the Lords Anger is yet stretched out 2. There must be a deadness to Moral-self There must be a deadness to Wisdom and Gifts and Moral Excellencies to natural and acquired parts for the wisdom of this world is but folly Learning and Books are but vanity I gave my heart to know wisdom and folly this also is vanity Eccles 1.17 Riches Grandeur and Greatness are not so apt to blow up an ingenuous man as Learning or Virtue Knowledg puffeth up who excel in Learning who admires not the birth of his Mind his Writings Discourses or Notions who would not have every one reverence them were they never so ridiculous Where it even as one says to hold that there is a World in the Moon Men love to be called Rabbi but my Brethren be not many Masters the mind must be mortified to the mind 1 Cor. 8.1 2 and so must be to all Moral habits and Actions the old Philosophers that could trample upon Riches were yet vainly elated with this When Zeno heard that his ship he used to Trade by was broke Well done Fortune said he quae nos intra palliolum compellis who compels us to go within our Cloak he meant to live upon the glory of Learnning and Virtue A man may bear to have his Face spit upon and to be trod upon that cannot endure to have his Gifts or his Morals vilified But Heart-risings for Injuries of any sort bewray want of Mortification 3. There must be a deadness to Religious Self that is 1. To our Graces and spiritual Excellencies Our Lord Jesus has a Noble Self yet was he above it Rom. 15.3 he pleased not himself Mortification sets us above Renewed Self Gal. 2.20 Grace is a pleasant and fragrant Flower but it 's not Christ it grows out of him and cut it off from him it would wither we must not trust in New-self more than in Old 2 Cor. 1.9 We often look to it with a neglect of Christ and think that when we are once set right in the way to Heaven that we can find out our way henceforward But the mortified man sees not himself in what he is he admires not loves not delights not in himself nor in his graces as they are in him but as they are in Christ he looks on them as drops of his fulness as Rays and Beams of his blessed Perfections and Excellencies hence Paul is dead to his knowledg of Gospel-mysteries he was not rude in knowledg yet would he not glory in it 1 Cor. 13.2 Let us not boast of our Gospel knowledg and let us not hope in our hope nor believe in our Faith as some do who fetch their peace and joy not from Christ but from their own faith or their own act of believing But a little more as to the Mind we must be dead to our Light this Quakers make an Idol of I do not mean that we ought to despise it or that a man ought to act against it but we must be dead to it so far 1. as not to prefer any corrupt dictate of our Mind to plain Scripture-Truths or Duties we ought to judg of it by the Scripture and not e contra 2. So far as not to lean to it in times of Tryal or when in some doubt though thou hast been well guided in former times It betokens evil when one says or thinks there 's no hazard I 'le do well enough for I have gone through great Tryals ere now 3. Thou must be so far dead to thy Light as not to follow it to the offence of others if it be in things indifferent Paul was clear enough that he might eat flesh yet c. 4. So far as to be willing if the Lord so will to lead thee blind-fold thou must depend upon him when thou cannot see a foot before thee 2. Thou must be dead to thy forwardness and zeal 1. So far as not to venture on a seen snare or temptation because you find your heart in a good frame Peter was a resolute man but he had nothing to do in the high-Priests Hall 2. So as not to trust thine own heart nor to learn to thine own strength 3. Thou must be dead to all thy Graces and Duties 1. so far as not to rest in any measure of Grace or liveliness in Duty may be when in a good frame thou may readily say I were a happy man if I could hold up at this rate of praying mourning believing c. When Paul was at his best he reckoned not upon it not as if I had already attained c. 2. So far as not to attribute what we are or do to our selves 1 Cor. 15.10 By grace I am what I am and not I but c. Isa 45.24 2. In point of Acceptance either as to thy Duties or as to thy Person for the former thou must not attribute it to thy Graces or Duties themselves or to the liveliness or spiritual manner of doing them We are apt to say of Prayer for instance when answered it must have been so I or he was so fervent and enlarged in it hence some pray fervently for a mercy and confidently look for it and yet are disappointed and why because not dead to praying and believing but lay more weight on Faith in God and praying to God than on God himself or on Jesus Christ Some believe in their believing and pray to their prayers And then 2. Thou must be dead to these as to the acceptation of thy Person and as to the matter of Righteousness Rom. 7.4 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing c. Psalm 3.8 9. Paul counts all dung c. And here lies the greatest difficulty but it 's the right Art of well-doing for one to work and to labour as hard as if they could earn Heaven and when all is done to be so far dead to it as to account it Dogs meat as to acceptation with God and that it weighs not a feather in the reckoning of our Righteousness 2. This deadness to spiritual-Self carries in it a deadness to spiritual Comforts some are more alive to Comforts than to the Comforter But the Rays and Beams of the Sun are not the Sun That 's the true light of Mortification when one is alive only to their objective happiness when one is dead to sensible feelings and actual Comforts It 's true that feeling and sensible Comforts are in themselves sweet and desirable things But herein we are to blame when our Comfort arises either from our own act of Love Joy Desire or from the effects of Gods love to us more than from the God of all Comfort Now some may think much of this yet it 's plain that we must be dead to these 1. so as not to Question the love of God only for the want of them 2. So as not to be angry with him when he withholds them It 's necessary we be sensible of it but it 's sinful when we charge him foolishly for
after the Apostle has armed the Christian for his Conflict Ephes 6. He adds ver 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance Set-times for Prayer are as necessary as constant Set-meals of meat for the Body How often I determine not the fewest we find is twice a day Morning and Evening Daniel prayed thrice a day yet it is not right when we limit our selves to times were it seven times aday We find Daniel Chap. 9.1 2 setting himself to pray as if his three times a-day had been nothing There are special Occasions that call for more fervent praying as our Lord conflicting in the Garden and being in an Agony prayed thrice and prayed yet more fervently Now this is a special season when attached by any Corruption we should sound an Alarm to Prayer and let every Prayer be as an Arrow shot against Sin and never think thou prays to any purpose but when thou wounds some Corruption O but blunt Prayers will never draw blood of sin nor will sleepy prayers hurt sin therefore thou must watch unto Prayer and must awake thy gift and thy grace and thy tongue too as the Psalmist does in praising Psalm 51.8 for that may further the fervour of the Spirit and some have judged meer mental Prayer in some cases to be a quenching of the holy Spirit of God It 's true that sometimes a poor Believer when buffetted by Satan and in an Agony through the power and violence of some Corruption cannot put his troubled thoughts into words when yet his unexpressible sighs and groans may make the old man groan as a deadly wounded Man Look to this inveterated Diseases strong Corruptions will not go out without much praying 2. You can mortifie no Corruption without exercising Faith much less your strongest Corruptions for you must not think first to mortifie Sin and then believe you must be in Christ and be a Believer before you can mortifie one Sin Nature prompts men to pray in every exigence but praying without believing will not do but no Corruptions can stand before Faith it can remove Mountains it can bring down strong-holds it can put to flight Armies of Aliens of lusts it can quench the greatest Combustions in the Soul kindled by Satans fiery Darts hence says the Apostle Above all things take unto you the shield of faith Ephes 6.16 The Lord lends Faith his power so to speak This is our victory whereby we overcome the world even our faith 1 John 5.4 Now what this World is see 1 John 2.16 For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye c. Now how does Faith assist against these Answ 1. Faith giveth a true judgment of them and values all things aright when others are cheated by their corrupted Senses 2. By Faith we see into Eternity and what will be the fruit of gratifying our lusts what will be the reward of Sin A carnal Heart that had seen Dives at his sumptuous Table and in his gorgeous Apparel and Lazarus at the Gate and the dogs licking his sores would have blessed the one and saved himself from the other But Faith at first sight can see the one in Heaven and the other in Hell Psal 73.17 18. 