Sermons Volume 2

SERMON XIV.

T HE Apostle is answering a doubt, How there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ, since death, which is the fruit of sin, yet remaineth on the Godly? Answer,

1. By concession, that sin is indeed the seed and original of mortality, the body is dead because of sin : Not only the carnal undergo it, but the justified; though the guilt of sin be taken away by a pardon, and the dominion and power of it be broken by the Spirit of Christ, yet the being of it is not quite abolished; and as long as sin remaineth in us in the least degree, it maketh us subject to the power of death.

2. By way of correction : He opposeth a double comfort against it. Destruction by sin is neither total nor final: First, Not total, 'tis but an half death, v. 10. The spirit is life because of righteousness: Secondly, Nor final, it hath a limit of time set, which when it is expired, the body shall have an happy Resurrection, and that by virtue of the same spirit by which the soul is now quickened; so that mark, both parts receive their happiness by the spirit, the soul and the body; the soul though it be immortal in its self, yet the blessed immortality it hath from the spirit; the spirit is life because of righteousness: and the dead body shall not finally perish, but be sure to be raised again by the same spirit, If the spirit of him, &c.

In the Words we have,

• 1. The condition upon which the Resurrection is promised ( if the Spirit ).
• 2. The certainty of performance set forth, 1. By the Author or efficient cause, he that raised up Jesus from the dead. 2. By his spirit that dwelleth in you, the way and manner of working.

1. The condition. A Resurrection is necessary, but an happy Resurrection is limited by a condition, Phil. 3.11. If by any means.

2. The certainty of performance.

1. From the Author of God, described by his eminent and powerful work, ( he that raised up Jesus from the dead ). This is mentioned; partly, as an instance of his power; and partly, as an assurance of his will; first an instance of his power, Eph. 1.18, 19. According to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. Our Resurrection is a work of the same Omnipotency with that which he first evidenced in raising Christ from the dead; the same power is still employed to bring us to a glorious Eternity: Secondly, 'It is an assurance of his will, for Christ's Resurrection is a pattern of ours, 1 Cor. 6.14. God hath both raised the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 2 Cor. 4.14. Knowing that he that raised up Jesus, shall also raise us up by Jesus.

2. For the way and manner of bringing it about; by his spirit that dwelleth in us. Where take notice,

1. Of the Relation of the Holy Spirit to God. Secondly, His interest in, and nearness to us.

1. His relation to God, He is called his Spirit, and the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead : That is, of God the Father: The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Fathers Spirit, and sometimes Christ's Spirit, because he proceedeth both from the Father and the Son; the Fathers Spirit, John 15.26. When the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the spirit of truth ; he is also called, Acts 11.4. The promise of the Father ; and Christ's Spirit, Rom. 8.9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his ; and Gal. 4.6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. Now the Spirit being one in essence, and undivided in Will and Essence with the Father and the Son, surely the Father will by, or because of the Spirit, dwelling in us, raise us again; for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are one and the same God.

2. His interest in, and nearness to us, he dwelleth in us : All dependeth upon that mark; he doth not say he worketh in us per modum actionis transeuntis ; so he worketh in those that resist his work, and shall perish forever; but per modum habitus permanentis ; as we are regenerated and sanctified, and the effects of his powerful Resurrection remain in those habits which constitute the new nature; so the Spirit is said to dwell in us; and in the former verse, Christ to be in us; if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, verse 10.

Doct. That the bodies of Believers shall be raised at the last day by the spirit of holiness which now dwelleth in them.

• 1. I shall a little open this inhabitation of the spirit.
• 2. Shew you why 'tis the ground and cause of our happy Resurrection.

1. For the first, the inhabitation of the Spirit. Dwelling may relate to a double Metaphor, either to the dwelling of a man in his house, or of God in his Temple; of a man in his house, 1 John 3.24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and be in him ; so it noteth his constant familiar presence; or of God in his Temple, 1 Cor. 6.16. Know ye not that you are the Temple of God, and the spirit of God dwelleth in you? Which noteth a sacred presence, that presence as a God to bless and sanctify; the spirit buildeth us up for so holy an use, and then dwelleth in us as our Sanctifier, Guide, and Comforter; the one maketh way for the other; first, a Sanctifier, and then a guide; as a ship is first well-rigg'd, and then a Pilot; and by both he comforts us; he hath regenerated and guided us in the way of holiness; first he sanctifieth and reneweth us, Tit. 3.5. But according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of Regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy ghost ; and John 3.6. That which is born of spirit is spirit. First, he buildeth his House or Temple, and then cometh and dwelleth in it. Secondly, He guideth and leadeth us in the ways of holiness, Rom. 15.14. And myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you also are full of godliness, filled with all knowledge. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit, Gal. 5.25. Before, we were influenced by Satan, Eph. 2.2. Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that now worketh in the children of disobedience. He put us upon anger, malice, envy, unclean lusts, and noisome and filthy ways, and we readily obeyed. 2 Tim. 2.28. And that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, who are taken captive at his will. But the old Inmate is cast out, and now we are guided and influenced by another Lord. Thirdly, He comforts us with the sense of God's fatherly love, and our eternal inheritance. Rom. 8.16. The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. 2 Cor. 2.22. Who hath also sealed us, and given us the earnest of the spirit into our hearts. By both he leaveth upon the soul a sweet taste and relish of spiritual and heavenly things.

2. Why this inhabitation is the ground of a blessed resurrection.

1. To preserve the order of the personal operations. To make this evident, consider,

1. That rising from the dead is a work of divine power ; for to him it belongeth to restore life, who gave life at first, 2 Cor. 1.10. Who hath delivered us from so great a death, &c. and is verified in plain experience.

2. That this divine power belongeth in common to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who being one and the same God, concurred in the same work; and whatever is done by the Father or Son, is done by the Spirit also; and whatever is done by the Spirit, is done by the Father and Son also: As for instance, apply it to the resurrection of Christ, or our resurrection: To the resurrection of Christ, 'tis ascribed to the Father, and God the Father who raised him from the dead. To God the Son in other places; Christ is said to rise again by his own virtue and power, Rom. 4.25. He died for our offenses, and rose again for our justification ; not raised only, but rose again. So the Spirit is said to raise Christ, Rom. 1.4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. So 1 Pet. 3.18. crucified in the flesh, and quickened in the spirit. So our resurrection ; we are raised by the Father: for in the Text 'tis said, we are raised by the spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead. We are raised by Christ, John 5.21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the son quickeneth whom he will. So by the Spirit we are raised, as in the Text, He shall quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you.

3. They all concur in a way proper to them. In all their personal operations 'tis ascribed to the Father as the first fountain of working, and spring and well-head of all grace, who doth all things from himself, and by the Son and Holy Ghost, as it refers to Christ's resurrection, and ours also; so Christ's resurrection 'tis ascribed to God and Father, who in the mystery of Redemption hath the relation of Supreme Judge, Acts 2.32. This Jesus hath God raised up: and Acts 10.40. Him hath God raised up the third day. And there is a special reason why it should be ascribed to God, as the Apostles when they stood upon their privilege, let them come and fetch us out, Acts 12.39. so the God of peace that brought again from the dead the great shepherd, &c. as referring it to his judicial power, Heb. 13.26. Tho Christ had power to rise, yet no authority; our Surety was fetched out of prison by the Judge. And then 'tis ascribed to Christ himself, Joh. 2.19. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up: which he spake of the temple of his body. To prove the Divinity of his Person, it was necessary that he should thus speak, or to prove himself to be God. John 10.18. I have power to lay down my life, and to take it up again: He could put a period to his sufferings when he pleased. So for the Holy Ghost, he raised Christ, because the Spirit sanctified his humanity, and by him the human nature of Christ was made partaker of created holiness, and so qualified to rise again when he had done his work; all the created gifts came from the spirit; and therefore they are called the anointing of the Holy Ghost, with which he was anointed. So to our resurrection, God raiseth the dead, as 'tis usually said in Scripture, and Christ raiseth the dead, Everyone that believeth on the son, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day, John 6.40. The spirit raiseth; and still in a way proper to each person; to understand which, we must observe that there are three ways of subsistence in the Divine Nature, which carry a great correspondence with the prime Attributes in God, which are Power, Wisdom, and Goodness: Power we conceive eminently in God the Father, it being the most obvious by which the Godhead is apprehended, and so proper to him who is the beginning of being and working, Rom. 1.20. His eternal power and Godhead are seen by the things which are made. Wisdom is appropriated to Christ, who is often represented in Scripture as the Wisdom of the Father, especially Prov. 8. And goodness to the Spirit, therefore often called the good Spirit, Neh. 9.20. and Psal. 143.10. Not but that all these agree to each person, for the Father is powerful, wise, and good; so the Son, and so the Holy Ghost; and love is sometimes appropriated to the Father; namely, the Fountain and original Love: But the Evangelical operative and communicative love of God is more distinctly ascribed to the Spirit, because all benefits come to the Creature this way; we have our natural being from him, Job 33.4. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. The first clause relateth to the body, the Spirit of the Lord hath made me; that is, framed the body; the second to the soul, that Spirit of Life that God breathed into man when his body was framed and organized to receive it; the Spirit created and formed in man the reasonable soul; so the new being which is communicated to us by the Redeemer through the covenant of Grace, Tit. 3.5, 6. Our glorious being, which is considered either as to soul or body; as to soul, the spirit is life because of righteousness ; as to body, the words of the Text. Well then, the Holy Ghost is the operative love of God, working from the Power of the Father, and Grace of the Son; and whatever the Father or Son doth, you must still suppose it to be communicated to us by the Spirit.

2. Because the Holy ghost is vinculum unionis, the bond of union between us and Christ. We are united to him, because we have the same Spirit which Christ had; there is the same Spirit in Head and Members, and therefore he will work like effects in you and him; if the Head rise, the Members will follow after, for this Mystical Body was appointed to be conformed to their Head; as in obedience and suffering, so in happiness and Glory, Rom. 8.29. Predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son. Christ was raised, therefore they shall be raised; Christ was raised by the Spirit of Holiness, so you are raised by the same power of the Holy Ghost; Christ is as tender of his Mystical Body as of his natural body, therefore will not lose one Member or Joint of it, Joh. 6.39. I must lose nothing; and the Spirit doth his office in you, as in him, for you are to be raised up with him, and as he was raised; we feel the power of our Resurrection in our Regeneration, and we feel the comfort of it in our being raised to glory: Head and Members do not rise by a different power; how then, you will say, are the wicked raised by Christ? They are raised ex officio judicis, but not beneficio Mediatoris, by him as a Judge, not by him as a Redeemer: There will be a Resurrection both of the wicked and the godly, the one by the power of Christ as Judge, the other by the power of his Spirit as Redeemer; the one are forced to appear, the other go joyfully to meet the Bridegroom; the one by Christ's power, as Judge, shall have the sentence of condemnation executed upon them; the other by virtue of Christ's Life and Resurrection shall enter into the possession of the blessed; a state of bliss and eternal life, wherein they shall enjoy God and Christ, and the company of Saints and Angels, and sing Hallelujahs forever.

3. Because the Spirit of Sanctification worketh in us that Grace which giveth us a right and title to this glorious estate ; For by Regeneration we are made children of God, and so children of the Resurrection, Luk: 20.35, 36. But they which shall be counted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the Angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Being admitted into his family here, we we may expect to be admitted into his presence hereafter: And the actual holiness, if we live to years of discretion, is necessarily required to a blessed and glorious resurrection, Gal. 6.8. If we sow to the flesh, we shall of our own flesh reap corruption; but if we sow to the spirit, we shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. There is no Harvest without sowing; and as the Seed is, so will the Harvest be; They that lavish out their time, and care, and estates, in feeding their own carnal desires, must expect a crop accordingly, which is death and destruction; but they that obey the spirit, and sow to righteousness, shall obtain eternal life; for till the cause of death be taken away, which is sin, we may fear a Resurrection, but cannot expect a resurrection to our comfort.

4. The spirit doth not only regenerate and convert us, which giveth us a right, but abideth in us as an earnest, Eph. 1.14. We were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession. Where observe Three Things, First, How the heirs of promise are distinguished from others: Secondly, The use of this mark and distinction. Thirdly, The time how long this abideth with us, and all this will fully prove the point in hand.

1. The mark of all those whom God admitteth into the Gospel State. They are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ; that is, secured, set apart, as those that have interest in the new Covenant, by that spirit of holiness which is promised to believers; for the spirit is called the promise of the Father; the renewing and sanctifying work of the spirit, or the image of Christ impressed upon the soul, is this seal; and the comfort and joy that floweth thence, is an appendage to it; as the work of Sanctification is more and more carried on, and is frui • full in holiness of life; so we are more and more distinguished as a people set apart to serve, and please, and enjoy the holy and blessed God. Now you that are exercised with so many doubts and scruples about your interest in the promise, would it not be exceeding comfortable to you, if you had your seal and warrant for a sincere claim to the privileges of the Gospel, by the saving graces of the spirit, or the impression of the image of Christ upon your hearts? You may be abundantly satisfied; for where these saving graces, and fruits of holiness are found, your right and interest in the promise of eternal life is clear and manifest; for this is the mark of the holy spirit, and the seed of life eternal.

2. The use for which the holy Spirit and saving graces, bestowed on them, serveth, is, to be the earnest of the inheritance. An earnest is a pledge or first part of a payment, which is an assurance or security that the rest of the whole price shall not fail to follow: So the Spirit and his Graces is the earnest given by God to confirm and assure the bargain, that at last he will bestow upon us our full portion, or salvation and eternal life its self: The presence and working of the spirit in our hearts, is this earnest; as soon as you give up yourselves to God in covenant, you have a right, but the Possession is delayed for a season; therefore he giveth us part in hand, to assure us he will bestow the whole in due time; for we need to be satisfied, not only as to our present right, but our future possession: The spirit and his work of grace received here, is glory begun; a part it is, though but a small part in regard of what is to ensue.

3. The time how long the use of this earnest is to continue, until the Redemption of the purchased possession. The words are somewhat obscure; What is the purchased possession? It's taken for the persons acquitted and purchased, that is to say, the Church and People of God, holy and sincere Christians; for they are Christ's possession whom he hath dearly bought, 1 Cor. 6.10. and recovered out of the hands of Satan their old possessor and master, Col. 1.13. The Redemption of them is still their full and final deliverance, Eph. 4.30. Whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption. Their deliverance is but begun now, and their bonds but in part loosed, but they are fully freed from the effects of sin at the last day, when death its self is abolished, and their bodies raised up in glory: The earnest is given, the holy spirit with his graces to abide with us till then; at that time there is no farther use of an earnest; for there is no place left for doubts and fears: Till this day comes, God's earnest abideth with us, that is, in our souls, till our bodies be reunited to them; and this fully proveth the matter in hand.

5. His respect to his old dwelling place; he once dwelled in our bodies as well as in our souls, 1 Cor. 6.19. Know you not that your bodies are Temples of the Holy Ghost. Our bodies was his Temple, and honored by his presence; he sanctified our bodies as well as our souls, 1 Thes. 5.23. I pray God sanctify you wholly, your whole spirit, soul and body. He sanctifieth the body, as he maketh it obedient to his motions, and a ready instrument to the soul; now when the body was given up to the spirit to be sanctified, it was consecrated to immortality; 'tis by the spirits sanctifying the soul, that it was made capable of seeing and loving God; so the body of serving the soul in our duties to God, now shall a Temple of God be utterly demolished? That body that was kept clean for the Holy Ghost to dwell in, and to be presented immaculate at the day of Christ, come to nothing? Indeed for a while it rotteth in the grave, but his interest in it is not made void by death, and his affection ceaseth not; this body was once his House and Temple, and he had a property in it, therefore he hath a love to our dust, and a care of our dust, and will raise it up again.

6. Because the great work of the spirit is to retrench our bodily pleasures, and to bring us to resolve by all means to save the soul, whatever becometh of the body in this world ; and to use the body for the service of the Lord Jesus Christ: Now the spirit would not put us upon the labors of the body, and take no care for the happiness of the body, these two always go together, 1 Cor. 6.13. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body: Christ expecteth service from the body, and gave up himself for the redemption of it, as well as the Soul, 1 Cor. 6.20. The body is his in a way of duty, and his in a way of charge; this reason should the more sink into you, because spirit and flesh are so opposed in Scripture: Flesh signifieth our inclinations to the bodily life, as spirit doth the bent and inclination of Soul to God and Heaven: the great work of the Holy Spirit is to subdue the lusts of the flesh, Rom. 8.13. If ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live ; if we obey him in his strivings against the flesh, Gal. 5.16. Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Christ giveth us his spirit to draw us off from bodily pleasures, that tasting Manna, the diet of Egypt may have no more relish with us. So Gal. 5.24. They that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof: They hold a severe hand over all the appetites and passion of the flesh; and Rom. 13.14. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Do not addict yourselves to pamper and please the body. One great part of practical Religion, is to bring us to love the pleasures that are proper to the immortal Soul, above the sottish and brutish pleasures of the body. Well then, was Religion intended only to make a great part of us miserable, which part yet is the workmanship of God's hands, when there is so much hardship put upon the body, such labors, and pains, such care and watchfulness? his very self-denial is an argument, that the spirit in us thus commanding and governing us, is a pledge of Glory.

