The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 18
CAP. XVIII. Shewing the third, articular that is the meanes whereby this worke is done, and that is by the ſpirit.
COme wee now to the third particular, and that is the meanes whereby this great worke of mortification, is effected and brought to paſſe, for the better underſtanding of this particular, obſerve theſe two propoſitions.
1. Firſt, that the ſpirit muſt be had of us.
2. That wee muſt by the helpe and aſſiſtance of the ſpirit mortifie our ſinfull nature.
1. For the former, that we muſt have the ſpirit; there is great neceſſity of this, for then wee are in the ſpirit,Rom. 8.9. when the ſpirit dwelleth in us, and if any man have not the ſpirit of Chriſt the ſame is none of his, God ſaith that in the time of the Goſpell hee would powre upon them,Zac. 13.10. the ſpirit of grace, & ſupplication, that is, as they were annointed with oyle, that undertooke any ſpeciall office: ſo Chriſtians, when they are made by grace Kings and Prieſts unto God, they have this oyle of the ſpirit powred into their hearts, our bleſſed Saviour confirmes this, unto us in that ſpeech to Nichodemus, that which is borne of the ſpirit is ſpirit. Ioh. 3.6.As Adam begot a man in his owne likeneſſe: ſo the ſpirit it begetteth us like unto it ſelfe; holy as it is holy, heavenly as it is heavenly.
For the better underſtanding of the point in hand, know that the ſpirit is to be conſidered 2. waies; either according to its eſſence, or according to his guifts & graces, now according to its eſſence and being, it is every where, it filleth heaven & earth, as it is excluded out of no place; ſo neither is it included in any, but in this ſenſe, wee can no more be ſaid to have the ſpirit than other men, and creatures can, in whom, and by whom wee all live, move, & have our being:Act. 17.28. but in the ſecond ſenſe, in reſpect of its guifts and graces, ſo ſome men are ſaid in ſpeciall, to have the ſpirit as the ſpirit quickens,2 Cor. 3.6. and conveyeth a principle of life into us, whereby wee live the life of grace, and that is called ſpiritus inhabitans, that takes up his ſeate in our heart, and ſpiritus obſignans, Iam. 4.5.that ſealing ſpirit, whereby the ſpirit witneſſeth with our ſpirits that wee are the ſonnes of God: now in this ſenſe we may be ſaid to have the ſpirit.Rom. 8.16.
2 That there muſt by the helpe & aſſiſtance of the ſpirit, Mortifie the deeds of the body: Ez. 36.27.a new beart will I give you, and I will take away your ſtony heart, &c. that is, that this mighty power of the ſpirit, is that which will helpe forward, to the taking away of this ſtony heart, the Lord is ſaid to waſh away the filth of the daughter of Zion: and to purge the blood of Jeruſalem by the ſpirit of Judgement,Eſa 41.4. and the ſpirit of burning, that is, this ſpirit ſhall be in us, and ſhall enable us to judge our ſelves, and kindle ſuch a fire in us, as ſhall melt away the droſſe of our corruption.
That you may the better underſtand, what aſſiſtance it is that the ſpirit giveth unto us, in this worke of mortification, give mee leave to lay downe unto you theſe three things.
1 By what meanes the ſpirit workes, or helpeth forward this worke of mortification: although I deny not but the ſpirit may & can work, where it liſteth, and when it liſteth,Ioh. 3.8. either by meanes, or above meanes, yet our taske is at this time to ſhew how it worketh by meanes.
