A Care Cloth, Sermon 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Shewing the naturall meanes of Mortification.
YOu hauehave heard how much you muſt needs do in this matter, as alſo how very much you may doe, if you bee not careleſſe and ſlothfull. Now let me ſhew you, by what meanes both theſe degrees muſt be attained, and a godly man muſt paſſe forward, from the former, to the latter. The meanes of mortification are of two ſorts, ſome naturall, ſome ſpirituall, and both are requiſite, if wee purpoſe to kill our luſts; the former muſt make the latter more effectuall, and be helpfull to our good ſucceſſe in them.Moderation in things indifferent, a meanes of mortifying ſin. The one is, moderation in the vſe of naturall delights and contents. The other, diſcretion, in the ſhunning of outward occaſions of euill, though the things in themſelues bee not euill.
2. For the firſt, hee that is not moderate in things indifferent, can neuer preuaile againſt his luſts, to any purpoſe; for at the exceſſe of theſe lawfull things, doe our naturall corruptions begin to take aduantage, and to feed themſelues, and to gather head. He that will hold vnderunder his luſts therefore, and put them to death, muſt bee ſparing in meate, drinke, attire, ſports, and muſt euen cut himſelfe ſhorter in many of theſe things, then that which he perſwadeth himſelfe (and perhaps alſo truly) that he might lawfully doe, euen of purpoſe to keepe himſelfe, that hee may not bee brought vnderunder the power of any thing, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh. We muſt learne of the Apoſtle himſelfe this meanes; for he telleth vsus, that hee did keepe vnderunder his body,1. Cor. 6.12. 1. Cor. 9. laſt. and bring it in ſubiection. The corruptions of the ſoule finde great furtherance from the humours of the body, as a man doth find from a good and fit toole or inſtrument: we muſt keep the tooles of ſinne dull, (as I may ſo ſpeake) that ſinne it ſelfe may doe vsus leſſe harme by its working. If the body be ſtill humored and pampered, by letting it hauehave all the eaſe, fine fare, gay attire, ſenſuall pleaſures and paſtimes, that it wiſheth (and that a man can make to appeare lawful and warrantable,) it will not bee kept in ſubiection, it will not be held in order. We are therefore in theſe thins to call vponupon our ſelues, to bee very temperate. Be a little more meane in thy garments, then thou thinkeſt it abſolutely needfull to be: vſe a little leſſe liberty in games and paſtimes, then thou conceiueſt that in ſtrictneſſe of conſcience thou oughteſt to doe. So I ſay for fare, eaſe, ſleepe; If thou doſt not, from the vtmoſt confines of lawfull liberty, there is but a ſmall ſtep to the border of vnlawfull delights, and ſoone maiſt thou be drawn to ſtep that ſtep, and when thou haſt once tranſgreſſed, thou ſhalt finde it hard to come into the right way againe. He that goes in a riuer, where he knowes that a deepe pit is, will not come ſo cloſe to it as hee may, but by keeping himſelfe vponupon ſure ground a good way off, will bee ſure to ſaue himſelfe from being ouerwhelmed therein. It is much more ſafe, in things of this nature, to keepe our ſelues a good deale within compaſſe, then to ſtand vponupon the edge of our liberty (as I may ſo ſpeake.) By abridging our ſelues of ſome thing that we are allowed, wee cannot likely receiue any hurt: by taking all that is allowed, we may ſoone ſlip into exceſſe, and well-neere miſchiefe our ſelues, and by doing all we may doe, ſo ingage our ſelues to our affections, that they will carry vsus away, to that wee ſhould not doe. Auſtereneſſe is not neceſſary to mortification, moderation is. To goe wooll-ward, or in haire-cloth, is a fooliſh deſtroying of the body; to go in leſſe coſtly attire then one might, is a due keeping vnderunder of the body. To make ones ſelfe leane and wanne with faſting, is to tyrannize ouer ones ſelfe; to fare leſſe delicately, and eate leſſe liberally, for the moſt part, then one might, is to preuent the aduantages of ſinne in the body. The hypocrite, often, doth place all his mortification, in being cruel to his body; wherfore he keepes no meaſure this way; and becauſe it is a thing much looked after, and eaſily ſeene, it is a fit thing for an hypocrite, to beguile both the world and himſelfe withall. The godly man doth make his abridging of the body, a furtherance to the cutting off of his luſts: wherefore he is not exceſſiue in his rigour to his body, nor will offer violence to nature, but alone deny her that, which ſhee may well ſpare, and ſcants and mints himſelfe in the vſe of his liberty, not as not knowing it, but as knowing how eaſie it is to abuſe it, and by abuſing, to take harme. And thus, by keeping his body in order, hee findes it more eaſie to keepe the minde in frame alſo, which doth much make vſe of (and as ſome thinke follow) the temperature of the body. And let any man vnderunder heauen be ſo wiſe, as to obſerue himſelfe, and he ſhall finde, that vnleſſe he deny himſelfe ſome lawfull liberty, he ſhall quickly grow ſenſuall: and ſenſuality is an enemie to mortification.