3. By Faith we see that the best things of this World cannot further our Happiness nor the worst things of the World hinder it that worldly Honours and Pleasures are not all a-kin to everlasting Honour and Joy 4. By Faith we see that the design of Temptations is to deprive us of our Happiness and that Satan and the World who work upon our corrupt passions and minister fewel to our lusts have no good will to us even when they are courting us 5. Faith does not only assent to what God and Christ and Heaven and Holiness are but it makes proof and gets experimental discoveries of these and this makes a man despise the painted Beauty and sweetness of the Creatures the sight of Christs matchless Beauty and Excellency all a mans Idols are divorced When we see the Sun with our own eyes we believe the Moon is not the most glorious light it looks but like a clod in the Firmament many can speak contemptibly of the honours and riches and pleasures of the World who are not mortified to them but with all their might pursue them nor indeed will you ever be able by all the rational discoveries of the vanity of these to mortifie inordinate love to and delight in them till you taste and see something that 's better and this taste and sight Evangelical Faith can only afford No experiences of the Worlds vanity no Contemplations of an Immortal state can do it for Sense will still object Where can you do better and meer Contemplations breed only Notions this brings in the substance of things into the Soul Heb. 11.1 6. Faith does more especially contribute to the mortification of our Corruptions by its ingaging the assistance of Divine Power It 's on this account that there is a sort of Omnipotency attributed to Faith You do not doubt but the Lord Jesus is able to help against your strongest Corruptions But how shall we have his help I Answer You need not say Who shall ascend to heaven and bring him down c Rom. 10.6 7. This thou mayst do by Faith But how does Faith do it Answ 1. Faith does it as it is an assent to the Promises The Promises hold forth the power of Christ for subduing of Sin 2 Pet. 1.3 compared with Rom. 6.14 Now we are interested in these Promises by believing Heb. 4.2 when we believe that it â—â—â—ll be as he has said this some count a Phanatical point But is it phantastick or phanatick to rest upon an honest Mans word much lesser sure this gives more glory to God than all our endeavours to mortifie Sin yet takes not men off other subordinate means but puts them upon the use of them especially upon Prayer That it may be as he has said Rom. 6.14 Man fell at first by taking Satans word before the Lords And it were our wisdom in all Insinuations of the like nature to suspect the hand of Satan Now Faith does not only assent to the truth of the Promises of strength to overcome Sin but it rests and relies upon them all Grace comes through the Promises And indeed the first recumbency of Faith is a great and proper act of it and as they are blessed who have no assurance of their interest in the Promises and yet can resolutely rely on it for as those that seek the Lord are bidden to rejoice Psal 105.3 though they have not yet found him because of the Promise Isa 45.19 So may those encourage themselves in the hope of success against Sin who rest upon Gods Word though they have not yet obtained the victory for the Lord taketh pleasure in them that hope in his mercy Psal 147.11 The recumbency
2.1 compare with ver 3.4 4. When a man makes provision for his lusts when he plows wickedness and sows iniquity and is at a great deal of pains to satisfie and gratifie his lusts The Christian is not at half the toil in mortifying lusts that others are in satisfying them if the one be hard work the other is impossible so that the poor Creature is tormented between the restless and impatient cravings of his lusts and the weakness and scantness of the means he has to satisfie them 5. When a man sins under a small temptation or none at all some are like Powder and Flax set on fire by a spark yea some draw on temptations and then out-go them Isa 5.18 they are not drag'd by a temptation but draw and pull and pain themselves to sin they meet the temptation mid-way and are glad of it as the Jews were when Judas offered to betray his Master unto them Mark 4.10 11.6 When one is got above Convictions of sin and above shame Prov. 30.20 the adulterous Woman saith she hath done no wickedness Jer. 8.6 and 6.15 Were they ashamed c Jer. 3.3 Thou hadst a whores forehead or 2. When one sins after frequent convictions of the folly and hazard of sin Isa 57.10 Thou wast wearied in the greatness of thy way yet saidest thou not there is no hope when a man will adventure to wade through wrath to satisfie lusts and overtake his Idols when Divine Commands and threatnings which to the godly man are more than Angels with drawn-Swords are no lets nor banks to sin when the Omnisciency and Holiness and Justice and Power of God even when actually represented to the man yet does not restrain him from sin It 's said of some that they did evil in the sight of the Lord 1 Kings 21.20 3. When one hates Convictions and endeavours to hold them out or to kill them 4. When one is under Rebukes for sin yea may be under terrors for sin yet goes on as Isa 57.17 Isa 22.13 14. Jer. 2.25 Thou saidst there is no hope c. Ezek. 33.10 These things shew forth the absolute power of sin in the Soul But now in the second place there are some things that are evidences of great short-coming in Mortification yea even in the Regenerate 1. When a man is under continual indisposition to Duties and wants a readiness of Soul to them and is much distracted or diverted in them When sin is mortified and Idols thrust to the door a man will be at more leisure to pray and meditate without disturbance and the spirit will be more composed a mortified man has more power over his spirit he is not like a City without walls but for the unmortified he has many to please this Idol must have a look and this must have a word and he cannot serve God without distraction nor with all his Soul nor with delight nor does he thrive by his Duties for his Idols consume and eat up the profit of them think on this you who complain of distractons in Duties Indeed sometimes the heart is carried away by more trivial Impertinencies but ordinarily it 's our Idols that come in so freely and unseasonably and may be these more trivial diversions have some respect to them at least they proceed from want of a deep sense of the Majesty of God upon the heart which also evidences some notable defect in Mortification for as much as we die to sin we are alive to God Finally When a man wants freedom and confidence in his Approaches to God a Child that 's often faulting cares not for the Fathers presence sin makes a shyness to God less or more it does secretly estrange the heart from him When the North-wind of the Spirit has killed sin then the Spouse is inviting Christ Song 4.16 then the Soul is saying O when shall I appear before thee But when a temptation to gratifie carnal ease prevails then the Soul cares not for his Company it has no eyes nor hands nor legs Song 5.2 3 4. 