7. There is in the Soul a desire of the happiness of the body: not only a natural desire to live with it, as its loving mate, and companion, which maketh us loath to part wi •• it: and if the will of God were so, the Saints would not be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life, 2 Cor. 5.4. They would desire not to put off these bodies, at least not to part with them finally. But a spiritual desire enkindled in us by the Holy Ghost that now dwelleth in us; for the Apostle addeth, v 5. He that wrought us for the self same thing is God. God hath framed us to desire this Impassible, Eternal, and Immutable life in our bodies, as well as our Souls. More plainly elsewhere, Rom. 8.23. We that have the first fruits of the spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. That is, the Resurection of the Body; to be redeemed from the hands of the grave: Mark, these groans are stirred up in them by the first fruits of the spirit; now would the Holy Ghost stir up these groans and desires, if he never meant to satisfy them? That were to mock us, and vex us, which cannot be imagined of the Holy Spirit. Well then, since these desires are of God's own framing, raised up in us by his spirit, they will not be disappointed, but will in time be fulfilled.

8. From the nature of death : Death is that power which God hath given the Devil over men, by reason of sin, Heb. 2.14. That he might destroy him that had the power of death, even the Devil. The power of separating Soul and Body, and keeping us from eternal life; God inflicteth it as a Judge, but the Devil as an Executioner: he is not dominus mortis, sed minister mortis: The Devil enticeth them to sin, by which they deserve death, and the sting of death is sin, 1 Cor. 15.56. The Devil hath the power of death; as carnal men are taken captive in his snares, 2 Tim. 2.26. And when they die, he may have an hand in their torments; while men live, they are in the House of God, are under the protection of God, and have the offers of grace; but if they harden their hearts, and despise these offers, they are cast forth with the Devil and his Angels: The judge giveth them over to the Gaoler, and the Gaoler casts them into prison, from whence they come not forth, till they have paid the utmost farthing, Luke 12.58. But Christ came to deliver us from this; and all that embrace his salvation, the spirit puts them into a state of freedom, and liberty of the children of God. And as to them, Satan is put out of office, he cannot keep them from entering into eternal life: The power of death is taken from him, and therefore though their bodies be kept for a while under the state of death; yet at length the spirit freeth them from the bondage of corruption, and bringeth them into the glorious liberty of the Children of God: They shall at length rejoice and triumph in God; O death where is thy sting! O Grave where is thy victory! 1 Cor. 15.55, 56, 57. They die as well as others, but death is not the power of the Devil over them; but one of those saving means by which God worketh their life and happiness; 'tis the beginning of immortality, and the gate and entrance into life: They are not in the custody and power of the Devil, as the spirits in prison, and the bodies of the wicked are, but in the hand and custody of the Holy Ghost. Thy dead man shall live; with my body shall they arise: Isa. 26.19. The key of the grave is in Christ's hand, he is the guardian of their dust, keepeth their bones. Well then, if the spirit of Christ hath freed them from the snares of sin, he hath freed you also from the bands of death: or as 'tis said in the Revelations, if you have part in the first resurrection, the second death hath no power over you: Rev. 10.6. That is, you shall not be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; The good spirit hath prevailed over the evil spirit, and therefore your resurrection will be joyful.

VSE. Let us give up ourselves to the Holy Spirit as our sanctifyer; set open your hearts, that he may come into them as his habitation; do not receive him guestwise, in a pang, or for a turn, or in some solemn duty; but see that he dwelleth in you as an inhabitant in his house. A man is not said to dwell in an Inn, where as a stranger or wayfaring man, he goeth aside to tarry for a night; or in the house of a friend, where he resorteth; no, use all Christ's Holy means, that he may fix his abode in your hearts; that he may dwell there, as at home, in his own house, that he may be reverenced there as a God in his Temple.

Motives. 1. He richly requiteth us : he keepeth up the house and temple where he dwelleth: The spirit is our seal and earnest. The spirit of God and of glory resteth upon you, 1 Pet. 4.14.

2. The heart of man is not a waste ; you will have a worse guest there, if not the Holy Spirit: Satan dwelleth and worketh in the Children of disobedience. 1 Sam. 16. • . But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled; him and Eph. 2.2. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience ; and Eph. 4.27. Neither give place to the Devil. That cursed inmate will enter, if we give place to him, and hearken to his motions; So that then he will make the body a sink of sin, and a dunghill of corruption: tempts you to scandalous sins, which do not only waste the body for the present, but is a pledge of eternal damnation.

3 Consider how many deceive themselves with the hopes of a Glorious Resurrection. Alas! they are strangers to the Spirit; it may be not to his transcient motions; (they resist the Holy Ghost, which will be their greater condemnation) but to his constant residence; for where he dwelleth, he maketh them more Heavenly, acquainting them with God, Col. 1.6. more Holy, that is his office to sanctify; 1 Pet. 1.22. To love God more, for he is the operative love of God, Rom. 5.5. 1 John 4.15. To hate sin more, that bringeth death; and his business is to come as a pledge of life. Alas! in most, the spirit that dwelleth in them lusteth to envy, are ruled by an unclean spirit, by the spirit of the world, 1 Cor. 2.12. have no love to God, no real hatred of sin.

2. VSE. Live in obedience to his sanctifying motions, Rom. 8.14. As many as are led by the spirit, are the sons of God. The spirit of God by which you are guided and led, is that divine and potent spirit that raised up Christ's dead body out of the grave; and if you be led and governed by him, you shall be raised by the power of the same spirit that raised Christ's Body: his power is the cause, but your right is by his sanctification.

3. VSE. Use your bodies well: possess your vessel in sanctification and honor ; 1 Thes. 4.4.

1. Offer up yourselves to God. For every Temple must be dedicated, Rom. 12.1. I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, Rom. 6.13. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead.

2. When devoted to God, take heed you do not use them to sensuality and filthiness: which wrong the body both here and hereafter; the pleasures of the body cannot recompense the pains of your surfeit, or intemperance; much less eternal torments: for what will be the issue? if you live after the flesh, Rom. 8.13. you must die ; therefore you should daily keep the flesh in a subordination to the spirit, 1 Pet. 2.11. I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, that ye abstain from fleshly lusts. To please and gratify the flesh, is to wrong the Soul.

3. We should deny ourselves even lawful pleasures, when they begin to exercise a dominion over us, 1 Cor. 6.12. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 'It is a miserable servitude to be brought under the power of any pleasure, either in meat, drink, or recreations; enchanted with the witchery of gaming, though it grieve the spirit, wrong the soul, defraud God of his time, rob the poor of what should feed charity, yet they are enslaved.

SERMON XV.

I N the Words we have,

• 1. A note of Inference.
• 2. The truth inferred : In this latter we find,
  • 1. A Compellation, Brethren.
  • 2. An Assertion, That we ars debtors.
  • 3. An instance or exemplification, to whom we are debtors. The negative is expressed, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh ; and the affirmative is implied, and must be supplied out of the Context, To the spirit, to live in obedience to the holy spirit.

1. The Inference, (therefore) he reasoneth from their privileges ; the privilege is asserted v. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit : 'It is applied to the Christian Romans, v. 9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. These reasonings are pertinent and insinuative from the privilege asserted; Exhortation must follow Doctrine, for then it pierceth deeper, and sticketh longer. On the other side, Doctrine becometh more lively, when there is an edge set upon it by Exhortation, from the privilege implied; certainly privileges infer duty, and therefore having comforted them with the remembrance of their condition, he doth also mind them of their obligation, Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit; therefore we are are not debtors to the flesh, to walk after the flesh ; but to walk after the spirit.

2. The truth inferred ; Where first observe the compellation, (Brethren) a word of love and equality ; of love to sweeten the exhortation; for men are unwilling to displease the flesh; of equality, for he taketh the same obligation upon himself; this debt bindeth all, high and low, learned or unlearned, ministers or people; greatness doth not exempt from this bond, nor meanness exclude it.

2. The assertion, that we are debtors. Man would fain be sui juris, at his own dispose; affecteth a supremacy and dominion over his own actions, Psal. 12.4. Our tongues are our own, who is Lord over us ? But this can never be; we were made by another, and for another, therefore we are debtors, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 .

3. The exemplification, to whom: Negatively, not to the flesh ; this is expressly denied for two reasons, because the flesh maketh a claim to us; it hath a double claim, one by usurpation ; when God is laid aside, self interposeth as the next heir; and that which we count our self, is the flesh, which doth all in all with men; the other is in pretence, it seemeth to challenge a right by God's allowance; something is due to the body, and no man yet ever hated his own flesh; but we must distinguish of flesh as 'tis taken for the body, and natural substance; so we are debtors to the body by necessity of nature, for we owe it Food, and Physic, and Raiment: As 'tis taken for corrupt nature, which inclineth us to seek the happiness of the body and bodily life, without God, and apart from God, so we owe nothing to the flesh, so as to obey its lusts, or frame our lives according to the desires of it; we owe it hatred, but not obedience; the motions of corrupt nature tend to feed the habits of sin, sensuality, pride, worldliness, thence come ignorance, unbelief. 2. Positively, we are debtors to the spirit ; to be led by the spirit v. 14. The spirit mindeth us of our duty, externally, by the word; internally, by his sacred motions and inspirations, restraining us from sin, Rom. 8.13. If ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live : quickening us to holiness, Gal. 5.25. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.

Doct. That believers are debtors, not to the flesh, but to the spirit.

I shall prove it by considering them in a double capacity.

• 1. With respect to the order of nature.
• 2. Or the condition of their spiritual being : Take them as Men or Christians ; if you look upon them as Men, they are debtors to God for all they have, if you look upon them as Christians that have received the Faith of Christ, they are much more debtors not to the flesh, but to the spirit.

1. With respect to the order of nature; man is debtor, for he is a dependant creature; not an Owner, or a Lord, but a steward: I prove it by Two Arguments; We depend upon God for being and preservation, and therefore we are debtors to God for all that we have. Secondly, And depending upon God, we are accountable to him; or thus, God that is a Creator and Preserver, is therefore an Owner; and being an Owner, is therefore a Governor and Ruler, and by consequence a Judge; his being a Creator goeth before his being an Owner, and his being an Owner goeth before his being a Ruler, and is the foundation of it; for his absolute propriety in us giveth him a power and dominion over us; and there are two parts of his governing power, Legislation, and Execution or Judgment.

1. His being a Creator maketh him an Owner : We have nothing but what we have from God; nothing that we ourselves can keep one moment without God; and therefore we have nothing but what is for God; for we hold it at his will and pleasure, Ezek. 18.4. All souls are mine ; and Prov. 16.4. God hath made all things for himself ; and Rom. 11.36. For of him, and to him, and through him are all things. Among men, whosoever maketh anything by his own proper art and labor, and that of his own stuff, must needs have a full right to it, and a full power to dispose of it: No man ever made anything but of matter preexisting; but God made all things out of nothing; and therefore if he that planteth a vineyard hath right to eat of the fruit thereof, certainly he that gave us life and being, and made us after his own image to serve and worship him, hath a full right in man, to dispose of man, and all the rest of his creatures, as being the work of his hands: He that gave them their being when they were not, and still supporteth them now they are, hath an undoubted just right to order them according to his own will and pleasure.

2. His being an Owner, qualifieth him for being a Ruler: For the dominion of Jurisdiction is founded in the dominion of Property; we are his own, therefore we are his subjects, Matth. 20.15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Surely be that possesseth all things, hath full right to govern all things; as Parents have an authority over their children, who are a means under God to give them life and education; the most barbarous nations have acknowledged the Authority of Parents; how much greater then is the Authority of God, who hath given us life and breath, being and well-being, and all things? He created us out of nothing, and being created, he preserveth us, and giveth us all the good things which we enjoy, and therefore we are obliged to him to be subject to him, and to obey all his holy laws, and to be accountable to him for the breach thereof: The supereminent excellency of his nature giveth him a sufficiency for the government of mankind; and Creation and Preservation gave him a full right to make what laws he pleaseth, and to call man to an account whether he hath kept them, yea or no: The right of God is greater than the right of Parents; for in natural generation they are but instruments of his Providence, acting only the power which God giveth them, and the Parents propagate to the children nothing but the master of the body, and such things as belong to the body, called therefore the fathers of our flesh, Heb. 12.9. Yea, in framing the body, God hath a greater hand than they, for they cannot tell whether the Child will be Male or Female, beautiful or deformed; know not the number and posture of the Bones, and Nerves, and Arteries, and Sinews; God formeth these things in the Womb, Zech. 12.1. And formed the spirit of man within him. All that they can do, cometh to nothing without God's blessing; so that God is the governor of all creatures visible and invisible, from whose Empire and Jurisdiction they neither can nor ought to exempt themselves.

3. There are two parts of Government or Jurisdiction, Legislation and Judgment, as the Lord is called, Isa. 33.22. Our King, our Lawgiver, our Judge: First, as the Lawgiver : He by his Precepts showeth what is due from man to God, Micah 6.8. He hath shown thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord thy God requireth of thee. The way of pleasing God is clearly revealed: Many things the light of natural conscience calleth for, Rom. 2.14. But the light of the Holy Scripture much more, Psal. 147.19, 20. He hath shown his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel; he hath not dealt so with any nation : If we are contentious, and obey not the truth, and against the light of Scripture and reason gratify our brutish lusts, we disclaim God's Authority, and do not carry ourselves as debtors to the spirit, but the flesh. Secondly, Judgment or Execution : God's Laws are not a vain scare-crow, we are accountable for our obedience or disobedience to them: Two things come into the judgment, the Laws, the Benefits and advantages given us to keep them; first, the laws, 2 Thes. 1.8. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel ; and Rom. 2.12. For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law. Secondly, Benefits and Abilities given us to keep them, Luke 19.23. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required my own with usury? Every benefit we receive from God, increaseth the debt; we are accountable for all these gifts of Grace we have received from God; they are bona, things good in their own nature; they are dona, things freely given and delivered to us; and talenta, a trust for which we are to be accountable; not as money is given to a beggar, but as an estate put into the hands of a Factor; as bona, we must esteem them according to their just value; as dona, with thankfulness; as talenta, with faithfulness. Well then, since we have received our whole being from God, with all the appendant benefits, and since we have it for his use and service; we have all that we have upon these terms, to use it for his glory; it clearly followeth, that we are debtors not to the flesh, which inclineth us to please ourselves; but to the spirit, which inclineth us to please God.

4. I shall add one propoposition more, that this debt and obligation cannot be dissolved ; for as long as we depend upon God in being and operation, so long we are bound to God: Man hath principium & finem, a principle upon which he dependeth, and an end to which he is appointed; a superior to whom he is subject, and to whom he must give an account.

1. This power and right cannot be alienated by us, or vacated and made void by our sin; we indeed sold ourselves for naught, but that was to our own loss, not to God's, Isa. 52.3. He hath a full right to command us to keep the law: Whether we be faulty or innocent; a drunken servant is a servant, though disabled to do his masters work; no man's right can be vacated without his consent, for the default of another doth not make void our right, especially if inferiors; as the rebellion of the subject doth not exempt him from the power of his Prince.

2. God doth not make it away, by bestowing his gifts on the creature; for he hath given us only dispensationem, the employment of these things; not dominium, the sovereign power over them; man hath nothing that is his own, but as he hath it from God, so for God; as to life, man is not dominus vitae, but custos ; this is true not only of life, but of time, wealth, strength, parts, yea, of all that we have and are; there is an higher Lord, to whom by the law of our creation we owe the debt of duty, love and obedience; and to whom we are accountable for the mercies of his daily Providence, and who hath an absolute and uncontrollable right in all that we have and are; all our owning, is but a stewardship, Luke 16.2. We have a right to prevent the encroachment of our fellow creatures, but not a right to exclude our accountableness and obligation to God; we have a right by way of charge and trust, as a steward in things committed to him, or a factor in the estate consigned to his hands, or a workman in his Tools and Instruments which the Master giveth him to do his work withal; but not an absolute independent right; they are not ours to use as we think meet: When God disposed his gifts, he did not dispossess himself; as the Husbandman did not intend to throw away his seed, when he scattereth it in the furrows of the earth, but soweth it to receive it again with increase.

3. This right in us is so inherent in God, and proper to him, that God himself cannot communicate it to another : For he hath told us that he will not give his glory to another; to make the creature independent, is to make it no creature: God is God still, and the creature is a creature still, obnoxions to the law of its Creator, or else to his punishment for the breach of it; it implieth a contradiction, that he should cut off the creature from dependence upon himself, and therefore from subjection to himself; while God is God, and we are creatures, there will be a debt due from us to him, because we depend upon him for our being and preservation; our petty interests may be alienated, as a Lord may make his vassal absolutely free, or a Prince his Subject▪ as Saul proclaimed, That whosoever encountered Goliath, he would make his house free in Israel, 1 Sam. 17.25. That is, free from Taxes, Imposts, services in War, but not free from being a subject; but no creature can be exempted from duty to God, or made free from this debt; for dependence upon God, and our subjection to him, are so twisted together, that the one cannot be without the other: We wholly depend upon him for being, and all things else, and therefore we must be wholly subject to him. Well then, consider man in the order of Creation, and he is a debtor to God, not to his own flesh; bound to refer his service, strength, time, care, life and love to him, from whom he received them; these are sound reasonings not to be reproved.

