The Mortified Christian, Sermon 2
SERMON, II.
Rom. 8. vers. 13.
—But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
I Now come to fall upon the 2d. part of the words, but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Mortifying the deeds of the body cannot be understood of the religious deeds of the body, for they are to be cherished; nor of the naturall deeds of the body, as eating and drinking; but it is to be meant of the sinfull actions that are done by the body, arising from the temptations and injections of Satan, or the corrupt dictates of our own sinfull nature: If you mortifie the deeds of the body, you shall live: you see here (beloved) the Lord does walk in waies of contrariety to the judgements of flesh and bloud; he bids us mourn and sow in tears, and then we shall reap in joy. He bids us die, and tels us this is the way to live, and no way can be more contrary to flesh and bloud; and yet there is no other way to live but this: we must first die to sin and the world, before we can live a life of grace; and we must die a naturall death, before we can come to live a life of glory.
There are two observations that I shall draw from this latter part of the Text.
1. Doct. 1 That mortification of corruption is a necessary qualification required in every person that shall obtain salvation: If you mortifie the deeds of the body, you shall live. And,
2. From the addition of this phrase, (through the spirit) if you through the spirit do mortifie; Observe from hence,
2 Doct. 2 That though a man can commit sin by his own strength, yet he cannot mortifie sin, but by the strength of the spirit. These are the two points I intended to insist upon from this latter part of the Text. I shall by Gods assistance speak to the first of them, in severall Sermons; but shall only at this time lay down something by way of introduction, to this needfull doctrine of mortification; and then I shall come to handle those things that are most usefull and necessary to be known about this doctrine, I shall give you the nature and characters of it, and the false mistakes about it, and the jealousies of godly people, whereby they think they are not mortified when they are, &c. At present I shall only speak something introductory, to the clearer handling of the point, that mortification and corruption is a necessary qualification, required in every person that shall attain to salvation.
I shall first lay down 8 or 9 cautelary Rules to those that are unmortified, Nine Rules to those that are unmortified.then so many more to such as are mortified; I shall begin with the first to those that are unmortified.
1. Rule 1 Count not the restraining of sin from coming into act, to be a real mortifying of sin: restraining grace is not mortifying grace, as in Gen. 6.20. Gen. 20.6.saies God there to Abimelech, I with-held thee from sinning against me, therefore suffered I thee not to touch her: He had sin restrained but not mortified. As a Lion confined within the grates, is a Lion still, though he cannot go about to devour his prey; so though men are restrained from acting those sins to which they are inclinable, yet the restraint of sin is not to be taken for the mortifying of sin. A man may for a time lay a curb and restraint upon his lusts, that they do not come forth into act, without the power of mortifying grace: a man may bridle a lust for many years, and yet the lust remain unmortified; therefore I say, do not count the restraining of a sin to be the mortifying of a sin.
2. Rule 2 Another cautelary Rule is this, that a listlesnesse to any kinde of sin, is no infallible demonstration that such a sin is mortified; count not a present listlesnesse to some sins to be a saving mortification of them: this is a great mistake that many men run into, because they have no desire to the committing of some sins which their very education makes them averse to, Severall causes why men are more indisposed to some sins then others.therefore they think they have a work of mortification and sanctification, wrought in them: whereas there are divers externall causes that may make a man indisposed and averse to some sins, as sicknesse, old age, horrour of conscience, education, or a mans own naturall temper.
1. Cause 1 A man may have a listlesnesse and unwillingnesse to some sins, arising from a fit of sicknesse, that though he hath been a drunkard, or an adulterer in former times; yet because he hath thereby distempered himself, and impaired his health, therefore he hath no lust or desire to those sins now; or if he hath renewed desires after those sins, yet it may be he wants strength of body to act them; such a listlesness to sin flowing from a fick bed, does not proceed from mortifying grace. Or,
2. Cause 2 This indisposition to sin may flow from old age, wherein a mans strength is wasted and decayed, and so not able to act those sins of adultery, drunkennesse, &c. which formerly he hath committed, and took pleasure in. And,
3. It may flow from a good education, Cause 3 and principles of morality in men, which restrains them from many grosse and scandalous sins.
4. Cause 4 It may proceed likewise from horrour and terrour of conscience, when this seises upon a man, that God casts the flashes of hell fire in his face, this may make him abstain from sin for a time, while the horrour lies upon him: as a thundring storm sowres the beer in our cellars, so when God thunders upon the conscience, it will sowre and imbitter sin to a man, that he hath no desires after it for the present, but yet this is not mortifying grace upon the heart, but the horrour of conscience that doth gnaw, and gripe, and terrifie the man, and makes him listlesse after sin, at such a time.