3. A ſecond naturall meanes of mortification is, a careful ſhunning of the occaſions of ſin.Shunning the occaſions of ſin, neceſſary to mortification. Opportunity of time, place, company, and the like, doth greatly incenſe and prouoke corruption: and he that will not, (for eueryevery man in this matter, becauſe it is but naturall, can if he will) denie himſelfe in ſuch things, can neuer preuaile againſt his corruptions. He hath not gone yet ſo farre as nature may goe, and how then ſhould he looke to finde the helpe of grace? The withdrawing of a mans ſelfe from theſe things, is a pulling of the fuell from the fire, and then it wil ſurely goe out. The aduenturing vponupon theſe things, doth blow the coles, and adminiſter fuell alſo, and then muſt ſinne of neceſſity, both burne and flame. In theſe occaſions, the ſences hauehave ſtrong allurements offered vntounto them, and they be vehement in their workings, burying the vnderſtanding for a time, and captiuating the thoughts to their preſent pleaſing obiects, ſo that a man can thinke of no good thing, that may ſerue to reſiſt bad deſires; and when the ſoule is ſo diſarmed, how ſhould ſinne but preuaile againſt it? He that doth thus hazard himſelfe, thruſts himſelfe out of Gods protection, for he walketh not in his owne place, therefore he can looke for nothing but ruine. Satan aſſureth himſelfe of victorie, when hee ſees men ſo careleſſe of themſelues, and ſo becomes vehement in tempting, (as hope of ſucceſſe incourageth eueryevery one to labour) and then how ſoone is a man foyled? Indeed, the heart hath giuen a ſecret conſent to the deſire of euill doing, ſo ſoone as euer it conſents to aduenture vponupon the occaſions of euill doing, and it is but the very guile and diſſimulation of the ſoule, (whereby it is apt to coozen it ſelfe,) that makes one thinke, I will goe where I ſhall meete with ſtrong prouocations to ſinne, but yet I will not ſinne. Now the conſent which was ſecret, and as it were implicite before, ſo ſoone as occaſion and tentation hauehave ſtirred corruption, growes manifeſt and open, and ſhewes it ſelfe, and ſo a man ſins, when he thought (but he thought amiſſe) that he was reſolued not to ſinne. Betwixt a reſolution to doe a thing, whereby the will doth chuſe, and a reſolution not to doe it, whereby the will doth refuſe, there is a middle kind of action, an irreſoluteneſſe, a ſuſpence, neither chuſing, nor refuſing, but betwixt both. Now this indifferency of the will, is halfe a yea; and hee that makes halfe a grant, when none importunity doth preſſe him, will make a full and totall grant, when hee ſhall be (as vponupon ſuch occaſions hee ſhall bee) importunately vrged: and it is ſure, that a man neuer doth wittingly put himſelfe vponupon occaſions of euill, vntill hee bee at leaſt irreſolute whether to doe it or not. Wherefore eueryevery Chriſtian man muſt be wiſe for his ſoule, and not alone determine to forbeare all things that are ſinfull and flatly condemned; but if hee hauehave found by his owne experience, that ſuch and ſuch things (in themſelues indeed lawfull) are, to his corruption, ſtrong prouocations to euill; hee muſt alſo determine to deny himſelfe in theſe things alſo. In one word, this direction is ſo neceſſary, that all the labour in the world will not ſubdue ſinne, if it bee not backed with this part of circumſpect walking. For if the heart be hollow, nothing will make it ſtrong againſt ſinne: and eueryevery mans heart is ſo far hollow, as he is willing to play with the occaſions of ſinne.