Secondly, By the condition of their spiritual being, so they are much more debtors to God: and therein consider,

1. The foundation on which this new estate is built, and that is our Redemption by Christ. This doth infer the debt mentioned in the Text, whether we respect the state from whence we were redeemed, the price paid for us, or the end why we were redeemed: The state from whence we were redeemed, was a state of woeful eaptivity; from God's debtors we became Satan's slaves: Now if a captive were ransomed by another man's money, his life, service and strength did belong to the buyer, for he is his money, Exod. 21.21. Christ hath bought us from a worse slavery, therefore all that we have, belongeth to him; we are debtors; so for the price that was paid for our ransom as from the worst slavery, so with the greatest price, 1 Pet. 1.18. We are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Now this maketh us debtors, and destroyeth all right and property in ourselves, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. Ye are not your own, ye are brought with a price, therefore glorify God with your bodies and souls, which are God's. Take in the end, and the Argument is the more conclusive; he hath redeemed us to God, Rev. 5.8. Rom. 14.4. For to this end Christ both died and arose again, and revived; that he might be Lord both of dead and living. Well then, we are not to live as we list, but to live unto God; not debtors to the flesh, to live after the flesh, but debtors to the spirit, to be led by the Spirit of God; ex ordine justici, justice requireth this, we are the Lord's.

2. The benefit of this spiritual new being its self, or our regeneration inferreth it ; For we are justified and sanctified, and by both obliged, and also inclined to live unto God; obliged, for these benefits of Christ's Righteousness and Spirit given to us, are such excellent benefits, that for them we owe our whole selves to God; if Paul could tell Philemon, thou owest thyself to me, Phil. 1.9. because he had been an instrument in converting him to God; How much more is our obligation to Christ, who is the principal Author and proper efficient cause of this grace? surely we owe our whole selves, and strength, and time, and service to him, jure beneficiario, as God's beneficiaries, we are in debt to him as our benefactor; and not only obliged but inclined by the gift of Christ's Righteousness and Spirit; he hath formed us for this very thing, and fitted to perform the more easily what we owe to God: Every thing is fitted for its use, so we are prepared and fitted for the new life, and all the duties that belong thereunto, Eph. 2.10. We are his workmanship in Christ Jesus, created unto good works. The new creature is put by its proper use, if we live after the flesh; for all this cost and workmanship is bestowed upon us in vain, if it doth not fit us to live unto God.

3. Our own Vow and Covenant sworn, and entered into by Baptism. Baptism doth infer this debt, for there we renounced the flesh, and gave up ourselves to God as our proper Lord; Baptism is a vowed death to sin, and a solemn obligation to live unto God; therefore every Christian must reckon himself dead to sin, Rom. 6.11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God ; and Col. 3.3, 5. Ye are dead, therefore mortify your members ; and Rom. 6.2. How shall ye that are dead unto sin, live any longer therein? He argueth not ab impossibili, but ab incongruo ; for a baptized person, or one that is entered into the Oath of God; and being made servants of God, we are bound to live in all new obedience. 1 Pet. 3.21. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth now save us: not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God. The answer of a good conscience saveth.

4. In regard of the benefits we do hereafter expect from Christ, our resurrection, and glorious estate in heaven: That is mentioned ver. 11. as binding us to the spiritual life: Certainly where we have received good, and expect more good things, we are the more obliged to obedience. From the flesh we can look for nothing but shame and death; but from the Spirit, life and peace. Therefore in prudence we are bound to make the best choice for ourselves, and to live not carnally, but spiritually. Sin never did us any good office; nor can you expect anything from it for the future; it hath never done you good, and will do you eternal hurt; and are you so much in love with sin, as to displease your God, and lose your souls for it, which might otherwise be saved in a way of obedience to the Spirits sanctifying motions? This Argument is again repeated in the 13 th ver. if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. That we might seriously consider it, Can the flesh give you a sufficient reward to recompense the pains you incur by satisfying it.

1. VSE is Information: It informeth us of divers Truths.

1. If your obedience be a debt, then there can be no merit in it: for what is debitum, is not meritorium: Luke 17.10. When ye have done all that is commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; We have done that which was our duty to do. We owe ourselves, and all that we have, are, and possibly can do, to God, by whom we live and are; and therefore deserve no further benefit at his hands. Put case we should do all, yet in how many things are we come short? Therefore surely God is not bound to reward us by any right or justice arising from the merit of the action its self, but only he is inclined so to do by his own goodness, and bound so to do by his free promise. The creature oweth its self wholly to God, who made it; and God standeth in such a degree of eminency, so far above us, that we can lay no obligation upon him. Aristotle said well, That children could never merit of their parents ; and all their kindness and duty they perform towards them, is but a just recompense to them from whom they received their being. If no merit between Children and Parents, surely not between God and men.

2. When a believer gratifieth the flesh, 'tis not of right, but tyrannous usurpation. For he is not a debtor to the flesh, he oweth it no obedience. Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, Rom. 6.11, 14. Sin shall not reign; it may play the Tyrant: Chrysostom saith, That a Child of God may be overtaken through inadvertency, or overborn by the impetuous desires of the flesh, and do something which his heart alloweth not; his sins are sins of passion rather than design; and though the reign of sin be disturbed, yet 'tis not cast off. Our lives should declare whose servants and debtors we are: for whom do you do most? Your lives must give sentence for you, whether you are debtors to the flesh, or to the spirit. If you spend your time in making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof, Rom. 13.14. you are debtors to the flesh. If you check the flesh, and tame it, cut off its provisions, though now and then it will break out, you are not debtors to the flesh, but the spirit. The flesh may rebel for a time, but the grace of the spirit reigneth. Some are wholly governed by their fancies and humors, or the passions, appetites, and desires of the flesh; are carried on headlong by their own carnal and corrupt inclinations to every sense pleasing object, are not masters of themselves in anything, but serve divers lusts and pleasures, against the dictates of their own reason and conscience. Now 'tis easy to pronounce sentence concerning them. Others who are led by the Spirit of God to the earnest pursuit of heavenly things: Now these, though so often fomented to self-pleasing and compliance with their lusts and corrupt inclinations, yet the heavenly mind hath the mastery, they complain of this tyranny, are grieved for it, troubled, and do by degrees overcome it.

3. It informeth us what answer we should make when we are tempted to please the flesh. Say, We are not debtors: When Satan tempteth, or sin enticeth, say, I owe thee nothing, I have all from God: if the flesh tempteth to neglect your callings, to mis-spend your time, say, This time is the Lord's; as the Apostle, 1 Cor. 6.15. Shall I take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? Luther speaketh of a Virgin that would answer all temptations with this, Baptizata sum, I am baptized. So the faithful hath but this to answer to every tempter and temptation, I am dedicated to God; or, I am the Lord's: This soul, this body, this time, this strength, is his; my business is not to please the flesh, but to please the Lord. Nothing will be such an help in defeating temptations, as to consider his full right and interest in us, and how justly he may expect fidelity from us, from whom we receive and expect all things.

2. USE is, To exhort us to pay the debt of obedience. Common honesty requireth that every man pay his debts: Now we are debtors unto God.

1. Consider how reasonable this debt is, that creatures should serve their Creator; that those that cannot live of themselves, should not live to themselves; and not do what they please, but what they ought. If God should put us to preserve ourselves, or keep ourselves but for one day, how soon should we disappear, and return into our original nothing! As God sendeth his people to their idols for deliverance, Judge. 10.14. Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen, let them deliver you in the time of tribulation. This would make the case sensible, If you can keep yourselves, please yourselves. As protection draweth allegiance, so doth dependence enforce subjection. Since therefore in him we live, and move, and have our being, let us live to him, and for him.

2. Consider how unavoidable it is. You are the Lord's whether you will or no. No creature is free from this debt; not the Angels, who have many immunities above us; yet Psal. 103.20, 21. Bless the Lord ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word: bless ye the Lord all ye his hosts, ye ministers of his that do his pleasure. Not the human nature of Christ, Gal. 4.4. The Devil and wicked men are, but 'tis against their wills: But his people are a voluntary people, Psal. 110.3. they own God's right in them; his they are, and him they will serve, Acts 27.23.

3. How comfortable the debt is made by God's new title of redemption. The former ceased not, but will continue whilst there is a relation between the creature and the Creator. But this is a power cumulative, not destructive, but superadded to the former; and is more comfortable and beneficial to us, that Christ would set us in joint again, and restore the creature to a capacity of serving and pleasing God. O what a blessed thing is it to take a law of duty out of the hand of a Mediator! a double advantage, both to assistance and acceptance ; now God will help us, and will accept of it, as we can perform it; from the Mediator we have this spirit, and his righteousness ; first, his spirit to help us, and give us grace to serve God acceptably, to break the bondage of sin, Rom. 8.2. To help us against it, all along, v. 13. and by his spirit of Grace we are enabled to love him, and serve him, whom I serve in the spirit ; and the more we use this grace, the more 'tis increased up •• us; and the more we pay this debt, the more we are enabled to pay, Prov. 10.29. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright. We grow the richer for paying, for we pay God out of his own Exchequer, 1 Chron. 29.14. Of thine own have we given thee. 1 Cor. 15.10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. The laborious diligent soul hath more abundance of his spirit. Secondly, As we have his Righteousness; God accepts of our imperfect endeavors, Eph. 1.6. He hath made us accepted in the beloved, Mal. 3.17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. This double comfort we have by the Mediator.

4. The debt is increased by every benefit which we receive from God, Luke 12.48. To whom much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him will they ask more. As our gifts increase, so doth our debt; as our debt, so doth our account; they that have received most, are bound to love him more, and serve him better, because they are more in debt than others.

5. How necessary it is for us to be debtors to God. If not debtors to God, we are debtors to the flesh; there is no medium ; and if debtors to the flesh, servants to every base lust, Tit. 3.3. Serving divers lusts; quam multos habet dominos qui unum habere ne vult. We are slaves to everything, if not debtors to God, and behave ourselves as such. Every fancy and humor captivateth us.

6. By paying this debt, we receive more than we pay in present comfort and peace, but certainly in future glory and blessedness, Rom. 6.22. Ye have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life. The fruit of holiness for the present is peace, no greater comfort than in the discharge of our duty, Gal. 6.16. As many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them.

7. If we pay not the debt of obedience, we incur the debt of punishment, Matt. 6.11. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ; and Rom 6.23. The wages of sin is death. A man by pleasing the flesh runneth himself further in debt than all the gain he gets by sin doth amount unto, be it never so pleasing and profitable; he runneth in debt to God's Justice, which at length will take him by the Throat, and say, Pay what thou owest; it will cast you into the prison of Hell, and you shall not depart thence till you have paid the utmost mite, Luke 12.59. For the present it bringeth you trembling of conscience, and hereafter eternal vengeance; these things should be minded, because the Devil gets into our hearts by the back-door of sensual affections, he doth not bring the temptation to our reason. To consider it as a remedy,

• 1. Own the debt by directing yourselves to God : Everyone should have his own; give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's, Mat. 22.21. Nothing more reasonable than that God should have his own, 2 Cor. 8.5. They first gave themselves to the Lord.
• 2. Keep a constant reckoning how you lay out yourselves for God, Phil. 1.21. To me to live is Christ. Neh. 1.11. The Lord show me favor in the sight of this man, for I have been the kings cupbearer.
• 3. Pray God to bless you, and ever keep in remembrance the former debt, 1 Cor. 6.15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

SERMON XVI.

H ERE is another Reason rendered why Christians should not live after the flesh; before, a debito ; now a damno ; or if you will take the whole Verse, you have the danger of the carnal life, and the benefit of the spiritual; both Propositions are hypothetical or conditional, both include perseverance in either course: The Apostle saith not, If you have lived after the flesh, ye shall die: All have lived after the flesh before they lived after the spirit; and in the other part, if ye go on to mortify; in the one branch the doom is heavy death, not only temporal, but eternal; in the other the boon or benefit is as much as we can desire, and far more than we can ever deserve or requite; both have their use, for man is apt to be moved by hope or fear; if honesty and duty will not persuade us, yet danger and benefit may have an influence upon us.

Let us now consider the first clause, where death is propounded as the necessary consequent of carnal living; we need not only milk, but salt; as milk to nourish the new creature, so salt to fret out the corruption of the old man: A sore penalty is threatened to them that fulfil the desires and inclinations of the flesh; we buy carnal delights at too dear a rate, when we must die eternally to enjoy them.

Doct. That God threateneth those that live after the flesh, with eternal death and destructiion.

I shall speak to this Point.

• 1. By way of Explication.
• 2. By way of Confirmation.

In the Explication I shall show you,

• 1. What is meant by flesh.
• 2. What by living after the flesh.
• 3. What is the death threatened.

2. By way of Confirmation. 1. That this threatening is every way consistent with the Wisdom, and Goodness of God. Secondly, The certainty of its being accomplished and fulfilled.

First, by way of Explication. 1. What is meant by flesh.

1. The flesh is sometimes taken for the natural bodily substance, that corporeal mass we carry about us : so 'tis said, No man ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it, and cherisheth it, Eph. 5.29. The body is a part of us, and deserveth due care, that it might be an holy Temple for the Spirit to dwell in, and sanctify, and make use of it for God.

2. For corruption of nature, which inclineth us wholly to things grateful to the body and bodily life, with the neglect of God, and our precious immortal souls, John 3.6. That which is born of flesh, is flesh : Now flesh in this latter sense is taken,

• 1. Largely.
• 2. Strictly.

First, Largely, For the whole dunghill of Corruption, in whatever faculty it is seated, in the Understanding, Will, or rational Appetite; so Gal. 5.17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit ; that is, corrupt nature.

2. Strictly, Or in a limited sense, for the corruption of the sensual Appetite, 1 John 2.16. All that is in the world is either the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or pride of life. Sensuality is expressed by the lust of the flesh; and Eph. 2.3. Fulfilling the wills of the flesh, and of the mind. As 'tis taken more generally for natural corruption, both in Will, Mind, and Affections; so more particularly for the disorder of the sensual Appetite, which carrieth us to Meats, Drinks, Riches, Pleasures, Honors; therefore there are two Branches, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Flesh must not be confined to this latter sense, but taken in the latitude of the former; we read of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , The wisdom of the flesh, Rom. 8.7. and of a fleshly mind, Col. 2.18. Man is a corrupt carnal creature in all his faculties of the soul, even those which are more noble, the Understanding and Will; and when the Apostle reckoneth up the works of the flesh, Gal. 5.19. He doth not only reckon up Fornication, and Adultery, Uncleanness, Wantonness, which belong to the sensual Appetite; but Idolatry, and Heresy, which are the fruits of blind and corrupt Reason; and Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Sedition, Envyings, Murder, which belong to the depraved Will; we must take flesh then in the largest sense.

Secondly, What it is to live after the flesh. Living doth not note one single action, but the trade, course, and strain of our conversations; they are said to live after the flesh, where the flesh is their principle, their work, and their scope.

1. Where it is the governing principle, or that spring which sets all the Wheels a going. Once it was thus with us all; we were wholly acted by the inclinations and desires of the flesh, and did nothing but what the flesh moved us unto, and therefore natural men are said to be in the esh, Rom. 8.8. and after the flesh, v. 5. and to serve divers lusts and pleasures, Tit. 3.3. But when our cure is wrought, we are acted by another principle, the spirit or new nature, Rom. 8.1. and Gal. 5.16. Not that the old principle is quite abolished, 'tis in us still, Gal. 5.17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit lusteth against the flesh. And 'tis in us not as dead, but as working and operative, and there is a mixture of the respective influence and efficacy of these two principles in every action; yea, in some actions a prevalency of the one above the other: The worser part in a particular conflict may get the upper hand; yet there is a sensible difference between the people of God and others; the better principle is habitual and constant, and in predominancy, and doth not only check and thwart the other, but overcome it; and the interest of the flesh decreaseth, and that of the spirit prevaileth, and keepeth the carnal part in subjection; but when the flesh is the chiefest principle that beareth rule in our hearts, and we are acted and guided by it in our course of life, we live after the flesh.