2. An habitual unwillingness to die shews the power of some sin there may be some unwillingness at certain seasons proceeding from some other cause but ordinarily this is it a mortified man is like a ripe Apple that comes away with the touch of a hand or as a loose tooth that comes out with a gentle pluck Moreover the more a man exercises himself in Mortification he is the more afflicted with the remainders of sin and the more successful he is in mortifying sin the more feeling he is of every motion of sin hence he is often crying out I am oppressed underdertake for me or with Paul Rom. 7.24 This Captive-exile doth lawfully hasten to be delivered this Prisoner is looking out at his Windows till Christ come and knock off his Irons and this makes him groan earnestly for his full freedom from sin and he cares not how fast the outward man decay if the inner-man be renewed and if sin decay as fast it 's easie to die when sin is first dead but if there be any lust lively the guilt of it makes a man dread Eternity and the Judgment to come and the strength and liveliness of it makes him dread death when the Soul is strongly united to any Idol Death is like the rending of one member from another But a mortified Soul does leave the body as chearfully as a man throws off an old torn ragged suit of Apparel 2 Cor. 5.1 He is much in longing for and in rejoycing in the hopes of Heaven and Heaven is Heaven to him rather for it's freedom from sin than for it's freedom from troubles that now annoy whereas an unmortified man has cold thoughts and faint desires of Heaven why do ye not lift up your heads it's either from unbelief or some prevailing lust were you fighting for your life the news and assurance of Victory would anticipate the Triumph for the man is no further carried out after the true happiness than he is taken off the false Hence one that is wholly under the power of sin cares no more for the true perfection of the Soul than a beast cares to be a man yea and the regenerate man that 's under any prevailing-lust can hardly keep up his assurance at least he has no actual aptitude and meetness for Heaven and no wonder he long not much for it but see what a Song that is in 2 Tim. 4.7 8 I have fought the good fight of Faith c. 3. When the Soul is in a continual restlesness and vexatious anxiety when there are many inward perturbations and disorders in the Soul may be sin has not the throne yet is it breeding great tumults and making many and great insurrections against grace in the Soul the guilt of them fills the Soul with fear their opposition and contrariety to grace makes them painful to the Soul in so far as it is sanctified and then there is that Torment which is
I do not say that the Lord would have the Believer content to lie under the impressions of wrath much less content to be damned but he would have the man lie at his feet under chese and bear witness to his holy Justice when under outward or inward troubles Now the more spiritual mens sins be and the more refined these lusts are they are the more provoking 2. As the sins of Believers are in some respect more exceeding sinful than the sins of others so the more grace one have his sin is proportionably aggravated Moses suffers more for a word than many others for deeds 3. As afflictions are Covenant-mercies and fruits of fatherly affections to all the children of God so the more dutiful any child of God be the greater may his Corrections be when he does fault and so God is most gracious to him yet the more a man tolerate any sin if he be not more afflicted than others there 's at least more anger in his afflictions which is the soul and spirit of afflictions or the more spiritual are his punishments Finally The reason why some eminently godly are under many outward afflictions may be because they have some time or other may be dishonoured God by some publick sin whether before or after conversion and as they are provoking to God and scandalous to others so he manifests greater severity on such this is plain in Davids case so that it 's still some unmortified sin that brings on trouble A second prejudice that comes by the prevalency of any Corruption it keeps the Soul lean and low and makes it a Cripple in Duties it not only mar◠Confidence and Chearfulness in Duties but diligence and activity also for these may be separated yea it insensibly hardens the heart What a fearful security and stupidity brought on sin upon David Where was Davids tenderness now when he can plot Vriahs death it's as sickness to the Soul for sin is the Souls disease that does enervate its strength and make it languish What is said of whoredom and wine is true of every sin they take away the heart yea and the hand too the man as he is like a silly Dove without heart he cannot behave himself a right in Gods presence so he cannot speed at Gods work for he works cum laesis facultalibus his foul hands blackens holy Duties his fingers drop much sin upon them the old man leaves the print of his heels upon them O what is it that keeps you out of Heaven at least from seeing it afar off it's some sin that besets you and hinders your motion Heaven-ward how few paces have you advanced for these many days Heb. 12.1 2 Whence is it that you see not so much as the top of the Towers of the new Jerusalem How come many that did begin after you yet to get before you some weight presses you down some corrupt affection like a long-garment entangles you or you stumble and fall often in the way It is not so much external Duties as the secret exercise of Mortification that keeps grace lively and when this is neglected and any sin prevails Grace withers and often the Lord blasts a mans gifts also or if gifts be intire they are left for a share as Eccles 2.9 It was Solomons snare that when he was pursuing vanity My wisdom remained with me says he It is the Curse of many this day and that which hardens them in their ill way that their Gifts and Learning rémain with them 3. Think what loss of Communion with God you sustain by your Idol or your unmortified corruption Sampsons Delilah cost him his two Eyes his Liberty and at length his Life But the departing of the Spirit of the Lord was the saddest of all by letting the king of your lusts live as Saul did Agag you hazard your Crown of Glory at least you have little of Heaven upon Earth Tell me Christian when was you last in Heaven it may be not for many days and know you not what keeps you out It 's a sad word Ezek. 14.5 They are all estranged from me through their idols Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betwixt you and God and your sins have hid his face from you yea and often-times prevailing-sin does blot out the impression and sometimes the remembrance of that solacing sweetness that the Soul had in his Company begets some satisfaction in this dreadful state of distance from God thy Idols of Jealousie separate thee from thy chief Friend by this means thou wears out thy intimacy if not thy Acquaintance may be thou makest not a visit to Heaven in many days and if the Lord at any time come to thee thou art not at leisure but busied entertaining thy Idols Ah! have you no sense of these things I need not tell you what 's the mournful moan and ruful complaint of many Souls Ah! it was well with me till such a time O how many good days had I what a Heaven upon Earth had I what Communion with God in Prayer in the Lords Supper and other Ordinances till I did begin to dally with such an Idol till such a Corruption began to get power of me but since thou intermitted the vigorous exercise of Mortification where are thy Trophies and Triumphs where are thy Bethels thy Penuels thy Eben-ezers And it 's well for thee if ever thou recover this Distance from God and