souls and what need more be said Yet take a word or two besides what hath been spoken First If we do not mortifie the deeds of the body they will mortifie all Ordinances to us we shall not get good by any Ordinance of God all will be as dead to us Baptism will become as no Baptism to us Rom. 2.25 The Lords Supper will become as no Lords Supper to us 1 Cor. 11.20 This is not to eat the Lords Supper to eat it with sin unmortified hearing the Word will be as no hearing the Word of God Christ tells us Briars and Thorns choak the Word and stones lusts unsubdued cause it to wither by hindring its taking root It 's true Ordinances are appointed for the mortifying our corruptions that 's one great end of them but if our hearts be not set upon the mortifying our sins if we let them alone and give way to them what hope that Ordinances shall profit us The first good any get by Ordinances unless any are brought to it by afflictions is to stir them up to make War upon their lusts or nothing is done to purpose except this be done Hence it 's said Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he 'l draw nigh to you cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded No good no advantage by Ordinances no life in them unlesse God draw nigh to us in them and if we would that God should draw nigh to us in any Ordinance we must draw nigh to him therin but this we cannot unless we give our selves to the cleansing of our hands and the purifying of our hearts that is in a word to the mortifying of our sins both outward and inward chiefly Hypocrisie therefore he saith purifie your hearts ye double minded but if we give way to any of our sins we give way to Hypocrisie
the most peace is it not then when you are most eagerly ingaged against and hot in the pursuit of sin plotting contriving and by all means you can working its death The experience of all Christians I doubt not gives in restimony that this is true Sermon 5. THe second thing in the latter part of my Text now offereth it self to our serious consideration this necessary duty is to be performed through the Spirit whence the Doctrine is this D. 2. That the great work of mortifying killing or destroying the deeds of the body of sin is to be managed through the Spirit when we are called upon to mortifie our sinful affections our evil motions and the corrupt lustings within us the meaning is that this is to be done through the Spirit No truth more useful than this if well understood and received this is the principal thing that I would commend to you All know or generally it is confest that sins must be mortified but that this is to be done by in with or through the Spirit few in comparison understand I know nothing that needs to be taught among and prest upon Christians and more frequently to be inculcated than this There are three Queries concerning the truth now proposed which call for some Answer for the explication of it 1. What 's meant by the Spirit 2. Why is this work to be done through the Spirit 3. How is it thus to be done Q. 1. What 's meant by the Spirit A. Spirit signifieth diverse things in Scripture it hath several acceptations 4 of which I shall here take notice 1. By spirit is meant our spirit our heart and soul so the Apostle saith he did serve God with his spirit and Christ saith God is to be worshipped in spirit so we must mortifie the deeds of the body of sin in spirit with our whole heart and soul otherwise we shall not prosper in what we do all will be to no purpose if we have not a thorow will and sincere endeavour Christ saith many shall seek to enter in at the strait gate and not be able so many seek to mortifie their sins and are not able because they are not thorowly willing and resolved And then our main endeavour must be to mortifie sin within of which I spake before when sins are only kept from outward outbreakings they are no more mortified than Lions and Bears or such wild creatures when shut up and kept from ranging abroad Secondly Sometimes by spirit in Scripture is understood new nature the new man as it may be taken and seems to be in that 5. Gal. 17. where the Apostle saith the spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit thus we must mortifie our sins in by or through the spirit by the new creature through a principle of true grace acted and stirred up in us This is most certain no man can mortifie the deeds of sin without he have a contrary principle of grace for till the new man be formed in one there 's no good nothing but flesh but sin and the flesh neither will nor can mortifie it self as Satan casteth not out Satan neither doth lust cast out or destroy lust though it 's true sometimes one lust doth keep under another and hinder anothers working this or that way as a mans pride may put a stop to his covetousness though he have a covetous heart yet through predominant pride he scorns to be base and niggardly so covetousness may hold in pride as to it 's shewing it self in such or such a way because the man is coverous therefore he will not wear such cloths or do some other things which pride otherwise would cause him to do that he might have respect among men But sin cannot truely subdue sin no more than water can dry up water though one stream being stronger may stop and turn the course of another that hath less strength so pride may command covetousness or covetousness pride yet do they both live before God as the greater light may drown the less yet doth not extinguish it He that hath not a principle of true grace is under the power of fin therefore is not at liberty to mortifie or to will the mortification of his lusts in truth If there be war if there be killing and slaying there must be two parties the one against the other but in a graceless man there 's only one party one nature one kind of principles all sinful therefore he cannot kill or in truth set upon the slaying of his sin though he may possibly upon some outward account or to quiet conscience seek to curb some evil motions As it is against our nature as men to hurt our bodies so is it against our nature as sinful men to do any thing in good earnest and truth of heart towards the death of our sin Therefore a man must have a new nature which whosoever hath then he cannot but be striking at and wounding the deeds of corrupt nature because these two are perfectly contrary Yet they who have true grace need to be awakned and excited thereto more and more to lay out themselves therein through that grace they have received could it be that the actings of sin should be destroyed without contrary workings of grace it would little avail a man would not thereby be in the way of life but no lusting of corruption can be truely killed without a lusting and stirring of grace in opposition thereto as darkness is only dispelled removed by the shining forth of some light Therefore look O soul well to this that thou hast a new nature that thou beest a new Creature in Christ Jesus Thirdly Spirit is sometimes taken for the Gospel as opposed to the Covenant of works 2 Cor. 3.8 where the Apostle speaks of the ministration of the Spirit in opposition to the ministration of Death mentioned in the foregoing verse and verse 6. he saith we are Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life and thus some take Spirit 1 John 5.8 There are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood i. e. the Word the Gospel Baptism and the Lords Supper If we take Spirit in my Text in this sense It 's true the deeds of the body are to be mortified through the Gospel by Gospel truths and considerations for it is the Gospel only that is effectual to destroy our sins the Law is not sufficient to kill any Lust in us It may be by legal truths men may be frighted and chained as it were with the heavy chain of slavish fear so that they dare not sin as they used to do but the Law alone never was or can be sufficient to lay any sin dead The Law alone rather quickneth and stirreth up sin than destroyeth it sin is thereby revived not mortified Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin was dead i. e. it lay as if
it had been so in comparison of those stirrings of it which he found when the Law came to his conscience verse 9. When the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed and the commandement which was ordained to life I found to be unto Death to his own death the death of his former hope and comfort not the death of his sin and thus he saith it was with others before converted verse 5. When we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death the motions of sin which were by the Law i. e. which were begotten or drawn forth by the Law through our corruption Therefore they are Gospel Truths especially and no Truths without these that are an efficacious means for the mortifying of sin These are the weapons of our warfare as the Apostle calls them 2 Cor. 10.4 which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds they are spiritual and so effectual through God to the subduing our carnal affections As the work of mortification is begun so it is carried on but it is begun in regeneration and that 's by the Gospel as we read we are begotten again by that 1 Cor. 4.15 In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel Therefore the Gospel and the truths thereof should principally be made use of The curse of the Law should be considered but if a man would get his sin indeed destroyed let him seek a spiritual understanding of and let him be much in meditating on the grace of the Gospel the doctrine of Christ Fourthly By the Spirit is understood the Holy Ghost the third Person in the Trinity thus it 's taken both before my Text ver 9 and 11. as also after