The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 16
CAP. XVI. The third more neere degree of Mortification in the killing of ſinne.
THe laſt degree of mortification is the ſlaying of ſinne, the execution of it, whereby wee are ſaid to bee crucified unto the world,Gal. 6.14. that is, I am not ſo low and vile in the eſteeme of the world;Rom. 6.6. but the world is as baſe and contemptible unto me; the ſame Apoſtle ſhewes that the end why Chriſt was crucified, was that the body of ſinne might be deſtroyed.
What kind of death the death to ſin is.1. This deſtruction and death of ſinne is a lingering death, a man dieth by degrees; as the death of the Croſſe was, they hung a long while before they died; and the more ſtrength the longer: ſo the ſtronger that ſinne is, the longer it will be a dying; as it is with a man that doth beleager a ſtrong forte, and where ſtout and valiant men are, they will ſuffer much penury and hardſhip, and hardly bee brought to yeeld untill the laſt man: ſo is it in ſuch a caſe, here is ſuch a ſtrong hold of carnall reaſons and corrupt luſts ſet up within us, and be fortified by Sathan, and ſtrong and deſperate reſolutions; that it will bee a long time before wee can get the upper hand, and the victory over them; and when we have gotten the victory, yet ſtill they will trouble, and diſquiet our peace; as the Lord would not drive out all thoſe Nations from among the people of Iſrael, Joſh. 23.13.but they were as thorns in their eyes, and ſcourges in their ſides, and were not utterly caſt out: ſo may I ſay, that theſe luſts they will be ſo unto us; all that we can doe will be this, not to ſuffer them to raigne, and to weaken their ſtrength by degrees.
2. It is a painefull death, to mortifie and to kill ſinne, it cannot be done without much paine; hence it is called Circumciſion,Jer. 4.4. circumciſe your ſelves unto the Lord, and take away the fore-skinnes of your hearts, that this was a ſore and painefull thing, may appeare in the ſoreneſſe of the men of Sheehem the third day;Gen, 34.25 and by that ſpeech of Zipporah unto Moſes, a bloody husband thou art;Exod. 4.26. becauſe of the Circumciſion; and indeed, when we conſider what prayers, what teares, what revenge, and what wraſtling it hath or may coſt you; you will ſay that there is need of much faith to defend your ſelves, much skill in Gods word to offend your enemy, and much patience, that in the midſt of this conflict that you may not breake out againſt God into impatient ſpeeches;Pro. 14, 10. the heart (in this caſe) knows his owne bitterneſſe, no man elſe can tell it, nor is able to expreſſe it; what ſightings and feares within, and what troubles without; as that the poore ſoule findes ſuch waves and ſtormes in his conſcience that hee is like Noahs Dove, knowes not where to reſt his foote, not where to reſt his ſoule; as you may ſee in the caſe of Job, and Paul: and many times ſtrong Chriſtians are not without ſtrong aſſaults and conflicts, the enemy when he is a dying, is often the moſt deſperate; and ſometime good men apt to bee ſurprized with ſpirituall pride, and to thinke that either he is ſo good, he ought not, or ſo ſtrong hee feareth not to be tempted, in ſuch a a caſe hee hath neede of a temptation that hee may the better know himſelfe, and ſeeke out unto Chriſt, as they when they were toſſed with the waves (ſay) help Maſter, Mat. 8.26.or elſe we periſh.
3. Though ſinne cannot be utterly ſubdued, yet may it be greatly diminiſhed; and the power of it enervated and abated, though the Cananites were not utterly ſubdued, yet were they very low brought; ſo ſinne may by this worke of mortification be brought very low, as it was with the widdow of Zarephta, her ſtore was ſo waſted that ſhee had no more but a handfull of Meale in a Barrell, and a little Oyle in a Cruſe, which ſhee was about to dreſſe for her ſelfe and her ſonne, and then to eate it, and after dye. Now it is a great comfort unto a man when a man can attaine to this.