2. Their work and trade, or the business of their lives; men are said to live after the flesh, that wholly mind the things of the flesh, Rom. 8.5. That take no other care, but to spend their time, wit, and estate upon the service of their own fleshly lusts; their whole life, study, and labor is to please the flesh, and satisfy the flesh: If God gets anything from them, 'tis but for fashion sake, and 'tis only the flesh's leavings, so Gal. 5.8. To sow to the flesh ; there is their business, To make provision for the flesh, Rom. 13.14. Neglecting God, and the eternal welfare of their precious and immortal souls; be it in the way of sensuality, or be it in the way of worldliness, all their toiling, and excessive care and pains, are for the worldly life; in short, they follow after earthly things with greatest earnestness, and spiritual things in an overly, formal and careless manner. A carnal man may do many things in Religion, which are good and worthy: Man that hath an Appetite, hath also a conscience; though the flesh is importunate to be pleased, and unwilling to be crossed, that it giveth way to a little superficial duty, that conscience may be pacified, and so its self may be pleased with the less disturbance. Religion is but taken on as a matter by the by, as you give way to a servant to go upon his own errand. Nay, sometimes the flesh doth not only give leave, but it sets them a work to hide a lust, or feed a lust; to hide a lust from the world, as in Hypocrites, as the Pharisees made their worship serve their rapine, Matth. 3.14. Or from their own consciences; every man must have some Religion; therefore the flesh alloweth a few services that it may the more securely possess the heart; 'tis not for the interest of the flesh, to have too much Religion, nor none at all; the carnal life must have some devotion to cover i • , that men may take courage in sin the more freely: Or feed a lust; pride or vain-glory may put men on preaching or praying before others, Phil. 1.16, 17. The one preac • eth Christ out of contention. Or give alms, Matth: 6.1. take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of men ; and a sacrifice may be brought with an evil mind, Prov. 21.27. The devil careth not what means we use, so he may have his ends; that is, to keep men in a carnal condition.

3. That make it their scope, end, and happiness. That is our scope and end that solaceth our minds, and sweeteneth our labors; that which they aim at is to be rich and great in the world, or enjoy their pleasure without remorse, Phil. 3.19. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, they mind earthly things. That is our God which lieth next our hearts, to which we offer our actions, and from which we fetch our inward complacency, be it the pleasing of the flesh, or being accepted with God; all their delight and contentment is to have the flesh pleased in some worldly thing; this giveth them a joy and rest of mind, and quencheth all sentiments of Religion, and delight in God; they that aim at Pardon, Grace, and Glory, no worldly thing will satisfy them: God and Heaven are preferred above all the Pleasures, Honors and Profits they can enjoy here, Psal. 4.7. Thou hast put gladness into my heart, more than at the time when their corn and wine increased. But 'tis otherwise with the carnal, for their hearts run out more pleasingly after some worldly thing, and when they obtain it, it keepeth them quiet, under the guilt of willful sin, and all their soul-dangers, and forget eternity, because they have their hearts desire already, Luke 12.19, 20. And I will say to my soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry ; but God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall these things be thou hast provided ? And the peace and pleasure which they daily live upon, is fetched more from the World, than from God, and Christ, and Heaven; the flesh is at ease, and hath nothing to disturb it; and they designed the conveniencies of the flesh in their whole lives; this is their principle, their chief scope and aim; whatsoever he doth, he still designeth the contentment of the flesh, or some temporal good that shall accrue to him. Thus you see who live after the flesh: Where no contrary principle is set up to check it, where 'tis our daily work to please the flesh, and our great scope and solace to have it pleased.

3. What is this death that is here threatened (ye shall die). Surely the natural death is not intended, for that is common to all, both to those that please the flesh, and those that crucify the flesh, Heb. 9.27. 'It is appointed for all men once to die ; And besides, to the godly it is matter of comfort, a thing which they should rather desire than fear, 1 Cor. 3.22. Death is theirs; therefore death is but a softer word for eternal damnation, yet used with good Reason; the Apostle saith, Ye shall die, rather than ye shall be damned; first, because death to the wicked is an inlet to their final and eternal misery. 'It is dreadful to them, not only as a natural evil, as it puts an end to their worldly comforts, but as a penal evil, Heb. 2.14, 15. Who are all their life time subject to bondage through fear of death ; because of the consequences of it, then their torment beginneth. Secondly, because 'tis more liable to sense. We know hell by faith, and death by sense; now that notion that is more known, affects us more; all abhor death as a fearful thing. Briefly then, this death consists not in an extinction and abolition of the creature, but in a deprivation of the favor and presence of the blessed God, who is the fountain of all comfort; and the everlasting pains and torments which the soul and body being cast out of God's presence feeleth in hell; all that weeping and g • ashing of teeth, that bitter remembrance of what is past, the acute sense of what is present, that despair and fearful looking for of the fiery indignation of the Lord; what the Scripture speaketh of, 'tis all included in this word ( ye shall die ); 'tis in short, to be separated from God and Christ, and the Saints and Angels, and to have eternal fellowship with Devils, and damned Spirits, together with those unknown pains inflicted on us by the Wrath of God in the other world.

3. It would not be sufficient to restrain men from sin, if God should only threaten temporal death, and not eternal; every murderer would venture to execute his maliee, every adulterer follow his lusts, and voluptuous man his swinish and brutish pleasure, if it were only to endure a short pain at death, and then be free from misery forever after: We see how offenders venture on man's punishment, and how many shorten their days for their vain pleasure; therefore unless the death were everlasting, the world would be little awed by it, unless the bitterness be greater than the present sinful pleasure; therefore eternal torment is that which God threateneth, and will surely execute on the sensual and carnal; so that the sinner hath no hope to escape, unless by repentance, and breaking this course of living after the flesh.

Secondly, Now by way of Confirmation, We must show the fit Connection between these Two Things, the carnal living, and this terrible Death; and there we must show you,

• 1. That this threatening is every way consistent with the Justice, and Wisdom, and Goodness of God.
• 2. Since 'tis threatened, the certainty of its accomplishment.

1. Its consistency with the Justice, Wisdom, and Goodness of God.

1. His Justice: First, Because those that live in the flesh, continue in the defection and apostasy of mankind. And so the old sentence is in force against them, In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die, Gen. 2.17. To show you this; let me tell you, That by the Creation Man was to be subject to God, and by his own make and constitution was composed of a body and a soul, which two parts were to be regarded according to the worth and dignity of each; the body was subordinated to the soul, and both body and soul to God: The flesh was a servant to the spirit, and both flesh and spirit unto the Lord; but sin entering, defaced the beauty, and disturbed the order and harmony of the Creation, for man withdrew his Subordination and Obedience unto God his Maker, and set up himself instead of God, and the flesh is preferred before the soul; reason and conscience are enslaved to sense and appetite, and the beast doth ride the man, the flesh becoming our Principle, Rule, and End; now 'tis horrible wickedness if you consider either of these disorders; our contempt of God, for it is great depreciation, and disesteem of his holy and blessed Majesty, which is neglected and slighted for a little carnal satisfaction and every perishing vanity is preferred before his favor; the heinousness of the sin is to be measured by the greatness of him who is offended by it, 1 Sam. 2.25. If one man sin against another, the Judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? Now for creatures to seek their happiness without God, and apart from God, in such base things, deserveth the greater punishment. The other disorder is, we love the happiness of the body above that of the soul; man carrieth it as if he had not an Immortal Spirit in him, Psal. 49.12. is as the beast that perisheth: And is altogether flesh, his Wisdom and Spirit is sunk into flesh, and sin hath transformed him into a brutish nature. Well now, if men will continue in this apostasy; what then more just, than that God should stand to his old sentence, and deprive him of that happiness which he despiseth, that those who dishonor their own souls, should never be acquainted with a blessed Immortality; and those that contemn their God, and banish him out of their thoughts, and do in effect say to the Almighty, Job 21.14. Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. That they may spend their days in mirth; that God should banish them out of his presence with a curse never to be reversed; they do in effect bid God be gone, the very thoughts of him are an interruption to that sort of life they have chosen, that he should bid them depart ye cursed, who bid him depart first. In short, that the carnal life, which is but a spiritual death, should be punished with eternal death, 1 Tim. 3.6. She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. A kind of carcase, or rather a living creature dead, estranged from the life of God, and then deprived of eternal life.

2. They refuse the remedy. The great business of the Christian Religion, is to dispossess us of the brutish Nature which is gotten into us. I say, this is the drift and tenure of Christianity, to recover us from the flesh, to God: To turn man into man again, that was become a beast; to draw him off from the Animal life, to life Spiritual and Eternal: To drive out the Spirit of the World, and introduce a Divine and Heavenly Spirit purchased by Jesus Christ, and offered to us in the promises of the Gospel. The World is mad, and brutish, enslaved to lower things; but this healing institution of Christ, is to make us Wise and Heavenly; to recover the immortal Soul, that was Imbondaged to earthly things, and depressed and tainted by the objects of sense, into its former liberty and perfection, that the Spirit might command the flesh, and man may seek his happiness and blessedness in some higher and transcending good, than the beasts are capable of. In short, as sin was the transforming of a man into a beast; so Christianity is the transforming of beasts into man again: To restore humanity, and elivate it from the state of subjection to the flesh; Joh. 3.6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. 2 Pet. 1.4. Whereby are given us great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature; having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 1 Cor. 2.12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given us of God. Now after this is done with such cost and care, if men will love their bondage, despise their remedy, surely they are worthy of the severest punishment, Joh. 3.19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. If they refuse this Spirit that is offered to change our natures, and lift us up from earth to Heaven, and we will not be changed, and healed, but wallow in this filth and puddle still, we are doubly culpable for not doing our duty, and refusing our remedy.

But you will say, The punishment is Eternal; how will that stand with the justice of God to inflict it, for temporal offenses?

1. Answer. 'Till the carnal life ceaseth, the full punishment doth not begin or take place; as when men have done their work they receive their wages. 'It is not inflicted till after death, and in the other world there is no change of state: our trial is over, our sentence is past, the gulf is fixed between Hell and Heaven, that the inhabitants of the one cannot come into the other place, Luke 16.26.

2. There was Eternal life in the offer. Now if men will part with this for one morsel of meat, this is profaneness indeed. Heb. 12.15, 16. The things propounded to their choice, are Eternal happiness, and Eternal misery; if they refuse the one, they in justice deserve the other.

3. If they be Christians, they do not pay their great debt, or fulfil their Covenant-Vow, and so make the forfeiture. The Apostle here inferreth the great danger out of the debt, Ye are debtors ; that if we live after the flesh, we shall die; they are entered into the bond of the holy oath. So elsewhere, Gal. 5.24. They that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof. How are we Christ's? as dedicated to him in Baptism, they have renounced the Devil, the World, and the flesh? they are Christ's not only de jure, they ought to do so; but de facto, they have crucified the flesh: 'It is hypocrisy and perjury that the carnal and brutish nature should reign in us; baptism implieth a vow, we are baptized into the likeness of his death, Rom. 6.3. Christ bound himself to communicate the virtue of his death; and we bind ourselves to die unto sin, and to use all Christ's instituted means to that end and purpose; now if after that we are washed, we still wallow in the mire, and effect that life which we have renounced, and gratify what we should crucify; cherish the flesh, rather than use Christ's healing means to subdue it, and purge it out, our very baptism will solicit the more severe vengeance, and be a swift witness against us. It were better scalding oil had been poured upon us, than the water of baptism; and if there be any place in hell hotter than others, 'tis for hypocrites and perjured persons that have broken the vow of their God which is upon them; this should the more sink into us, because every covenant hath a curse included in it, implicit or explicit 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as Plutarch. A Consecration implieth an execration or imprecation of vengeance if we do contrary; the Scripture abhoreth not this notion; 'tis said Neh. 10.29. they entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law. So it is in the new Covenant, for all Christians do consent to the threats and punishments of the Gospel in case of failing in their duty; as the Israelites were to give their Amen, Deut. 29.41. to the curses of the law; so we profess to submit to the law of grace, and tenor of it. In Mark 16.16. He that believeth not, shall be damned. We profess our consent to this law, not to a part only, but to the whole. Now what ever Faith and Baptism calleth for, that must be done; or if it be willfully left undone, we approve the penalty as just, and that God may rightly inflict it upon us. Thus for the Justice of God.

2. Now for the Wisdom. The punishment is the greater to check the greatness of the temptation. Much of the fleshly life is pleasant, like the Eden of God to the besotted soul; therefore God hath guarded it with a flaming Sword, that fear may counterbalance our delight: 'It is an hard thing to bring a man to strive against his own flesh, 'tis born and bred with us, and is importunate to be pleased, but the end is death; there must be a separation between the soul and sin; or beeween the soul and God; milder motives would do us no good against boisterous lusts, and are not powerful enough to wean us from accustomed delights; therefore is the punishment threatened the more dreadful, and the sinful fear is checked by the severity of the intermination; though sense-pleasing, and flesh-pleasing be sweet to a carnal heart, 'twill cost him dear. The Wisdom of God is seen in Three Things.

1. In punishing sin, which is a moral evil, with death and misery, which is a natural evil ; In appointing that it should be ill with them that do evil; these are fitly sorted, Deut. 30.15. See, I have set before thee life and good, death and evil. The evil of sin is against our duty, and the evil of punishment against our interest and happiness; now if men will willingly do what they should not, 'tis equal they should suffer what they would not, what is against their wills; these two are natural relatives, sin and misery, good and happiness; we find some of this in ourselves, we have compassion of a miserable man, whom we esteem not deserving his misery, we think 'tis ill placed there; and we are also moved with indignation against one that is fortunate and successful, but unworthy the happiness he enjoys, which showeth man hath an apprehension of a natural harmony and order between these things, sin and misery, goodness and felicity.

2. The Wisdom of God lieth in this, that the love of pleasure which is the root of all sin, should end in a sense of pain. Man is a very slave to pleasure, Tit. 3.3. Serving divers lusts and pleasures. 'It is ingrained in our natures, therefore to check it, the Lord hath threatened the pains of the second death, and this method our Lord approveth as most useful to draw us from our beloved sin, Matth. 5.29, 30. Better one member suffer, than the whole body to be cast into hell. In short, God hath so proportioned the dispensation of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, that 'tis left to our choice, whether we will have it here or hereafter, whether we will have pleasure as the fruit of sin, or as the reward of well-doing; both we cannot have, you must not expect to enjoy the pleasures of Earth and Heaven too, and think to pass from Delilahs Lap into Abraham's Bosom, Luke 16.25. Son, in thy life time thou receivedst thy good things ; and Jam. 5.5. Ye have lived in pleasure upon earth. You have been merry and jocund, but your time of howling and lamenting then cometh, far beyond the degree of your former rejoicing.

3. By setting eternal pains against momentary pleasures, that ye may the better escape the temptation; Momemtaneum est, quod delectat, eternum quod cruciat; The pleasures of sin are but for a season, Heb. 11.25. But the pains of sin are for evermore; if the fearful end of this delightful course were soundly believed, or seriously considered, it would not so easily prevail upon us. 'It is the Wisdom of our Lawgiver that things to come should have some advantage in the proposal above things present, that the joy and pain of the other world should be greater than the comfort and pleasure of this world, which is a matter of sense; for things at hand would certainly prevail with us, if things to come were not considerably greater; therefore here the pain is short, and so is the pleasure, but there 'tis eternal: Those that will have their pleasure here, they shall have it, but to their bitter cost; but those that will work out their salvation with fear and trembling, will by the spirit mortify the deeds of the body, pass through the difficulties of Religion, shall have pleasure at his Right Hand for evermore, Psal. 16.11.

3. 'It is consistent with his love and goodness : This is necessary to be considered; First, Because we are apt to think hardly of God for his threatenings. 'It is for our profit to give warning, and to bring us to repentance, and that we may take heed and escape these things; he threateneth that he may not punish; and he punisheth in part, that he may not punish forever: The first awakening is by fear, afterwards shame, sorrow and indignation; the curse driveth us to the promise: First, we look upon sin as damning, then as defiling; first, as it fits us for Hell, then as it unfits us for Heaven. 2. 'It is a benefit to the world. Punishment among men, because of the degeneracy of the world, is a more powerful engine of Government than reward; we owe much of our safety to Prisons and Executions: so in God's Government, though love be the mighty Gospel Motive, yet fear hath its use, at least for those who will not serve God out of love; slavish fear tieth rheir hands from mischief.

3. For the converted they find all help in this part of the spirits discipline, to guard their love. When their minds are in danger of being enchanted by carnal delights, or perverted by the terrors of sense; when the flesh presents the bait, Faith shows the hook, Matth. 10.28. Or are apt to abuse our power, because none in the world can call us to an account, Job 3.23. Destruction from God was a terror to me. He stood in awe of God, who is a party against the oppressor, and will right the weak against the powerful.

2. Secondly, Since 'tis threatened, we may conclude the certainty of its accomplishment. The world will not easily believe that none shall be saved but the Regenerate, and those that live not after the flesh, but the spirit; and love God in Christ above all the world, even their own lives; that besides these few, all the rest shall be tormented in Hell forever; flesh and blood cannot easily down with this Doctrine; but God's threatenings are as sure as executions.

1. Because of the holinese of his nature, Psal. 11.6, 7. Upon the wicked he will rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup, for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness : But men feign God, as they would have him to be, and judge of God's holiness by their own interest, Psal. 50.21. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself. As if God were less mindful, because he is so holy, and will not be so indulgent to their flesh and sin, as they are themselves, and would have him to be.

2. His unalterable truth. God cannot lie, Tit. 1.2. Tho the threatening in the present judgment doth not always show the event, but merit; yet it follows afterward; for the Scripture must be fulfilled, or else all Religion will fall to the ground, he cannot endure any should question it, 'tis not a vain scare-crow, Deut. 30.19.20. I call Heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live; that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him, for he is thy life, and the length of thy days.