my Text ver 14 15 and 16 c. and in this sense we are to take it in the words I am upon if ye through the Spirit through the Holy Ghost i. e. through the Spirit of God do mortifie the deeds of the body Yet this includes the three other acceptations of the word Spirit for whoever do mortifie any sin through the Holy Ghost they are engaged in the work with their whole souls their whole heart is in it and they do destroy the deeds of the flesh by acting and exercising grace and this they do through hearing considering and acting Faith on Gospel Truths as will be shewn afterward Q. 2. Why is this work of mortifying our sins to be done by the Spirit of God A. 1. Because it cannot possibly be done without the Spirit of God Whatever is done against sin without the Spirit gives it no deaths wound it only covers or somewhat curbeth sin but doth not at all destroy it Christ saith John 6.63 It 's the Spirit that giveth life or that quickneth so it 's the Spirit that mortifieth the Spirit quickneth the Soul and the Spirit mortifieth sin in the Soul A dead carkass shall as soon maintain a fight against and kill a powerful enemy as any man slay his sin any one lust without the Spirit of God As it is natural to our visible body to save it self and every member thereof so is it natural to the body of sin and every member of that to save it self and as it is natural to a Father to save his Child so to Satan to do his utmost to defend and preserve fin in us Therefore it cannot be that we should of our selves or by the help of any creature alone mortifie any lust could we without the Spirit of Christ destroy our sin then might we be in a great part our own Saviours He that knows not the necessity of the Spirits special assistance in this work is certainly a great stranger to the mortification of sin that is most true in this case Zech. 4.6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts It is too great a work too mighty and too honourable for any one of himself to get the victory over sin which is our strongest and our worst enemy Outward enemies cannot be destroyed without the help of God especially when many and potent much less can spiritual enemies which are the worst and strongest Psal 33.16 17. There is no King saved by the multitude of an host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength an horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength So all Means Duties Ordinances Power and Ability of the Creature is vain weak and to no purpose to deliver and save a man from his sin unless the Spirit of the Lord put its hand to the work and by its might effect it Secondly As this cannot be done without the Spirit so may it be done by the Spirit what though our lusts are never so many It 's all one as we read with the Lord to save with many or with few so is it all one with him to destroy many or few what was that great Host of Senacherib which came against Jerusalem one Angel of the Lord destroyed it in one night we read of the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin every sin is exceeding deceitful besides how deceitful is the heart how deceitful is Satan how deceitful is the world which is one great reason why we cannot mortifie our evil affections of our selves we want not only strength but understanding also our Lusts seem dead while in truth they live they make us think we wound them when the blow falls quite beside we seem many times to do all we can against our sins when it s nothing so that sin seems least in us which is greatest and most hurtful Now the spirit of God is a spirit of wisdom therefore through it we may destroy our sin notwithstanding its deceitfulness though we oft are the spirit of God cannot be deceived What though our iniquities are never so mighty the spirit of God is Almighty Ps 74.15 thou driedst up mighty rivers yet dryed and dryed up though rivers though mighty rivers or as the word is rivers of strength what great things did the spirit of God do in the creation when it moved on the face of the waters such like things it can do and doth when it moveth powerfully in our hearts Psal 93.3 The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have Dfted up their voice the floods lift up their waves what then who can still them can any man No they as the Psalmist speaks make the Marriners at their wits end they know not how to save themselves much less to quell and calm the floods when they do lift up their voice and their waves to the highest I but the Lord the Spirit of our God is able to command them silence as it there follows verse 4. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters yea
than the mighty waves of the Sea so is no man Darius found himself too weak to deal with the waves when they broke his bridge of boats though he had a hundred thousand men at his command and is but laught at for his attempting by shackles and stripes to tame the tempestuous waters but Christ by commanding the sea to silence shew'd and made manifest the power of God Thus when our lusts lift up their voice when our flesh lifteth up its waves as it were in our souls the Lord is more mighty we are too weak to grapple with them but the spirit of the Lord is mightier than the strongest motions and most mighty lustings of sin within us It is sometimes thought by some when they feel this or that lust stirring strongly and when they have laboured long against it without conquest over it can this lust be subdued can it ever be mortified and sure it is we are all too full of unbelief as to God's power However some imagine they believe it enough hence they said can God prepare a Table in the wilderness yea Moses himself notwithstanding all he had heard seen and experienced of the power of God yet once spake doubtingly concerning it Numb 11.21 22. for which God rebuked him v. 23. saying is the Lords hand waxed short and hence though the Prophet makes a full confession of Gods power Jer. 32.17 Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for thee yet observe in the following verses he seems to speak too unbelievingly concerning God's power so and so saith he it is with us yet v. 25. thou hast said unto me O Lord God buy the field for money and take witnesses for the City is given into the hands of the Caldeans therefore v. 26.27 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah saying Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh is there any thing too hard for me As if the Lord had said thou say'st indeed there is nothing too hard for me but thou hast not so much faith of my power as thou oughtest to have thou hast too much doubting too much unbelief concerning my power it self But above all things a soul under a deep sense of the power of natural corruption is prone to doubt of Gods power as to the destruction thereof were there reason to doubt of the power of God in any thing there would be cause to question it in this if even any thing were too hard for the Lord this would to slay those lusts which grow in our corrupt nature the difficulty of destroying sin in us the Apostle intimates when he saith who shall deliver me from this body of death Wherefore this is needful to be declared and to be urged whatever our fins are the spirit of the Lord can mortifie them it can cause the body of sin and all the lusts thereof to wither and dye away as Christ did that fig tree which he cursed so that they should no more bring forth any fruit And the spirit of the Lord can so strengthen and assist us that though we be weak we shall be strong enough in its strength to lay dead every deed of sin 1 Cor. 1.27 God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings he can perfect praise There have been many who have had such like lusts as ours are who have been able through the spirit to tread them under their feet we read of seven Devils cast out of Mary Magdalen not that she was possess'd in her body but she was a notorious sinner she had mighty lusts whereby the Devils had great power in and over-her soul If I saith Christ by the spirit cast out Devils there are no Devils and so no lusts but may be cast out by the spirit so strong was Paul's envy and malice before his Conversion that Acts 26.11 he was exceeding mad against the Christians yet by the spirit he of mad was made sober those his lusts were destroyed and instead of being mad against Christ he became as besides himself for Christ 2 Cor. 5.13 whether we be besides our selves it is to God some accounted them because of their self denyal and fervency in Preaching the Word whereby they spent themselves as besides themselves what lusts had they 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. they were some of them for nicators Idolaters Adulterers Abusers of themselves with mankind Thieves Covetous Drunkards Extortioners the worst of sinners yet were they sanctified by the spirit of our God and if they were sanctified then their lusts were mortified through the spirit Therefore believe that your sins by the spirit may also be destroyed it is a good step towards the doing this to believe that through the spirit it may be done and the believing this is necessary Mat. 9.28 29. Believe ye that I am able to do this they said yea Lord then touched he their eyes saying according to your faith be it unto you i. e. according to their faith of Christ's ability so were their eyes opened Thirdly All whom the Lord hath chosen to salvation he hath elected them to this way through mortification of their sin by the spirit 1 Pet. 1.2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience through sanctification and therefore through mortification how by the spirit so 2 Thes 2.13 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of God because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit but no more sanctification of our souls than there is mortification of our lusts Fourthly Jesus Christ dyed for this 1 Joh. 3.5 he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin to take them away that is not only in the guilt of them but in the power and life of them and it is of the latter he there speaks as the context shews v. 6. whosoever abideth in him sinneth not that is he hath his sins taken away by him and so he sinneth not as he did nor as others do not with his whole man not with delight c. and as Christ came and dyed for this that our sins might be mortified so that this might be done by the spirit in that it cannot be done without it and hence Christ speaks of sending the spirit after his Crucisixion Resurrection and Ascension to deal with men about their fins and why but in order to the subduing them and that because for this he dyed and also rose and ascended and interceeds that those whom he saves may have the spirit to help them in this work Fifthly God hath promised his spirit to his people for this Ezek. 36.27 I will put my spirit within you for what v. 29. I will save you from all your uncleannesses that is God will