1. That he can keepe his heart that ſinne doe not at any time break out into any groſſe act.Luke 1.6. Gen. 5.24. It is ſaid of Zacharias and Eliz. that they walked in all the Commandements of God without rebuke; that is, though they were not without their infirmities; yet were they without rebuke, in reſpect of any crime or groſſe ſinne: yet here is a large difference betweene ſuch as doe onelyonly reſtraine and keepe in ſinne, for ſome by end, and ſuch as theſe to whom ſin is in ſome meaſure mortified, even as much as there is betweene the beating out of the teeth of a Lion, and the changing of his nature; thence it is that this worke makes us of Lions to become as meeke as Lambs;Iſ. 11.6. ſo as the Lamb and the Leopard ſhall lie downe, with the Kid and the Calſe and the young Lion and the fatling together, & a little child ſhall lead them: againe, though a wicked man may curb and keep in ſin, yet can he not kill and deſtroy ſinne; and the reaſon is this, becauſe he wants ſpeciall and ſpirituall meanes; ſinne will not be driven out with great words,Iſ. 58, 6. nor by ſpreading ſackcloth and aſhes under you; nor hanging downe your heads like a bull-ruſh for a day, but there muſt be in us the love of God, which will make us to depart from iniquity.
2. It is a great comfort when ſinne is ſo over-powerd as it doth not divert us from duty, I doe not ſay diſtract us in the performance of them, for there is no man without them, for when wee are the beſt imployed about our devotions; as reading, hearing, praying, or mediration, then is the adverſary moſt buſie to diſquiet our peace, and to hinder us in our work;Zach. 3.1. when J…hoſhuah the high Prieſt was ſtanding before the Angel of the Lord,Neh. 4.18. there Sathan ſtood at his right hand; yet you may have good comfort in this, when you goe on in your worke as they that builded up the wall of Ieruſalem; though they were much diſtracted, and diſquieted by their enemies, yet did they hold on their worke, though it was with their ſwords by their ſides: ſo a good Chriſtian, albeit hee hath many diſtractions, yet hee goes on in duty, and will not be diverted from it, as it was with David when Michal his wife ſpake againſt him for his dancing before the Arke of God,2 Sam. 6.20 21, 22, 23. hee made his reply, that if that were vile, he would yet be more vile; ſo it is with a mortified man, that though there were never ſo many impediments, and ſtumbling blocks laid in his way, of the loſſe and diſcredit, he ſhall ſuſtaine, yet hee lookes more at the praiſe of God then of men, and knoweth that what is highly pleaſing in the ſight of men is diſpleaſing in the ſight of God,Luk 16.15. and therefore takes up Saint Pauls reſolution when they beſought him that hee would not goe up to Ieruſalem, Acts 21.12 13.in regard of the preſent danger that they did foreſee, howbeit Saint Paul being bound in the Spirit for the worke of the Lord, asketh them what they meane to breake his heart, ſeeing hee was ready not onelyonly to bee bound at Ieruſalem, but to dye there for the name of the Lord Jeſus; ſo is it with him that is truely humbled, that nothing diverteth him from the duty.
3. It is a great comfort unto a Chriſtian,Acts 8.39. when hee hath ſo conquered and over-powered his corruptions, and that they take not away his joy and conſolation that he hath in Chriſt, neither can Sathan take ſuch advantage by them to diſpoyle us of our crowne;2 Cor. … 5. thence it is that Saint Paul ſaith he will glory in his infirmities, that though hee might glory in thoſe heavenly viſions that he had, yet hee would rather glory in them, for though in a large ſenſe, every ſinne is called an infirmity, becauſe it diſableth a man from the performance of duty; but in a ſtrict ſence no man can be ſaid to have infirmities, unleſſe that ſinne in ſome meaſure be mortified; for in an unmortified man ſinne is alive and in his full ſtrength, and his ſoule is void of grace: but now in a man that is truely mortified, there grace receives ſtrength, and ſinne is wounded; and ſo ſuch a man is the proper ſubject of infirmities; now when the Apoſtle ſaith, that he doth rejoyce in his infirmities, he doth not rejoyce in his infirmities, as they are ſinnes,Matth. 10. but as they are infirmities; that is, as ſinne was deforced and diminiſhed in him, and therein he had cauſe of joy; and we alſo when we finde it ſo in us, if the Diſciples rejoyced that the Devils were ſubdued by them; much more may we that the body of ſinne is deſtroyed, and that which is worſe then the Devill is ſubdued by us, count it all joy when yee fall into divers temptations, Jam. 1: 2.3.knowing that the tryall of our ſaith worketh patience, and patience makes perfect and intire: we are but in this caſe, as gold that is put into the Furnace, that comes out more pure, and are made by that meanes veſſels of honour, fit for the uſe of our great Maſter, our Lord and Saviour Chriſt.