3. His all-sufficient Power, 2 Thes. 1.9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power ; and Rom. 9.22. What if God willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endureth with much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? If God will do so, surely he can, there is no let there, Heb. 10.29, 30. Vengeance belongeth to me, and I will recompense, saith the Lord: and again, the Lord shall judge his people. He liveth forever to see vengeance executed; if it seem co be so terrible to you; God knoweth 'tis with a design of love to awaken those that are carnal: What a case am I in then! And to make the converted more cautious, that they do not border on the carnal life; God maketh no great difference here, between the righteous and the wicked; hereafter he will.

SERMON XVII.

1. U Se is Information.

1. To show the lawful use of Threatenings. 2. The folly of two sorts of people. 1. Of those that will rather venture this death, than leave their sinful pleasure. 2. Those that would reconcile God and flesh, God and the world, &c.

1. The lawful use of threatenings.

1. Threatenings are necessary during the law of Grace: Two Arguments I shall give for the proof thereof. 1. If Threatenings were needful to Adam in the State of Innocency and Perfection, much more are they useful now, when there is such a corrupt Inclination within, and so many Temptations without; in the best there is a double principle, and many inordinate lusts, that we need the strongest bridle and curb to suppreis them. 2. If Christ eame to verify God's threatenings, surely God hath some use of them now: But so it is, the Devil would represent God as a liar in his comminations, Gen. 3.4. Ye shall not surely die. Christ came to confute the Tempter, and would die rather than the Devils reproach of God's threatenings should be found true; surely this is to check thoughts of iniquity.

2. The folly of two sorts of people. First, Of those that will rather venture this death than leave their sinful pleasures, and live an holy life; carnal men think no life so happy as theirs, being escaped out of fetters of Religion, and bonds of Conscience, in the Apostles Expression, Free from righteousness, Rom. 6.20. Whereas the truth is, none are more miserable; for they carry it so, as if they were in love with their own death, Prov. 8.36. He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul: and they that hate me, love death. You hazard soul and body, and all that is near and dear to you for a little carnal satisfaction; for the present you get nothing but the guilt of conscience, hardness of heart, and the displeasure of the eternal God; and for the future, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, when the body and soul shall be cast into Hell Fire. Consider this before it be too late; there is no man goeth to Hell or Heaven, but with violence to conscience or lusts; those that go to Hell offer violence to their conscience.

2. Those that would reconcile God and flesh, God and the world, and secure their interest in both ; that hope to please the flesh, and yet to be happy hereafter for all that; would keep up a profession of Godliness, while they live in secret league with their lusts: God will not halve it with the world, nor part stakes with the flesh; you cannot please the flesh, and enjoy God too; for you have but one happiness, if you place it in contenting the flesh, you cannot have it in the fruition of God: Their end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and who mind earthly things, Phil 3.19. Wordly pleasures will end in eternal torments; and so much delight, so much more will your torments be; for contraries are punished with contraries, Rev. 8.11. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much sorrow give her. Therefore, so much as you gratify the flesh, so much you endanger the soul: Will you for a little temporal satisfaction, run the hazard of God's eternal wrath?

2. USE is to dissuade you from this course : To this End I shall lay down some Motives, and some Means.

Motives are these.

1. You think the flesh is your friend, do all that you can to please it, whereas indeed it is your greatest enemy. That it is one of your enemies is clear, by that place, where all our enemies appear a breast, Eph. 2.2, 3. There is the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and our own flesh : If there were never a Devil to tempt, or example to follow, yet out of the heart proceed, Matth. 15.19. murder, adultery, theft, blasphemy : Among other things he reckoneth up Murder, which striketh at the life of man; and Blasphemy, which striketh at the Being of God; if the Devil should stand by, and say nothing, there is enough within us to put us upon all manner of evil; other enemies would do us no harm, without our own flesh: corruption may be irritated by God's Law, Rom. 7.9. We may be tempted to sin by Satan, 1 Cor. 7.5. Incouraged to sin, by the example, and the evil conversations of others, Isa. 6.6. Inticed to sin by the baits of the world. 2. Pet. 1.4. But only inclined to sin by our own flesh; and at length no man is a sinner, but by his own consent, Jam. 1.14. He is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. In vain do temptations knock at the door, if there were nothing within to make answer, and admit them; if we could keep ourselves from ourselves, there were no danger from what is without; as Balaam by all his curses and charms, could do nothing against the Israelites till he found out a way to corrupt them by Whoredom, and by Whoredom to draw them to Idolatry, and so found a means to destroy them by themselves: So 'tis the Domestical Enemy, the flesh within us, which maketh us a prey to Satan, and doth us mischief upon all occasions; 'tis the flesh distracts us in holy duties, with vain thoughts, and abateth our fervors, that maketh us idle in our callings, that tempts to sensuality and inordinate delight when we are repairing nature, and turneth our table into a snare; so that nature is rather oppressed than refreshed for God's Service: 'It is the flesh maketh us forget our great end, and the eternal interests of our Immortal souls.

2. The more you indulge the flesh, the more 'tis your enemy, and the more your slavery and bondage is increased; so that still you grow more brutish, forgetful of God, and unapt for any spiritual use. By using to please the flesh, you do increase its desires, and know not at length how to deny it, and displease it; by being made a wanton, it groweth stubborn and contumacious: The more you gratify the flesh, the more inordinate it groweth; and the more unreasonable things it craveth at your hands; therefore you must hold an hard hand upon it at first; through too much indulgence the reins are loosened to sin, and the enemy is heartened, and our liberty is every day more and more lost; Solomon was fearfully corrupted, when he withheld not his heart from any joy, Eccles. 2.10. This brought him to a lawless excess, and to fall so foully as he did; if you give corrupt nature its full scope, and use pleasures with too free a license, the heart is insensibly corrupted, and our very diseases and distempers become our necessities; Solomon saith, Prov. 24.21. He that delicately bringeth up a servant, shall have him become a son at length : He will no more know his condition, but grow bold and troublesome; we are all the worse for license, therefore unless natural desires feel fetters, and prudent restraints, they grow unruly; therefore that the flesh may not grow masterly, 'tis good to bridle it; to deny ourselves nothing, bringeth a greater snare upon the soul, and distempers are more rooted, 1 Cor. 6.12. I will not be brought under the power of any creature. A man is brought into vassalage and bondage, and cannot help it.

3. The engagement that is upon Christians to abhor carnal living. By their solemn Baptismal Vow, which obligeth us to take this Yoke of Christ upon ourselves, even to tame and subdue the flesh, Col. 3.3, 5. Mortify your members which are upon earth. All are strictly bound to mortify the deeds of the body, under pain of damnation; Kings as well as Subjects, Nobles and base; for God is no accepter of persons; no man of what degree soever can presume of an exemption from the duty, or hope for a dispensation. We are all debtors, and this duty taketh place as soon as we come to the use of reason; we all then begin to feel the corruption and imperfection of nature; and we are bound to look after the cure of it, and to use all Christ's healing means, that it may be effected. Then we begin to perceive the enemies against whom we are to fight, and a necessity laid upon us of killing them, or being killed by them: 'It is our great fault, that we made conscience of our solemn Vow no sooner; surely we should no longer dispute it now, 1 Pet. 4.3. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we lived in lasciviousnesi, lusts, excess of wine, revelling, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: But set about the work, and undertake the Battle against the Devil, the World, and the Flesh: Your first enemy is the Old Man, and it is the last, for it is not extinguished in us till death; therefore as soon as we pass out of Infancy into Youth, we must look upon ourselves under this obligation, not to live after the flesh, but after the spirit, to weaken the corruption of nature more and more; there was but one man, and no more, who was first good, and afterwards bad, and that was the first Adam : Another there is, who was hever bad, but always good, and that was Christ Jesus the Second Adam, our Lord, Blessed forever: Of all the rest, none proved good, that was not sometimes bad; the Apostle saith, first that which was natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual; 'tis true, here first we put off a corrupt nature before we are renewed; the duty lieth upon us by our Baptismal Engagement, though Christ supplieth the Grace.

4. The qualities of a Christian, or his condition in the world engageth him not to live after the flesh. I shall mention two; as they are Strangers and Pilgrims, or as they are Racers and Wrestlers: First, Sometimes 'tis pressed upon them as they are Strangers and Pilgrims, who have no continued abode, 1 Pet. 2.11. I beseech you as pilgrims and strangers, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. You are or should be travelling into another Country, where are the spirits of just men made perfect, and where even this body of ours will become a spiritual body; and for you to please the flesh is contrary to your Christian Hopes; nothing so unsuitable for them that are going to Canaan, as to hanker after the Flesh-Pots of Egypt ; nothing is so contrary to our Profession, and breedeth such an unreadiness to depart out of the world, as these vain delights; therefore if you be strangers and Pilgrims, you should not lust after worldly things, lest you forget or forfeit your great hopes. Secondly, You are Racers or Wrestlers, 1 Cor. 9.24. Know you not that they which run in a race, even all but one receiveth the prize: so run that you may obtain. They that exercised in the Istmaick Games, had a prescribed set diet, both for quality and quantity, and had their rule chalked out to them, they knew their work and their reward; so. v: 27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away ; That is, denied himself those liberties which otherwise he might enjoy; having prescribed to others the way of striving, and getting the victory; they for an Oaken or Olive Crown dieted themselves, kept themselves from all things which should hurt them, or disable them in the Race or Combat; and should we cocker every appetite, that have an Eternal Crown of Glory in view and pursuit? our danger is greater if we should miscarry and miss of it; theirs, the loss of a little vain glory; ours of Eternal Glory; therefore we should strive that we be not found unworthy to receive it; there the victory is uncertain, here all that are runners may be sure of the Crown.

5. Consider the malignant influence of the flesh, and how pernicious it is to the soul. If it were a small thing we spake to you about, you might refuse to give ear; but 'tis in a case of life and death, and that not temporal but eternal; we can tell you of many present and temporal inconveniencies that come by the flesh; the body, the part gratified is in many oppressed by it, Prov. 5.11. Thou shalt mourn at last, when thy flesh and body is consumed. It betrayeth you to such sins, as suck your bones, and devour your strength, and give your years to the cruel, to such enormities and scandalous practices, as bring infamy and a blot upon thy name; Pleasing the flesh maketh one turn a drunkard, and the very sin carrieth its own punishment with it; a second a wanton; a third a glutton, a fourth a hard-hearted worldling, and all these sins waste the conscience, and debase the body, and spend our Wit, Time, Strength and Estates; but we have a more powerful Argument to present to you, it will be the eternal loss and ruin of your souls: There will a day come when you shall be called to an account for all your vain delights and pleasures, Eccles. 11.9. Rejoice, O young man in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine own heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know, that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment. The young man is cited before the Tribunal of God, and we think somewhat must be allowed to that age, before man have learned by experience to contemn pleasures; and the young man is spoken to in his own dialect; let his wanton and wandering eye inflame the lusts of his heart, and smother his conscience by all manner of sensual delight; yet a length he will know the folly of this to his bitter cost. These things which are now so pleasing to the senses, shall gnaw and sting his conscience, when God whom he now forgetteth, shall bring him to the Judgment, and he shall have nothing to plead for his brutish folly.

6. What vile unthankfulness it is, and a great abuse of that liberty which we have by Christ, Gal, 5.13. Ye are called to liberty, only use it not as an occasion to the flesh. We have a great liberty to use our worldly comforts with a respect to God's Glory, and as encouragements of God's Service, and for the sweetening of our Pilgrimage; but 'tis strangely perverted, when we use these things to please the flesh; you turn it into a bondage, and offer a great abuse to Jesus Christ; surely he never died to promote the power of sin, nor gave us these comforts to defeat the ends of his death: Was he a man of sorrows, that we might live in pleasure? Did he suffer in the flesh to purchase us liberty to please the flesh? Or die for sin, to give sin the mastery? Did the Lord vouchsafe these comforts, that we might dishonor his name, or undo our own souls?

2. Means. To come out of this estate and course of sin, I shall give you a few Directions.

1. To those that never pretended to the spiritual and heavenly life, and are as yet to be drawn out of the common apostasy and defection of mankind, to God. All that I shall say to them, is to observe Checks of Conscience, and Motions of the Spirit, and what help is given to weaken the flesh.

1. Checks of conscience, however occasioned, either by a lapse into some sin, which is wont to scourage the soul with some remorse, Matt. 29.4. saying, that I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. Conscience working after the fact, or by the conviction of the word, Acts 24.25. And as he reasoned of righteousness, and temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. Do not smother these checks; that breedeth Atheism and hardness of heart. Suppose one dissolutely bent, yet upon some loathsome concomitants which follow his riot and intemperance, he beginneth to be troubled; God's Providence is to be observed as well as his own sin. This is a kind of softening his heart; if it revert to his old frame, the man is the worse. No Iron so hard as that which hath been often heated. Water, after it hath been heated by the fire, congealeth the sooner after it is taken off. If he doth not take notice of God's warnings, his soul is more unapt to be wrought to repentance; yea, God in justice may deprive him of those common helps, Hos. 4.17. Let him alone ; or give him up to his own hearts counsels. 'It is dangerous not to make use of those intervals of Reason and sober thoughts which arise in our minds.

2. The motions of the Holy Spirit, when he cometh to recover you from the flesh to God; and you are troubled not only with remorse for actual and heinous sins, but about your eternal estate; and are haunted with thoughts of the other world, and urged to resolve upon the heavenly life. Surely when the waters are stirred, we should put in for a cure, John 5. when he draweth, we should run, Cant. 1.4. when he knocketh, we should open, Rev. 3 20. and not obstruct the work of godliness, but seriously employ our thoughts about it, Acts 16.14. Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things that were spoken by Paul. We should not rebel against the motions of the spirit, lest we grieve our sanctifier, and he forsake us, because we forsook him first, and so our hearts be hardened in a carnal course. Briefly, God doth all in our first conversion; yet these three things lie upon us; first to observe the touches of God's punishing and chastising hand reclaiming us from our wanderings, Psal. 119.59. Before I was afflicted I went astray. Secondly, To reflect upon the motions of his spirit to draw us out of this estate, that we may not resist the Holy Ghost, Acts 5.31. Thirdly, To examine every day what advantage the spirit hath gotten against the flesh ; how the interests of it is weakened, its lusts checked, its acts restrained, Gal. 5.16. Everyone that doth seriously mind the business of his salvation, cannot but see these things of great advantage to his spiritual estate; and there is no great difficulty in them to the serious soul that hath a mind to be saved.

2. To those that seem to be recovered, and to have a care of the spiritual life, that they may not revert to this bondage, and that the work may be more thoroughly wrought in them.

1. Look to the mind, take heed there be not flesh there, for the fleshly mind is a great enemy to godliness, Ro. 8.7. The carnal mind is enmity to God ; and 'tis a low poor mind, blinded with the love of present things, Jam. 3.15. The wisdom that descendeth not from above, is earthly, sensual, devilish: it hindereth us from discerning the reality of our hopes, and from having a true sense of our duty impressed upon our hearts, 1 Cor. 2. 14. but the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And also from applying our Rule to particular cases, either in judging of our estate, or in guiding of our actions, 'tis strange to see how the world, or the delusion of the flesh, do blind very knowing men; and how unacquainted they are with their own hearts, or unable to discern their duty in plain cases, when the performance of it is likely to be displeasing to the Flesh. What strange disguises it puts upon a Temptation, and how they wriggle and distinguish themselves out of their duty, when either God must be disobeyed, or the Flesh displeased; the Flesh is always partial for its self; therefore get a sound mind, and this spiritual discerning.

2. Look to the heart that there be no Flesh there. Sinful inclinations must be observed and mortified; Satan doth observe them, and shall not we? He seeth which way the Tree leaneth, and what kind of diet their soul-distempers crave, and suiteth his temptations accordingly: As the skillful Angler suiteth his Bait as the fishes will take it, every month. 1 Cor. 7.5. lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency. He hath a bait of Preferment for Absalom, for he is ambitious; a bait of Pleasure for Sampson, for he is voluptuous; a bait of Money for Judas, for he is covetous. Thus will he furnish them with Temptations answerable to their inclinations. A man by Temper Voluptuous esteems not Profit much; nor an Earth-worm Pleasure; nor an Ambitious man much either of them, but Honor, and Reputation, and great Place. Now 'tis sad that our Enemy should know our Temper better than ourselves. Your uprightness and faithfulness to God is seen in weakening your particular inclinations to sin▪ Psal. 18.23. I was also upright before him, and kept myself from mine iniquity. Observe the decay of your Master-sin, and other things will come on the more easily; fight not against small or great, but the King-lust, the domineering sin. Satan is the more discouraged when we can deny our domineering lusts. As Sampson 's strength lay in his locks, so doth the strength of sin in one lust more than another. Every man knoweth his darling commonly; but that which is our great care, is to wean our hearts from it. Herod raged when John the Baptist touched his Herodias. Felix trembled when Paul touched his brib • ry and intemperance; and the young man goeth away sad when Christ discovereth his worldliness, Mark 10.22. We have all our tender parts, which we cannot endure should be touched. But now when you are willing to part with this sin, pray, strive, and watch against it, grow in the contrary grace, it showeth yourself-denial and sincerity, you will not spare your Isaac. Well then, see that no worldly thing be too near and dear to you, and that God hath a greater interest in your heart than the flesh, or anything that belongeth to it.

