The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 19
CAP. XIX. The manner how the ſpirit doth mortifie corruption.
COme wee now to the manner how the ſpirit doth mortifie corruption.
1 The ſpirit ſheweth the way how wee ſhould mortifie the corruptions,Eſa 30.21. thou ſhalt heare a voyce behind thee, ſaying, this is the way walke in it. When ye turne to the left hand, or to the right, it carries us through, were it not for this aſſiſtance wee ſhould either ſtand ſtill, goe no further, or elſe turne aſide, either on the right hand to ſuperſtition;Eſa 50. to walke in the light of our owne ſparkes, and in the fire that wee have kindled: or on the left hand, to profaneſſe, and to hardneſſe of heart, & to commit iniquity with unſatiable greedineſſe, therefore that prayer of Moſes ſhould be ours,Exo. 33.13. O Lord, if I have found grace in thy ſight ſhew me thy way now a man is thē in Gods way, when hee goeth about his worke with carefulneſſe,Prov. 45.10. & 15. when a man devotes himſelf to his worke, and takes pleaſure in it, as it was ſaid of the Kings daughter, that ſhee ſhould forget her owne people, and her fathers houſe (which is a hard buſineſſe) and this was to be done chearfully and freely, ſo when we do leave our deareſt luſts,Ioh. 8.44. and caſt off the yoke, ſathan,Eph, 2.1. who is a father to the children of Belial, and a Prince that raigneth over their conſciences, we muſt do it cheerfully, as it is in the ſweet ſong of Deborah, Iudg. 5.2.who praiſed the Lord for the avenging of Iſrael, when the people willingly offered themſelves. It is certaine that wee have then cauſe to bleſſe the Lord,Deut. 20.5, 6. when that God makes our heart willing to ſerve the Lord. It was a rule in the Law, that if any man had builded a new houſe, or planted a Vineyard, or married a wife, that hee ſhould not goe to warre that yeare: the reaſon was, becauſe that hee could not do it willingly, out of that love and affection he had unto his preſent expectation of gaine, and comfort, leſt that which hee had left at home might make him leſſe willing to adventure his life, or at leaſt to turne backe before the battell was ended: ſo any man that goeth to warre againſt his corruptions, let him know this, that if there be any thing in the world, that his heart ſtands affected unto, which maketh him unwilling unto this ſervice, be ſure of this, hee is not fit to be a ſouldier againſt ſo potent an enemy: no man that warreth entangleth himſelfe with the affaires of this life,2 Tim. 2.4. then hee may pleaſe him who hath choſen him to be a ſouldier: as if hee ſhould ſay, if you be cumbred, and entangled with the world, you cannot ſerve God willingly, and by conſequent not pleaſe him.
2 The ſpirit doth aſſiſt us in this way, that wee doe the worke ſtrongly, when the iron is hard, men put to the more ſtrength: this worke is hard, and difficult, therefore you muſt be ſtrong that you may goe through. Therefore is the prayer of the Apoſtle for the Colloſſians,Col. 1.19. that they might be ſtrengthened, with all might, unto all patience and long ſufferings. As it was ſaid of Sampſon, when he came to the vineyards of Timnath, Iudg. 14.5, 6.that a young lyon roared againſt him, and the ſpirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent the lyon as a man ſhould rend a kid: ſo it is with us, we have the old Lyon the devill that ſeekes to devoure us, and were it not that the ſpirit of Chriſt ſhould ſtrengthen us with all might, and enable us to overcome him,1 Sam. 4.9. wee could not ſtand before him, as the Philiſtins encouraged one another, ſaying, Quit your ſelves like men, that you may not be ſervants to the Hebrewes. So ſay I to you, be ſtrong in the Lord, and quit your ſelves, like ſo many ſouldiers of the Lords Hoſts, that you may not ſerve ſinne, but fight out your Gods fight, that you may be more than Conquerers, and againſt your ſpirituall enemies.
3 The ſpirit of Chriſt takes away thoſe impecliments that would hinder this worke, and diſableth us from the performance of it.
1 One great impediment that hindreth this worke, it is ignorance: when men doe not know thoſe things that concerne their peace,Luk. 19.41. for there is no true peace, but where there is and hath beene this warre, Many a man is like to ſome ſimple Country-man, if ſome great and potent man lay claime to ſome part of his land, though his cauſe be never ſo juſt, yet he will rather loſe his right, than goe to Law for it: ſo is it with many, that they will rather loſe their ſoule, than contend againſt their corruptions, they out of their ignorance thinke them too potent, and too ſtrong for them; but now when the ſpirit commeth, it ſhews that he is greater, that is with us, than he that is in the world, and that they are curſed that goe not out, to helpe the Lord againſt the mighty: Iudg. 5.23.he doth comfort that as hee did Ioſhua, Ioſh. 1.5.that none of his enemies ſhould ſtand before him; nor be able to prevaile againſt him: hee will be with us while wee are with him, nay the ſpirit encourageth our hearts againſt this enemy,2 Cor. 15.2. as Caleb and Ioſhuah did the Iſraelites,Num, 14.9. ſaying, feare none of your ſpirituall enemies, for their defence is departed frō them: and God is not with them, and doubt not, but though thou canſt not finally conſume them, yet thou ſhalt make a happy conqueſt againſt them.