flesh So say I yeild to the Spirit to along with it so shal ye mortifie any deed of the Flesh If the Spirit go one way you will go another if the Spirit call and you 'l not hearken if that speak and you 'l not hear if that move and you 'l not follow the motions thereof then will the Spirit leave you to your selves See the V. following my Text the Apostle having said if ye through the spirit mortifie the deeds of the Body he adds in the next words Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God whereby he teacheth us that if we would mortifie the deeds of the Body through the spirit then we must be led by the spirit we must resign our selves to the conduct and guidance thereof Sixthly We must wait on the spirit if it doe not come in to our assistance if it do not help us as we desire we must continue waiting hold on looking for it begging it and using the means it hath ordained As they waited at the Pool of Bethesda for the moving of the waters by the Angel that they might be healed If the Angel came not and moved not the waters one day nor the next yea though he stayed one week and another still they waited there till he should come When Saul waited not for Samuel Samuel told him he did foolishly and he should lose his Kingdome So do they exceeding foolishly who wait not for the spirit of God and hence it is that many lose the Kingdom of Heaven and never get victory over their corruption because they will not continue waiting till the spirit come in to their assistance These six things we are to do that we may mortifie our sins through the spirit but it is to be remembred that neither can any of these be done without the spirit therefore we must ask it that we by it may be enabled to do these things Yet must we not sit still but we must put forth our selves stir up our selves and go as far as we can as well as we can It should be well noted The Apostle saith not If the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body in you but if ye through the spirit do mortifie them plainly declaring and testifying to us that though we can do nothing of our selves that shall be effectuall we must not be idle we must not sit still but we must rouze up our selves and as the little child that can't go alone yet strives to go when lead it moves it's leggs and doth what it can towards it's going so must we do to the utmost what lyes in us towards the mortification of our sins and so look for the spirit to carry us on in the work prosperously Application USe 1. Learn by the Truth to understand aright the councels exhortations and commands of Scripture this and that the Scripture saith you must do and you are oft call'd upon to do such things from the Word of God but how is it that you are to do them Remember alwayes though this be not every where or every time exprest this is meant this is alwayes understood you must do so and so through the spirit you must get the spirit and give up your selves to the spirit that you may do all and every of the things whereto you are counselled exhorted or commanded For this work of mortifying our sins is a generall work that hath an influence into even all other things that concern us to do or whereto we are obliged in our whole conversation nothing can be done as God requireth if this be not done every command of God implyes the subduing of some lust or other even lust being contrary to some command If then we are to mortifie our sins through the spirit through it therefore we are to yeild obedience to all the commands of the Lord. Use 2. Learn whence it is that the purposes resolutions and endeavours of men against their sin are so fruitlesse and ineffectuall how oft is it that men purpose resolve and take great pains to bring under this or that lust in them yet it retains it's strength yet it continueth your master notwithstanding Why whence is this It is because they have not learnt to put themselves into the hand of the spirit and to take that along with them in what they do They resolve but not through the spirit they strive they weep but they trust in themselves they call not for their eye is not to the spirit of God so all their resolutions vanish wither away all their attempts pains and industry prove abortive and in vain As it 's said concerning prayer Jam. 4.2.3 Ye lust and have not ye kill desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not because ye ask not ye ask and receive not because ye ask amisse so many do much they make a great deal of stir about the conquering their corruptions yet prevail not because they do all amisse as Christ saith Many shal strive to enter shal not be able so many strive to destroy their sin but are not able because they have not learnt to go forth against their evill motions under the conduct and in the power of the Holy Ghost Hath it not been thus sometimes with you Such a sin you have found working strongly in you you have made war upon it sought it's death resolved upon it's destruction but to no purpose It hath continued still living lively stirring as before learn then this day learn it well what hath been the cause even this know this to have been the reason you have not taken the right course you have not duly sought therefore have not truly had the spirit helping you which only hath power to strengthen and skill to direct you in that you have endeavoured As the Apostle saith the spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought So the spirit must help our infirmities or we know not in any case or matter relating to the good of our souls what to do as we ought When any labour against their sin without the spirit they do as one that takes a great deal of pains to open a dore without the right key or to cause a vessell to sail against the stream without any wind in a calm And perhaps you have observed that others they have got great victory over their sins in much lesse time you have striven long and yet are as trodden under foot by this and that base lust and another who began to look heavenward a great while after you is able to trample his sin under his feet How so because he is wise and being taught by the spirit hath taken the spirit along with him in all his endeavours and then no wonder As suppose two vessels set forth to one Port from severall harbours the one long after the other having divers leagues more to sail yet if
this vessel have a good gale of wind and the other be becalmed and have only the strength of the marriners to put it forward by Poles and Oars you will not marvel if that which set out last and hath the longest way to go be first at the intended haven leaving the other behind basking and tossing in the waves possibly till she be foundred or wrackt through a great storm arising Use 3. Let this cause you to magnifie the Gospel the Doctrine of Christ because this tells you how you shall slay your worst most hurtful deadly and powerful enemies and lay them dead at your feet The Law that discovers sin Rom. 7.7 I had not known sin but by the Law for I had not known lust except the Law had said thou shalt not covet The Law also denounceth a sore curse to them who walk after their lusts but the Law telleth us not of a remedy how we shall have help against them it is the Gospel that teacheth us to mortifie the deeds of sin through the spirit The meer light of nature saith of many sins they must be mortified but is at a stand as to this the only way for the mortification of them hence those great Moralists and wise Philosophers who speak much against many impieties and give divers rules good in their place for the getting rid of them yet are silent in this some of those wise men gave strange rules for the mortifying of lust as that of Crates famish thy self noting that it was not feasable and all their precepts are ineffectual for the real destroying any lust therefore the best of those men are noted to have lived under the dominion of some destroying corruption covetousness ambition envy or such like They write of one Democritus he put out his eyes because he could not look without lusting but did that mortifie his sin No though his eyes were out his corruption continued still within There are two great things only to be known by the Gospel the one is how we may have peace with God be accepted of him and justified in his sight the Gospel only holds forth justifying righteousness the other is this I am now upon how we may get our sins destroyed and so our hearts purified Vse 4. You