countenance himself in giving the â—â—â—st allowance unto any Sin or Lust is not able on Gospel grounds to manage any Evidence unto any tolerable spiritual Security that indeed he is in a due manner freed from what he so pretends himself to be delivered 2. Whatever be the issue yet the Law hath Commission from God to seize upon Transgressors wherever it find them and so bring them before his Throne where they are to plead for themselves This is thy present case The Law hath found thee out and before God it will bring thee If thou canst plead a Pardon well and good If not the Law will do its work 3. However this is the proper Work of the Law to discover Sin in the Guilt of it to awake and humble the Soul for it to be a Glass to represent Sin in its colours and if thou denyest to deal with it on this Account it is not through Faith but through the hardness of thy Heart and the Deceitfulness of Sin This is a Door that too many Professors have gone out at unto open Apostasie such a Deliverance from the Law they have pretended as that they would consult its Guidance and Direction no more they would measure their Sin by it no more by little and little this Principle hath insensibly from the Notion of it proceeded to influence their practical Understandings and having taken possession there hath turned the Will and Affections loose to all manner of Abominations By such wayes I say then as these perswade thy Conscience to hearken diligently to what the Law speaks in the Name of the Lord unto thee about thy Lust and Corruption Oh! if thy Ears be open it will speak with a Voyce that shall make thee tremble that shall cast thee to the ground and fill thee with Astonishment If ever thou wilt mortifie thy Corruptions thou must tye up thy Conscience to the Law shut it from all shifts and Exceptions untill it owns its Guilt with a clear and through Apprehension So that thence as David speaks thy Iniquity may ever be before thee 2 Bring thy Lust to the Gospel not for Relief but for farther conviction of its Guilt look on him whom thou hast pierced and be in bitterness Say to thy Soul What have I done what Love what Mercy what Blood what Grace have I despised and trampled on Is this the Return I make to the Father for his Love to the Son for his Blood to the Holy Ghost for his Grace Doe I thus requite the Lord Have I defiled the Heart that Christ dyed to wash that the Blessed Spirit hath chosen to dwell in And can I keep my self out of the Dust What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus How shall I hold up my head with any boldness before him Doe I account Communion with him of so little value that for this vile Lusts sake I have scarce left him any room in my Heart How shall I escape if I neglect so great Salvation In the mean time what shall I say to the Lord Love Mercy Grace Goodness Peace Joy Consolation I have despised them all and esteemed them as a thing of nought that I might harbour a Lust in my Heart Have I obtained a view of Gods Fatherly Countenance that I might behold his face and provoke him to his face Was my Soul washed that room might be made for new Defilements Shall I endeavour to disappoint the End of the Death of Christ Shall I daily grieve that Spirit whereby I am sealed to the day of Redemption Entertâ—in thy Conscience daily with this Treaty 〈◊〉 it can stand before this Aggravation o◠〈◊〉 â—â—iâ—t If this make it not sink in some 〈◊〉 and melt I fear thy Case is dangerous Secondly 〈…〉 particulars As under the General 〈…〉 Gospel all the Benefits of it are to be considered as Redemption Justification and the lâ—ke so in particular consider the Management of the love of them toward thine own Soul for the Aggravation of the Guilt of thy Corruption As 1. Consider the infinite Patience and forbearance of God towards thee in particular Consider what Advantages he might have taken against thee to have made thee a shame and a reproach in this World and an object of wrath for ever How thou hast dealt treacherously and falsly with him from time to time flattered him with thy Lips but broken all Promises and Engagements and that by the means of that Sin thou art now in pursuit of and yet he hath spared thee from time to time although thou seemest boldly to have put it to the tryal how long he could hold out And wilt thou yet sin against him wilt thou yet weary him and make him to serve with thy Corruptions Hast thou not often been ready to conclude thy self that it was utterly impossible that he should bear any longer with thee that he would cast thee off and be gracious no more that all his Forbearance was exhausted and Hell and Wrath was even ready prepared for thee and yet above all thy Expectation he hath returned with Visitations of Love and wilt thou yet abide in the Provocation of the eyes of his Glory 2. How often hast thou been at the door of being Hardened by the Deceitfulness of Sin and by the infinite rich Grace of God