The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 1
Chap. 1. An Introduction to the Text with the coherence of the foregoing part of the Chapter.
THe common tidings that hath ſounded in our eares frō the Churches abroad, for divers yeares together, hath been upon the point nothing but warres, and rumors of warres, of leading into captivity, of garments roled in blood; inſomuch as that country in which was plenty of corne and wine, as the garden of Eden, is now as a land forſaken, or as a deſolate wilderneſſe; nay a very Aceldama, or field of blood: And howſoever wee of this Nation have but heard of this, amongſt us, no leading into captivity, no complaining in our ſtreetes; Yet the ſword of the Lord hath been drown againſt us, and hath ſlaine thouſands, & ten thouſands in our ſtreets.James 4.1. Now the general cauſe both of thoſe lamentable deſolations abroad, & the hand of God at home, is chiefly this; that we go not to warre with our ſelves, we do not ſlay thoſe luſts of ours that fight in our members: for if ye walke after the fleſh, yee ſhall die, not onelyonly a death of the body, but the ſecond death, the ſoule ſhall ſuffer eternall torment; But if yee mortifie the deeds of the fleſh by the ſpirit, then yee ſhall live eternally.
To make way unto the matter in hand, our Apoſtle layeth downe certaine differences betweene ſuch as walke after the fleſh, and others that walke after the ſpirit.
1 In reſpect of the object that they ayme at, the one mindes the things of the fleſh, the other the things that are above; ſuch as a man is, ſuch is his minde; a carnall man, and a carnall minde: the wiſdome that is not from above, is earthly, ſenſuall, and devilliſh; James 3.15.but that which is from above, is firſt pure, then peaceable, gentle, eaſie to be intreated, Verſ. 17.full of mercy and of good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocriſie.
2 They differ in their ends; for the end of the one is life, the end of the other is death; Every man muſt eate of the fruit of his own way, Prov. 1.31.and be filled with his owne deviſes.
3 They differ in their affections, ſo as they that are at enmity with the Law of God,Verſ. 7.8. their fleſhly mindes are not ſubject unto it, neither can they be, and being they are not, they cannot pleaſe God. Whereas on the other ſide, they that are of the ſpirit, Chriſt dwels with them, and takes up his habitation in their hearts, ſuppes with them, and they with him: Happy and thrice happy that houſe which hath him for an inhabitant, for this poſſeſſion of Chriſt doth imply the diſpoſſeſſion of ſinne,Verſ. 10. For if Christ be in you the body is dead, but of ſinne, as Dagon could not ſtand with the Arke, ſo no more can ſin and Chriſt inhabit together. We cannot ſerve theſe two Maſters. Againe, as it puts ſinne to death, ſo he quickens us,Verſ. 11. that ſame ſpirit that raiſed Chriſt ſhall quicken us; wherein he ſhews that the worke of our regeneration is great, even as great as that of the reſurrection, the one being the internall renovation of the ſoule, the other the externall reſtauration of the body to its reunion with the ſoule; Hence our Apoſtle drawes an effectuall inference to perſwade men to withſtand the inticements of the fleſh, from this, that there is no ſervice of due that doth belong to it, we are not debters to it, that wee ſhould follow it. Nay if you walke after the fleſh yee ſhall die, but if yee mortifie the deeds of the fleſh by the ſpirit, then yee ſhall live. Behold as Moſes ſaid:Deut. 30.19. I call Heaven and Earth to record againſt you this day, that I ſet before you life and death, bleſſing and curſing, therefore chooſe life that you and your ſeede may live. So I here ſet before you both theſe, and yet my deſire is the ſame that Moſes his was, that you would chuſe life, that your ſoules might live, which undoubtedly you may do if yee follow Saint Pauls direction here, If yee mortifie the deeds of the fleſh by the ſpirit. Here you may obſerve,
1 A deſcription of our naturall corruption, it is called the deeds or practiſes of the body.
2 Here is our duty what we ſhould doe againſt it, namely, to contend againſt it, and to mortifie and ſlay it.
3 The meanes whereby it muſt be done, by the ſpirit.
4 The reward is that promiſed, Yee ſhall live: which is a large promiſe, ſeeing it containes in it all the happineſſe that wee are capable of, called a crown of life for the greatneſſe, and everlaſting life for the continuance.