indisposition to Duty grows more in one day than thou canst make up or wear out in many I doubt if ever Davids bones were as sound as before if ever he had such Joy and gladness in Gods Company in the Sanctuary or elsewhere as before or that ever God appeared to Solomon as he had done twice before his fall I doubt the holy Lord deals with many of his people in this life as he did with the Levites Ezek 14.44 who had gone astray from him after their Idols they were to be keepers of the charge of the House for the service thereof as keeping the Gates and slaying the Sacrifices but they shall bear their iniquity and they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a Priest unto me nor come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place c. See ver 11.12 13 14 He will not put thee out of doors yet may never let thee come where thou hast been and never set thee so high on this side of Eternity 4. Any Idol or unmortified lust will clip the wings of Prayer and intercept the return of it Isa 59.1 2 The Lords hand is not shortned nor his ear heavy c. But c. Ezek. 14.3 4 and 20 31 As I live saith the Lord I will not be enquired c. Psalm 66.18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me the man that has his Idols set up in his heart he grieves the Spirit who helps our infirmities in Prayer c. if he has any pleasure
in approaching to God yet he has no pleasure in God he comes not to him as his exceeding Joy though may be he cannot pass evening and morning without saluting him in a formal complementing way in such a manner as men use to many they care not for and indeed many know no other use of their prayers than of their formal Salutes and Complements viz. to keep fair terms with such as they care little for yet are not willing to disoblige Is it any wonder that God regard not such prayers any unmortified sin shuts Heaven and lays an Arrest upon the profit of thy Duties there 's no profitable trading between the Soul and Heaven there 's no profiting by Means or Ordinances if thou would lose the Arrest mortifie thy sin give up thy Idol cast over board thy Jonah's If thou hast any suit depending before the Throne of Grace if in the mean while thou offend God or grieve his Spirit thou art like to lose thy cause who will provoke the Judg when his cause is before him Hence that word Deut. 23.9 When thou goest forth against thine Enemies then keep thee from every wicked thing When a man has some special dependance on God and has some special expectation from him it 's unseasonable then to provoke him to Jealousie 5. Think what thou wouldst do in a dying day how will you look upon your Idols What will you do in the day of Visitation where will you hide your glory How would you look upon a Temptation or upon the tempting Objects of your darling lusts all your sweet morsels and stollen waters will then be bitter but the more sweetly any sin went down the bitterer will it be when it comes up again may be your Idols and you were pleasant in your lives but they are sad Company in the valley of Death Can the Camel go through the Needles-eye nay if there were no more to hinder but the bunch upon his back he could not Can you go through the strait gate if there were no more but one unmortified lust you cannot Can you think to leap into Heaven warm and smoaking with sin as many times you come to speak with God when the last word you spoke was with your Idol Can you sing that sweet triumphant Song O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.55 For lo here sin that is the sting of death and the victory of the Grave sticks in thee when others shall be singing Hallelujah and harping with Harps Death is no dark shade to the Son of Righte ousness having lightned it by his passing through it thou shalt be little better than the Hypocrite whom fearfulness surprizeth c. If the Master knock when thou art either asleep or wasting his goods or eating and drinking with the drunken thou will be afraid to go down and open he must break open the gates if he get in O what sad work will any living lust make when thou comes to die Let us now mention a few advantages you shall have by the mortification of sin especially your most potent sin 1. The mortification of your most predominant lust will be a great evidence to you of your sincerity Psalm 18.23 I was also upright before him c. When any lust is strong or when any Idol has a great interest in the Soul the heart is as 't were divided and then cannot know whether Christs interest or its prevails and bears most sway in the Soul but where there is no competition the case is clear when one can say If any thing interfere with Christ it 's this If any thing render my case suspicious or intrench upon Sincerity it 's this Corruption this Idol But sure I am this is so far under that it cannot disprove my integrity when the Lord tryes his peoples sincerity he uses to hit their sore to prove them in their Idols indeed when he intends to discover their weakness he puts them to tryal in the grace they excel most in as Peter in his Courage Moses in his Meekness if thou can deny thy self in this if thou can offer up thy Isaac hereby thou mayst know thou fears God and that thou loves God Now the knowledg of this fills the Soul with exceeding Joy 2 Cor. 1.12 O the sweet Calm it brings in it 's better felt than can be told whereas the prevalency of any Corruption deprives you both of the Testimony of the Spirit of God and of your own spirit 2. If thou can mortifie thy predominant lust thou may with the more ease mortifie other Corruptions Commonly all a mans lusts are made subservient to some one though indeed sometimes they thwart as pride and covetousness pride and sensuality or covetousness and sensuality if you can kill that the greatest difficulty in Mortification is over if you can take the strong City all the Villages and Countrey about will be subject to you If Goliah be slain the Philistins will fly may be you complain of many things and innumerable evils compass you about but see if some one unmortified Corruption do not maintain them all and you cannot conquer these till you have subdued that which sets these on work and which feeds and recruits them this would ease you of many evils you complain of the cutting off one member of sin will weaken the Body of sin they are so united that it will make all the other members of sin to languish and does help on to a through Conquest 3. Consider that there is more real satisfaction in mortifying lusts than in making provision for them or in fulfilling them There 's more true pleasure in crossing and pinching our flesh than in gratifying it were there any true pleasure in sin Hell would not be Hell for the more sin the more Joy you cannot satisfie one lust if you would do your utmost and make your self never so absolute a slave to it you think if you had your hearts desire you would be at rest you much mistake they had it Psalm 78.29 but yet they were not estranged from their lusts ver 30. How many a man in the fulness of his sufficiency is yet in pain for more Job 20.22 O but the mortification of that sin makes a Jubiles in the Soul Who are they that sing Triumphs here and set up Trophies of Victory and divide the spoils when others are living under troubles without and within and have their Soul removed far from peace who shall wear Crowns on their heads in Heaven and Palms in their hands and have High-praises in their mouths but they who turn the Battel to the Gate who have overcome their Enemies Would you be able to sing a Triumph even when drawing your last breath See what 's the Tune what 's the matter and the ground of Pauls Song 2 Tim. 4.8 and with what a Transport of Spirit he sings it as on the other hand it tells us that it 's faint or
