heart as that which all who are disobedient will feel at last to be most true I might here desire you to think or ask you what you do think in your souls whether in your consciences you think not this word being true there be not a multitude of poor creatures high and low rich and poor who are woefully deceived Doth it not appear there are great swarms and droves of men and women many and many in all places who live evidently after the flesh yet who almost but thinks he shall escape death though he live as he doth How sad is this O sadness lamentation that so great a number of our father Adam's Children are so deceived not taking warning by his being deceived and Alas alas that such a number of people must dye eternally dye even all that multitude who live after the flesh Did you hear of a 1000 or a 100 to be executed on the Scaffold to be broken upon the wheel would not your bowels earn should you not be much troubled and shall not this move you and cause you to weep and pray much to hear from the word of truth that all those many and many who live after the flesh shall dye the second death be tormented in that lake which burns with fire and brimstone for ever and ever Ah how great our unbelief how little our love to those made of one blood with us how rocky our hearts O our want of bowels that this affects us no more But Use 3. Hear me O precious immortal soul every one who lives after the flesh give ear turn O turn repent O repent I beseech thee for thine own good for thy greatest good Live a new life that thou mayest not dye Be not angry with the Word of God be not angry with him that speaks it but be angry with thy sinful life God saith Ezek. 38.18 It shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the Land of Israel saith the Lord God that my fury shall come up in my face so when any lust stirs in thee and warreth against thy soul O let thy fury come up in thy face deal with it as with thy worst enemy be entreated so to love thy self as to turn over a new leaf to write after a new Copy Turn thy face from the flesh turn thy back upon it Should I tel you that if you live after such a custom such an old new fashion or the like ye shall dye by the hand of man would you not be perswaded to leave that custom that fashion and thank me for my pains in perswading you can you think dying by the hand of man worse than dying by the hand of God is not the hand of the Almighty heavier than the hand of man have you not heard have you not read what the Apostle saith It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God even of him in whom ye live and move and do you not believe he saith true that it is so indeed Truely friend if thou art one who livest after the flesh it is a wonder thou art not actually dead under the second death already in the paws Jaws of everlasting death that that is not now at this day feeding upon thee but God hath spared thee hitherto why why thinkest thou is it Is' t not that thou mayest repent Yes the long suffering of God saith the Scripture is salvation and so thou thouldest account 2. Pet. 3.15 account that the long suffering of our God is salvation even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the Wisdom given unto him hath written unto you Rom. 2.4 or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Is not this mercy O great mercy that yet that after so long a time God waits for thy turning and thou hast once again a fair warning How woefully guilty wi lt thou be of thine own death if being thus warned thou shalt turn a deaf ear How inexcusable wilt thou be whatever thou shalt plead for thy self It will be answered thou wert plainly told what would be the end of thy fleshly life thou thoughtest thou shouldst not dye but thy thought contradicted that word of truth which was Preached to thee Doth not this word sound terribly in thine ears thou shalt dye dye in thy soul dye in thy whole man dye a death of the greatest of unspeakable misery dye eternally why then let it awaken thee to repentance how canst thou sleep in thy sin how canst thou rest and be quiet with such a terrible word sounding in thine ears will not dying it self be far more dreadful than to hear of it is or can be I shall not now stand to use more words if any soul will not hear the blood of such a one will be upon his own head and let me mind thee my friend that the longer thou livest in thy sin before death comes to thee the more sore grievous and tormenting will it be when it comes I wonder what impenitent sinners think of that word Rom. 2.5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to every man according to his deeds wilt thou believe it and turn from the wayes of the flesh If not thou must experience it and shalt find it to be as true as he is true whose word it is It may be some one may think Is there hope yet hope for me after all my sinning for so long a time A. There is a certain hope hast thou a mind a heart to turn in good earnest lift up thy head fear not doubt not Turn heartily God is ready to receive thee and he will receive thee graciously for so he hath promised 2 Cor. 6.17 Come out from among them come away in thy heart and life from all that live after the flesh touch not the unclean thing Let thy repentance be thorow and sound what then if I so turn who will receive me God answers I will receive thee I will that is receive thee graciously I will receive thee to my mercy into the bosome of my grace as the Prodâ—gals father received him therefore it follows and I will be a Father to you saith the Lord God Almighty yea and ye shall be my Sons and my Daughters I 'le receive you as a most tender father his Children when they are in great streights and and dangers consider the Lord's promise think how a Father doth catch his dear Child when falling into the water or fire or when his Child runs to him from one that would kill him so even so and with much more readiness and tenderness will the Lord God receive you if ye run to him in Christ from your sins he 'l speedily receive you into the arms of his mercy with all his