hast been recovered to communion with him again Hast thou not found Grace decaying Delight in Duties Ordinances Prayer and Meditation vanishing inclinations to loose careless walking thriving and they who before were entangled almost beyond recovery Hast thou not found thy self engaged in such Wayes Societies Companies and that with delight as God abhorres and wilt thou venture any more to the brink of Hardness 3. All Gods gracious dealings with thee in Providential Dispensations Deliverances Afflictions Mercies Enjoyments all ought here to take place By these I say and the like Means load thy Conscience and leave it not untill it be throughly affected with the Guilt of thy indwelling Corruption Untill it is sensible of its Wound and lye in the dust before the Lord. Unless this be done to the purpose all other Endeavours are to no purpose Whilest the Conscience hath any Means to alleviate the Guilt of Sin the Soul will never vigorously attempt its Mortification Fourthly Being thus affected with thy Sin in the next place get a constant longing breathing after deliverance from the Power of it Suffer not thy Heart one moment to be contented with thy present Frame and Condition Longing desires after any thing in things Natural and Civil are of no value nor consideration any farther but as they incite and stirre up the person in whom they are to a diligent use of Means for the bringing about the thing aymed at In spiritual things it is otherwise Longing breathing and panting after Deliverance is a Grace in its self that hath a mighty power to conform the Soul into the likeness of the thing longed after Hence the Apostle describing the Repentance and godly Sorrow of
which makes them believe that sin is conquered when it is not touched By that time they are cold they must to the battail again and the Lust which they thought to be slain appears to have had no wound And if the Case be so sad with them who do labour and strive and yet enter not into the Kingdom what is their Condition who despise all this Who are perpetually under the Power and Dominion of Sin and love to have it so and are troubled at nothing but that they cannot make sufficient provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof CHAP. IV. The last Principle of the usefulness of Mortification The Vigour and Comfort of our spiritual Life depend on our Mortification In what sence Not absolutely and necessarily Psal. 88. Heman ' s Condition Not as on the next and immediate Cause As a Means by removing of the Contrary The desperate Effects of unmortified Lust it weakens the Soul Psal. 38.3 8. sundry wayes and darkens it All Graces improved by the Mortification of Sin The best Evidence of Sincerity THE last Principle I shall insist on omitting 1. The Necessity of Mortification unto Life And 2. The Certainty of Life upon Mortification is That the Life Vigour and Comfort of our spiritual Life depends much on our Mortification of Sin Strength and Comfort and Power and Peace in our walking with God are the things of our desires Were any of us asked seriously What it is that troubles us we must referre it to one of these heads either we want strengâ—h or power vigour and life in our Obedience in our walking with God or we want peace comfort and consolation therein Whatever it is that may befall a Believer that doth not belong to one of these two heads doth not deserve to be mentioned in the dayes of our Complaints Now all these do much depend on a constant Course of Mortification concerning which observe 1. I doe not say they proceed from it as though they were necessarily tyed to it A man may be carried on in a constant course of Mortification all his dayes and yet perhaps never enjoy good day of Peace and Consolation So it was with Heman Psal. 88. His life was a life of perpetual Mortification and walking with God yet terrours and wounds were his portion all his dayes But God singled out Heman a choice Friend to make him an Example to them that afterwards should be in distress Canst thou complain if it be no otherwise with thee than it was with Heman that eminent servant of God And this shall be his prayse to the end of the World God makes it his Prerogative to speak Peace and Consolation Isa. 57.18 19. I will do that work sayes God I will comfort him v. 18. But how by an immediate work of the new Creation I Create it sayes God The use of means for the obtaining of peace is ours the bestowing of it is God's Prerogative 2. In the wayes instituted by God for to give us Life Vigour Courage and Consolation Mortification is not one of the immediate Causes of it They are the Priviledges of our Adoption made known to our Souls that give us immediately these things The Spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God giving us a new Name and a white Stone Adoption and Justification that is as to the sence and knowledge of them are the immediate Causes in the hand of the Spirit of