may make use of this truth by way of tryal whether you have the spirit of Christ in you or no The greatest question in the world is whether you are in Christ Jesus the Answer to that is he that hath not the spirit of Christ as the Apostle saith is none of his but he that hath the spirit of Christ in him is in Christ And if you would know whether the spirit of Christ be in you this is one answer if it be in you it works in you it helps and assists you and that in mortifying your sins Have your sins deadly wounds is there any thing done really and considerably towards the ruining them If so then you have the spirit of Christ in you because this is to be done only through the spirit Vse 5. Adore the Lord and greatly praise him that he is pleased not only to acquaint us with the necessity of mortifying the deeds of sin but also to direct us how we shall do it and that in such a way as this through his own spirit God might have told us of the desert of our sins the danger of living in them and what would follow thereupon and so left us to pine away in them which had been a most woeful doleful case But behold the riches of his grace he shews us a way in the Gospel both for our attaining pardon of our transgressions and victory over all our corruptions It may be objected Alas what is this that we hear we must mortifie our sins through the spirit we may hear of this as many do and yet be far enough from being freed from the power of our sins I answer true no doubt many hear of this who yet continue to live after the flesh and so dye eternally having not one of all their lusts destroyed But then it is their own fault because they follow not the Counsel of God in his Word it is the love and goodness of a friend if be tell you a soveraign effectual remedy for any mortal Disease under which you labour though at length you dye thereof because you will not use the means he prescribes or directs you to So is it the grace of God that he declares to us how our sins may be killed and our souls saved though many hear thereof and yet dye in their sins because they take not the good counsel given them It may be again objected is the spirit at our command can we mortifie our sins through it if we will I answer Though the spirit be not at our command it is at our entreaty so be it we heartily seek it as we are directed which how it is will after be shewn So that this truth leaves all those utterly in excusable who still live in their sins after their hearing it and it will aggravate their condemnation in that though they heard from the Word of God how they should destroy their lusts they continued still enslaved by them and lived under the power of them all their dayes Yet is this Doctrine a great discovery of the grace of God to all men in general to whom the Gospel is published Especially doth this speak the grace of God to you who are in Christ for he hath already actually given you his spirit and all that he now requireth of you is that you improve it and make use of it as of a great and most Noble friend who is able and ready at all times upon all occasions to help you Know therefore the Lord your God is full of grace towards you He indeed calls you to great work to warring and fighting against your strong corruptions from which if he pleased he could easily suddenly altogether perfectly deliver you while here as he will hereafter This may seem hard and seem to speak some want of fatherly love and kindness but think not so seeing he hath given you an all sufficient helper fully answerable to the greatness of the work which he puts you upon Use 6. Let the sixth use be to convince all such of great error who think they can mortifie their sins of themselves or that any thing they can do can be effectual to the mortification thereof without the spirit It is one of the grand errors of the Antichristian party to think that their vows fastings penance c. can mortifie sin and they give themselves divers of them to severe courses and put others on to such and such things as effectual means to slay their lusts without looking after the spirit of Christ for it's assistance Wherein too too many who oppose Popery are too like to Papists as in other things for are there not many who hearing the absolute necessity of having their sins
slain do thereupon resolve and strive with their eye off from the spirit and how frequent is it for sins to be cryed down and people to be stirred up to put away leave forsake and destroy their sins but as to the spirit's help and mens seeking that there is a deep silence It is evident that men commonly imagine there 's no necessity of any help or at least that there is no necessity of any special help of the spirit in this work But remember you I pray these three words 1. Such a thought is full of falshood and deceit very cross to plain Scripture exceeding contrary to the Gospel so it hath much sin in it 2. It 's very injurious to the blessed spirit it derogates from his honour denyeth it that which is it's prerogative and it affronts Christ who hath obtained the spirit to help in this work yea it makes the promise of the spirit vain and needless and so its full of wickedness 3. Such a thought is exceeding prejudicial to all in whom it hath place for they who conceit or imagine they can deal with their soul enemies without the spirit are not like to have its help nor will they look for nor do they care for its assistance When we suppose we can do a work that concerns us of our selves we look not forth for a helper Is it not said sometimes I care not whether you or he or any one will afford me help I 'le do such a thing my self I can do it without you c. O look to your own hearts for ordinary is it that men have truth in their heads and tongues yet the contrary error deeply strongly rooted in their hearts and thriving there As in other things so in this an usual evil is it for men to hold the truth in unrighteousness they say they cannot mortifie any sin without the spirit yet let them but faithfully examine themselves and they shall find that they do attempt to get the conquest of this and that sin and imagine that they shall without the spirit Wherefore let the seventh use be Use 7. To put you upon considering whether is this Doctrine printed in your hearts have you a sound conviction have you a heart perswasion of it that none no not one of your sins not the least of your many iniquities evil affections and sinful motions not your worldliness not your vanity not your pride not your unbelief not any other sin can be executed crucified and slain but by the spirit of the Lord. How shall we know you may say whether our hearts are thus instructed and possest by this truth I answer 1. If you are thus perswaded then you do honour the spirit in your hearts and greatly prize it value and highly esteem it there is a generation who notoriously slight the holy spirit yea who scoff at and deride it such say they jeeringly are men of the spirit all for the spirit but let such profane and brutish ones say what they will you who are indeed convinced that you can get no real conquest over any sin without it you make exceeding much of it upon that account and had much rather be men of the spirit than men of estate and honour Therefore the great thing you pray daily for is an abundance thereof as the Psalmist saith take not thy holy spirit from me you pray Lord give thy holy spirit to me O continue it with me let me be filled therewith And when you pray against your sins you do not ask the destruction of them directly or not only but you ask the spirit that through it you may mortifie them 2. The promise of the spirit is exceeding precious to you no promise more sweet and refreshing to your souls no promise of forgivenesse delights you more than a promise of the holy spirit every such promise you embrace and lay up in your hearts as there is great reason why you should and that rather more than other promises because it is by the spirit that other promises are accomplished all promises of grace are included in the promise of the spirit they all being fulfilled thereby 3. When you find you can't get any sin under that any lust is too hard for you then you not only are troubled mourn and sigh by reason of the life and strength of sin and your own weakness to master it but also as much or more for want of the spirit whence your weakness to mortifie it doth arise A man not gracious not truely enlightned may be much upon some accounts grieved because some lust in him is so strong and prevalent but an ungracious man hardly comes to this to mourn for his want of the spirit 4. You make much of the convictions of the spirit you do not seek to smother them when it convinceth you of sin but you are glad of them and cherish them As you entertain a good friend whose company you desire whose help you need and whom you would fain have to abide with you though he be somewhat free with you in telling you of some things he likes not Or as wounded persons if they are bent to have their cure receive with kindness a skilful Chyrurgion though he open their wounds and in his work put them to pain So you give entertainment to the spirit though it work for the causing you to see and for the humbling you for your sins Use 8. In the eighth place let me put you again upon the tryal whether you have learnt and do follow this necessary counsel do you doth every one of you mortifie your sin through the spirit I hope there is no one of you so fearless of the great only true God so faithless of the word of truth so careless of his precious immortal foul so mindless of his future eternal condition so wedded to and in league with sin as that he is wholly negligent in seeking to get it mortified Therefore the question I now put to you is how is it that you endeavour this is it in a right manner is it according to the Gospel as my Text directeth It may be said I hope yes but how shall I discern and prove to my self or any other if need were that I indeed so do for answer to that take these things in short If so then First you have felt your need of the spirit and from soul hunger and thirst after it you have gone to Jesus Christ for it he saith John 7.37 If any one thirst let him come to me and drink now you thirsting have gone to Christ and drunk received from him this water of life the spirit which is as a water of death to the sins of those in whom it dwells and so as water of life to their souls Secondly If you mortifie your sins through the spirit then you seek the mortification of them universally and thorowly even of all your sins in all the workings thereof so that if it might be you could