3. Let not the senses cast off the government of reason, and be the ruling power in your souls. They were not made to govern, but to be governed, and to be subjected to God and Reason. Man by the fall is inverted, Tit. 3.3. hateful, and hating one another. Man in his right constitution should be thus governed. The Understanding and Conscience prescribe to the Will, the Will according to right Reason and Conscience moveth the Affections, the Affections move the bodily spirits and the members of the body; but by corruption all is inverted and changed; Pleasure affects the Senses, the Senses corrupt the Phantasy, the Phantasy the Bodily spirits, they the Affections, and the Affections by their violence and impetuous inclination to forbidden things, move the Will; and the Will yielding, blindeth the Mind, and so man is carried headlong to his own destruction; the feet are where the head should be, e contra. Well then, you must guide the senses, as Job made a covenant with his eyes, Job 31.1. and David prayeth, Psal. 119.37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. They let in Objects, and Objects stir up Thoughts, and Thoughts Affections. Mat. 5.28. Now take heed they do not grow masterly; if they transmit Temptations, and stir up evil motions, crush the Scorpion on the wound.

4. Keep up a readiness for your work, which is to obey the will of God. It argueth some prevalency of the Flesh, when our duty beginneth to grow troublesome and uneasy; Therefore the Spirit or the better part cannot so readily produce its operation; the soul in the right Temper doth willingly and cheerfully obey God, 1 Joh. 5.3. this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. Psal. 40.8. I delight to do thy will, O my God: thy law is in my heart. And Psal. 112.1. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Therefore 'tis time for you to check the Flesh, and overcome it, lest farther mischief increase upon you.

5. Refer all things to your ultimate End: And consider whether what you do, doth hinder or further you therein: for all things are to be regarded and valued as they conduce to God's service, and your salvation, Eccles. 2.2. What doth it ? 1 Cor. 10.31. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, let all be done to the glory of God. Be true to your scope.

6. Take heed of the servitude and bondage which the flesh is wont to bring upon the soul, where it reigneth: It maketh men very flaves; the heart groweth weak, and lust strong, Ezek. 16.30. They are not under the government of the spirit, but under the tyranny of their Fleshly lusts, doing whatever it commandeth, be it never so base, foolish, and hurtful; if Anger provoke them to revenge, they must fight, kill, and slay, and hazard their worldly interest for Angers sake, or at least cannot forgive injuries for God's sake; if filthy lusts send them to the lewd Woman, away they go like a fool to the correction of the stocks; and though they dishonor God, ruin their Estates, stain their Fame, hazard their lives, yet lust will have it so, and they must obey; If Covetousness say they must be rich, however they get it; they rise early, go to bed late, eat the bread of sorrow, and pierce through themselves with many cares; yea, make no question of right or wrong, trample Conscience underfoot, cast the fear of God behind their backs, and all because their imperious Mistress Ambition urgeth them to it: If Envy and Malice bid Cain kill his Brother, he will break all bonds of nature to do it: If Ambition bid Absalom rebel against his Father, and kill him too, it shall be done, or he shall want his will. If Covetousness bid Achan take a Wedg of Gold, he will do it, though he know it to be a cursed thing; if it bid Judas betray his Lord and Master, though he knew if he should do it, it had been better he had never been born, yet he will do it. Thus they are not at their own command, to do what Reason and Conscience inclineth them to do; if sensible of their bondage, would think of God and the world to come, and the state of their souls; lust will not permit it; if to break off this sensual course, they are not able, they are servants of corruption: Some God hangeth up in chains of darkness for a warning to the rest of the world, of the power of Drunkenness, Gluttony, Avarice and wretched worldliness: Yea, of every carnal man, 'tis true, John 8.34. Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. Therefore if the slavery, and imperious disease begin to grow upon you, the flesh hath prevailed very far, and you need more to look to it, and that betimes.

3. USE. Here is ground of trying your estate before God. 'It is a question you ought often seriously to put; Shall I be saved, or shall I be damned? If you have any spark of Conscience left you, when you are sick or dying, you will put it with anxiousness and trembling of heart; Poor Soul, whither art thou now a going? 'It is better put it now, while you have opportunity to correct your error, if hitherto you have gone wrong; we see in worldly things, men would fain know their destiny; the King of Babylon stood upon the head of the ways to make Divination; we would fain know what God hath hidden in the Womb of Futurity; no destiny deserves to be known so much as this; not whether I shall be poor or rich, good success in this enterprize, or bad; 'tis not of so great moment; these distinctions do not outlive time, but cease at the graves mouth; but 'tis a question of greater moment, Whether eternally miserable, or eternally happy? 'It is foolish curiosity to inquire into other things, when we have a good God to trust to, but it chiefly importeth us to consider whether we are in the way to Salvation or Damnation. Nothing will sooner determine this great question, than this Text, If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. The latter Branch we shall examine afterwards, now for the first Clause.

1. Some live in defiance of the spirit : Cherish the flesh, fulfil the works of the flesh, Gal. 5.19. 'It is no subtle matter to find them out, they declare their sin as Sodom, while they are drinking, whoring, sporting, quarrelling, scoffing at Godliness.

2. Others please the flesh in a more cleanly manner ; but have no due regard to that spiritual and eternal happiness, which lieth in the enjoyment of God; though their carriage be blameless, and separated from the gross pollutions of the world: They care not whether God be pleased or displeased, honored or dishonored, angry or reconciled; and besides, the works of the flesh are not always interpreted in the gross sense, but according to the Scale of the Sanctuary; when he saith, Adultery, Fornication, Murder, &c. are works of the flesh: We must not only think of the gross acts, but the very first seeds of these sins, the secret inclinations and desires of the flesh in this kind, Matt. 5.27, 28. So lasciviousness, not the sinful attempt only, but every motion of tongue, heart, senses, by which the eyes and ears, the souls and consciences of ourselves and others may be polluted to Idolatry, Anger, inordinate affection of the heart to any creature, Eph. 5.5. So by murder, not only when it proceedeth to blood, but hatred, variance, strife, heresy, Matth. 5.21, 22. So in short, emulation and affectation of applause, Gal. 5. last.

3. The Prevalence of the divine or carnal principle, must determine our condition: Now its reign is known,

1. By our savor, relish and taste, Rom. 8.5. For every man's gust is according to his constitution, which breedeth oblectation, or pleasure of mind; now when we savor only the things of the flesh, that if it be pleased, quiets us in the want of other things, contents us in the neglect of God and his service, that we have no appetite after, nor savor or relish any sweetness, but in fleshly things; this is an ill sign.

2. By our course of walking ; Which is often insisted on in this Chapter. There may be some blemishes in God's Children, some uneveness of obedience through the relics of the flesh, but their main constant course, for which they labor and strive, is to approve themselves to God, and to be accepted with God, and to live in obedience to the motions of his sanctifying spirit; but where there is a carelessness in the heavenly life, the influence of the fleshly life is most discovered in all our actions.

3. By our tendency and scope. When the heart is turned to, or alienated from God, the flesh reigneth; if the world turn our hearts from him, and the flesh pleased before him, and we mind our own Things; we are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

SERMON XVIII.

W E come now to the second Clause, wherein we have Two Things.

• 1. The condition to be performed.
• 2. The blessedness promised. In the Condition we have,
  • 1. The parties interested.
  • 2. The duty required.

1. The Parties interested, are justified believers, who are not in the flesh, nor after the flesh: Yet Two Persons are mentioned, the Principal Author, and the Subordinate Agent; We are the Principal Parties in the Obligation, but in the Operation the Spirit is the Principal; the Particle ( through ) is usually the Note of an Instrument, yet the Spirit is not our Instrument, but we are his; he first worketh by us as Objects, then by us as Instruments; and therefore though the duty falleth upon us, and we are said to do it by the Spirit; yet it must be thus understood; W are the principal parties as to Obligation of duty; but as to Operation and Influence of Grace, the Spirit is the principal.

2. In the duty there is the Act, (mortify); the Object, (the deeds of the body).

1. The act, mortify. I shall open it more fully by and by, only note for the present, First, Sin is alive in some degree in the justified ; Otherwise what need it to be mortified? The Exhortation were superfluous if sin were wholly dead.

2. It noteth a continued Act : We must not rest in a Mortification already wrought in us; He saith not, If ye have mortified, but if ye do mortify; this must be our daily practice, not done now and then, or by fits; if we always sincerely labor to mortify the deeds of the body, we are in the way of life.

3. It showeth that this work must not be attended slightly, or by the by, but carried on to such a degree, as corruption may be weakened, or lie a dying, or be upon the declining hand; the success and event is considerable as well as the endeavor; where the event dependeth upon outward and foreign causes, a man hath comfort in doing his duty, whatever the success be; but here where the event falleth within the compass of our duty its self, there it must be regarded; we must so oppose sin, that in some sort we may kill it or extinguish it; not only scratch the face of it, but seek to root it out, at least that must be our aim.

4. Mortifying noteth some pain or trouble ; For nothing that hath life, will be put to death without some struggling; and the flesh cannot be subdued without some trouble to ourselves, or violence offered to our carnal Affections; only let me tell you, if it be painful to mortify sin, you make it more painful, by dealing negligently in the business, and drawing out your vexation to a greater length; the longer you suffer this Canaanite to live with you, the more will it prove as a Thorn or Goad in your sides; here, if ever it is true, our affection procureth our affliction; sin dieth when our love to it dieth; your trouble endeth, your delight in it ceaseth, as you can bring your souls to a resolution to quit these things, Quam suave mihi subito factum est, carere suavitatibus iniquorum, No delight so sincere as the contempt of vain delights.

3. The Object, the deeds of the body ; that is, our sins, so called, 1. Because sin is compared to a body, Rom. 7.24. Who shall deliver me from this body of death? and Col. 2. 11. In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh. There is besides the natural body, a body of corruption, which doth wholly compass about the soul; there is the head of wicked desires, the hands and feet of wicked executions; the eye of sinful lusts, the tongue of vain and evil words; therefore 'tis said, Col. 3.5. Mortify your members which are upon earth. Not of the natural body, but of the mass of corruption; particular sinful lusts are as members of this body. 2. Sins are called the deeds of the body, because they are executed by the body. Rom. 6.22. Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should fulfil the lusts thereof ; and Rom. 6.19. As ye have yielded up your members servants uncleanness, and to iniquity, unto iniquity. All the members of the body are employed as instruments to serve our sin; now affections are manifested in actions; therefore by the deeds of the body, he meaneth not outward acts only, but lusts also: Well then, fight we must, but not with our own shadows, sin is gotten within us, by the soul it hath taken possession of the body: The gates of the senses are always open to let in such Objects and Temptations, as take part with the flesh; and the flesh is ready to accomplish whatever the corrupt heart doth suggest and require.

4. The life that is promised to them that mortify sin, ye shall live, a spiritual life of Grace here, and an eternal life of Glory hereafter; Heaven is worth the having, and therefore the reward should sweeten the duty. From this Clause the Points are Three.

• 1. That justified Persons are bound to mortify sin.
• 2. That in the mortifying of sin, we and the spirit concur. The Spirit will not without us, and we cannot without the spirit.
• 3. That eternal life is promised to them, who seriously improve the assistance of the Holy Ghost for the mortifying of sin.

1. Doct. That justified Persons should mortify sin. 'It is their Duty so to do.

1. What is mortification that lieth upon us? 1. Negatively, What it is not; we must distinguish between the mock mortification, and the counterfeit resemblances of this duty, and the duty its self.

1. There is a Pagan Mortification. I call it so, because such a thing was among the Heathens, which is nothing else but a suppressing such sins as nature discovereth, upon such reasons and arguments as nature suggesteth, Rom. 2.14. The Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law : Namely, as they abstained from gross sins, and performed outward acts of duty; this was a kind of resemblance of mortification, and but a resemblance; we read of this in story; Socrates his Answer to the Physiognomist, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , when his Scholars enraged at his Character 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . So of Palaemon coming in a drunken fit to scoff at Xenocrates his Lecture, with his head crowned with a Garland of Rosebuds, was by his grave and moral discourse reduced from his riot and licentiousness, which was a kind of moral conversion; but this we fault, because 'tis but an half turn from sins of the Second Table, or lower Hemisphere of Duty, and because these sins were rather suppressed and hidden, rather than mortified and subdued; Sapientia eorum abscondit vitia, non abscindit. Lact. As Haman refrained himself, when his heart boiled with rankor and malice, Esther 5.10. Their Wisdom tended to hide sin, rather than to mortify it; and besides, this kind of conversion was not a recovery of the soul from the flesh, and the world, to God; but only an acquiring a fitness to live more plausibly, and with less scandal among men.

2. There is a popish and superstitious mortification ; which standeth in a mere neglect of the body, and some outward abstinences and austerities, and such observances as are prescribed by men without any warrant from God, as in abstaining from marriage, and some sort of meats or apparel, as unlawful, yea from the necessary functions of human life; the Apostle telleth us that these things have 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 2 Col. 23. A show of wisdom, have a specious show, and are highly cried up by the carnal world, but have no real worth to commend us to God, as being not commanded by God, nor warranted by the best example of the most holy and mortified men: Suppose abstinence from marriage; Enoch (Gen. 5.22.) walked with God, and begat sons and daughters. And we have more instances of true piety in married folks, than in monkery, and claustral devotions Jesus Christ sanctified a free life, using all sorts of diet and company, not abstaining from feasts themselves, Matth. 11.19. The Son of man came eating and drinking. So when the vow of voluntary poverty is recommended by the Papists as an estate of perfection: Certainly beggary, which is threatened as a punishment, is not to be wished or desired, much less to be chosen or willfully incurred; least of all to be made the matter of a vow. Surely 'tis greater self-denial entirely to devote and faithfully to use our riches for God, than to cast them away, and rid our hands of them; as he is a better Steward that improveth his masters stock, than he that casts of • the employment, and lazily refuseth to meddle with it. So for Penance and self-disciplines; they look more like the rites of Baals Priests, who gasned and lanced themselves to commend them to their Idol, than the practices of Christ's Votaries, and believing penitents, who hath indeed commanded us to mortify our lusts, but not to mangle our bodies; to retrench the food and fuel of the flesh when need requireth, but not to bind ourselves to a course of rigorous observances, which gratify the flesh in one way, as much as it seems to contradict it in another; namely, as they breed in us pride and presumption of merit above other Christians; in short, these external rigors, though they are greatly admired in the world, who are wholly governed by sensual desires, yet they are not acceptable to God, as having more in them of ridiculous Pageantry, and Theatrical stage-holiness, rather than serious devotion.

3. There is the mortification of the hypocrite ; which is an outward forbearing evil, though they do not inwardly hate it, which proceedeth from divers causes.

1. Because they have no inclination to some sins ; or rather, a greater inclination to other sins, which intercept the nourishment by which these sins should be fed; though we are all gone astray from God, yet everyone hath his way; Isa. 53.6. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way ; so Eccles. 7.29. God made man upright, but he hath found out many inventions. As the Channel is cut, corrupt nature in us findeth a vent and issue; some are sensual, but not greedy of worldly gain; shall we therefore call them mortified? Some that are greedy of gain, are not proud and aspiring, nor given to carnal pleasures; do you think therefore sin is dead in them? No, their corruption breaketh out another way, more suitable to their temper and constitution, or custom and course of life; in some, nature is more sullen and rigid; in others more facile, and obvious to the gros • er temptations.

2. Sometimes 'tis because we make one lust give way to another ; For certain Weeds destroy one another; as wild beasts also prey upon one another; so when men abstain from pomp and pleasure, because of the cost, their covetousness starveth their riot; so on the contrary, when men check their sensual inclination by their sparing humor; but mostly it is seen in those that run into extremes, and bend the crooked stick too far the other way, as the Lunatick in the Gospel fell sometimes into the water, and sometimes into the fire, Matth. 17.5. Or as our Ancestors to drive out the Picts or wild Britons, called in the Saxons, a worse enemy; or as if there were no better Physic for a dead Palsy, than a burning feavour; sins take the throne by turns; as the voluptuous in Youth prove the most worldly and covetous in Age; but this is not to quit sin, but to exchange it.

3. Sometimes because men have not strength and opportunity to act sin ; They may seem weaned and mortified when they are but spent and tired out with executing their lusts; and 'tis not hatred of sin, but indisposition of nature to fulfil it, Job 23.20. His soul a • horreth dainty food. No thanks to the glutton, but to his disease; Old Age is described by days that have no pleasure in them, Eccles. 12.1. 'It is not the weakness of sin, but nature in them; their lusts leave them, rather than they leave their lusts; sin goeth out rather than is put out, rather dieth to us than we to it.

