The Mortified Christian, Sermon 4
SERMON, IV.
Rom. 8. vers. 13.
—But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
I Come now to handle the 4. Quere, which is this,
Qu. Que. 4 What are those mistakes that men do run into about this great work of mortification?
Ans. I answer, Answ. there is a double mistake men are apt to fall into.
1. A mistake upon the right hand, which doubting and perplexed Christians do run into, when they conceive and are verily perswaded their corruptions are not mortified when indeed they are.
2. There is a mistake on the left hand, which presumptuous sinners run into, whereby they imagine their corruptions are mortified, when indeed they are not: I shall go through the first of these at this time: the mistake that doubting and perplexed Christians run into, in concluding that their sins are not mortified when they are; and in the pursuit of this, I shall shew you 3 grand mistakes in the hearts of Gods people, that makes them think their hearts are unmortified. As,
1. Object. 1 Oh sayes a poor soul, that which makes me think that my heart is not mortified, is the strong motions and stirrings of sin in my heart, this makes me fear that my corruptions are yet unmortified.
Now to take off this mistake, Answ. I have only these seven words to say to you; Thou that makest this a ground of thy complaint, that corruptions are not mortified because of the motions and stirrings of sin in thee; You are,
1. The first mistake of a mortified heart.To consider whether these motions to sin, do arise from the Devill, or from thy own heart; and if these motions and instigations to sin, do proceed meerly from the Devill, from his malice and envie against against thy soul, then you have no cause to fear, for these stirrings and motions to sin in thy soul, do argue that thy sins are mortified, and that because Christ himself had strong motions and temptations to sin, and that no small sins neither, but to sins of distrust and self-murder, to break his own neck, and to a sin of covetousnesse, he was allured with the glory of the world. Now therefore, though you are often pestered and troubled by the Devill, and followed at the heels by him, with one temptation after another, if you can truly say, these stirrings and motions to sin do meerly arise from Satan, and do not proceed out of your own heart; if you can clear the case to be so, I will assure you that these are the Devils sins, and not thine, and the Lord will charge them upon his score, and not upon thine: in some cases temptations to sin, are not the corruptions of the person tempted, but of the Devill tempting.
2. Mist. 2 Suppose it be true that these motions and stirrings in thy heart do not arise meerly from Satans injections, but from thy own heart, which is like a sea that casts forth nothing but mire and dirt: suppose thy heart be like a cage for every unclean bird, and a den for every unclean beast to lie down in; suppose that the breathings of thy heart, be like the reaking of a dunghill, that cast forth an evill and stinking savour; yet if these motions be not yeelded to with a ready and willing consent, but resisted and opposed, these sins will never be damning sins to thee, if thy heart does not close with these sins, it is no argument that thou art unmortified, but rather an evidence of the contrary; God will never damn thee for that which thou makest the matter of thy complaint, and humiliation, and opposition; thou maist die running away from, or yeelding to the Devill, but thou shalt never die fighting with him.
3. Mist. 3 Take this for an answer, that the stirrings and workings of corruptions in thy heart, do not alwayes argue, that thy corruptions hath more strength and life in them then heretofore, but that thou hast more light to discover and discern them then formerly. St. Paul before his conversion, thought himself according to the Law, Rom. 7.9.blamelesse: but afterward, in Rom. 7.9. When the commandement came (sayes he) then sin revived, and I dyed: then he saw sin to have a greater power in his heart, not that he had more sin now, then before, but because now he perceived them which before he did not. A godly man that hath a work of conversion newly wrought upon his heart, though he hath a spirituall insight into his own heart, yet at first he only sees grosse and outside evils, for it must be a very expert Christian that can discern inward and secret evils, and smaller sins; and many men after long conversion do see more of the workings of sin in their hearts, thene ever they did discover before, or at their first conversion: now such men, they have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light, as it is in a gloomy day, though the air be very full of dust and small atomes, yet we cannot discern them; but if the sun shine, then you may see them clearly, they are there when the sun does not shine, though you cannot perceive them. This is a third Answer, the motions and stirrings of sin in the heart, doe not alwaies arise from the increase of strength and life in sin, but from the increase of light that God puts into the soul.
4. Mist. 4 The stirrings of sin in thy heart may not alwayes argue thy corruptions to be unmortified, but thy conscience to be more tender then heretofore: as suppose any of you had a cut finger, when it is sore, any thing that toucheth it troubles you, but before it was cut, you could knock your finger against any thing, and yet never take notice of it, it would neither smart nor trouble you; now this does not argue that since you cut your finger, you do touch it oftner against things that hurt it, then before it was cut; but because now you are more sensible and affected with every touch: so it is in this case, your conscience being now enlightned, you are more apprehensive and sensible of the least sin, then heretofore.