wish yea do desire that nothing of them or of any one of them might remain The holy spirit is an enemy to one sin as well as to another and to every degree of sin and all the outgoings or workings thereof therefore he that goeth forth against sin by the spirit he warreth against all sin one as well as another A sign Saul was not carried forth by the spirit against the Amalekits as to the frame of his spirit because he spared some he should have slain so a sign a man seeks not the death of his sin through the spirit if he spare any lust evil affection or motion And if the spirit act you then you lay out your selves will and labour to mortifie every sin in all it 's outbreaking which way soever it vents it self and moves For instance pride that works many wayes and shews it self by a mans habit gate looks thoughts c. Now if you only mind to destroy your pride as issuing forth or working one or two of these wayes and not all you have reason to doubt whether you are acted by the spirit in what you do against your pride So for covetousness that lust hath many streams and wayes of working as making hast to be rich not giving to good and charitable uses buying under and selling above the Market or due price not allowing a mans self or his Relations what is fitting thirsting after gain discontent because a man hath or gets no more of the world c. Now if you only seek to destroy your covetousness as moving and acting some and not all these wayes that speaks what you do against some is not of the spirit Or if you will and strive to mortifie any sin only in part in some degree that 's a bad token but this is a good sign when you are set against every sin in every motion in all the wayes of its working and less than its heart blood its utter ruine will not cannot content you Thirdly You use none but such means as the spirit hath prescribed for the slaying any lust you will not meddle with unlawful superstitious means nor any other but such as the Word of God directs to as praying reading hearing meditating good Company and such like for the spirit of God works not by unlawful means if any do war spiritually by the spirit they war lawfully whereby it appears that Papists and other superstitious persons who seem very strict are not led out against their sins by the spirit because they leave the right path and take strange courses which God hath not commanded Yea which he hath forbidden such a means is that when any mew themselves up in a Cell or lay aside their Calling avoid the Society of Relations and others with whom they ought to accompany c. I may add to this you chiefly use those means wherein the spirit principally delights as looking to the promises the sufferings the holy example of Christ c. It appears by the Apostles arguing Rom. 6.1 2 3 4 c. to what he especially lookt and we ought to look for the destroying our sin even the death the crucifixion of Christ which also may be gathered from Gal. 6.14 God forbid I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom or whereby by which Cross I am Crucified to the world and the world to me If you mortifie the deeds of the body by the spirit then this work is in a good degree facilitated and made easie to you though exceeding difficult in it self and grievous to the flesh It 's easie for one very weak to do a great work if he have a strong able helper it 's easie for a young beginner to make good Letters and write well if his hand be guided by a skilful Master So for a soul to beat down its lusts when it hath the powerful assistance of the Almighty most wise spirit And hence they who have the spirit helping them fight against their sins with delight it being a good work and they having good help what they do is not burthensom wearisom and irksom as it is to others therefore they are not apt to be discouraged and give over as others are Neh. 4.8 9. They conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God and set watch against them day and night Nehemiah was not disheartned because he was acted and assisted by the Spirit in the work whereto he was called Thus when a man is set on work against sin by the Spirit Only that none mistake let two things be here remembred First The Spirit of God seldom or never doth assist any in this life in their combating with sin as it can it puts not forth all its ability to the utmost in helping any here if it did farewel all sin presently but because it 's the will of God we should still be kept in exercise in this world and fight it through all the way to heaven therefore the Spirit of God helps those who have its help only in some degree so far as it pleaseth Secondly The Spirit strengthens some more others less and the same persons sometimes more sometimes less sometimes the Spirit almost quite leaves those who have it and are acted by it as to their sense they are even altogether left to themselves either because they have grieved the Spirit or for their tryal and to cause them to know more their own weakness and pray more earnestly for the Spirits help Hence it may be that they who have the Spirit and have gone far in the war against their sin by it may find the work so hard as to begin for a time to sink under it As Moses though in governing the people of Israel he was mightily enabled by the Spirit yet once we read Deut. 1.9 he complained of the burden of his work and said he was not able to bear it But it is not ordinarily or usually thus for the most part they who have the Spirit with them go forward couragiously and delightfully and thus is it still so far as the Spirit doth lead and carry them in what they do Fifthly If you mortifie your sins by the Spirit then as really as you endeavour the death of any sin you do labour to exercise that grace that 's contrary thereto every lust hath a grace opposite to it he that mortifies his lust by the Spirit doth also quicken his grace that stands in opposition to it for the Spirit is as great a friend to grace as it is an enemy to sin and by stirring up grace in us as was formerly said the Spirit doth help us in beating down our sin if then the Spirit help you to mortifie envie and malice it doth put you on to exercise charity kindness and mercy If it assist you against coverousness it doth enable you to exercise contentedness and thus as to other things
Therefore they hardly have the Spirit in a special saving way at least working with them who only seek to get sin down but mind not to get grace up Sixthly This is a sure rule whatever the Spirit helps us to do it causeth us to do from a gracious principle to a gracious end so in the present case if the Spirit stir up any to mortifie their sins it causeth them to endeavour the death thereof from a principle of hatred of sin love to God and faith of his Word and if the Spirit work with us it causeth us to strive to ruine sin not only as contrary to us but as contrary to the law nature and name of God and honour of Christ Whoever aims only at himself in what he doth he acts from and of himself and is not acted by the Spirit For though the Spirit love all in whom it is it loves God more and Christ more than it loves us Though the Spirit aims at our good yet more at the honour of God Jesus Christ Seventhly Though the Spirit if you are acted by it do put you on to pursue all your sins to death yet some of them principally as the more strongly and lively any sin is the more it steals or keeps the heart from God the more it hinders you in religious services the more hurt it causeth you to do to others by offending by hardning and causing them to stumble and whatever sin it be by which Gods name your profession and your souls most suffer that you especially strike at and war upon chiefly your chief sin your iniquity your master corruption which is in you the worst for the Spirit of God is a Spirit of wisdom and when it affords its assistance it is according to true wisdom Therefore it spake Saul to be acted by his own Spirit in that he spared Agag the chief of the Amalekits against whom God sent him whereas of all other he should have put him to death so when any indulge and are tender to their head sin that which sits upon the throne in them which above all should be mortified Eighthly If you have the Spirits assistance then you do ordinarily mortifie your sinful motions under strong temptations as well as under weak for all things are alike to the Spirit whose power and whose understanding are infinite Strong and weak temptations differ as to us not as to the Spirit therefore when it vouchsafeth its assisting presence it doth help under and against all sorts and kinds of temptations It may be objected hath it not been known and do we not read that the best men under very strong temptations do greatly miscarry