unsuccesful warring with sin that makes men unmeet to die He goes in at the Gates of Heaven with flying Colours and has an abundant Entrance ministred unto him how much more will it make a man joy in Tribulation It 's some unmortified Corruption that makes the Cross heavy that makes a man uneasie under affliction or suffering O what Dust will a lively lust raise what confusion and combustion in the Soul When the hand of God falls heavy upon a Man while he is dandling some Idol or pursuing some carnal Interest the man is out of measure amazed every unmortified Corruption makes even the thoughts and apprehensions of trouble full of horrour and no wonder for it 's fearful when God comes to take vengeance on mens inventions even when he forgives their iniquity It 's true in such cases when the Lords people are meeting with trouble from men for his sake he makes not his quarrel visible he often scourges their Conscience when he does not visibly contend with them and one lash from his hand is sorer than Pauls 39 from the Jews indeed he sometimes suspends his quarrel when he does not bury it And sometimes Adversaries wrath does as it were mitigate his Deut. 32.27 Now a mortified man cannot be moved by any thing If there be no lust alive no trouble or affliction can come wrong In the next place let me offer you some Directions how to carry on the mortification of prevailing Corruption And first in general Get a clear sight of your sin or else you cannot level your strokes at it aright be content that God should by his Word and Spirit light upon your Idol and wound it And if any man will tell you of sin your Enemy count him thy Friend say as Saul to the Ziphites when they told him where David was Blessed are you of the Lord for you have had compassion on me 1 Sam. 23.20 21 that which you can least endure a Reproof for is your Master-sin as likewise that which you are most partial in seek most to cover or excuse which you wish were no sin and are readiest to pardon your self for or else are most sorrowful when it cannot be dispensed with Matth. 19.21 22 that sin which rises and goes to bed with you which haunts you when alone or in Company when in your shops and in your Closets which you are at the greatest toil for which you do or suffer most for that is the sin that like the man of sin 2 Thess 2.8 exalts it self O look to Heaven and see what work it made there how sin cast so many Angels out of their first habitations and thrust them into chains those evil Spirits that now solicite thee to sin are dreadful Examples of the mischief of sin it 's a wonder they have a face to tempt to sin it 's as if Murtherers hung up in Chains should solicite Men to murther Look to Paradise and see what desolation it made there it had almost in a moment ruined the whole Creation Look to Golgotha or Mount Calvary or the Garden and see what sad work it made there Look into Hell and hear what a howling it has raised there Alas we paint it and then play with it as Children do with painted Lions And when thou has seen it then thou cryes out O the exceeding sinfulness of sin and of my sin And let one sin set thee in quest of more but never think thou sees all thy sins nor all the evil that is in any one sin O comply with the Spirit and do not defeat his firk Work which is Conviction and when thou has seen thy sore hold thy finger upon it and cry to him who is the soveraign Physician of Souls to make incision there cut off this hand or foot that gangrenes yet keep not both thy eyes upon it lest it should overwhelm thee with horrour 2. Get your hearts broken for Sin your hearts are as fallow-ground you cannot pluck up your thorns they must be plowed up you must rub and reinse your Souls seven times in the waters of Marah in tears of godly sorrow ere thy Leprosie die but see thy tears bathe not sin instead of drowning it and beware thy throws go not off when thou art even about to be delivered from it it 's a token of the strength of sin the Soul is at a low ebb when trouble for sin is gone when sin has made its peace again Some mens troubles do not kill sin but only break some bone of it which when healed again is stronger than before therefore when thou has got a Nail fastned into the Temples of the old man or into the heart of the body of death drive it to the head when the Spirit brings home any word and smites Sin follow home the blow and endeavour to maintain the warmness of that word and the power of it upon thy Spirit till thy Soul be drench'd with tears of Contrition till thy heart be melted and the dross go away 3. If thou would mortifie Sin thy heart must be filled with distaste of it thy sorrow must be attended with hatred and this seeks the life of Sin this will make a man defile the covering of his graven-Images of Silver and the Ornament of his molten-Images of Gold nothing less will serve thee than the death of thy Sin thou wilt pursue it in thy self and others as Haman's hatred sought Mordecai's life yea and the life of all the Jews for his sake Hide not thy Idols as Rachel sate upon hers search thy heart and thy way that thou may find all out and what thou canst not find pray the Lord may find for thee Psal 39.34 leave no Corruption which Satan may fit and brood upon These things must needs be previous to Mortification Now more particularly for the means of carrying on this great business of Mortification 1. Prayer especially private Prayer is of singular use I mention only this at present not being solicitous of Method I say private Prayer for your secret Sins and particular Corruptions may shelter and shroud and hide themselves from all your prayers in publick or in fellowship with others and alas many who are others mouths to God have enough to do to mortifie pride and vanity and selfishness in praying with others let it be by their prayers to get other Corruptions mortified or to get pride and selfishness in other things mortified Prayer and Lusts or Corruptions are like Moses and the Amalekites when Moses hands are up Israel prevails when they fall down the Amalekites prevail so is it in this case It was Pauls Relief 2 Cor. 12.7 8 when Satan was working on the remainder of some Coruption For this I besought the Lord thrice and he was helped It may be sense of some prevailing Corruption has sent you to your Closet and put you upon your knees and you have found Relief and then you have lest off praying and your Corruption has prevailed again Hence
business and labour of most unmortified Souls but to adorn or pamper or honour this corruptible sinful and burthensom flesh we never live like Christians till we can trample upon it and it be under our Souls feet and till we live as if we were the next moment to die and till we deal with sin as we would do when a-dying One would think that wise Solomons sad Retractations might be a warning to the Fools of following generations How many gain little more by all their labour and care than the Horse does by carrying rich Commodities a sore back and weary legs perhaps but a fore galled gangren'd Conscience when you come to die is sorest of all you who minister to your lusts and never offended them you who make provision for them you are but plotting a cruel and tormenting death to your selves at least you are making provision for endless sorrow you are preparing Axes and Saws and carrying faggots and fewel to your Fire and you that tread upon the heels of such you lose your dying comforts and Hell shall tread upon your heels and come as near as can be If you be saved it shall be with more difficulty and as it were by fire O learn to look on Bosom-sins in health as you will do in sickness of all sins these will be the ugliest filthiest and bitterest this is that which has undone me says the poor Soul I know whence all this trouble is come 4. Watchfulness is of singular use to such as would be successful in this business of Mortification you must fight with Sin ere you can mortifie it for Sin is not so tame as to made no resistance Now would you prosperously war with it our life is a warfare and in time of War all places keeps watch and ward You must first then watch its motions when it begins to move Sin makes sudden sallies and O how suddenly is a Temptation formed it sometimes comes like a fiery-flame or lightning we know not whence yea even temptations to that sin