5. Cause 5 Another externall cause of a mans listlesnesse to some sins may be his naturall temper: for though every man hath seminally all sin in him, yet there are some sins which by nature he is more inclinable to then others, according to his complexion and constitution: as a man that is of a cholerick complexion, he is most inclinable to anger; and if of a sanguin complexion, then he is most inclinable to uncleannesse, and so of the rest; so that there are many sins, that by a mans naturall temper he is averse from; as Luther professeth of himself, that he was never in all his life time troubled with covetousnesse: now this did not proceed from mortifying grace, but from the naturall temper of his body, it was a gift of nature given him of God, and not a gift of grace; and therefore (beloved) you are not to impute that to mortifying grace, that is meerly the result of a violent sicknesse, old age, education, terrours of conscience, or a mans naturall temper and constitution. Give me leave to illustrate this to you by this familiar similitude: suppose you should put a dog and a sheep together, and cast flesh before the sheep, and grasse before the dog; neither of them will eat any thing; the sheep will not eat the flesh, neither will the dog eat grasse; which ariseth from the naturall temper of the creatures: Why, so it is here, mens naturall tempers do dispose them to some sins and not to others, which therefore is not to be imputed to the power of mortifying grace.
3. Rule 3 Another cautelary Rule touching this doctrine of mortification, is this: Let mortification be extended to inward and secret sins, as well as to outward and scandalous sins; not only the lusts of the flesh, but of the minde are to be mortified; not only the deeds of the body, but the thoughts of the heart, and corruptions in the inward man are to be subdued; you are to extend mortification to the subduing of vicious affections, Col. 3.5.as well as base actions, as in Col. 3.5. saies the Apostle, Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleannesse &c. You do think, it may be, that these two are both one; no, fornication is the sin in the act, uncleannesse the sin in the affection and in the thought; now the Apostle bids them mortifie fornication, that is, uncleannesse in the act; but he does not stay there, but tels them they must subdue their sinfull affections, and vicious inclinations to those sins. You must mortifie the very first motions and secret propensions to any sin in your hearts.
4. Rule 4 Let mortification be especially directed to strike at those sins, that are thy master sins, that are most prevalent and predominant in thy heart, those sins that thou hast most prayed against and art least able to resist; those sins that do most strongly assault thee, and most easily beset thee and over-master thee. Heb. 12.1.Thus David in Psal. 18.22. saies he, I have kept my self from mine iniquity, 2 Sam. 22.24.that is, from my speciall sins, my constitution sins, my bosome iniquities: I might in this case give you the same advice the King of Syria gave his Captains, 1 Chron. 22.31.in 1 Chron. 22.31. saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the King of Israel; So may I say to you, fight not so much against any sin, as against your beloved darling constitution sins, that do most easily beset you and prevail over you.
5. Rule 5 Another cautelary Rule I would give you, is this, Think not to compasse this great work of mortification, by a generall superficiall fight of sin, unlesse thou comest to a distinct and particular apprehension of them: if you take your sins and corruptions all together in the lump, you will never be able to break and mortifie them. As when a bundle of rods are knit close one to another, the strongest man in the world is not able to break them, yet if they be taken asunder, any man may break them all one by one with ease; so here if you take sin apart, and labour to have a distinct view and fight of them, this is the way to overcome and mortifie sin; if you shoot at randome, you will never hit the mark; so if you look at sin in the generall, in the lump, you will never be able to mortifie them: as if a man were injoyned to carry a great tree a good distance off his house, home, the way to do it is not to go to hale and draw the whole body of the tree together, for this were impossible, but he must cut the tree in pieces, and then he may easily do it: So many men go about to subdue and beat down sin in their hearts, but they think to do it all at once, but this is not the way; you must labour to take sin in pieces, to have a particular view of them, to break and master them one by one, and thereby you shall be able to overcome the strongest of them.
6. Rule 6 Let your mortification extend not only to particular acts of sin, but to the whole bulk and body of sin; it is a great fault amongst many Christians, that if they be troubled with passions, they go about to mortifie them; or if with unclean and sin full thoughts, they endevour to subdue them, but yet in the mean time leave the whole body of sin unmortified; whereas when ever you go about to mortifie any one particular lust, you should labour to bewail the whole body of sin that is in you, and to strike at the very root of sin. As when a man would keep a tree from growing, he must not only lop off the branches, for that will not do it, but he must pluck it up by the root; so you may cut off one sin after another, and make those branches to wither; but if you do not pull up sin by the root, the other will but make your corruptions to rage the more; and if not the same sins, yet others, and it may be worse then the former will grow up in the room of them. David when he came to bewail his sin of adultery, he likewise bewails the sin of his nature; in Psal. 51.5. saith he, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me: To shew that when we go about to mortifie any one particular sin, we must likewise bewail and labour to bring under the whole body of sin.
