The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 4
CAP. IV. Of the power and authority that unmortified luſts doth put forth in us.
THe ſecond demonſtration whereby it may appeare that this enemy againſt whom we do contend is thus active will appeare from the power and authority that ſin hath, as they anſwered Iehu when he bad them fight for their Maſters ſonnes;2. King. 10.4. Two Kings (ſay they) ſtood not before him: So may I ſay of ſinne (and I would it were not too true) that two of the worthieſt Kings that ever reigned in the world, both for piety and wiſdome, were foiled by this enemy, namely David and Solomon; And if they did not ſtand before it, how carefull ſhould we be that wee be not intangled with it.The power of a King. Rom. 5.21 It hath the power of a King, ſinne is ſaid to reigne unto death, as it was when the Iſraelites deſired a King, Samuel told him what an one he would be, and what he would doe; He will take ſaith hee (meaning that wicked King Saul) your ſons for his ſervice,1. Sam. 8.10. and your daughters to bee his handmaids, nay the beſt of your Vine-yards, and Olive-yards for his ſervants, &c. So it is with ſinne when as it reignes, it will bring all to his ſervice: This Tyrant ſinne will take the choyſeſt wits, and make them plot for him, and will make them wiſer in their generation then the children of light;Inimicus noſter mo do rex modo Tyran nus Sen. Ep. 96. hee will take the choyſeſt of your ſtrength, even your young and flouriſhing dayes, and ſet you into his worke to dreſſe his Vineyard, and to reap his harveſt, as he did with Abſolom, Manaſſes, and the prodigall ſon, nay he will take every faculty of your ſoules, and engage them in the common quarrell againſt Chriſt,Rom. 6.13 and every member of the body, and make them weapons of unrighteouſneſſe to ſerve ſin, and indeed the very reaſon why ſin is ſuch a fearfull and dreadfull enemy, is becauſe it makes it ſelfe a King; for ſuppoſe we ſinne to be dethroned, and put from his dignity, and behold you ſhall find him like Sampſon, Judg. 16.19.without his locks, as another man; but as long as ſin reigneth, though it be, but as the bramble,Judg. 9.15 Eadem libido dominatur, nec Regum purpuras times, nec mendicatium centonem ſpernit. Herr. Ep. 9. 2. Of the Law. Rom. 7.23 yet will it bee ſtrong enough to ſet fire on the goodlieſt Cedars of the Forreſt, as you may ſee in Iothams parable, nay it feares no more to enter in the Palaces of Princes then it doth to aſſault the beggars Cottage.
2. As ſinne is a King, ſo he rules by his lawes, I finde a Law in my members leading me captive unto ſinne; this Law, it ſtands in oppoſition to the law of God;foreign. that is, that it fights againſt it: now a Law is properly nothing but a rule whereby we are to worke; ſo it is with ſinne, it hath a rule whereby it goes, and that whereby they frame and direct all their actions; Now becauſe they that have a mind to live in ſinne, and withall finde that conſcience doth condemne that courſe wherein they walke; hereupon they frame unto themſelves another Law, which may bee as the City of refuge againſt conſcience, who like a revenger of blood, hunts after the malefactor.
1. Luſt would aboliſh Gods law.1. They lay downe this as a principle, that the Law of God is too heavie a burthen, it is too hard a task-maſter, and therefore as Ieroboam pretended unto the people of Iſrael, that it was too farre for them to goe up to Ieruſalem, therefore made them calves at Dan and Bethel; ſo carnall reaſon ſaith, that the Law of God, it is too farre a journey, full of difficulty and danger: it is like Rheoboams yoake that was intolerable; Thus the wicked heart of man labours to bring an ill report upon the pure Law of God, and hence it is; that our Antinomiſts, and Libertines labour to overthrow the Law of God; that which Chriſt came to eſtabliſh, theſe men endeavour to aboliſh;Rom. 3.31 2 Tim. 3.6 ſuch a generation of men there hath beene, as creep into houſes and lead away ſilly women laden with luſts, that is, by putting them into a forme of Godlineſſe, telling them that Chriſt having taken away the guilt and puniſhment of ſinne, there is nothing to doe for them, no need to make the Law as a Rule, or to mortifie their corruptions: flat contrary to the Apoſtle, that ſuch as are in Chriſt do mortifie the fleſh, Gal. 5.24.with the affections & luſts: But let ſuch take heed as do indeavour to bring an ill report on this good Law of God, that the Lord ſay not as hee did againſt thoſe that brought an ill report of the good land,Pſal. 95.11 unto whom he ſware in his wrath that they ſhould never enter into his reſt.
2. Luſt frameth a new rule.2. Seeing that this Law will not ſerve their turnes they frame another of their owne, that will be ſubſervient for the accompliſhment of their ends, they are compared to ſuch as kindle a fire and compaſſe about the ſparkes, walk (ſaith God) in the light of your fires, Eſa. 50.11and in the ſparkes that you have kindled, this ſhall you have of mine hand, you ſhall lye downe in ſorrow; to kindle this fire is to hatch and forge ſome new rule as a light to walke by; and to compaſſe it with ſparkes, is as it were to blow it up with carnall and fleſhly arguments, and then to walke in the light of it, is to labour, to carry, and enforce all their actions according unto that rule, and hence it is that there are ſo many ſects, and ſo many wayes that men walke in; It is becauſe they are not contented with that fire that burnes on Gods Altar; the pure light of the word, but like Nadab and Abibu, they kindle ſtrange fire of their owne, but this ſhall they have at Gods hand, their light ſhall be turned into darkneſſe, and their ſparkes into aſhes, and laſtly their joy ſhall turne into ſorrow. For as the Arke and Dagon could not ſtand together: ſo no more will theſe ſtand long, becauſe they are like building laid on a ſandy foundation, or as graſſe on the houſe top.
3. It colours all with faire pretences3. That the minde may bee the better perſwaded to goe along according to this rule, the fleſh labours to colour all over, and to ſet a faire gloſſe on a foule cauſe; and if you marke it, there is no ſinne ſo vile but men will finde out ſome colour and ſome excuſe, either to make it no ſinne, or elſe to make it veniall, and ſo little, that it may lodge in his heart with as much ſafery as Lot did in Zoar, we want not examples of both theſe. For the former you ſee, Saul is charged by Samuel to have tranſgreſſed the Commandement of the Lord; No ſaith Saul I have obeyed the Commandement of the Lord; but then ſaith Samuel, what meaneth then the bleating of the Sheepe, and lowing of the Oxen in mine care. So may wee ſay, when men would excuſe themſelves from ſinne, and ſay, wee have good hearts to God, we may aske them what meanes their ſwearing and their drinking, and their prophane and unchaſte ſpeeches? Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh. Some againe will confeſſe the fact, but excuſe it, either they were ignorant, and knew it not; whereas our ignorance is a ſinne, and when wee adde ſin to it, we make the ſinne double; Or they did ſinne, but it was with no ill intent, and therefore it was but an infirmity; I confeſſe the more evill there is in the intention, the more wicked is the action; but I doe not ſee how there can be an evill action without an ill intention, for if the tree were good, then the fruit would bee good, and therefore let mee tell you, that to excuſe your ſinne is all one as to cover your ſin,Prov. 28.13. and you know that he that hideth his ſin ſhall not proſper.