which under some strong Conviction c. seems to yield or to fly and that corrupt affection that is strongest is soonest set on fire there 's need of most care that no fire come near the place where Powder or Flax lies 2. There 's need of Watching in order to the improving the advantages we at any time have against our Corruptions whether by afflictions or by some providential Rebuke respecting that sin or by some strong Conviction upon the Mind or by some special recruit of fresh inward strength and liveliness of Soul or by some sensible success against sin and sins of falling as lightning from heaven c. The watchful Christian discerns and makes good use of these any seen advantage does encourage the Soul to keep up the Warfare and also hearten it to pursue it's advantage 3. It keeps a man under continual sense of weakness and impotency and need of borrowed strength the more a man makes conscience of conflicting and warring with sin he cannot but the more experience these Now much of our strength lies in an humble sense of weakness hence says Paul When I am weak then am I strong this puts the Soul on praying and believing when any Grace grows faint and Sin gets ground the watchful man observes this and calls in Prayer and Faith to his assistance he engages him in whom is everlasting strength he lays over the business on him and then the Battel becomes the Lords as 2 Chron. 20.5 6 c. with ver 15. The watchful Christian observes when and where he is weak and what disadvantages he is at and what is the craft and policy and power of his Adversaries and he makes an Errand to God yea and an argument of each of these in Prayer and indeed the watchful Christian sees himself never out of danger and so never wants matter of Prayer as he dare not cast off Prayer so wants he not work after Prayer hence Watching and Praying are so often coupled together Watchfulness discovers the danger and Believing Prayer prevents it it lays the matter at Christs door The reason why some are so seldom victorious over Temptations is because they are seldom on their knees or their hands are a short while up and the reason why they are seldom at the Throne of Grace and have little to say or soon tir'd is because they are seldom on their Watch-Tower Under this Direction I may take in the cutting off the occasions of that sin especially that oftnest prevails with you this cuts off intercourse between Satan and the Soul Whthhold fewel from thy lusts without this you do nothing all your labour is in vain If there be fewel in thy hand or thy house and there be daily occasion to sin ministred so much as to the eye thou cannot be safe seek by all means to starve thy Idols as in War when an Army can do no more they demolish the Enemies places of strength and endeavour to obstruct their Recruits and to stop their provisions do thou in like manner with sin whatever thou hast used as an occasion to the flesh fee that in that thou afflict thy self and cut off that occasion as Mary Magdalen did with her Hair Luke 7.39 Run away from a Temptation and go not to the outmost borders of thy liberty and venture not upon what some others may lawfully do being in other circumstances study moderation in things lawful use not thy liberty as an occasion to sin c. Suspect things that are pleasant to thee there is danger where thou finds delight Solomon is frequent in pressing the avoiding of snares Prov. 5.8 and 23.31 That Prohibition Deut. 25.13 is memorable to this purpose Thou shalt not have in thy Bag divert weights a great and a small So Deut. 12.13 You shall not enquire how the Nations serve their gods Now in pursuance of this 1. You must keep a strict guard upon your senses and double your guard when there is need it is by the senses that inordinate affections are kindled the Wanton is infected and enticed by gazing upon anothers Beauty the Drunkard and the Glutton by seeing or tasting the Cup or some pleasant food Silly effeminate Souls are tempted by the sight of gawdy fashions the sight of Pomp and Magnificence kindleth Ambition the Covetous cannot see Money nor fine Buildings nor rich Furniture nor a pleasant Field but his heart akes with Ahabs disease Take an account of all that comes in by your senses for you must give an account suffer not any of your senses to stir without leave or if they do let them not fix and settle without leave If the Door shall stand alway open the House will certainly be robbed therefore pray and practice that Psalm 119.37 2. Look also narrowly to your thoughts these are the Shop in which sin is forged Do you not feel what advantage Satan hath against you in these If you feel your thoughts stepping
heart and affections too against it If you will now awake your self as the Psalmist when his heart is fixed and when he has awaked his tongue and his harp Psalm 57.7 8 I my self also will awake You may cut the sinews of your predominant sin but if you shrink back and comply no further with the Spirit than your carnal ease or interest will admit you cannot but look for the withdrawing of the Spirit and the prevalency of some evil Spirit And suppose you only resisted the Spirit in some things you cannot but think it righteous that he should not afford you his assistance in other things but leave you to your own lusts and to the swing of your own hearts When the Spirit then does animate thee against any sin hath bended thy heart and raised or corroborated holy resolutions against it maintain them for the heart is naturally like a miscarrying womb pray as 1 Chron. 29.18 and fall instantly on the mortifying of that sin Holy endeavours strengthen holy purposes and if these be vigorous and strong thou mayest now get over the difficulties that used to hinder the mortification of that sin and may do so hereafter that is may hinder hereafter if through delays or neglect of present endeavours you let not your purposes cool or slacken whereas probably if this difficulty be overcome thy Conquest of sin may ever after go better on But do not think that when you are aided by the Spirit you shall meet with no difficulties or that because of sins vigorous opposition you are not influenced or aided by the Spirit There is no War without trouble and difficulty and danger the Spirit does not altogether remove difficulties the lusting of the Spirit does not extinguish the lusting of the flesh yea the Spirit may be stirring the heart even when the flesh is prevailing the groans of a holy Soul even when overcome by sin are from the Spirit but it 's the Spirit 's work to help over these difficulties which were otherwise insuperable and this he will do if there be no failing on our part But ah the Spirit 's aid meets with such opposition and reluctancy from the Soul in so far as it is unrenewed that neither spiritual purposes nor endeavours can be mantain'd and kept up without striving and earnest contending on our part and this must be done maugre our ease humour and the mighty opposition of the body of death He that would not be worsted by sin must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 13.24 Strive as in an Army there 's no striving with other things that will put the Soul in an Agony set aside Sin there 's no difficulty besides this in the way to Heaven see Heb. 12.4 The power of sin will put any sensible Soul in an agony as well as the guilt of it Paul seems acquainted with it Rom. 7.24 and no doubt he had much of the Spirit even when he thus cryed out Do not then expect such assistance from the Spirit as will kill thy Corruption at one stroke the truer thou art to thy help the more thou shall have and the more the Spirit does the more thou must do 4. When the Spirit who is a spirit of supplication does strongly influence thy heart in Prayer improve it unto the mortification of sin for the necessity and usefulness of Prayer in reference to Mortification I have spoke to already and now urge the improvement of the Spirit 's assistance in Prayer as one of those ways whereby through the Spirit we are to mortifie sin And in order to this