7. Rule 7 Another cautelary Rule is this, When you are setting upon the work of mortification, go about it in the strength of Christ, and not in your own strength. I told you before, you may commit sin by your own strength, but you cannot mortifie sin by your own strength. If you through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, you shall live: it is an arrow fetcht from Christs quiver, that can only kill and slay thy lusts, therefore do not depend upon thy own reason, understanding or knowledge in the managing of this great work of mortification, and grapling with sin; for though you may discover your sin, and your danger by reason of it, yet by your own strength you are not able to subdue and overcome that sin. 1 Pet. 1.5.We are kept by the power of God unto salvation; doe not encounter with sin in confidence of thy own strength, for thou art but as a feather before a whirlewinde, thou hast not power of thy own to resist the weakest temptation, or subdue the least corruption: and therefore do as David did when he was to encounter with Goliah, a great and mighty Giant, and himself but a poor little stripling, why what doth David do? sayes he in 1 Sam. 17.45. 1 Sam. 17.45.Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but I come against thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, and in the power of his might: So now if you go out against your sins in the power of Gods might, this is the only way to subdue them, and keep under your unruly lusts.
8. Rule 8 Take heed of suffering sin to remain long in thy heart without controll, but labour to mortifie it, in the very first motions of it. When thy nature first begins to close with a sin, then labour to root it out; for it's easier to keep sin out of our souls, then it is to drive out sin, when once it is gotten into our hearts. Sin is like a serpent, which if he can but get in his head into any place, he will soon winde in his whole body; so if we cherish and give entertainment to the first motions and inclinations, it will quickly insinuate it self into us. Sin is like the overflowing of a mighty river, when once the water hath made a breach in the bank, if it be not presently stopt, it will soon overflow the whole meadow; so if we let sin alone in the first motions of it, it will quickly over-run the whole man.
9. Rule 9 The last cautelary Rule I shall give you, is this, When thou hast through the strength of Christ, mortified one sin, or resisted one temptation, do not sit down, and think your work is done, but expect another combate; your corruption will come afresh upon you again, the Devil will still be plotting against thee, and sending one temptation after another, to foil thee if he can; and God does suffer him to do thus in a great deal of wisdome, to try us, and humble us, and to let us see what continuall cause we have of standing upon our guard, and keeping a constant watch over our own hearts, and that as long as we live we shall stand in need of mortifying grace. As the branches of a tree, though you lop them off yet they will spring out again; so when you have mortified one corruption, another will spring forth; though thou hast cut off one lust to day, yet it may be another will spring out to morrow; if you have mortified pride to day, passion may spring up to morrow, or covetousnesse to morrow, or worldly mindednesse to morrow, &c. so that we have continuall cause of standing upon our watch-tower, and observing these deceitfull hearts of ours, and alwayes need of mortifying grace, to keep under our corruptions.
And thus I have done with these 9. Rules by way of caution, touching this doctrine of mortification, which will all of them be very usefull, in the handling of many points that I shall treat upon in this subject. And because in what I have already said, (it may be) I have been near the bosomes of many of you, and touched your souls to the quick: and there may be some poor humble soul or other among you that hath the power of mortifying grace upon his heart, and yet is ready to despond because he findes his corruptions to be so stirring and active in him, that he is not able to master them; Seven comfortable Considerations to a mortified hearts.the refore will you follow me in your thoughts a little, while I lay you down 7. comfortable Considerations in this particular? the first is this,
1. Consid. 1 That the stirrings and risings of corruptions in the heart, may yet be consistent with true mortification; that very lust that is mortified, may yet make a great deal of stirre and rising in the soul. And this Consideration would administer a great deal of comfort to many poor souls, were they but satisfied in this particular: Rom. 9.9.in Rom. 9.9. saies Paul there, When the Commandement came, sin revived: and yet Paul was a mortified man, and a sanctified man. It is with a godly man in this particular, as wth a man sick of a violent feaver, though the man may be very near death, yet the strength of the disease may be so powerfull upon him, as to make him tosse and tumble, that two or three men shal scarse be able to hold him quiet in his bed; but yet this cannot be imputed to the strength of the man, but to the strength of the disease that makes him do thus; and so it may be in many a poor soul, sin may be very near its death and mortification, and yet stirre and rage more then ever; but this proceeds not from the weaknesse of the man, to resist sin, but from the strength of Satans temptations. As it is with many birds, after their heads are pull'd off they flutre more strongly then ever before; so thou maist give a mortall wound to a sin, and yet when the head (as it were) of sin is off, it may keep a great deal of stirre in thy soul.