these things But this I say 3. In our ordinary walking with God and in an ordinary Course of his dealing with us the vigour and comfort of our spiritual Lives depends much on our Mortification not onely as a Causa sine qua non but as a thing that hath an effectual influence thereinto For First This alone keeps Sin from depriving us of the one and the other Every unmortified sin will certainly do two things 1. It will weaken the Soul and deprive it of its vigour 2. It will darken the Soul and deprive it of its Comfort and Peace 1. It weakens the Soul and deprives it of its Strength when David had for a while harboured an unmortified Lust in his heart it broke all his Bonâ—s and left him no spiritual strength hence he complained that he was sick weak wounded faint there is saith he no soundness in me Psal. 38.3 I am feeble and sore broken vers 8. Yea I cannot so much as look up Psal. 40.12 An unmortified Lust will drink up the Spirit and all the vigour of the Soul and weaken it for all Duties For 1. It untunes and unframes the Heart it self by entangling its Affections It diverts the heart from that spiritual Frame that is required for vigorous Communion with God It layes hold on the Affections rendring its Object beloved and desirable so expelling the love of the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 Chap. 3.17 So that the Soul cannot say uprightly and truely to God Thou art my portion having something else that it loves Fear Desire Hope which are the choice Affections of the Soul that should be full of God will be one way or other entangled with it 2. It fills the Thoughts with Contrivances about it Thoughts are the great Purveyors of the Soul to bring in provision to satisfie its Affections and if Sin remain unmortified in the Heart they must ever and anon be making provision for the flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof They must glaze adorn and dress the Objects of the Flesh and bring them home to give satisfaction And this they are able to do in the service of a defiled Imagination beyond all expression 3. It breaks out and actually hinders Duty The ambitious man must be studying and the worldling must be working or contriving and the sensual vain person providing himself for vanity when they should be engaged in the Worship of God Were this my present business to set forth the Breaches Ruine Weakness Desolations that one unâ—â—câ—tified Lust will bring upon a Soul this Discourse must be extended much beyond my Intendment 2 As Sin weakens so it darkens the Soul It is a cloud a thick cloud that spreads it self over the Face of the Soul and intercepts all the beams of Gods Love and Favour It takes away all sense of the Priviledge of our Adoption and if the Soul begins to gather up Thoughts of Consolation Sin quickly scatters them Of which afterwards Now in this regard doth the vigour and power of our spiritual life depend on our Mortification It is the onely Means of the Removal of that which will allow us neither the one nor the other Men that are sick and wounded under the power of Lust make many Applications for Help they cry to God when the Perplexity of their Thoughts overwhelms them even to God do they cry but are not delivered in vain do they use many Remedies they shall not be healed So Hos. 5.13 Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound and attempted sundry remedies nothing will
Faith takes several views of Christ according to the Occasions of Address to him and communion with him that it hath Sometimes it views his Holiness sometimes his power sometimes his love his favour with his Father And when it goes for healing and peace it looks especially on the blood of the Covenant on his Sufferings for by his stripes are we healed and the chastisement of our peace was upon him Isa. 53.5 when we look for Healing his stripes are to be eyed not in the outward story of them which is the course of Popish Devotionists but in the Love Kindness Mystery and design of the Cross. And when we look for peace his Chastisements must be in our eye Now this I say if it be done according to the mind of God and in the strength of that Spirit which is poured out on Believers it will beget a detestation of that sin or sins for which healing and peace is sought So Ezek. 16.60 61. nevertheless I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant and what then then thou shalt remember thy wayes and be ashamed When God comes home to speak peace in a sure Covenant of it it fills the Soul with shame for all the wayes whereby it hath been alienated from him And one of the things that the Apostle mentions as attending that godly sorrow which is accompanyed with Repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of is revenge yea what revenge 2 Cor. 7.11 They reflected on their miscarriages with Indignation and Revenge for their Folly in them When Job comes up to a through healing he cryes Now I abhorre my