For answer to that it 's true but it 's also true that even they who have the Spirit of God do sometimes turn out of the way under weak temptations God so ordering it that they may the better know themselves and be the more humbled yea it is known that they who stand out against very mighty temptations are for a time born down by some that are of no great strength compared with those which they withstand David's temptation to take away the life of Shimei who cursed him flung stones at him then when he was King and had reigned long his Servants also pressing him to let them go and take off the head of that dead Dog seems much stronger than his temptation to cut off Nabal and all the males of his house because he refused to shew him kindness yet David absolutely refused to give way that Shimei should be medled with whereas he vowed the death of Nabal and of all the men of his house and armed himself and march'd forth to execute his purpose against him which he had done had he not been stopt as himself confesseth 1 Sam. 25.34 In very deed as the Lord God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from hurting thee except thou had'st hasted and come to meet me surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall So then it is not barely the greatness of the temptation that makes a good man to stumble but the withdrawing of the Spirit at such a time and then whether the temptation be small or great he is carried away thereby Wherefore I say if the Spirit of God be in you and work with you for the most part you mortifie the motions of sin under all kinds of temptations as you usually stand out against small so usually against great temptations also Lastly You ascribe all that victory that at any time you gain against any sin to the Spirit if you are acted by it for when the Spirit helps it makes the soul sensible that it could not do what it doth of it self Luke 1.49 He that is mighty hath done for me great things and holy is his name so saith the soul that is in a truely gracious frame and is carried forth against sin by the Spirit Not I have done great things to the curbing quelling and killing my sins but he that 's mighty the mighty Spirit of God hath done great things in me for me and by me as Isa 26.12 he hath wrought all our works in us not we our selves of our selves but he yea he hath wrought not some but all our works in us Sermon 7. Use 9. SEe how great need they have to seek the Spirit who have it not so necessary as the mortifying any sin is so necessary is the having of the Spirit for as hath been said we must have the Spirit e're we can do any thing by it to the slaying our sins therefore so many lusts so many evil affections and motions so many sins as are in any one of us so many engagements to seek the Spirit without which not one of them can be subdued They who have not the Spirit of the Lord they do they will walk after their lusts nor can they walk otherwise Jude 17 18. Beloved remember ye the words that were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts how so v. 19. these be they who separate themselves i. e. from ordinances from the Societies of Saints sensual not having the spirit hence they did they could not but walk after their lusts because though they pretended high as if they had the spirit and that in a larger measure than others yet in truth they had it not Whoever are without the Spirit are in the flesh Rom. 8.9 Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be the Spirit of Christ dwell in you but which is implyed if the Spirit of Christ dwell not in you then are you in the flesh in the hands under the power of corrupt nature therefore cannot possibly mortifie the deeds of the flesh But get the Spirit once so shall you through it be able to bring under and tread
other wayes And if you find not the spirit helping you against your sin you may conclude one of these two things either you have it not and then you must seek it as before or you have some way grieved it and then you must consider wherein make confession beg pardon and amend Use 12. Be perswaded every one who hath the spirit in all you do against your sin to do it alway through the spirit for as much as this is a sure way and the only way of doing any thing successfully All remember it all is lost labour and worse than labour barely lost if not through the spirit for to attempt any thing without it is a slighting it and the mercy of God in bestowing it And this indeed is one principal way of grieving the spirit to seek or think to tread down your lusts without its help when any have a good friend who can assist them in a difficult matter necessary to be done by them for their good which they cannot bring about without him it is an offence to him it will grieve him if he be not made use of it s a part of friendship and a precept thereof to use our friend in a time of need a true friend is as much offended if you will not use him when you need his help as he is displeased if you refuse your assistance when he needs help from you I am apt to think we grieve the spirit as by nothing more greatly so by nothing more frequently than by this we forget the spirit we beg not its helping presence enough we trust not in it as we ought we have too much a secret considence in our own endeavours resolutions and duties or in grace received Thus the spirit is grieved so it assisteth us not as else it would hence our lusts are so strong what we do proves in vain If one sin be somewhat kept under another riseth up in its room and that retains its life also still and breaks forth again if outward acts of sin are somwhat prevented yet sin it continues and prevails within Hence also we are so oft almost quite discouraged in opposing sin and even sometimes ready to think it unconquerable and hence we undergoe more difficulty than we need as hath been said like as when one combats with an enemy alone too strong for him when he may have help he hath more trouble than he need to have this is folly it 's as when a Child will attempt and force it self to carry that alone which is too heavy for it and above its strength and is it not dangerous to set forth against an enemy too hard for us without that help we may have and God hath graciously afforded us This is presumption this provokes God to let us fall into and under temptation this encourageth Satan against us and strengthens him this is a wrong to the death of Christ whereby the spirit hath been obtained for us Therefore receive the counsel given you into your hearts let it be written and engraven there whenever you resolve against sin let it be through the spirit whenever you strive against any sin let it be through the spirit give your self up to the Spirit that you may be conducted led forth guided and strengthned by it This is an honourable way of spiritual fighting under the conduct of such a leader the mighty glorious Spirit our lusts are the basest enemies the worse is it to be overcome by them but the Spirit is a most excellent Leader Some may say I have endeavoured through the Spirit seeking it and trusting in it for the mortifying of my sin yet is it not mortified I answer don't you know it is so sometimes that a sick man thinks himself worse than he was when his Disease is much abated because he is more sensible of it than he was so is it as to sin And it is one part of Satan's work to bely the work of the Spirit As when men go forth against their sins without the Spirit Satan endeavours to cause them to think their sin dead when it lives as much as ever having no deadly wound at all so when any do resist and fight against their sin by the Spirit he bestirreth himself to cause them to think that their sin retaineth it's former life and strength when indeed it is dying and much weakned It cannot be but if you have truely opposed sin through the Spirit that it is mortified in a good degree it is mortifying dying though not quite mortified and dead altogether As you should not think your corruptions weaker so neither should you look upon them as stronger than they are It is a disgraceful injury to a Physician when his Patients get good by his prescriptions and are really better for them to say they are as bad as sick as ever they have gotten no good thereby So is it a dishonour and wrong to the blessed most precious spirit of grace for those who have it and are acted by it or make use of it to say they are never the better that their sins retain their former strength notwithstanding as if the Spirit of God were either weak unskilful or unfaithful It 's good for us to think and confess the worst of our selves and we should be humbled and ashamed that our sins are no more subdued but we must beware that we dishonour not the spirit nor speak more against our selves than is true as we must not speak falsly for God so not against our selves all false witness is a transgression of the Law Yet let me say our hearts are very deceitful in this thing we do not alway act through the spirit nor are we sensible of our need of it nor do we so heartily seek it or rely on it as we sometimes suppose I doubt not there are many who can testifie that they have experienced the deceitfulness of their hearts in this as well as in other things they have thought that they did resolve and strive through the spirit but afterward they have found that they did look too much to themselves and too little to the spirit that they had more self confidence than they were aware of Some may here desire farther advice how they shall do this work through the spirit how their hearts shall be brought to a thorow trust in the spirit that they may have its help against their sins To which I answer First When sin prevails in you not only confess that but this that you have not made use of the spirit nor relyed on it as you ought it will be a good help to your having more of the assistance of the spirit hereafter if you be sensible of and acknowledge with brokenness of heart your neglect of the spirit heretofore that you have not gone forth against your sin through it as you should There is too little of this confession we confess the stirrings and breakings forth of corruption but we forget altogether or