But here (beloved) because I know there may be a great deal of ill use made of this comfortable consideration, Two Cases wherein some corruptions in a mans heart doe not argue an unmortified heart.therefore let me tell you that only in 2. Cases, the stirrings of corruptions, and the workings of it in thy soul, doth not argue an unmortified heart. As,
1. When as corruptions stirre in thee, so thy resolutions and strivings against these sins, and humiliation for them, Case 1 do stir in thee too; when as the suggestions of Satan, and solicitations to sin do increase, so thy hearty prayers to God, & resolutions against those sins do increase too; when you can neither be quiet for sin, nor sin be quiet for you, in this case the stirrings of corruption doe not argue an unmortified heart, but rather that sin hath already its death blow.
2. Case 2 The stirrings of corruptions in thy heart, though they be very violent, yet they do not argue that thy heart is unmortified, in case that after such turbulent stirrings and struglings of sin in thy heart, then these corruptions grow weaker and weaker. It is with sin in a godly man, as it is with men in hot diseases, that doe distemper the brain when a violent fit seiseth upon them, it makes them so outragious and unruly, that a man would admire, how a poor lean sickly man should be so strong; but now when the fit is over, and the strength of the disease past, the poor man by his former struggling, is become a great deal the more faint, and feeble, and weak; now if it be thus with you, that the struglings of sin, do become the weaknings of sin; that when corruptions have stirred in thee, thou hast stirred against them, and overcome them so, that you finde their strength abated and decayed; this is a very great evidence and argument of mortifying grace in thy heart.
2. Consid. 2 Another cautelary Rule by way of comfort, is this, To consider, that mortification of sin doth not reach so far in any regenerate man, as to the utter abolition and extirpation of sin out of the soul. Never expect that it should extend thus far; it is with sin in the soul, as it was with the plague of Leprosie in some cases: Lev. 24.44, 45.If the plague had spread in the wals of the house, and was a fretting Leprosie, it could not be gotten out by scraping or washing, but the house must be pulled down and demolisht: so the leprosie of sin will cleave to thee as long as thou livest in this world, till this body of thine be dissolved. I may compare sin in the soul, to the tree you read of in Dan. 4.14, Dan. 4.14, 15.15. whose branches were cut off, but yet the stump and root still remained: so you may lop off the branches of sin, but you can never quite eradicate and pluck it up by the roots. Do what you can, sin will vex you and disturb you, as long as you live in this world. And therefore (I say) do not expect that mortification should extend so far, as to a totall abolition and utter extirpation of sin.
3. Take this for your comfort, Consid. 3 That though God did never intend that mortification should reach so far, as to the utter extirpation of sin, yet God doth intend that it should reach so far as to the taking away of the domination of sin; though it doth not take away the being of sin, yet it doth take away the dominion and reigning power of sin. It shall be in your souls like those beasts spoken of in Dan. 7.14. it is said, Dan. 7.14.Their dominion shall be taken away, but their lives shall be prolonged for a little season: So God will permit sin to live in you for a little season, but not to reign in you: as in Rom. 6.14. Rom. 6.14.Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under Grace; You are neither under the rigour of the Law, nor under the power of the Law; and therefore sin shall not have dominion over you, because you are not under the Law, but under Grace. You are not under sin as a law, but under the command and law of Grace; for the law is there taken for the law of sin, as in Rom. 7.23. Rom. 7.23.it is the Apostles dialect to call sin by the name of a law, saies he, I see a law in my members warring against the law of my minde, &c. sin shall not have dominion over you, though its life and being be prolonged for a little season.
4. Consid. 4 Take this for your comfort, That an expulsive faculty, or a sincere endevour in the soul to expell and mortifie sin, is accepted by God as a reall mortification: if the Lord sees thee stand as it were in battle array against thy lusts, and that thou dost grapple with every sin, and resist every temptation, and stand upon thy guard with thy weapons in thy hand, God looks upon this principle of resistance, as if it were a perfect resistance.