1 It awakeneth conſcience, it doth convince us of ſinne, and diſcovereth unto us the greatneſſe of their number, and the fouleneſſe of their nature, thence it is that Chriſt, when hee commeth, doth convince the world of ſinne, of righteouſneſſe, and of judgement; of ſinne, becauſe they believe not on him, that howſoever the guilt of the Law lye heavie,Ioh. 16.8, 9, 10. and the weight there of as a penalty, greater than a man can tell how to beare: yet then to have added hereunto another conviction, that is the conder… ning ſinne of infidelity,Ioh. 3.18. this doth much aggravate,Mar. 16.16 and make ſinne out of meaſure ſinfull; therefore it is that our Saviour Chriſt ſaith, that he that beleeveth not is condemned already; as if hee ſhould have ſayd, if a man were a drunkard, or a ſwearer, or a profane perſon, and yet if he can beleeve, there is hope of pardon, but ſo long as hee doth not beleeve, there is no hope at all, for as much as hee is without God, and without the Covenant of Grace:Eph. 2.12. now the ſpirit when it commeth convinceth our judgments of this: till ſuch time as the ſpirit hath done this, wee are like Ionah, faſt aſleepe in the bottime of the ſhip, the ſea rageth, the Mariners rowe, the waves beate, the ſhip is toſſed up and downe, yet all this doth but rocke Ionah faſter a ſleepe,Iona 1.6. till the ſhip-maſter comes to him, and ſayes, What meaneſt thou, &c. thou ſleeper ariſe and call upon thy God, &c. So it is with us, while we are aſleepe in our ſinnes, the heavie wrath of God hangs over our heads, yea and the judgements of God are abroad in the world, yet wee lye faſt aſleepe, ſenſeleſſe, and ſecure, not dreading any anger: but now, when this bleſſed ſpirit of Chriſt ſhall waken us, and ſhew us the danger, and aske us what wee meane to continue in this condition; then wee beginne to bethinke our ſelves, and to ſhake off ſluggiſhneſſe, and to caſt about for our owne ſafety.Act. 9.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Saul thought himſelfe ſafe enough when hee was a perſecutor, and that authority that hee had from the High-prieſt, was ſufficient to beare him out that while hee did breath out ſlaughter againſt Chriſt,Ioh. 16.2. he thought hee had done God good ſervice, till Chriſt cauſed a light to ſhine from heaven, and a voyce ſaying, Saul, Saul; why perſecuteſt thou mee? this indeed wakened him, and made him ſhake and tremble, and ſay, Who art thou Lord? and what wouldeſt thou have mee to doe: by this meanes it was that Paul of a perſecutor becometh a preacher, & had his corruptions, and cruell diſpoſitions changed in him, that of a fierce lion, hee became as meeke as a lambe.
2 The ſpirit of Chriſt it ſetteth home the meanes that God uſeth for our mortification,2 Cor. 10.4. the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God; it is God that puts vertue, and ſtrength into them: now there are ſeverall ſorts of weapons that the Holy Ghoſt uſeth for this end, as
1 The preaching of the Word of God, it is called the miniſtration of the ſpirit,2 Cor. 3.8. it is called the two edged ſword,Heb. 4.12. that which is ſharper, that it cuts aſunder the ſoule and the ſpirit, the joynts and the ma… row and diſcovereth the ſecret intents of our hearts,2 Cor. 4.7. but what is that that makes this word ſo powerfull? Sure it is the Holy Spirit of God that doth it, wee have this Word in earthen veſſels, that the excellencie of the power might be of God, and not of us, it is not the Miniſtrie that can make the word virtuall, and powerfull, nor is it in the letter of the Word, but in the ſpirit, therefore when you come to the Word and heare it opened unto you,1 Cor. 3.6. doe not looke at the man, who hee is, nor the inſtrument, but at the power which is from the ſpirit: Saint Paul may plant, & Apollos water, but it is God that muſt give the increaſe, when it pleaſeth God to accompany his word,Ier. 23.29. with the influence of his ſpirit, then is it like fire to purge out our droſſe, and like the hammer that breakes in ſunder our hard hearts: that as Moſes when he ſmote with his rod the rock,Num. 2….1…. the water came abundantly: ſo when God ſmites our hearts, with the rod of his Word, it is able to diſſolve our hearts into teares, and godly ſorrow unto repentance not to be repented of.