self Job 42.6 and untill he did so he had no abiding peace He might perhaps have made up himself with that Doctrine of free Grace which was so excellently preached by Elihu Chap. 33. from v. 14. unto the 29th but he had then but skinned his wounds he must come to self-abhorrency if he come to healing So was it with those in Psal. 78.33 35. in their great trouble and perplexity for and upon the Account of Sin I doubt not but upon the Address they made to God in Christ for that so they did is evident from the titles they gave him they call him their Rock and their Redeemer two words every where pointing out the Lord Christ they spake peace to themselves but was it sound and abiding No it passed away as the early dew God speaks not one word of peace to their Souls But why had they not peace Why because in their Address to God they flattered him But how doth that appear vers 37. Their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast They had not a detestation nor relinquishment of that sin in reference whereunto they spake peace to themselves Let a man make what application he will for healing and peace let him do it to the true Physitian let him do it the right way let him quiet his Heart in the Promises of the Covenant yet when Peace is spoken if it be not attended with the detestation and Abhorrency of that Sin which was the wound and caused the Disquietment this is no Peace of Gods creating but of our own purchasing It is but a skinning over the wound whilest the core lyes at the bottom which will putrifie and corrupt and corrode untill it break out again with noysomness vexation and danger Let not poor Souls that walk in such a path as this they are more sensible of the trouble of Sin than of the pollution or uncleanness that attends it they address themselves for mercy yea to the Lord in Christ they address themselves for mercy but yet will keep the sweet Morsel of their Sin under their Tongue let them I say never think to have true and solid peace For instance Thou findest thy Heart running out after the World and it disturbs thee in thy communion with God the Spirit speaks expressely to thee He that loveth the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2.15 This puts thee on dealing with God in Christ for the healing of thy Soul the quieting of thy Conscience but yet withall a through detestation of the evil it self abides not upon thee yea perhaps that is liked well enough but onely in respect of the Consequences of it perhaps thou mayst be saved yet as through fire and God will have some work with thee before he hath done but thou wilt have little Peace in this Life thou wilt be sick and fainting all thy dayes Isa. 57.17 This is a Deceit that lyes at the root of the Peace of many Professors and waâ—ts it they deal with all their strength about Mercy and Pardon and seem to have great Communion with God in their so doing they lye before him bewail their Sins and Follies that any one would think yea they think themselves that surely they and their Sins are now parted and so receive in Mercy that satisfies their Hearts for a little season but when a through search comes to be made there hath been some secret reserve for the Folly or Follyes treated about at least there hath not been that through Abhorrency of it which is necessary and their whole peace is quickly discovered to be weak â—nd rotten scarce abiding any longer than the words of begging it are in their mouths 2 When men measure out peace to themselves upon the conclusions that their convictions and Rational Principles will carry them out unto This is a false peace and will not abide I shall a little explain what I mean hereby A man hath got a wound by sin he hath a Conviction of some Sin upon his Conscience he hath not walked uprightly as becometh the Gospel all is not well and right between God and his Soul He considers now what is to be done Light he hath and knows what Path he must take and how his Soul hath been formerly healed Considering that the Promises of God are the outward Means of Application for the healing of his sores and quieting of his Heart he goes to them searches them out finds out some one or more of them whose literal Expressions are directly suited to his condition Sayes he to himself God speaks in this Promise here I will take my self a plaister as long and broad as my wound and so brings the word of the promise to his Condition and sets him down in peace This is another appearance upon the mount the Lord is neer but the Lord is not in it It hath not been the work of the Spirit who alone can convince us of Sin and Righteousness and Judgement but the mere Actings of the intelligent rational Soul As there are three sorts of Lives we say the vegetative the sensitive and the rational or intelligent Some things have onely the vegetative some the sensitive also and that includes the former some have the rational which takes in and supposes both