The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Chapter 5
CAP. V. Arguments to prove ſinne active.
NOw it remaines that we give ſome arguments whence it comes to paſſe that this enemy is ſo active.
1. Stoutneſſe.1. The firſt is taken from that ſtoutneſſe and ſtubborneſſe that is in it,Rom. 8.7. ſuch a height of pride is in it, that it is not nor cannot be ſubject unto the Law of God, nay it is not afraid to conteſt againſt the holy Ghoſt,Acts. 7.51. and to ſay unto the Almighty, depart from us we deſire not the knowledge of thy Law, what is the Almighty, that we ſhould ſerve him, Job. 21.14.15.&c. And hence it is that Saint Gregory in his morall makes it regina peccatorum & vitiorum, for whereas all other ſinnes fly away and labour to bide themſelves from God as Adam did amongſt the trees of the garden; and as Saul among the ſtuffe, but onelyonly this ſtoutneſſe of ſpirit is that which labours to rebell againſt God, nay and to exalt it ſelfe above God, and all that is called God; the Lord would have his will to bee done,2. Theſ. 2.4. Vult Deus fierl voluntatem ſuam ſuperbus vult ſieri ſuam. Ber. Ser. 4. vig. nat. Pſal. 2.3. 1 King. 12.25. Vt melius poſſet reſiſtere regno Juda, & ipſum infeſtare aedificavit ſortalicia. but the proud heart will doe his owne, as they ſaid. Let us breake their bonds in ſunder, and caſt their cords from us. Now all this reſiſtance cannot be done without much action and motion. Wee read that when Ieroboam revolted with the ten Tribes from the houſe of David, he built Sichem and Penuel two ſtrong holds to defend himſelfe and his Kingdom from the inroads which might be made by his enemies; So it is in this caſe, that when a man begins to revolt from God, th̄e he coſiders how he may fortifie himſelfe againſt him; and this is done by our high thoughts that labour to build to themſelves ſtrong holds;2 Cor. 10.4. So as Gods word (if it may be) ſhall not come neere,Judg. 1.19. but they will repell the force of it; As it was ſaid, the Lord was with the Tribe of Iuda, and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountaine, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, for they had chariots of Iron: So a Miniſter of God, and with whom the Lord is pleaſed to doe great things; yet ſome men have ſo fortified themſelves with ſuch ſtiffe neckes, and ſuch brazen foreheads, that you may as ſoone fill the skinne of Leviathan with barbed irons,Job. 41.7. and his head with fiſh ſpeares (which Ioh made a thing wondrous difficult, if not impoſſible) as to make any entrance upon him, or to convert him unto God.
2 Experiments of it.2 That ſinne is ſo active may appeare in reſpect of the many battels it hath fought, and the many victories it hath obtained; ſome it hath foiled; as it began with David on the top of his Towre, and there it drew him to luſt: and luſt drew him to adultery; and his adultery drew him to murther; and it left him not there, but made him to cover it with a faire pretence, that the ſword doth devoure one as well as another; and in this caſe men are like Rachel, that firſt ſtole away her fathers Idols, and after wards, when they were ſought for, ſate on them. So is it here, firſt to ſinne, and then to hide it; and thus it foiled Peter, it found him firſt in the High Prieſts hall, there hee ſinned againſt knowledge, in denying hee knew Chriſt, and againſt equitie, in that he denyed that he was any of his Diſciples, yea & againſt that promiſe that he had made, that though all men would forſake him, yet will not I. Whereas hee was the firſt: And as it hath ſoiled many of Gods deare ſervants,Judg. 4.21. ſo hath it conquered and quite overthrowne others,Judg. 4.21. and faſtned them to the ground as Iael did Siſera, that they never roſe againe: thus it did with Iudas, the hope of gaine made him that he betrayed his Maſter, and then went and hanged himſelfe; thus it was with the Angells that fell: that they fell ſo wittingly, and ſo deſperately, as there was no place found for repentance, as there was for man after his fall. Now as it is with a man that hath fought many battels, and that hath obtained many victories, ſure no man will deny him to be active, ſo it is in this caſe, ſin having given ſo many foiles, & having gained ſo many victories, who can ſay but ſinne is full of action, and reſtleſſe till it have accompliſhed its ends.
3 The force and helpe it hath,3 Wee cannot marvell, though ſinne be active, ſeeing that Sathan helps it forward, in ſome he playes the Rex, and rules in the hearts of the children of diſobedience; Epheſ. 2.2.and note this, where men are ſonnes of diſobedience, there are they alſo ſervants unto the Prince of darkneſſe,1 Pet. 5.8. they come at his call, and goe at his command: nay hee makes them as like himſelfe as may be; the devill is fierce and cruell, thence he is called a roaring lyon, and are not his ſervants ſo? No Beare more ſalvage, no Tiger more fierce, no Lyon more cruell than they are: It is better ſaith one, to be a beaſt, than compared to a beaſt, for a beaſt is good in his nature, but a man that is like a beaſt, he degenerates from that nature that ſhould be in him. How doth Pharaoh cauſe the male children to float on the river? How doth Manaſſes cauſe Jeruſalem to ſwimme in blood? And what a monſter was Herod that ſlew all thoſe innocent babes from two yeares old and under?Inv. Sat. 8 Nay how like was Nero to him that cauſed Chriſtians to be put into coats laid over with pitch and brimſtone,Hino auſi quod liceat. tunica punire moleſta Juv. Sat. 8. Hoſt is callidus ta…da ad mortem ſupplicia conquirens animas cuprebat jugulare non corpora. and to burne all night, to the end they might ſhew light to thoſe that paſſed by, The devill hates our naturall life: ſo doth hee make his ſervants, to ſeeke to take away the pretious life of men, as you have beard, nay hee labours to take away our ſpirituall life, that is to deſtroy our ſoules; as when Chriſt had ſowne the good ſeede,Matt. 13 19. the enemy he comes and ſowes tares: hee was a lying ſpirit in the mouthes of all Ahabs Prophets,1 King 2.23. ſo hee ſeekes to fanne us as chaffe, and to hinder our faith: ſo do all his ſervants. How did Jannes and Jambres reſiſt Moſes to his face?2 Tim. 3.8. Acts 13.8.9.10.And did not Elimas ſeeke to turne the Deputy from the faith, whom Paul not unfitly calls the Child of the Devill, and enemy of all righteouſneſſe; And for their activeneſſe in all this, they are very induſtrious; As it was ſaid of old of Phariſes (of Jeſuites now) that they did compaſſe ſea and land to make one Proſelyte,Mat. 23.15. and when they had done made him twofold more the child of the devill than themſelves: and no wonder though they move ſo faſt, for they muſt needes goe apace whom the devill drives.