4. It may come to pass through outward respects, of carnal fear and shame; a debauched creature that walloweth in all filthy lusts, is an abhorring to all that wear the heart of a man; therefore credit may keep some from running into excess of riot, for lewdness is odious and disgraceful; their iniquities are found hateful, as the Psalmist saith; mere shame and men-pleasing, may restrain many within the compass of their duty. Joash was good, all the days of Jehoiada : but afterwards hearkened to the lewd Princes, 2 Chron. 24.17. In such cases there is no true hatred of sin, no true gracious principle set up against it; this abstinence is but for a while: take away the restraint, and they soon return to their own bent and bias: and besides, this keepeth them but from a few sins.

5. Restraining grace : God may restrain and bridle men by the power of his word on their consciences, when yet their Hearts are not renewed; or by common Instincts of natural modesty, and ingenuity, or by the power of his Providence: as God withheld Abimelech, Gen. 20.6. Though the sin be not subdued, yet the act and exercise may be suspended: Balaam had a mind to curse Israel, but God suffered him not, though he strove by all means to pleasure Balak.

6. Terrors of conscience ; a man that is under them, non proponit peccare ; a renewed man, proponit non peccare ; the one hath for the time no actual will or purpose to sin; the other a purpose not to sin; no will to sin, yet have a great deal of sin in the will. Thus negatively I have shown you what is not Mortification.

2. Positively, What it is. Here again we must distinguish.

1. Mortification is twofold, Passive and Active ; Passive, whereby we are mortified; and Active, whereby we mortify ourselves; the one is God's work, the other our own.

1. Mortification passive, whereby God mortifieth sin in us; which he doth either at conversion, when a principle of grace contrary to sin, and destructive of it, is planted in our hearts, Ezek. 11.19. I will put a new spirit into them: and I will take away the heart of stone, and I will give them an heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes. So Ezek. 36.26. I will put a new spirit into them. In the work of Regeneration God doth give a deadly wound to sin, the reign of it is broken, that it cannot with such strength bring forth the deeds of the body.

2. By the continual and renewed influence of his grace. He doth more and more weaken the power of sin. Mich. 7.19. He will have compassion on us, and subdue our iniquities. 'It is God's work: Alas! without this, if we be left to ourselves, the more we resist sin, the more it is irritated and increased in us.

3. God doth it by his word, which is the great instrument which he useth to convey the power of his grace. John 17.17. There we see the evil of sin, and the danger of it; are stirred up to resolve, cry, and pray against it, and are told of the great remedy, which is Christ's death.

4. He mortifieth us by his Providence, as he taketh away the fuel and provision of our lusts, and awakeneth us to a more earnest conflict with sin. Out of love to our souls he crosseth our humors, John 15.2. Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. The Vine-dresser cutteth and pareth off the luxuriant and superfluous branches, Isa. 27.9. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged: and this is all the fruit, to take away his sin. Now all this is passive Mortification, necessary to be observed by us, that we may submit to God's work, and improve the impressions of his Word, Spirit, and Providence.

2. Active Mortification is the constant endeavor of a renewed soul to subdue sin, dwelling in us, that we may be more at liberty to serve, please, and glorify God. 'It is a constant endeavor: for in a leaking ship there is a continual use of the Pump. Sin is a continual burden and clog to the new nature, and 'tis every days business to get rid of it: we groan under it, Rom. 7.24. and we must strive as well as groan; the spirit or new nature lusteth against the flesh, Gal. 5.17. not only by a disliking thought which may check actual motions of the flesh, but also by a constant use of all holy means, that we may get the mastery of it: they are bound to die unto sin, therefore will not let it reign, Rom 6.11, 12. and the end of mortification is vivification, or liberty towards God, which the soul aspireth after more and more; for we grow dead to sin, that we may be alive to righteousness. In short, this work must be continued till we have gotten some power against our corruptions, and it be weakened, though not subdued totally.

2. There is a general and particular Mortification. The general Mortification is, The putting off the whole body of the sins of the flesh, Col. 2.11. The particular Mortification is when we subdue or weaken this or that particular lust, Psal. 18.23. I was also upright before him, and kept myself from mine iniquity. Now the rule is, That the general Mortification must go before the particular, otherwise all that we do is but stopping an hole in a ruinous fabric that is ready to drop down upon our heads; or to make much ado about a cut finger, when we have a mortal disease upon us. Besides, particular Mortification dependeth on the general; for till we be renewed by God, how can we mortify sin? Col. 3.8. Put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, out of your mouths, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Seeing you have put off all corruption, allow yourselves to live in no one sin: Alas, to set against a particular sin, before we set upon the whole body of sin, 'tis but to put a new patch upon a torn garment, and so make the rent the worse; or to cut off a branch or two, while the root or trunk remaineth in full life and vigor, and so sprouteth the more for cutting: First look after the general work, that sin be stabbed at the heart, and then the particular branches and limbs of it die by degrees.

3. There is a double way of mortification, Privative and Positive: The one standeth in the cutting off the fuel and provisions of the flesh, or those things by which sinful and corrupt nature is kept alive; the other lieth in resistance and active endeavors against it; as fire is put out, either by withdrawing wood, or combustible matter, or pouring on water; or an enemy is destroyed by starving or battle, as Antigonus answered to a Captain that kept a Garison in a City subject to Rebellions and Mutinyings, That he should not only fasten the clog, but starve the dog ; meaning thereby, that he should strengthen the garrison, and weaken the City. Both these ways must Christians go to work in the business of mortification. The one by shunning the occasions of sin, and cutting off the provisions which feed the distemper in our Souls, Rom. 13.14. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. When men entertain themselves with all sensual delights, as if their business were to hearten the enemy, to keep the flesh alive after they have undertaken its death in Baptism. The other is using the means which tend to the subduing of it; such as prayer, 2 Cor. 12.8. For this thing I sought the Lord thrice. Hearing the word, John 15.3. Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken to you. And such like: as on the one side we must not provide oil to feed the flame; so on the other, there must be striving, praying, exercising ourselves unto Godliness, that grace may be strengthened in war against sin.

4. There is a daily and ordinary course of mortification; and a solemn extraordinary setting about this work in special seasons. The daily course is needful, because sin is at continual work in our Hearts; and as soon as a Christian neglects his Soul, the effects do soon appear. In this sense, a Christian must die daily, that is, to his sins and corruptions; he must still watch, and strive, and get some advantage against them by every prayer he maketh to God, every act of receiving the Lord's Supper, or hearing the word; it is his constant task; but there are certain seasons when he must solemnly set about this works; as,

1. When God maketh sin bitter by afflictions ; and we are threshed, that our husk may fly of. Affliction is a special time of dealing against sin, Jer. 2.19. We must not hinder the working of God's physic, but further it rather, exercise ourselves under the rod, Heb. 12.11 It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, to them that are exercised thereby. Use it to God's ends and purposes; the smartness of the rod should make sin more heteful to us.

2. When you have some serious stirrings upon hearing the word, or some new powerful consideration is given you to quicken your hatred against sin; when a truth is born in with great light power, and evidence, upon the heart; there is a Providence that goeth with Sermons; many gracious opportunities are lost by our negligence; certainly when the Waters are stirred, it is good getting into the Pool, see Jam. 1.23. If a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, &c. If so, there is a season lost: there is some duty pressed, some sin discovered, some want laid open, mortification is much promoted by observing and improving these seasons, 1 Pet. 1.22. seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth, through the spirit ; and Psa. 119.104. Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. By attending on the word, we get new degrees of light, and hatred against sin: sometimes God weakeneth this lust, sometimes that, according as he is pleased to direct it to your consciences.

3. After some notable fall, or sin against God. See the coar of the destemper pulled out; to get a pardon is not enough, but mortification must be looked after; the longer sin defileth the Heart, the deeper it is rooted: therefore speedily recover yourselves; at such a time a green Wound is more easily cured, than an old rankled Sore: and David complaineth his wounds did stink through his foolishness, Psa. 38.5. The longer these Wounds be neglected, the worse: if a Member is sprained, or out of joint, if you delay to set it, it never groweth strong, or straight: Peter did not lie in the sin, but went out immediately and wept bitterly, Matth. 26.75. The longer corruption is spared, it acquireth the more strength, secureth its interest more firmly, and is more deeply rooted in the Soul, and bringeth a custom on the body also.

2. Why justified persons must mortify the deeds of the body.

• 1. With respect to Christ.
• 2. With respect to sin.
• 3. With respect to grace received.

1. With respect to Christ ; and there, 1. What he did, and is to us. 2. Our relation to him.

1. What he did, and is to us : For what end he suffered for us, and for what end he is offered to us. He suffered for us, to take away sin; or to purchase grace whereby sin may be mortified: he paid the price to provoked justice, 1 Pet. 2.24. He bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we being dead unto sin, should live to righteousness. Naturally we are dead to Righteousness, and alive to sin; but Christ intention in dying for sinners, was to remedy this, that sin might die, and grace live: and therefore our old man is said to be Crucified with Christ, Rom. 6.6. Then the Price was paid, and grace purchased. He came not only to free us from punishment, but cut also the power of sin. The guilt of sin is contrary to our happiness; the power of sin, to God's Glory.

2. The end for which he is offered to us, God propoundeth Christ not only as a foundation of Comfort, but as a Fountain of grace and Holiness, 1 Cor. 1.30. Who of God is made to us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption ; to be our Sanctification, as well as our Righteousness; where he is the one, he is the other; one principal blessing is to turn us from our sins, Acts 3.36. and that is mortification, or weakening the power, and love of sin in our hearts; now that we may receive him as God offereth him, and not rend and divide him by a broken and imperfect Faith; as we look for Comfort in Christ in the sense of our justification and pardon; so an experience of his power in mortifying sin, otherwise we have but half of Christ.

2. Our relation to him, both by external profession, and Real implantation ; both bind us to mortify sin.

1. External profession obligeth us to die unto sin ; 'twas a part of our baptismal vow, and we quite nullify and frustrate the intent of that Ordinance, unless we Mortify the deeds of the body. The Flesh was renounced in our answer to God's Covenant-Questions, 1 Pet. 3.21. Baptism is called the answer of a good conscience towards God. 'It is an Answer to the Lord's offers propounded in the Gospel, when we were first consecrated to this warfare, and that dedication must never be forgotten, 2 Pet. 1.19. And hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. To neglect, is to forget; as to distribute and communicate, forget not; that is, neglect not. So here, hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins; while they please the flesh, they neglect their Baptismal vow, and so make that Ordinance of none effect to them: we are said, Col. 2.13. To put of the body of the sins of the flesh. That is, in vow and obligation, being buried with him in baptism. Now if we do not stand to our vow, our solemn admission into Christ's family was in vain.

2. By real implantation ; surely they that are united to Christ, cannot live in the servitude and slavery of sin; for by this union with him, they are assimilated, and conformed to him, Gal. 2.20. I am crucified with Christ ; and 'twas not his privilege alone, but all the justified, Gal. 5.24. And they that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts thereof. This conformity is called by the Apostle, a being planted into the likeness of his death, Rom. 6.5. Christ was crucified in his human nature, and we in our corrupt nature. We crucified him by our sins, and we are crucified with him by his spirit: Christ died for sin, and a Christian unto sin.

2. With respect to sin, which remaineth in us after we are justified. Here are three considerations demonstrating why we should mortify sin.

1. That sin still abideth in us after we are taken into the justified estate: while we dwell in flesh, this woeful and sad companion dwelleth with us; we cannot get rid of this cursed inmate, till the house its self be pulled down: we die struggling with it; and when one of our feet is within the borders of eternity, yet it departeth not: as hair groweth after shaving as long as the roots remain, so is corruption sprouting; therefore must be always mortifying: always cleansing, 2 Cor. 7.1. Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Always purifying, 1 John 3.3. He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as Christ is pure : Always laying aside the weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us; Heb. 12.1. Since sin is not nullified, it therefore must be mortified; the war must last as long as the enemy liveth, and hath any strength and force.

2. It still worketh in us, is very active and restless, not as other things, which as they grow in age, grow more quiet and tame, James 4.5. The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. The flesh is not a sleepy habit, but a working stirring principle, Rom. 7.8. Sin wrought in me all manner of concupiscence : That is, sinning nature; 'tis always inclining us to evil, hindering that which is good: 1. Inclining us to that which is evil : It doth not only make us flexible and yielding to temptations, but doth urge us, and impel us thereunto, Rom. 7.23. But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind. We think and speak too gentle of sin, when we think it a tame thing that worketh not till it be irritated by the suggestions of Satan: No, 'tis like a living fountain that poureth out its waters, though nobody come to drink of them; 'tis irritated by the law of God many times, and the motions of the spirit; these corrupt humors within us, are in a continual fermentation, Gen. 6.5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Temptations only make them more violent. 2. Hindring us from that which is good; either it draweth away the heart from duty, or distracteth the heart in duty; it draweth away the heart from duty, Rom. 7.21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. It abateth the edge of our affections, discourageth us by many unbelieving carnal thoughts, and so the heart is drawn away from God, that sin may the more domineer; or distracting our minds in duty, Ezek. 33.31. Their hearts go after their covetousness ; filling our minds with thoughts of the world, vain pleasures; revenge turneth our duties into sins.

3. The sad consequence of letting sin alone. When sin is not mortified, it groweth outrageous, and never ceaseth acting till it hath exposed us to shame before God, Men, and Angels; or hardeneth us in a carnal, careless course: Lusts let alone end in gross sins, and gross sins in a casting off all Religion: Love of pleasures let alone, will end in drunkenness and uncleanness; Envy, in murder and violence: Judas allowed his Covetousness, that brought him to betray his Master; Gehazi first blasted with Covetousness, then with asking a Bribe to God's dishonor, then with Leprosy, so became a shame and burden to himself: Annanias and Sapphira taken off by a sudden Judgment. The Devil loveth by lust to draw us into sin, and by sin to shame; and by shame to horror and despair; sin is no tame thing: But do the people of God run into such notable excesses and disorders? Yes, when they let sin alone, and discontinue the exercise of mortification; witness David, that run into lust and blood; and Peter into curses and execrations; Solomon into sensuality and idolatry; old sins long laid asleep may awaken again, and hurry us strangely into mischief and inconvenience.

3. In regard of grace received.

1. The grace of justification. Relyance upon the Righteousness of Christ for Justification doth not shut out the work of Mortification, but conduceth much towards it; it doth not exclude it, for the justified must be mortified; it pleadeth for it; Grace teacheth us to deny ungodliness, Tit. 2.11. That sin may be mortified and put to death for Christ's sake; Christ was crucified and put to death for our sakes: God doth not require it in point of Sovereignty, but pleadeth with us upon terms of Grace: Grace hath denied us nothing, it hath given us Christ and all things with him, and shall we stick at our lusts? Grace thought nothing too good for us, not the Blood of Christ, nor the Favor of God, not the Joys of Heaven, and shall we count anything too dear to part with for Graces sake? Mortification is an unpleasing task, but Grace commands and calls for it, and that with such powerful Oratory as cannot be withstood.

2. In regard of the Grace of Sanctification: To exercise it, preserve it, and increase it.

1. That we may exercise it to that end for which it was given to us : It was given to us to avoid sin, 1 John 3.9. Whosoever is born of God dtoh not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God ; and 1 John 5.18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not. There is a seed and principle within us to curb and restrain sin too, and keep us from falling into the power of the Devil, or being brought back into our old bondage; this other principle was set up in us on purpose as to excite unto what is good, so also to abate the power of sin; as the way to destroy weeds is to plant the ground with good seed; and 'tis given us as a bridle actually to restrain the exorbitances, and hold it in, when it flieth out; now this grace of God will be in vain, unless it be used to such a purpose; and one of God's most precious gifts would lie idle; therefore we should act it, or walk in the spirit that we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

2. Preserve it in power and vigor : For the life of grace dependeth very much upon the dying of sin, as health and strength in the body cometh on as the disease abateth, 1 Pet. 2.24. That we being dead unto sin, might be alive unto righteousness : But as the life of sin increaseth, Grace languisheth and withereth, and is ready to die, Rev. 3.2. The flesh and the spirit are contrary, and always are encroaching upon one another; and there is this advantage on the flesh's side, that it is a native, not a foreigner, homebred plants which the soil-yieldeth naturally without any tillage; as Nettles will sooner preserve themselves, and get ground upon better plants, because the earth bringeth them forth of its own accord; or as water heated, the cold is natural to it, and will prevail against the heat, unless it be driven out by a constant fire; whether the prevalency of sin doth weaken Grace effective or meritorie, by its malignant influence, or as deserving such a punishment from God, I will not now dispute; but weaken it, it doth, that is clear by experience; for though Grace be planted in us by God, 'tis not settled in such an indivisible point, as that it cannot be more or less; there is a remission of degrees, Matth. 24.12. The love of many shall wax cold. Faith may grow sick and weak; there are soul-distempers as well as bodily; and then a man is altogether unfit for action, and performeth duties in a very heartless and uncomfortable fashion; therefore still we must be mortifying sin.