whatsoever measure of the Spirit 's aid and assistance thou hast let thy Prayers be chiefly levelled against sin and that not only nor mostly against the guilt of sin but especially against the power of sin Nature may raise the desires of freedom from guilt high which may be mistaken for the influence of the Spirit It is true that Natural self-love may also draw out strong desires of freedom from the power of sin as their passions and corrupt contradictory lusts and affections do molest and trouble them but especially as they know them to be inconsistent with any well-grounded hope of Heaven as for unregenerate mens usual formal Petitions for deliverance from temptations and from the power of their sins there is ordinarily not so much as moral sincerity in them even when that may be in their Prayers for Pardon they really would not that God should hear them and are sometimes afraid he should so that what Augustine confesseth of himself before his Conversion is indeed a Common Case But to return When the Spirit makes intercession in thee helps thee to make intercession with groans which cannot be uttered Let these groans be against sin rather than for Divine Comforts Groan rather for Redemption from sin than from any other misery do you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Spirit as the Apostle beseeches the Romans for the love of the Spirit to do with him Rom. 15.13 we render it Strive together the Spirit makes intercession with groans as if he were in an Agony O for the love of the Spirit strive together with him c. And when the Spirit gives greater enlargement and mightily draws out the heart in Prayer know that then the Lord is saying to the Soul as it were What is thy Request Thou hast now got the King's Ear then let thy Request be the death of thy sins and amongst all thy sins especially that he would give thee the head of thy greatest lust that has most dishonoured God and done the most mischief that has often left thee wounded and groaning Now thou hast an opportunity to be rid of it and avenged on it pursue thy advantage and return not from the pursuit till thou hast divided the spoil thou may now get more ground of sin than by many years praying against it in thine own spirit when your prayer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is James 5.16 that is full of the holy Ghost or Prayer wherein the holy Spirit puts forth his Power and Energy and sets the whole Soul on work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies one possessed with and acted by a spirit If it do not instantly kill sin and deliver thee from such a Corruption yet it avails much to the death of it and if continued in thy sin shall not so far prevail as to mar thy acceptance with God or Communion with him or darken thy evidence for Heaven 5. If you would by the Spirit mortifie sin comply with the Breathings and influences of the Spirit in Ordinances in the Word Sacraments This were the way says one to make Ordinances and the times also glorious the Apostle useth the dwelling of Christ and of the Word in us promiscuously men grieve the Spirit when they despise the Word or any helps that God hath given them Isa 7.13 they are the means whereby the Spirit discovers sin purges it away or kills it Psalm
solve the doubt and refers the reason that sin is not destroyed wholly in every believer to the good pleasure of God but the Hypothesis of free-will and sufficient-grace will never do it 2. Let the feeling of the reliques of sin further self-denial and humility and hide pride from thine eyes 2 Cor. 12.7 Let them provoke the lively exercised and train thee up in prayer ver 8 For this I besought the Lord c. and in dependance ver 9 My grace is sufficient for thee c. Admire the freeness of his grace and the greatness of his power in carrying a poor weak Creature to heaven which is more wonderful than the carrying of a small burning Candle through the tempestuous and blustering air 3. See the ugliness and the treachery of the old man and the misery that Christ came to deliver from If you credit not what the word says of it see it in your selves see the enmity that is in your nature to God If you see not evil enough in one lust look on more had you only seen this at your first Conversion you might have forgot the sin and miisery the Lord has delivered you from 4. Let this provoke compassion to such as are in bondage to sin and meekness to such as through weakness fall and are intangled with sin Gal. 6.1 Tit. 3.2.5 Let this confirm you also in the doctrine of Justification by free-grace all natural men go about to establish their own righteousness and in the renewed man there 's often some Inclination to it and some neglect of Christs righteousness this inclination may rise when other lusts are almost buried It troubled Mr. Knox when he was near to die yet was quickly overcome even when we have most need of it And hence our confidence grows as inherent righteousness grows O what then would we have done were there no sin in us nothing to necessitate us to flie to Christs righteousness if as it is there 's some inclination either to set up our own alone or in conjunction with Christ's The Lord will have his people looking both on their Justification and sanctification every day as new gifts and that song to be daily in our mouths Psal 103.1 3. Lastly Be longing for the coming of Christ and for thy full redemption welcome him for this final deliverance from sin Let this commend heaven to you and make it heaven indeed Mr. Carmichael's Three last Sermons GEN. III. 15. I 'le put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel THE poor mans head was now upon the block and lo here 's the first intimation of Relief Sin and misery was now got into the World and mankind was now in a hopeless and helpless condition and here 's the first break of day and dawning of Deliverance and the first discovery of Compassion grace and tender mercy of God to Sinners In the words we have 1. A Promise of deliverance wrapt up in a Threatning against the Serpent 2. A hint of the manner of mans deliverance and of the Serpents Ruin For the Explication of the words 1. They are directed to the Serpent by which is to be chiefly understood Satan called the old Serpent the Devil for though some part of the Threatning belong to the Instrument he used ver 14 yet it 's plain from comparing the Text with Rom. 5.11 12 13 16.20 1 John 3.8 Rev. 20.2 3 that Satan is mostly meant It cannot be conceived how 〈…〉 â—â—eature should have been capable of such a Plot against the glory of God and the happiness of Man nor how it should have managed it with speech and so much seeming-Reason Some say That God indued the Serpent with Reason and Speech for that season but that is no small reflection on God indeed being used by Satan as the Instrument it is involved in the Curse and is become hateful to man there is an enmity between man and it and the sight of it ought to quicken our enmity against Satan yet every one of them have nor their head bruised and but very few of mankind have their heel bruised by that Creature so that we must not understand it literally By the Woman is not meant Evah only or one individual hence some infer that there 's a bitterer enmity between Satan and the Woman than between him and men that Sex being the weakest and most subject to fears and suspitions and so the apter to conceive hatred By the seed of the woman is to be understood 1 and especially Jesus Christ in the same sense that he is called the seed of Abraham of David Sometimes seed is taken collectively for a Multitude sometimes for a single or particular person Gal. 3.16 To Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not and to seeds as of many but of one and to thy seed which is Christ It was Christ then that was mainly meant by seed in the promise to Abraham Gen. 12.1 2 3 18.18 22.18 which places are explicatory of this seed in the Text and a confinement of this Promise to the Family of Abraham Here he is called the seed of the woman It 's like with some respect