The Doctrine and Practice of Mortification, Title page – To the reader
THE DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE OF MORTIFICATION.
Wherein is diſcovered the matter, manner, and meanes thereof, together wth the bleſſed event that comes by it.
Neceſſary for every Chriſtian to know and practiſe, that will live comfortably, and die peaceably.
By Thomas Wolfall, Maſter of Arts, and Preacher of the word of God.
LONDON, Printed by T.C. for John Sweeting, and are to be ſould at his ſhop in Popeshead alley, at the ſigne of the Angell, the entring out of Cornehill, 1641.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE IOHN Earle of Bridgewater, Viſcount Brackly, Baron Eleſmere, Lord Preſident of Wales, and one of his Majeſties moſt honorable Privy Councell, his noble Patron.
Right honourable,
HAving upon ſlow deliberation reſolved to publiſh theſe Meditations, being, animated thereunto by ſome of my good friends, wh… are both able and judicious: my next reſolution came more readily to preſent them unto your honour, not for the worth of the matter, but as willing to diſcharge my duty and ſervice;Quod ſolum noſtra opis …ſt gratias ager uti apud Douns ſ…eri amat, copioſius ſentiende. quam loquen de Auſon.ad Imperator em 1 Cor. 2.4. Col. 2.4. for as my firſt call to a Paſtorall charg was by your honors liberall and unſpotted bounty: ſo I here preſent theſe the firſt fruits of my labours (of this kinde) to your honour, as the teſtimony of my thankfull mind; humbly deſiring to ſhroud them under your honours ſhadow; which albeit they come in a plaine and homely dreſſe (m…o more) not in wiſdome of words to pleaſe the curious care, but by plaine demonſtratiō f…ō the holy Scripture, to worke upon the honeſt heart, neither was it my intention in penning and publiſhing of this diſcours,Non tonantia & poetica verba proferimus, non aliqua Grammaticorum ante compoſita; nec eloquentia ſeculari, diſerto ſermone fucata; Sed Chriſtum cruciſixum praedicamus. Aug. de accedent. ad gratiam. Ser. 1.2 Cor. 10.4 Heb, 4.12. to ſatisfie men, vain phantafies but the conſciences: yet notwithſtanding, I truſt they will bee the more acceptable unto your honour. A ſouldier that intends to kill his enemie, doth not doe it with a flouriſh, or flat blowes; but by ſtriking home, even to the fetching of blood. I hope I may be then excuſed if I take the ſame courſe; it is not paper pellets, that will beate downe ſtrong holds, nor woodden ſwords, that will wound to the heart. Wherefore I have endeavoured to lay the Axe to the roote of the Tree, and to diſcover that kinde of warre and weapons will be needfull for the work.
To which end I ſhall humbly crave leave that I may give your honour, in a few wo…ds, the ſumme of the whole.
1. Here is a diſcovery of the enemy which is latent in us, ſicut Anguis in herba, as a Snake in the graſſe, potent againſt us, building foreign ſtrong holds againſt us: laſtly, ſubtile and politick, and ſo doth beſet us round, and hinders the enterance of the good motions of the holy Ghoſt,Heb. 12.1. Sordes peccati & ſpiritus ſanctus in uno domic…lio non mor abuntur: the filth of ſinne and the holy Ghoſt will not dwell together in the ſame habitation.
2. The combate is ſet downe in thoſe words, mortifie, &c. Ber. Ser. in Pentecoſt. Hic jac…t Similis, cujus atas multorum annorum fuit ſeptem autem duntaxat annis vixit Dion. in Hadriano.For the place of this combate, it is the Church; when as once we become the ſonnes of God, then alſo doe we become ſouldiers of Chriſt; and for the time of it, it is in and after regeneration, and not before, though our lives may be long, yet our ſpirituall life in grace may be but ſhort, as it was ſaid of Similis, whoſe yeares were many, yet lived but ſeven of them.
3. For our aſſiſtance we have the ſpirit of Chriſt to arme us with that whole armour of God that we may be able to ſtand in the evill day; and withall to put courage and animoſity into us,foreign Pſ. 7.8.9. Pſal. 84.7. foreign. that we faint not like thoſe Ephramits, that went our and carried bowes, yet turned againe in the day of battel; ſine animis nil arma.
4. The reward is propounded and promiſed, yee ſhall live: our fight is here, our crown hereafter; quis ſanctorum ſine certamine coronatur, Hier. Ep. 22.