hear or feel or something that you think of whenever lust stirrs there is something which administreth occasion to it or whereby it takes occasion what that is must be noted and being known it must be avoided If it be your looking on any thing you must turn away your eye if it be your hearing any thing you must stop your ear thereto as soon as may be except it be such a thing as you are bound in duty to hear for sin takes occasion sometimes by that which is good even by the Word of God it self as the Apostle faith Rom. 7.11 Sin took occasion in him by the Commandment sin took occasion in those that heard Stephen Preach though he spake in the Holy Ghost to fill them with madness and cause them to stone him Acts 7.54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth Sin took occasion oft in those that heard Christ to work the more enviously and maliciously against him therefore I say when any thing you hear stirrs your corruption turn away your ear unless it be that which you ought to give ear to and if it be any thing you are thinking of that kindles any lust in you by all means divert your thoughts to something else except also it be a thing whereof it is your duty to meditate and then other means is to be used or an other time more fit is to be taken for those thoughts The same may be said of place and company or any thing else which awakens your sin and calls it forth put it away speedily or turn from it take away the fuel that the fire may go out as Christ saith cut off your right hand your right foot pluck out your right eye if it offend you if it cause you to offend if it draw out your corruption divorce your selves be sequestred from it whatever it be how dear or near soever it be to you and as Solomon saith look away from the wine when it 's red in the cup when thou beginnest to be so pleased with it as to have thy appetite too much raised and set on edge by it 3. When corruption any way acts in you then should you call to mind something of the Word of God which is most proper and fit something that the Scripture speaks against it or concerning the evil of it or that which will follow upon it if you give way thereto This hath been and will be found a very notable help in mortifying any present motion of sin a seasonable remembrance of some suitable Scripture hence saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.1 Moreover brethren I would not have you ignorant c. v. 6. these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lasted c. and oft when he speaks against any sin he minds them of some Scripture saying Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have Heb. 13.5.6 for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me and Rom. 12.19 Dearly beloved avenge not your selves rather give place unto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord by which and other like places we are taught this when we feel this or that lust moving in us to call to mind and give our selves seriously to ponder on some Scripture that hath an aptness for the quelling of it Fourthly At all times when any evil affection breaks out or lust bubles up thoughts concerning God are a great help to the subduing thereof if they are with seriousness It may be when Joseph's Mistress tempted him he might at first find some stirring in himself not good but he mortified it by remembring God for first he thought of God e're he said how shall I do this and sin against God God saith of those who are carried away by their lusts they have forgotten him because the living and prevailing of their sin ariseth from their forgetting him Jer. 13.25 This is thy lot the portion of thy measures from me saith the Lord because thou hast forgotten me and trusted in falshood how came they to trust in falshood because they remembered not God and his faithfulness Jer. 18.15 Because my people have forgotten me they have burnt incense to vanity and they have caused them to stumble in their wayes from the ancient paths to walk in paths in a way not cast up to make their Land desolate a perpetual hissing Thoughts concerning Gods Majesty loftiness Almightiness jealousie omnipresence or his filling Heaven and Earth all places with his presence his all seeing eye his holiness and other his properties and attributes are an excellent means to curb a lust and give it a deadly wound to quench the fiery motions of sin as with water Find me a place said one when tempted where God sees not or is not then will I yeild Jam. 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren lest ye be condemned but how shall we stop our hearts when they begin to grudge against a brother it follows behold the Judge standeth at the door as if he had said remember the holy just Lord is near he seeth he heareth he stands at the door of your heart and looks in for it s alwayes wide open to him and he will judge righteous judgement e're you are aware he 'l be upon you even now already he is at the door Fifthly You should go to God if it may be especially if corruption stir very much then it 's exceeding good speedily to get alone and fall down before the Lord and spread thy heart before him as Hezekiah did Rabshekahs railing letter and lament and say behold Lord see in mercy and pity to me see what a heart I have how it needs thy grace see how my corrupt nature works and so cry out for help as Jehosaphat when the Assyrians surrounded him thinking it had been Ahab's Chariot 2 Chron. 18.31 Jehosaphat cryed out and the Lord helped him and God moved them to depart from him when we cannot get alone and in all ordinary cases it 's good to lift up the heart to God with an inward sigh and groan heart sighs and groans have very much in them to mortifie a stirring lively lust when the soul sighs inwardly O wretched man that I am that sin thus remains thus works in me Lord deliver me Some say every sigh fetcheth a drop of blood from the heart I may say every hearty sigh fetcheth a drop of blood from the heart of sin if it be for sin but we must not only sigh because of the present working of corruption and ask the death of that but also sigh because of the spring whence the evil stream flows and beg the drying up of that the pulling up the root and killing it as
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