too much to acknowledge this cause thereof Secondly Remember to seek not only the spirit 's powerful but also its counselling and directing assistance we greatly need both we are weak therefore need the Spirit 's strength we are unwise and foolish therefore need its counsel As we have not power to do so neither understanding to discern what we should do against our sins what is the best way and course to mortifie them It is not unusual for men to take such a course for the destroying their sin as rather strengthneth than weakneth it Enemies are overcome as oft if not oftner by policy than by main force so our sins are to be conquered by wisdom as well as if not more than by strength Therefore look for the spirit to help you both as a spirit of power and also as a spirit of wisdom Thirdly Beg that the spirit would not only help you against your sins but that it would cause you to make use of and trust in it self for its help that it would shew you more and more your need of it convince you of your own weakness and foolishness that you may have no confidence in your selves but wholly depend on it Fourthly Set your selves against every sin through the spirit it may be you look for and desire the spirit's assistance against some special strong corruption but you must seek its help against all or you 'l hardly have it against any you must not think any sin so small that it needs not to be mortified nor any so weak that you can kill it of your selves it offends the spirit if you so think It 's much what a like evil to think any sin too strong to be subdued by the spirit and to think any so small that it need not or so weak that without the spirit it may be mortified Fifthly Make sure of this that you are in Christ and have received the spirit from him and then stedfastly expect its conduct powerful assistance and counsel for the destruction of your sins Look upon it as your helper and have a raised firm expectation without wavering of its help as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 4.18 the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom so you may and should say the spirit of the Lord shall deliver me from every lust and will preserve me from the dominion of every corruption yea and destroy all my sins it will never leave me nor forsake me till it have brought me off victorious it will help me it will give me a full compleat victory overall mine iniquities But let this your confident expectation be rightly grounded How is that I answer you should confidently expect the spirits full help upon these and such like grounds First As it is the spirit of the Father that which the Father hath promised and given you the promise of the spirit is called the promise of the Father Acts. 1.4 and Christ saith it proceedeth from the Father therefore look for it as so think not it will help you only or so much because you need it or will to be help'd by it or for any other reason with respect to your selves as because the Father willeth it should help you and hath promised and given it for that purpose and so it 's the Father's work to do in you and with you Secondly Expect it's help as the spirit of Christ as that which proceeds from the Son which Christ hath obtained and sent to you from the Father Christ dyed and ascended to interceed that you might have it he shed his blood also that your sins might be destroyed through it he hath sent it into your hearts therefore look for it 's help upon Christ's account and as you belong to Christ as you are in him his members so that what the spirit doth for you it doth for Christ as they who shew kindnesse to any of Christ's members feeding visiting clothing them he saith shew kindnesse to himself so the spirit helping you helps Christ as you are of his mysticall body Thirdly Expect the spirit's help also for it's own sake because you are it's Temple 1 Cor. 6.19 It hath freely come to you it doth dwell in you and it is to abide with you for ever John 14.16 therefore the spirit is concern'd in your welfare it helping you to mortifie your sins honoureth itself destroying your sins he destroyeth his own enemies the enemies of his own habitation his own temple Fourthly Expect it's assistance upon the account of the everlastingnesse and freenesse of the Covenant wherein God hath said he will give us his spirit and cause us to walk in his statutes which is to be understood for all our life long the Covenant gives assurance of the constant assistance of the spirit to the end upon such accounts as these stedfastly look for strongly expect the spirits help so certainly you shall not misse of it you may upon the grounds mentioned say of your sins as David to Goliah 1 Sam. 17.46 47. The Lord will deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and all shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword spear for the battell is the Lords he will give you into mine hands Our trust in the spirit is not right if we expect not it's help the greater our expectation is the greater our trust and the greater engagement upon our friend to help us Fifthly If after all you at any time find sin prevailing yet be not out of heart if you are that 's the way to have it prevail again and more but stir up your selves to your duty in your spirituall warfare renew your trust in the spirit be more earnest in calling for it's help As Israel when they fled before the men of Ai they went and humbled themselves fasted and prayed so when you as flee before your sin when beaten by your spiritual enemies go to God be more importunate and urgent for help say with the Psalmist Psal 35.1 2. Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them which fight against me take hold of shield buckler and stand up for my help draw out the spear and stop the way against them say unto my soul speak it feelingly to my sense I am thy salvation let them be confounded that seek after my soul c. And as it is in the Prophet Awake O arm of the Lord put on strength c. By no means give way to discouragement for that is unbelief and a dishonour to the spirit as also to your selves what is it but cowardise when a man is worsted and he falls down under discouragement in this he is more conquered than in the other A right souldier will stir up himself when foiled and prepare for a new assault with the more eagernesse That you may not at any time sinck under discouragement because of the prevalency of
enemies will administer joy yea peace shall we have in great trouble joy in the midst of great sorrow for it s not affliction so much as corruption that deprives our heart of comfort peace and joy Nor can any trouble drown our consolation and chearfulness of spirit wholly if our sin be but mortified by the spirit 1 Pet. 1.6 though in heaviness by manifold temptations yet shall our hearts greatly rejoyce As Solomon saith of the worldly man's mirth Prov. 14.13 even in laughter the qeart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness so as to a Godly man's sorrow if he keep constant and diligent in warring against his sin even in his mourning his his heart is joyful and the end of that heaviness is gladness Perhaps God may withdraw and much try such a one and â—o his heart will have great sorrow yet not without a secret mixture of joy and if his comfort seem to be dead it is but as a sleep it will soon awake and no true joy or peace can be while sin is permitted to bear sway in the soul and is not heartily opposed Thirdly We shall live a life of all true spiritual happiness while we are here we shall have God's favour wherein as the Psalmist saith there is life and which is better than life yea for the most part at least we shall or may have the shining of it into us the light of God's countenance ever and anon lifted up upon us we shall have the blessing of God all things will be blest to us many afflictions will graciously be prevented those that come will be sanctified to us so that they shall not hurt us spiritually no more than the fiery furnace did the three Children outwardly our souls thereby shall not be so much as singed as their clothes were not by that devouring fire nothing shall befall us that will be evil to us in it's effect No good thing shall be wanting to us we shall thrive under ordinances we shall hear and live we shall be fed with and feed on the bread of life our duties and our labours shall live we shall experience the truth of those and other like words Psal 1.3 we shall be like a tree planted by the Rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit in its season our leaf shall not wither and whatsoever we do shall prosper so the blessing of God will attend us and his favour compass us Fourthly When we come to dye a natural death we shall live much better we shall presently live in our souls perfectly and so shall we after a while live in our whole man Joh. 5.29 we shall come out of our graves to the resurrection of life as Christ liveth so shall we live and O how doth he live now there above 2 Cor. 13.4 though he was crucified through weakness yet he liveth by the power of God we also are weak in or with him but we shall live with him if sin dye in us through the spirit of Christ thereby