To conclude, therefore that we may not bee deceived, behold the enemy diſcovered, the fleſh with the deeds of it; that wee may not pleaſantly dream of eaſe, and ſecurity, behold a ſad combat, gravis lucta non contra hoſtes ſed hoſpites. Ber. Not againſt enemies, but home born ſeeming friends; that we may not feare, nor faint in our minds; behold the ſpirit of grace helping our infirmities.
And laſtly, that no man may thinke it in vaine to ſerve God; behold, the reward: wee ſhall paſſe from a battell to a banquet, from a combat to a crowne; wee have the life of grace here, and the life of glory hereafter. Wherefore, ſeeing that this kinde of death is the end of ſo much miſery, and beginning of ſo great happineſſe, which is the maine drift of this diſcourſe; I hope at your honours beſt leaſure, it may doe you ſome ſervice, though not to informe you of what you know not, yet to minde you of what you know, ſo that the good worke begun in you may come to perfection in Gods beſt time.
Thus prayeth your honours devoted in all ſervice, Tho. Wolfall.
To the Chriſtian Reader, grace and peace.
THIS diſcourſe being delivered in certaine Sermons to a private Congregation in the City of London; the notes whereof falling into the hands of divers of my loving friends; by whoſe motion I was encouraged to commend them to a more publike view, as a diſcourſe not unſutable for theſe times, and a good means (through Gods bleſsing) to appeaſe and aſwage thoſe inward boylings of envie, hatred and other exorbitant luſts in the hearts of men: Thoſe ſcandalous & ſcurrilous ſpeeches, that iſſue of their months, and alſo thoſe fell and fierce diſſenſions that breake out in mens lives; not onelyonly to unneceſſary ſuits in Law, but alſo to unjust quarrels, and duels; even to the indangerment of the loſſe of ſoule and body,Vitium quod parvulum habitum concupiſcere facit ad ultimum etiam concupiſcentem reddit. Pet. Lum 2. lib. 2. diſt. 30. all which are nothing elſe but the fruit of unmortified lusts. Jam. 4.1. Theſe as they are born and brought up with us, ſo often like the ſonnes of Zerviah, they become too ſtrong for us. Is it dangerous living among Lions, and is it not dangerous living among luſts; every one of them ſeeking fiercely to warre againſt the ſoule?
There be three things that men doe greatly deſire, equity, liberty, and peace: now ſo long as ſinne lives, and luſt doth lord it over the ſoule; there is no juſtice to be expected: ſuch as the tree is, ſuch will be the fruit; and if the Bramble rule, it will burne up the Cedars of Lebanon;Jud. 9.9. nor can we expect liberty, for the Law that is in our members will lead us away captive; the liberty that is given to the fleſh, doth but bring the ſpirit into bondage; and what peace can we expect, where there is no peace with God? If then (Chriſtian) thou wouldeſt have juſtice, then doe juſtice, and kill ſinne before it kill thee; if thou wouldeſt have liberty, then let not ſinne raigne, for therein doth the great ſtrength of it lye; Sampſon was eaſily taken when his lockes were ſhorne: ſo thou mayeſt eaſily ſubdue ſinne when the regiment of it is taken downe; if thou wouldeſt enjoy that peace of God which paſſeth all understanding, then make no proviſion for the fleſh, but mortifie it by the helpe of the ſpirit,Rom. 13.13. and thou ſhalt have peace internall here and eternall hereafter.
Now for as much as this diſcourſe is to helpe thee therein, I doe therefore heartily commend it unto thee. I have avoyled prolixity, leſt I ſhould tyre the Reader, and too much brevity leſt I ſhould wrong the matter, I have the rather fallen on this ſubject, becauſe I find few that have done it; and becauſe I have found ſome ſuch ſpirits as have laboured to cry it downe, as altogether unneceſſary after converſion. If there be any ſuch into whoſe hands this Treatiſe ſhall fall, let me ſo farre prevaile with them as not prejudge what they doe not meane to reade leſt they be numbered among thoſe fooles that ſpeake evill of what they know not.
To conclude (Chriſtian) thou hast my labours, thou hast my prayers, when thou doſt approach the throne of grace let me have thine.
Thomas Wolfall.
THE DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE OF MORTIFICATION,
ROM. 8.13.
But if yee through the ſpirit mortifie the deeds of the body yee ſhall live.