heart and soul will he embrace you and hold you fast and keep you till he hath brought you to heaven observe well how that good promise is shut up thus saith the Lord Almighty He who is as able to save as to destroy he that is almighty to pardon thy many sins he who is almighty to subdue thy mighty Corruptions and to deliver thee from the most mighty temptations he saith he will receive thee and that as Almighty so as to shew himself Almighty for thy salvation If thou desirest yet another Scripture to encourage thee read and ponder that word full of sweetness Jer. 31.18 19 20. and be assured Jesus Christ hath dyed that thou mightst not see death not tast the worst death or feel the curse of death if thou turn'st from the flesh to God in him Use 4. Let me press you all to take great heed that you never at all live after the flesh never take one step after it Beware my Brethren beware of that flesh that is within you of that corruption that is in you because it is so dangerous to live after it it is a deadly thing it is a subtle deceitful thing alluring ensnaring and powerfully moving let us all be very watchful against it consider a few words First so far as you give way to the flesh you 'l hinder your assurance what assurance considering this truth can I or you have unless our Conscience acquit us and bear witness in us that we live not after the flesh but you Christians know the worth of assurance say is it not a sad thing to have your assurance though but in some degree weakened clouded is it not very ill to have your evidences blotted to have any ground or so much as seeming cause to doubt concerning your state and to fear that you are among them that shall dye They who know not what it is to dye spiritually everlastingly may be in a state of death and make nothing of it but you who understand what this dying meaneth cannot live comfortably without good assurance that you shall not dye O let there be nothing of the reprobates mark found upon you Secondly So far as you yield to the flesh so far you feed you nourish it but would you feed a deadly disease If you feed your Corruption you starve your souls every degree of living all acting after the flesh all complying therewith strengtheneth it and weakneth your souls do not you O do not strengthen your enemy against your selves Thirdly so much as you are led by the flesh and let it have its will you honour it you commend you praise it as if it were a good thing a good Teacher a good Master but will you honour such a shameful thing will you commend will you praise that God so much condemns and abhorreth you honouring it dishonour your selves commending it you shame your selves Fourthly To fulfill the desires of the flesh is to speak as if you were Debtors to it as is intimated in the verse before my Text where we read thus Therefore brethren we are Debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh No how can we be Debtors to it for it 's a poor thing it 's not worth any thing we never had or could have good by it therefore we cannot be Debtors to it except it should be by Gods Command or by compact and agreement or promise but Gods command runs contrary and as for agreement we have covenanted with God and promised oft to have nothing to do with the flesh therefore we are no way Debtors to it unless it shall be said we owe it hatred and all that we can do for it's destruction so indeed we are Debtors to the flesh we owe it all possible hatred and the utmost of our endeavour's for the utter extirpation and ruining of it whereas if we let the flesh have its will then we act as if we owed it service and were indebted to it by the bond of love But this is sure you believers are exceedingly by all bonds and obligations engaged in love thankfulness obedience to the Father and Son and holy Spirit who have made you preserved you redeemed called and chosen you So far as you serve the flesh you rob God you do as pay money where you owe none and refuse or neglect to pay what you greatly stand indebted for Besides you believers have a principle of grace in you to that you are Debtors for it hath done you great good by the new man created in you your condition is altered of Children of Satan you are become Children of God by it you are fitted for fellowship with God by it you have had much peace comfort and God commands you to live after it and have you not promised so to do therefore spend not the money of your time strength service in acting according to the Flesh to which you owe nothing but pay your Debts to the new man that seed of grace that is in you quench alwayes the motions of the Flesh but blow up nourish cherish all holy motions grieve the flesh as much as ever you can but please the spirit to the utmost To live after the flesh is to countenance the old and discountenance the new man to give way at all to the flesh it is to favour to smile upon your corruption and frown upon the seed of God in you Yea it is to resist the spirit for that draws you from the flesh a contrary way to that wherein the flesh would lead you Ag. To comply with the flesh speaks no or little love to Jesus Christ for the flesh it was the corruption of man that murdered him and it is against the death of Christ for the Gospel tells us Christ dyed that we should not live after the Flesh but to him that dyed for us I shall not hold you longer on this only do you make good use of the Apostles argument though you are sure that you are in Christ yet make use of this word if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but remember to use it lawfully 1 Tim. 1.8 We know that the Law is good if a man use it lawfully so is this truth good very good if it be used lawfully not to hinder but to help to a right grounded assurance not to terrifie but to awaken your spirits not to overses but to ballast them to poize them and this word is to be made use of seasonably There is a great deal of Christian wisdom in the seasonable making use of truths sometimes your souls may be in a desponding fainting sinking frame full of discouragement and fear then call to mind promises gracious invitations the comfortable words of Scripture but too oft your spirits are in a light vain temper inclining to carnal confidence presumption fearlesseness and carelessness they begin to be somewhat bold and ventrous upon evil then is a fit season to meditate on this truth and to think what do I