5. Mist. 5 You are to to judge your selves unmortified by the stirrings of corruption now and then, upon an extraordinary and violent temptation in thy soul; though a corruption be let loose upon thee by some violent temptation sometimes, yet you are not to take an estimate of your mortification by this; but you are to judge your self by the constant temper and ordinary frame of thy heart: Is it ordinary with thee for thy heart to be like a cage of unclean birds, or like the sea continually casting forth mire and durt? if it be so, then you have cause to fear that sin is yet unmortified in your heart; as, were you to give your judgements concerning the depth of a river, you are not to passe your verdict of its depth, by its breadth after a great rain or floud, but you are to judge by its ordinary course, running in its own channell: so here, you are not to judge of the mortification of your corruptions, by some extraordinary stirrings of sin in thy soul after some violent temptation, but by the ordinary frame and temper of thy heart.
6. Mist. 6 Take this for thy consolation, that inward stirrings and workings of sin in thy soul may in some cases, Three Cases discovering sins dissolution.rather argue that sin is near to its dissolution, then thou void of mortification; and that in these 3 Cases, (will you follow me with your thoughts a little?) I say in these 3 Cases the working of sin in thy heart, may rather argue sin to be near its dissolution, then you to be void of mortification.
1. In case the workings of sin, Case 1 do make you more watchfull against all occasions of sin, and against the first motions of sin in thy heart: as a wanton eye is a glance of a lustfull heart, so a watchfull eye is an evidence of a mortified heart.
2. In case the irritation of sin, Case 2 do provoke thee to humiliation for those sins, and resolutions against them, and strong supplications to God to enable thee to subdue them; such a frame of heart does rather argue strength of grace then strength of sinne.
3. Case 3 In case that after such violent motions and stirring of sin in thy soul, thy corruptions do grow weaker and feebler every day; it may be the stirrings of lust, or pride, or passion are very great and unruly in thy heart, and thou doest bemoan them, and pray and strive against them, and yet canst not keep them under; but if within a little while you perceive these stirrings of sin hath enfeebled it, and makes it decay in strength, and grow weaker and weaker, in this case you have no need to fear that your sin is unmortified. I told you before, that the stirrings of sin in some men, is like a dying man sick of a feaver; when he is in the heat of his disease and a violent fit upon him, the poor sick man will so rage and tumble, that three or four men shall scarce be able to keep him in his bed: now this does not proceed from the strength of the man, but of the disease; for as soon as the fit is over, the man is so weak, there is scarce life in him, he is not now able to stirre or move himself: so when sin shall be in thy soul, like a burning feaver upon a man, that no exhortations, reproofs, or threatnings can restrain or withhold thee from sin, and from running after the fulfilling and satisfaction of the lusts and desires of thy heart; yet if you find that after these violent motions to sin, thy corruptions have been weakned and enfeebled, you have cause to blesse God, that hath begun this work of mortification in thy heart, and hath given Satan an irrecoverable blow.
7. Mist. 7 Take this for thy comfort, that the stirrings of sin in thy heart may be so ordered by God, as to make them a means to engage thee to a more full mortification of thy sins; should not sin stir in thy soul, but lie there still and quiet, you would be apt to grow secure and carelesse, and take no notice of the sinfulnesse of thy heart; but now when the stinking savour and noisome smell of thy lusts, shall rise up in thy heart, this may be a means to encourage and quicken your endeavours to the mortification, subduing, and rooting out these corruptions within thee. And thus I have done with these 7 particulars by way of comfort, to those that complain their hearts are unmortified, because of the stirrings and motions to sin in their hearts.
I now passe on to the second mistake, which makes a godly soul fear his heart is unmortified, and that is this:
2. Oh saies another godly man, Mist. 2 I have not only the stirrings of sin in my heart, but (the Lord shew mercy to my soul) I am in a worse condition a thousand times, for I finde that I have prayed often, again and again, and bended all my endevours against such a particular corruption, and yet notwithstanding all my prayers and endevours, sighs and groans, that very sin hath got head in me, and prevailed over me, which could not be but that sin is unmortified and hath a great prevalency over my heart. Me thinks I hear such breathings as these coming from a godly soul: Oh woe is me, I have made many a prayer, and renewed many a purpose in my heart to keep out such a sin, but yet I cannot, sin prevails and gets the victory over me, and I am not able to encounter with it; and therefore this makes me fear whether ever I had the power of mortifying grace upon my heart.
Ans. Beloved, Answ. your condition is very sad, yet I have four words to say to you.
1. Thou that makest this complaint, it may be the evils thou complainest of, that thou canst not keep under; it may be these evils are great and grosse evils, but inward and unavoidable; and if so, you have lesse cause of jealousie that your corruptions are unmortified: indeed if the sins thou complainest of be great and crying sins, then you have cause to fear; but if they be only inward and unavoidable corruptions, such as are vain thoughts, distempered passions, spirituall pride, vain glory, or the like, such as these you may make 1000 prayers against, and never be able to overcome and root out.