2 Another impediment is, hardneſſe of heart, it is called an obſtinate heart,Deut. 2.30. becauſe it doth refuſe mercy:Eſa 6.10. a fat heart, becauſe it makes men inſenſible of their condition:Zach. 7.12 a heart as hard as the adamant ſtone, becauſe it maketh men hate to be reformed. Now when the ſpirit commeth it ſofteneth this hardneſſe, and takes away this reſiſtancie,Ez. 36.26, and gives us hearts that are of a melting temper; and maketh the ſongs of the Temple to be ſorrowfull,Amos 8.3. and men to be affected with griefe as the ſorrow of a travelling woman:Hoſ. 13.13. the ſorrow of a woman in travell, as it is moſt grievous, ſo it is moſt comfortable in regard of the iſſue and event. The mother forgetteth her ſorrow, becauſe that a manchild is borne, ſo this breach that is made into the rockes of our hearts, though it be grievous unto us, yet is it profitable in the iſſue, for as much as this ſeed time of teares is ſeconded, with an harveſt of joy, wee want not examples to make good this point? What an obſtinate heart had Manaſſes, till the ſpirit of God brake it? What a hard heart had Paul, till hee was ſmitten by the ſpirit of Chriſt? how was this Lyon then changed into a Lambe! This is ſet forth by the Baptiſt, Every valley ſhall be filled, every mountaine and hill ſhall be brought low, Luk. 3.5.and the crocked ſhall be made ſtraight, and the rough wayes ſhall he made ſmooth: what is this, but every man that is low in his owne eyes, ſhall be raiſed by the ſpirit, and every one that is high and lofty ſhall be humbled; and ſuch as walke in the crooked path of errour, ſhall be reduced and walke in the ſtraight pathes of truth in ſincerity: and ſuch as have beene tough and obſtinate ſhall be made plaine and paſſable by the ſpirit.
3 The next impediment that hindreth a man from mortification, is ſelfe-love, I doe not meane that love which is naturall, but that which is ſinfull, for no man ever hated his owne fleſh: but this is the property of ſinfull ſelfe-love; when a man ſhall love his body above his ſoule, and himſelfe more than his God, and ſhall be at more coſt, and take more paines for the enjoyment of a baſe luſt, than to enjoy Chriſt: now when the ſpirit comes, it makes us to renounce all,Heb. 10.34. and to follow Chriſt. To ſuffer the loſſe of our goods, and of our hopes, as it was ſaid of Bradford that for that he would not make one ſcratch with a pen,Heb. 11.24.25.26. he loſt all his hopes that hee might have had in this world; and ſo did Moſes refuſe to be called ſonne of Pharaohs daughter, and to renounce the pleaſures of the Court, and the treaſures of Egypt; that hee might not loſe the peace of his conſcience, nor diſhonour his God; nay it doth ſo make us our of love with our ſelves, that neither father, nor mother, nor wife, nor children, nor our owne lives ſhall be deare unto us, provided wee may but finiſh our courſe with joy.
3. I come now to the third thing wherein I ſhall be brieſe; namely, the ends why the ſpirit may be ſaid to aſſiſt us in this worke, and there are two reaſons of it.
1. For to ſhew mans impotencie that we are not able to doe it of our ſelves, a naturall agent cannot doe a ſpirituall worke; who can bring a clean thing out of an uncleane? Not one. Who knoweth not that we are polluted and defiled with ſinne, and have diſabled our ſelves of ſtrength and ability to doe it?
Thence is that of the Prophet,Jer. 10.23. I know that the way of man is not in himſelfe; it is not in man that walketh, to direct his ſteps: that is, we are too weake for any ſuch worke without Gods grace aſſiſting of us, and therefore we have good cauſe to bewaile our miſery, to lay aſide our pride, and confeſſe our poverty, and to ſeeke ſome other meanes of helpe and redreſſe at Gods hand.
2. To ſet out Gods power, this is his priviledge that hee onelyonly is able to do this work; there are three wayes whereby things came to have their being & exiſtencie; by Generation, Art, or Creation, the two former muſt have matter to worke upon, either in potentia, as generation, or in actu, as Art, and where there is not a matter to worke upon they can doe nothing, now for as much as this worke of regeneration,Eph. 4.24. & the new creature is called a creation, it is beyond the worke of a creature, and onelyonly a priviledge that doth belong to the holy Spirit to create in us qualities of holineſſe, and thereby to aboliſh the whole body of ſinne, thence it is that the Lord ſaith, I create the fruit of the lips to be peace,Iſa. 57.19 and the Prophet complaining in another place to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed, it is that mighty, and potent arme of the Lord that doth this worke; it is by his power, and therefore he muſt have the honour of it. As Joab when he was in hope to take Rabbah, hee ſent meſſengers to David that he ſhould come and take it,2 Sam. 12.26. becauſe the honor that would have been given him was too great for him, how much more ſhould we, ſeeing out hope is in the Lord, and our ſucceſſe chiefely by his power give all the honour to him?