It is a notable place, Levit. 11.33, 36.that, in Lev. 11.33, 36. you read there, that it was a part of the ceremoniall Law, That if any unclean thing fell into a vessell of water, both the water and the vessell were unclean; but if it fell into a spring or fountain of water, that should not be unclean: and interpreters give this reason of it, because if any unclean thing fell into a vessell of water, that having no purging faculty to cleanse it self, must needs be unclean; but if any unclean thing, fell into a fountain or river of water, that should not be defiled, because by its continuall gliding motion, it cleanseth it self from all filthinesse that fals into it; and so here if thou hast no principle at all within thee, that stirs thee up to resist and withstand thy corruption, to cleanse and root sin out of thy heart, thou art then unclean; but if when sin fals upon thee, thou doest by a holy industry and continuall striving against sin, from a principle of grace within, labour to cleanse, and purge, and free thy self from those sins; in this case thou art not to be pronounced an unclean and unmortified man: And oh what unspeakable comfort may this afford every one of you, that your resisting and encountring with sin is lookt upon by God, as a totall subduing and overcoming of it.
5. Another comfortable consideration, Consid. 5 is this, To consider that thou hast Gods promise and Christs power to help thee in the managing of this great work of mortification, (beloved) there is never a Mothers Childe of you that does belong to Christ, that does encounter and fight with the Devill alone, or bear their own burdens alone; there are none of you that have an interest in Christ, but have Gods promise and Christs power to help and assist thee in the mortifying of every sin: and therefore it is very observable, that, as in some places God commands us to mortifie sin, as in Col. 3.5. Col. 3.5.Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth, mortifiation, uncleannesse, &c. So in other places God hath promised to do it himself for us: Mic. 7.19.as in Micah 7.19. He will subdue our iniquities for us. As God commands his children to obey him, so he conveyes power and ability whereby to enable them to doe what he commands: God bids them mortifie sin, Alas, sayes a poor soul, I am not able to grapple with my corruptions, and to keep them under; why then, sayes God, I will help thee, and subdue and mortifie sin for thee. Oh what a gracious Captain do we fight under, that does our work for us, and yet gives us the honour of it; that fights our battels for us, and yet gives us the glory of the victory! and oh what a comfort is this, that we have such a good God to fight for us, and subdue our iniquities for us!
6. Consid. 6 Another consideration is this, That sin and corruption may be more stirring and boisterous after a man is regenerate, then they were before conversion. Thus it was with Paul, Rom. 7.9.in Rom. 7.9. I was alive without the Law once, but when the Commandement came, sinne revived and I dyed: before I was converted, I was alive, no sinne at all troubled me, I thought my self in a very good and happy condition, that I was a blamelesse man, and a mortified man; but when the Commandement came, sinne revived: when the Command of God came, which is meant of the 10. Commandement that limits our very thoughts, that we must not have so much as a sinfull thought, or a covetous thought; and if we have, this sin alone is enough to condemn us, though we were blamelesse in regard of all the other Commandements when this Commandement came, then sin revived, and I died, that is, I saw my self in a lost and undone condition, without a Saviour: now these stirrings of sin after conversion, does not argue that there is more sinne in the soul then there was before conversion, but only that it is more discovered, and more obvious to a man, so that he sees himself out of measure sinfull; thou hadst not so quick an eye to discern sin before, as now thou hast. I might illustrate this to you by this similitude, Suppose any of you should be knocking or striking your finger against a stool, or chair, or any such thing; and upon a sudden by accident should cut it, why the least knock or touch after your singer is cut, will make it smart; but you might have knockt it again and again, before, and yet never felt it; whereas now every thing that toucheth it troubles you: and so it is here with a man after conversion, the poor man cries out, Lord what is the matter that this sinne, and that sinne, and every sinne troubles me? it was not wont to be thus with me before; why, the reason is, because thy conscience was not so tender before conversion, as now it is; and you could not then discern small and lesser sins, as now you can, when the Lord Jesus Christ irradiates and shines forth with his bright beams upon thy soul, inlightning thereof, and discovering the secret sins that lie lurking there.
7. Consid. 7 and lastly, take this for thy comfort, That in your endeavours to mortifie sin, you may die by yeelding to sin, but you shall never die by opposing and resisting of sin. It is not good to cry for quarter at sins hands; you can never die by grappling with sin, but you may die by yeelding to sin. Those sins shall never damn thee, that thou hast laboured and prayed against, and encountred with; but if you (like a faint hearted souldier run away and) yeeld to Satans temptations and assaults, then you are undone; thou mayest be damned by yeelding to sin, but thou shalt never be damned by fighting against sinne: and therefore labour and beg earnestly of God to give you the power of mortifying grace in your hearts, that so you may be enabled to mortifie and keep under sin, and bring the flesh to be subject to the spirit. And thus I have given you in all 16. cautelary Rules, as introductory to this great Doctrine of Mortification.