2. Suppose the corruptions be great that thou hast purposed against, and prayed against, and you cannot subdue them and bring them under; yet know this for thy comfort, that this is as much as God requires of thee, that thou shouldest resist and resolve against, and labour to withstand thy corruptions; and if thou doest do thy duty in this particular, though thou art overcome, God will not hold thee guilty. It is in this case as it was in the Law that God made concerning a virgin in Deut. 22.25, 26, 27. Deut. 22.25, 26, 27.the Law was this, That if a damsell were walking in the field alone, and a lustfull man meet her, and lie with her, the man only that lay with her may die, but they were not to meddle with the damsell, for he found her in the field, and the damsell cryed, and there was none to help her: (Beloved) it is so in this case, it may be the Devill may commit a spirituall rape upon thee, and be so forcible with a temptation, that you may yeeld to him; but yet if you do both before and after the commission of that sin, bewail it, hate, and detest, and strive against it, the Lord will lay the sin on Satans score, and require it of him and not of thee.
3. You that complain your corruptions are unmortified, you have prayed often against them, and yet they are not subdued, take this for thy comfort, that thy praying and purposing against sin, is an undeniable argument that they are a dying, though they are not quite dead. Were thy corruptions living, thy heart would be dead, and unfit, and unable to pray; for if thy praying do not make thee leave sinning, thy sinning will make thee leave praying: you that do continually strive and pray against sin, it is an undoubted evidence that your corruptions are a dying, though they are not dead: As some birds will flutter more strongly after their heads be pulled off then before, which yet is an undeniable argument that they are a dying, though not quite dead; so when thou findest such violent motions and stirrings of sin in thee, notwithstanding all thy prayers and endevours to the contrary, yet you may be sure your corruptions are a dying, though not yet dead.
4. Mark this for your comfort, that corruptions may have its deadly wound in the generall, and yet a particular lust may be very vigorous, and lively, and active in thy soul. It is a rule among Divines, that as all corruptions are not equally alive in a man, so neither are all corruptions equally dead in a man: now here is thy comfort, if thou canst prove, that a generall work of mortification is wrought in thee, that the body of sin is destroyed, though you have some particular corruptions yet remaining in you, yet this doth not argue that you are unmortified: as it is with a dying man, one of his limbes may die before another, his heart may have life, when his leg or arme is dead, and if any one of his members is dead, it argues that the man cannot live much longer; so if one sin be dead, it argues that the whole body of sin is mortified, though this or that particular lust prevail in thy heart, yet the generall work of mortification may be wrought in thee, notwithstanding some particular sins are not yet quite subdued. Thus much for the second mistake.
3. Mist. 3 Another mistake that a godly man runs into is this, Oh saies a poor soul, it is true, I have cause to fear upon these two grounds before mentioned, but alas, it is not the stirrings of sin only in my heart, and my often falling into sin after prayers, and promises, and resolutions against them; but that which makes me fear my corruptions are unmortified, is this, that if corruptions were a dying in me, I should finde grace to live and act in me more then it does, grace would hold an equipage with sin, as one decreaseth, the other would increase; now because I cannot finde nor perceive grace to be vigorous and lively in my soul, it is I fear because sin is not yet dead in my heart.
Answ. Answ. To you that make this complaint, I have only 3 or 4 words to say for your comfort.
1. You must know that all the whole work of grace and sanctification, is not to be done upon thee at once, indeed you are justified at once, and elected at once, but you are not sanctified at once; you must not expect the whole work of sanctification to be wrought in a moment, but as a childe comes to maturity and manhood, not presently, but by degrees: so the work of sanctification comes on slowly and by degrees.
2. Take this for thy comfort, that there may be a dying and decaying of common gifts, when yet there may be a quick and lively acting of true and saving grace in thy soul; common gifts may be a dying, when yet true grace may be very vigorous in thy soul: it may be thou hast lost that volubility of tongue, readinesse of utterance, and strength of memory, &c. in thy old age which thou didst excell in, in thy youth: these may be decayed, when yet there may be a lively and vigorous growth of grace in thy soul.
As a Divine observes, that though a Musician can play better upon an instrument in his younger dayes, and can sing more harmoniously, and make a more pleasant melody, then when he comes to be old; yet he hath more skill and judgement in musick now then he had before: so it may be thou maist lose the varnish and flourish of thy graces, and yet grow more in understanding, and judgement, and experience, &c. now then ever you did.
3. Thou that complainest and fearest thy corruptions are not dead, because grace is not so lively and active in thee: know this for thy comfort, that ordinarily God gives a greater income of vivacity and quicknesse of grace at a mans first conversion, then he gives ever after, because he would allure men to Religion and the practise of godlinesse.