2 The ſpirit ſets home afflictions, and troubles to make them vertuall, and efficacious to the ſubduing of our corruptions,Zach. 13.9. I will bring a third part through the fire, I will refine them as ſilver is refined; and will try them as gold is tryed, and they ſhall call upon my name, and I will heare them, &c. When God takes us in hand, then all the hurt that wee receive by our afflictions,Eſa 27.7.9. is the taking away of our ſinnes, all the fruit of their afflictions was to the end that thereby the iniquity of Jacob might be purged. God ſuffered the buſh to burn, but yet it was not conſumed becauſe the Lord was in the midſt of it. The Finer is moſt carefull of his gold when it is in the furnace, and ſo is God for our good, in the time of our afflictions, as he ſaid periiſſem niſi periiſſem; I had periſhed if I had not periſhed. Many good Chriſtian may ſay, that if he had not had croſſes, and loſſes in the world, hee had loſt his ſoule. We read of ſome of the Martyrs that have bleſſed God that ever they came to priſon for Chriſt's ſake, that when they became mans bondmen, then were they Chriſts freemen, and could as comfortably feed on browne bread, & rouſe in the ſtraw, as on a bed of downe. What a marvellous change was wrought in Manaſſe, 2 Chro. 33. from v. 1. to 14.who in his proſperity was moſt wicked, hee fell to the Idolatry of the Heathen uſed inchantment, witchchraft, cauſed Hieruſalem to ſwimme with blood, yet in his affliction, how did he humble himſelfe? greatly. How mightily was hee then wrought upon! how did his heart ſmite him! Whence was this but from the ſpirit of God, that perſwaded his heart unto it, for if that Gods ſpirit goe not at long with thoſe afflictions, that are on men, they are never the better, but the worſe for them: as you ſee it ſaid of him; that ſaid; becauſe the evill was from the Lord,2 King. 6.33. hee ſaw no reaſon to waite any longer, and ſo it was of King Ahaz, 2 Cron. 28.that in his extremity, he ſinned yet more and more, therefore the Holy Ghoſt doth brand him with this infamous note, this is that King Ahaz, that is hee that afflictions could not mend, nor make better. And indeed when as it is ſo, that affliction doth men no good, it is to be feared, that they have rejected the laſt remedy that God meanes to beſtow upon them, and God may ſay to them, Why ſhould I ſmite them any more.Iſa 1.5.
3 The ſpirit ſetteth home examples of good men, and maketh them meanes to mortifie our ſinnes, when wee ſee men weaned from the world, upright in their waies, charitable to the poore, temperate in the uſe of the creatures; holy, humble, and full of good fruits; ſuch a mans life, when God pleaſeth to ſet it on, doth make other men repent, and by ſeeing their good workes, to glorifie God, Shew thy ſelfe in all things a patterne of good workes: Mat. 5.16.now a patterne is a rule for others to follow:Tit. 2.7. examples teach ſooner than precepts, and are more eaſie to the undeſtanding to learne, and alſo are more ſpeedily taken into practice.Longum …ter por praecepta offica…, & breve per exemplu. Sen.. A notionall goodneſſe is little worth, unleſſe ſome demonſtration may be given of it, in point of practice, this wee read of Hezek…ah, 2 King. 18.3.that hee did walke in all the waies of his father David, 2 King. 22.2.and of Ioſiah after him; much more are godly mens examples very efficacious, in their ſufferings, and in their deaths, when the ſpirit ſhall joyne with them:Iam. 5.11. as how hath the patience of Iob beene a patterne unto ſucceeding poſterities,Iob 1.21. wee want not many examples to prove, how the blood of the Martyrs have beene the ſeede of the Church;2 King. 6.22, 23. If Eliſha did ſo calme the Syrians by that example of patience, and kindneſſe, ſo that they came no more to annoy, and infeſt, their land; how much more may the patience of godly men perſwade others to lay aſide their cruelty, and mortifie their ſtrong corruptions?