to his taking flesh only of a woman Isa 7.14 Yet here 2. We must also take in Christ's select Seed Heb. 2.13 compare with Rom. 16.20 For they are parties in this quarrel and enmity they have their heel bruised and they bruise Satans head Rom. 16.20 And seeing all that 's here said of the womans seed agreeth to all the Elect why should we not think them included in this seed yet in a different sense the enmity and victory are perfect in Christ not in us It 's remarkable that when the Promise is made concerning the seed the believing Parents are included hence Gen. 22.17 I will multiply thy seed Heb. 6.14 I will bless thee and multiply thee even so when the promise is made to the believing Parent the believing seed are included Hence Gen. 12.3 In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed Acts 3.25 the Apostle expounds it In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed the enmity then is not only between Christ personal and the Devil but also between Christ mystical c. And the victory over Satan is promised not only to Christ personally considered but to Believers who are his seed yet in a secondary sense only Rom. 16.20 By the Serpents seed are meant the Reprobate World for so they are called Matth. 3.7 Matth. 23.33 Generation of vipers John 8.44 Ye are of your father the devil Acts 13.10 Child of the devil 1. Joh. 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the devil and to them agree what is spoke of the Serpents seed viz. their enmity and opposition to the godly as far as in them lyeth By the Serpents head is meant his craft and power his cunning he had contrived
man puts some restraint on Satan he takes away the power he had to lead the man Captive does as it were cancel his Commission Satan cannot come and go as he did he was wont to come as a man to his own house Now he comes as a thief or a robber he cannot set such a lust on fire nor blow up such a Corruption nor send on such an Errand nor employ the mans Eye or Ear or Tongue or Hand or Foot as he did he must have Christs leave Now 2. He spoils Satan of his goods the members of the body and the faculties of the Soul Satan made a purchase of them in Paradise there they were marred and spoiled and unfitted for Gods use and fit only for Satans First Christ recovers them to the right owner he first makes them meet for him and then restores them to him he retrieves the Mind from ignorance errour and diabolick light sets the Will at liberty from lusts breaks the refractoriness of it and makes it sweetly yield in the day of his power Psalm 110.3 and so all within and without are now yielded as weapons of righteousness unto holiness 3. He takes away his Armour that wherein Satan trusted Satan though he had secured his interest in the Soul by customary sinning which had strengthned the habit of sin and hardned the heart in it and made the man bold in sin Christ comes as a Prince and makes the man tremble he gives repentance and breaks the stone in the heart May be 2. Satan had corrupted mans judgment and fortified his interest with carnal reason when the true light comes the man sees himself a fool Or may be 3. He has strongly engaged the affections in sin and trusted to that Christ disintangles them Or may be 4. He had fitted them with suitable temptations for as there is a malignant influence and energy in all Satans temptations so he uses to chuse out suitable temptations from pleasure perhaps riches or honour Christ imbitters these and debases them they lose their operation And now having destroyed the power of sin he destroys Satans reign in the Soul for all the title Satan has to Sinners is by means of sin which is his feed Christ had done all this meritoriously upon the Cross as a publick person in the Elects stead according to the promise in the Text there he judged and cast out Satan John 12.31 He was formerly judged and cast out of Heaven but becoming head of sinful men he is again judged and dethroned by Jesus Christ see this at length Col. 2.13 14 15 He spoiled principalities and powers in Greek stript them Hence Isa 53.68 He shall divide the spoil he made a shew of them openly an allusion unto Conquerors who for a Trophy use to hang up the Armour and Ensigns of their conquered Enemies so that Satan was out-witted in putting Judas on betraying and the Jews on crucifying him triumphing over them in it he led Captivity captive and as Conquerors used to bind their Captives to their Chariots and lead them in Triumph so did he on the Cross and by virtue of this Conquest the Elect are preserved and kept alive and also kept from sinning irremedilesly or unto death before their Conversion and in due time are actually rescued from Satan and set against him Now we come to the second thing observable viz. That this enmity to God is not all removed at once Satans head is not bruised at first either in his person or in his seed he that has decreed the enmity between the godly and the wicked hath also decreed the enmity between Grace and sin what is of Christ and what is of Satan in the same Soul there 's something in the man who is in Christ whereby Satan has access to trouble and molest the Soul he makes the poor Believer go halting and makes all his spiritual motions uneasie and ungrateful were it not for this had not Satan some part within us we might laugh at his assaults and were it not for this the World could not defile us 1 John 1.15 It 's true Satan invaded man and prevailed when he had no part within him but he has now further advantages against us we cannot hold him out though we would as man might then have done he has some within to open the gates to him he has a party still in Arms for him within us a whole body of sin that has many members and these all under the law of sin and stir when ever Satan will Rom. 7.23 24 And O how fierce are the assaults of this body of sin It made Peter swear against Christ It made Asa rage against the Prophet It made fierce dissention between Paul and Barnabas and there 's no reconciling this enmity Rom. 8.2 7 it will not and cannot be sufficient c. The old man may be slain and mortified but will never yield Observ 3. That all who side with Christ must resolve to maintain enmity and war against Satan and that party that Satan has in them From the day that one is born again there 's a war begun there 's two parties in the man and there 's nothing the one does but the other opposes so that neither good nor evil can be done with full consent or with the whole Soul If Satans side carry it Christs party dissents and protests and bears witness against it If any good be set about the old man shall either make the work to cease or else some way marr it Satan shall have his soul fingers on every Duty all who lay claim to Christ are bound to maintain this war and hold up this enmity and think it a mercy that God will let you call the better part in you you your self and the worst part but your flesh Rom. 7.25 So then with the mind I my self serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin Obs 4. That Satan and indwelling sin are limited and bounded the guilt of sin shall not outlaw the Believer if the Serpent sting you yet your wound shall not be deadly Satan may leave his marks upon you and indeed were it not for him who was lifted up after the manner of the brazen Serpent every bite of this Serpent were mortal this remaining inward enmity will be working and Satan will be sneaking about your heels and seeking to intangle your affections which are as the feet of the Soul but he can come no higher than your heel he may darken your light indeed but it 's by corrupting your affections and when he has done all he cannot extinguish Divine Light Indwelling sin may raise Sedition and cause much opposition and disturbance to Christs Kingdom within but it shall not be able to dissolve his Government Obs 5. That all who side with Christ and maintain this enmity against Satan and his seed shall in the event be victorious Christ in them shall bruise Satans head for we must not think to hold