we have great assurance that we shall live with Christ Rom. 6.8 if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him to him that overcometh saith the faithful and true witness Rev. 2.7 will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God which words seem to have respect to that spoken to Adam after he had sinned Gen. 3.22 23. lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and live for ever therefore the Lord God sent him forth out of Paradise now saith Christ though Adam having sin'd and being mortified by sin might not eat of or touch or come near the tree of life that he should live for ever as he hoped or supposed he thereby should yet to him that overcometh his temptations and corruptions will I give to eat I 'le not only permit him to eat but I 'le give him to eat of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God even the third heavens that best place of all the creation as Paradise was of all the earth and so he shall live for ever far better than Adam in that state could have lived Hear men and brethren thus O thus shall ye live if ye will so fight against your sins as not to let them live in you They said of Paul Acts. 22.22 it 's not fit that he should live so the world may say of us and we considered in our selves have great reason to acknowledge we are not fit to live any life no not here in this present evil world but through grace we shall live a life ten thousand and ten thousand times ten thousand much better a life glorious and everlasting 2 Pet. 1.11 we shall have an entrance administred abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now for a few arguments to demonstrate and help faith as to this truth that they who so do as is express'd shall so live as is declared First it must be so because otherwise the spirit's work in us should be lost the spirit 's helping and assisting us against our sins should be in vain to what purpose should the spirit of the Lord enable us in this work if we being help'd should not live but dye at last Therefore shall we live for the spirit 's almighty special work cannot be lost our working alone might well be and would be in vain and disowned by God but that which we do through the powerful assistance and effectual workings of the Holy Ghost will surely be owned by the Father for the spirit's sake and his own sake who sent it to strengthen us and Christ's sake also who obtained it for us Secondly The Spirit is the Spirit of life it 's he that quickneth Joh. 6.63 it is the living water the Scripture speaks of and if we mortifie our sins through it it hath quickned us we begin already to live through it and it dwelleth in us therefore we shall live more and more till we come to live the life of perfection and glory Rom. 8.11 If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwel in you he that hath raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you and in the mean time it will be quickning our immortal souls as to that death whereto by sin they are obnoxious or lyable Thirdly Having the Spirit of Christ we are in him we are one with him and this is a sure evidence and infallible testimony that Christ hath dyed for us he hath so taken our sins upon him that he hath taken them away he hath so born them that he hath born them away for ever from us he hath satisfied divine justice as to all our iniquities and fulfilled the law and now appears in the presence of God for us Rom. 8.3 4. God sent Christ that the
save his sin But when the spirit comes then it makes the soul willing to have its lusts slain Psal 1â—0 2 3. Rule thou in the mid'st of thine enemies thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power willing to what willing to this that Christ should rule in the midst of his enemies in their souls so as to beat them down and destroy them as he pleaseth Naturally men defend their lusts as the Benjamits those filthy persons who ravished the Levit's Concubine but when the spirit comes and deals with the soul as that woman with the men of Abel 2 Sam. 20.22 who by her wisdom perswaded them to cut off the head of Sheba the Son of Bichri who rebelled against David and to cast it out to Joab so then is the soul willing yea it desires and by all means seeks to have the head of every lust cut off it being an enemy to Christ the Son of David Thirdly The spirit doth help our infirmities in prayer by sighs and groans which cannot be uttered as the Apostle saith some verses after my Text it causeth us to sigh because sin is in us and so works in us and to groan to the Lord to be delivered from the bondage of this and that corruption till the spirit comes a man rather sighs when his sin is discovered and reproved he groans when he is stopt in the fulfilling of his lusts but if the spirit once begin to work thorowly then the man sighs to be rid of his sin and groaneth because he is so led captive by it it was by the spirit that the Apostle said O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death None can say so as he did but by the spirit and when any are enabled so to say sighingly and groaningly as he then doth the Lord hear and help as he did the Israelites against the Egyptians Exod. 2.23 24. the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they cryed and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembred his Covenant and God looked upon the Children of Israel and God had respect unto them so God hears much more groanings because of spiritual bondage and the cry of souls wrestling against their lusts comes up to him and God looks with an eye of pity on such and hath respect to them and so comes their deliverance by the death of the Egyptians their corruptions through the hand of Christ tipyfied by Moses and their sins not only in the guilt but also in the power of them are destroyed in the red sea by the virtue of the bloud of Christ Fourthly The spirit causeth and enables the soul to hearken and listen to the Word of God when it reads or hears or thinks thereof and it makes a suitable application of truths to the soul according as it knows is best and most proper for it so that a man looks upon and takes this or that word as belonging to him as spoken to him with respect to his sin we are very subject to pass over the truths of God slightly and to put them off as not appertaining or spoken to us but the spirit opens the heart as we read it did Lydia's it causeth the soul to hear and to hear diligently for it self and to apply such and such words to it 's own case and its own corruptions such a threatning belongs to me and will surely be executed upon me if such a sin still live in me and have dominion over me such a promise is to me and will be fulfilled to me if I repent these and these sins crucified Christ he bare them they lay as a heavy weight upon him they joyned with other to squeeze to press out the very heart bloud of Christ and the like thus saith the soul by the spirit when the spirit helps it in mortifying its sins the soul doth Preach to it self argue and plead with it self in order to the slaying leaving and casting away its sins And because we are very apt to forget things especially then when the remembrance of them is most needful when sin is stirring in us therefore the spirit strengthens our memory or helps it by bringing things formerly read and heard to our remembrance seasonably when we most need them when Iust prevails in us Joh. 14.26 the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you Fifthly For as much as believing is very necessary to the subduing our sins this is our victory saith the Apostle John even our faith therefore the spirit helps us in overcoming our sins by working in us a spirit of faith by stirring up faith in us and causing us to act faith on the sufferings of Christ by whose stripes as we read we are healed as our bodies are healed by the destroying our diseases so our souls by the mortifying our sins which is by the vertue of Christ's stripes but not without faith acted thereon therefore the spirit helps in this and also in acting faith on the several truths of Scripture to believe what the Scripture speaks concerning our sins themselves and the fruit of them what will follow if they dye not to believe the threatnings and the promises which is a special means to destroy sin especially faith acted on the promises for by the promises we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.4 and hence that exhortation 2 Cor. 7.1 having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness c. but the promises unless mixt with faith profit not Sixthly the spirit doth in a secret way powerfully by the Word smite and wound our sins as with a sword for the word is the sword of the spirit Eph. 6.17 as a man in fight takes up his sword puts to his strength and layes on upon his enemies therewith so the spirit takes the word or accompanyeth it and puts to its own power smiting our lusts thereby hence we read Heb. 4.12 the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two edged sword not that the bare word written or spoken is so in it self alone it hath no life nor power nor edge without the spirit or it can do no execution without it but the spirit makes it effectual Psa 110.4 5. the Lord at thy right hand shall strike through Kings so the Spirit when it pleaseth strikes through our King-like lusts that have had dominion over us and thus it doth by it's own sword the word the Spirit is to our sins a Spirit of judgment and a Spirit of burning as it 's called Isa 4.4 as a Judg to a malefactor yea and as Executioner too as fire to fuell so is the Spirit in it's working with the Word to our Lusts As it 's said in another sense I have slain them by my