3. That we may increase it. Grace is not only Donum, a Gift to be preserved; but Talentum, a Talent to be improved and increased upon our hands, that we may be the more fit to glorify God; that appeareth by the many excitations in Scripture to growth, 2 Pet. 3.18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 'It is not enough to maintain that measure of Grace which we have already received, but we must get more; always look after the growth of it in ourselves; and indeed the one cannot be done without the other; there is no possibility to keep what we have, unless it be improved; he that roweth against the stream, had need ply the Oar; and he that goeth up a sandy hill, must never stand still; and 'tis our own fault if it doth not grow; God loveth to multiply and increase his gifts, Grace be multiplied, 2 Pet. 2.2. There is more to be had, and more will be given, unless our sins obstruct the effusion of it; if we get it not, we may blame ourselves, for God doth nothing to hinder the increase; and indeed when Grace is in any life and vigor, it will be growing, Prov. 4.18. The way of the just is as a shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The morning light increaseth; a wicked man groweth worse and worse; he sinneth away the light of his conscience, rejecteth the light of the word, till he stumbleth into utter darkness: 'It is like the coming on of the night, the other like the coming on of the day: Now mortification of sin is the great means of growing in Grace, removet & quod prohibit ; it maketh room for grace in the soul; as it taketh away that which letteth, that it may diffuse its influence more plentifully: In Heaven we are perfect, because there is no sin, opposite principles are wholly gone; so here, the more you weaken sin, the more is Grace introduced with power and success, 1 Pet. 2.1, 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisy, and envy, and evil-speaking, as new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby ; there is no way of growth, till evil frames of spirit be laid aside.

1. USE is to enforce this duty upon all those that are called unto, or look for any hopes by Jesus Christ to mortify the deeds of the body: Oh! Do not think you are past mortification, because you are in a state of Grace; there is need of it still; yea, it concerneth you more than others.

1. There is still need of it, if you consider the abundance of sin of all kinds that yet remaineth with us ; And the marvelous activity of it in our souls, and the cursed influence of it, or the mischief that will accrue to us, if it be let alone: Let me a little press you by all these Considerations.

1. The abundance of sin of all kinds that remaineth with the regenerate, or those that are called to grace. I shall evidence that by some Scriptures, 1 Pet. 2.1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil speaking ; to whom is this spoken? The word wherefore biddeth us look back; when we look back, we find 'twas spoken to those that were called, effectually called, and born again, yea those that had made some progress in mortification, that had purified their hearts to the obedience of the truth, 1 Pet. 1.22. Who would think that the seeds of so much evil should lurk in their Hearts? but alas 'tis so! they are in pa • t envious, malicious, hypocritical to the last; and unless they shall keep mortifying, these sins will get the mastery of them, and bewray themselves to their loss, and prejudice, and God's dishonor. See another place, Col. 3.5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetosness which is idolatry. You would think all this were spoken to loose and ungoverned men, that have not the least Tincture and show of religion; no, 'tis spoken of those whose life was hidden with God in Christ, men acquainted with spiritual things, and brought under the power of the life of Christ; we foolishly imagine that such should only be told of the remainders of unbelief, or spiritual pride, or such like evils as are very remote from public infamy and scandal: but the Spirit of God is wiser than we, and knoweth our Hearts, and the secret workings of them, better than we do ourselves, and it's better these sins should be laid open in the warnings of the word, and discovered to us, rather than in us, by the prevalency of a temptation; an over spiritual Preaching, hath not refined but destroyed religion; God thought it fit it should be said to them that are taken into the Communion of the life of Christ, mortify ; what? your spiritual pride? no; but Fornication, Uncleanness, Inordinate affection; the root of the foulest sins is in our nature, and if we do not keep a severe hand over them, will sprout out in our practice; so Gal. 5.19, 20. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, varience, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresy. The Apostle thought good to warn professing Christians, who had given up themselves to the leading of the spirit, of the works of the flesh; he giveth a black catalogue of them, and he concludeth all, of which I told you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they that do such things shall not nherit the Kingdom of God. The Apostles that were divinely inspired, and full of the the Wisdom of God, did not soar aloft in airy speculative strains, or refined spiritual notions, but thought meet to condescend to these particulars, not only when they spake to Gentiles, but Churches, and professing Christians, to give warning against Fornication, and Drunkenness, and other such gross sins, and that not once, but often; for they knew the nature of man, and that nice speculations are too fine to do the work of the Gospel: all that have corruption in them, had need stand upon their guard to prevent sins of the blackest hew, and foulest note among men. I will give but one Instance more and that is of our Savior Christ, who thought meet to warn his own Disciples, who surely were good men, Luke 21.34. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawars. This is a lesson for Christ's own disciples; a man would think it more proper for haunters of Taverns, and Boon companions, whose souls are sunk and lost in luxury and excess; but Christ Jesus thought this caution needful for those that were taken into his own company, and bosom friends: let not all this be interpreted as any excuse to them that swallow the greatest sins without fear, live in them without sense, and commit them without remorse; cautions should not be turned into excuses, there is some inclination in our nature to these things: but these are not the practices of God's people, 'tis spoken that they may not at any time be so.

2. As there is abundance of sin, so it's active and stirring even after some progress in mortification: 'tis enticing, vexing the new nature, urging to evil, opposing that which is good; 'tis warring, working, always present with us, that the best Christians grow weary of themselves, Rom. 7.24. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Was Paul an underling in grace? Is not sin the same in all hearts? Have not we as much need to keep humble and watchful, and make use of Christ's mercy and power, as he had? Is sin grown more tame and quiet? Or are we more fool-hardy and secure? Surely we need to mortify corruption as much as others; and whatever degree of grace we have attained unto, this must be our daily task and exercise: if sin be stirring, we must be stirring against it; and when the enemy is active and warring against the Soul, it is a folly for us to hold our hands: especially since corruption is ever ready to renew the assault there, to return after it hath been foiled, and by several ways and kinds vendeth its self; when one branch of it is cut off, and one way of it stopped up, it breaketh out in another; one sin hath several ways of manifesting its self. Worldliness, take it off from greedy getting, it showeth its self in sparing, or withholding more than is meet; the folly of that sin is seen in its delight and carnal complacency: Soul take thine ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years : He had enough, now takes his fill of pleasure; so pride, if kept from vain conceit of ourselves, bewrays its self by detracting from others; so envy, or vain ostentation, as some venomous humor in the body, heal up one soar, and it breaketh out in another place, there is all malice, all guile, &c. All sorts of it.

3. The pestilent and mischievous influence of sin, if it be let alone: Sins prove mortal, if they be not mortified. Either sin must die, or the sinner. There is an evil in sin, and the evil after sin: the evil in sin is the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or the violation of God's righteous law; the evil after sin is the just punishment of it, eternal death, and damnation. Now those that are not sensible of the evil in sin, shall feel the evil that cometh after sin; all God's dispensations towards his people are to save the person, and destroy the sin, 1 Cor. 11.32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. God took vengeance on the sin, to spare the sinner; but the unmortified spareth the sin, and his life goeth for it; the sin liveth, and he dieth, as the Apostle Paul speaketh of himself, when the power of the word came first upon him, Rom. 7.9. Sin revived, and I died. Sin exasperated, and he felt nothing but sin and Condemnation. Oh! Consider with yourselves, 'tis better sin should be condemned, than that you should be condemned; sin should die, than that you should die; his life shall go for its life, in the Prophets Parable, 1 Kings 20.39.

Ay, But what is this to the justified person? there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ?

I Answer, You must take in all; because they are supposed to live not after the flesh but after the spirit; but if it can be supposed that ye can live after the flesh, then ye die, as in the Text; that is, ye justified persons. Poena potest dupliciter timeri ut est in constitutione Dei, vel ut malum nostrum, as Bernard. Eternal death may be considered as an evil which God hath appointed to be the fruit of sin, or as an evil that will certainly befall us; a justified person, one that is not so putatively only, but really so; not in his own conceit only, but in deed and in truth, may fear it; in the first sense there is such a Connection between continuance in sin, and eternal destruction, that he ought to reflect upon it, so as to represent to his Soul the danger of yielding tamely to his sins; and to fear it, so as to eschew it. For this is nothing but to make an Holy use of threatenings, and to see the merit of our doings; but as to the event, so not to allow perplexing doubts, but to quicken us to break off our sins, and to look up to God in Christ for pardon.

Now to direct you,

1. Strike at the root of all sin: they that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections, and lusts thereof, Gal. 5.24. The Prophet to cure the brackishness of the waters, did cast salt into the Spring, 2 Kings 2.21. We must begin with the heart, and then go on unto the life; if the root of bitterness be not deadened, it will easily sprout forth, and trouble us; as inbred corruption is weakened, so actual sins flowing thence are weakened also. The root of corruption is carnal self-love, for it is at the bottom of other sins; because men love themselves, and their flesh as themselves, more than God. Now this is weakened by the prevalency of the opposite principle, the love of God; and the more we strengthen the love of God, the more is original sin weakened, and we get again into a good constitution and state of soul. Carnal men are self-lovers, and self-pleasers; but spiritual men love God, and please God, and seek to honor God: love is the great principle that draweth us off from self to God; such as man's love, nature, and inclination is, such will the drift of his life be: now men will not be frightened from self-love, it must be another more powerful love which draweth them from it, as one nail driveth out another. Now what can be more powerful than the love of God, which is as strong as death, and will never be quenched nor bribed? Cant. 8.7. This overcometh our self-love, and then time, strength, care, and all is devoted to God: yea life its self, Rev. 12.11. They loved not their lives to the death. Self-love is deeply rooted in us, especially love of life, so that it must be something very strong and powerful, which must overcome it; for what is nearer and dearer to us than ourselves? now the great means to overcome it, is Christ's love: when the soul is possessed with this, that nothing deserveth its love so much as Christ, the natural inclination is altered. This is done by sound belief, and deep Consideration as the means, 1 John 4.19. We love him because he loved us first, 2 Cor. 5.14, 15. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again : By the Spirit as the Author of Grace, Rom. 5.5. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us. Then the soul knoweth no happiness but to enjoy his love and favor, and so it prevaileth over their natural inclination, they live not to themselves but to God; not according to the wills of the flesh, but the Will of God.

2. Consider the several ways how this root sprouteth forth : Two are mentioned by the Apostle in the fore-cited place, Gal. 5.24. With the affections and lusts, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , passions; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , affections: The first word noteth vexing passions, the next desirable lusts: There are two dispositions in the soul of man, of aversation and prosecution; by the one we eschew evil, by the other we pursue good: Corruption hath invaded both, and therefore Grace is necessary to rectify and govern both, 2 Cor. 6.7. By the armor of righteousness both on the right hand, and on the left. 1. We must crucify our passions which have to do with evils vexatious to the flesh, and we must subdue our lusts or affections which have to do with those good things which are pleasing to the flesh; there are vexing evils in which the mind suffereth a kind of affliction; but 'tis a disorder arising from self-love, and therefore it must be mortified; as envy which corrodeth and fretteth the heart of him that is surprised by it; but yet self love is the cause of it, for we are troubled that any water should pass by our Mill, or that others should enjoy any honor, or esteem, or trade, or profit which we covet for ourselves; so anger at anything done by man which is displeasing to us, and if given way to, is a short fury and madness, and hindereth a clear discovering of what is right and equal, Jam. 1.20. So worldly sorrow at anything done by God displeasing to the flesh, 2 Cor. 7. Worldly sorrow works death. So inordinate fear, which betrayeth the succors which reason and grace offereth to fortify us upon any sudden incursion of evil; The fear of man bringeth a snare, Prov. 29.25. So worldly cares which divert us from God, and dependence on his Providence, Phil. 4.6, 7. Yea, set up an anti-providence in our own hearts: The like may be said of malice and revenge, all which bring a torture with them; and if allowed or indulged, would soon destroy our love to God or men; as if God withholdeth from us any good that we desire, or sendeth that which we desire not, but crosseth our humor, as sickness, want, reproach, or disrespect, or whatever the heart is carried to eschew; or if men enjoy anything more than we would have them, or do anything contrary to the conveniency of our flesh, we storm and fret, justify our passions, think we do well to be angry; though these are a sort of sins, which are a punishment to themselves, and do destroy not only our duty, but our peace; and disquiet and torment and soul that harbors them, yea, will soon destroy that love we owe to God or man, therefore they must be mortified.

2. Not only our passions but our affections must be mortified ; Or more pleasant lusts to which we are carried by a sweeter inclination of nature; such as are stirred up by carnal baits and pleasures, as to instance in sins of the more sordid and brutish part of mankind; motions to Intemperance, Luxury, Uncleanness, and brutish Satisfactions; or to instance in the more refined part of the world, to worldly Greatness, Honor, and vain delights, to be distinguished from others by Estate, Rank, and outward Dignity; as every man is apt to be carried away by some inordinate lust or other; now whatever the distemper be, it must be purged out of the heart, if we would have Christ have any interest there: And here we must not only restrain the act, but mortify the habits, for otherwise we cannot be safe, for every temptation falleth in with some or other of these sins, and giveth a new life to it; unless the lusts are weakened, the conversation cannot be Christian, 1 Pet. 2.4. Abstain from fleshly lusts; having your conversations honest ; and Jam. 4.1. From whence come wars and fighting? Come they not hence, even from your lusts that war in your members ? All their strifes and contentions come from their carnal hearts, or sensual inclinations, which first rebelled against the upper part of the soul, or the dictates of Grace and Reason, and then broke out into outrageous or misbecoming practices: And our Savior telleth us, that Murthers, Thefts, Adulteries, come first out of the heart, Matth. 15.19. From the polluted fountain of the heart, floweth all the pollution of the life: And if the act should be restrained, yet unless the heart be cleansed, all is loathsome to God, Matth. 23.27. Therefore kill the lusts in your heart, and ye shall more easily curb the sins of the outward man, that they may not break out to God's dishonor. Many think to fashion the life, but neglect the heart, and if they keep from scandal, yet they do not advance the Authority and Power of Grace in the Heart, but self-love securely beareth rule in the soul. Many die by inward bleeding as well as by outward wounds; therefore unless our irrascible or concupiscible faculty be bridled and made pliable to the conduct of the heavenly mind, we shall do nothing in Christianity to any good effect.

3. As to actual temptations, when they stir indwelling sin, complain of the violence to God, Rom. 7.24. Oh wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? Bemoan yourselves to him, who alone can help you, and is ready to do so; when you are afraid of doing anything contrary to your duty, and an humble sense of your impotency is not only a good preparative to receive his graces, but also to defy and rebuke the temptation, Matth. 4.10. Get thee behind me Satan ; and Gen. 39.9. How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God? These are best smothered in the birth.

4. Take heed of those sins which the people of God are most in danger of. 'It is hard to say what they are; for all sins when they are near, and importune the flesh, by the easy and profitable practice of them without danger, or discovery, may tempt an unwary heart. Therefore we must have always our eyes in our head, and stand upon our guard; the secure are next to a fall: there is no cessation of arms in this warfare, nor treaty and conclusion of peace to be made with our lusts; Sin is a bosom-friend, but yet the sorest enemy; and if we be not resolute, and vigilant, our appetites, and senses or passions may betray us; and if you be not daily deadning worldly inclinations, self-esteem and conceit, you cannot stand out against the smallest temptation; But they are most in danger of those sins, which the temperature of body, and constitution do incline them unto; though we must watch against all sins, for all are hateful to God, and contrary to his law, and incident to us; yet we are inclined to one sin more than to another: there is something that is our privy sore, and may be called the plague of our own hearts, 1 Kings 8.38. Now this must be watched and striven against; and here the victory is never cheap, nor easy. Many a groan, many a prayer, many a serious thought, many an hearty endeavor it will cost us; these master lusts they never go alone (like great diseases that have petty ones attending them) must be chiefly attended by us, and we must not discontinue the work, till we have gotten some power against them, and they be considerably weakened. Be it lust, or passion, or sloth and dullness, or worldliness, or pride, we must Pray, and Pray again, as Paul Prayed thrice; grace must watch over it, and keep it under, and abate it by contrary actions, that we may the better govern this inclination, and reduce it to reason.

5. Take heed of an unmortified frame of spirit ; there are certain dispositions of heart which argue much unmortifiedness, and do loudly call for this remedy and cure, even the grace of the spirit whereby we may be healed; as first, impotency of mind, whereby temptations to sin are very catching, and do easily make impression upon us. The heart like tinder soon taketh fire from every spark: certainly there is great life in our lusts, when a little occasion awakeneth them. As it is said of the young fool in the Proverbs, he goeth after her suddenly, Pro. 7.22. That is, as soon as enticed. Upon the least provocation we grow passionate, the temptation findeth some prepared matter to work upon, as straw is more easily kindled than wood. Now this calleth upon us to weaken the inclination.

2. When the temptation is small ; a little adversity puts us out of all courage and patience, Pro. 24.10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If we be so touchy that we cannot bear the common accidents of the world, how shall we bear the most grievous persecutions, which we are to endure for Christ's sake? For the other sort of corruptions, for handfuls of Barley, or a piece of Bread, will that man transgress. So selling the righteous for a pair of shoes. Selling the Birthright for one morsel of Meat. She is a common prostitute that will take any hire. A little thing makes a stone run down hill. Certainly the heart must be looked after; the bias and inclination of it to God and Heaven, more fixed.

3. When lusts are touchy, storm at a reproof: If the word break in upon the heart with any evidence, carnal men cannot endure it, 1 Kings 22.8. He doth not propechy good concerning me, but evil ; 'tis a bad crisis, and state of soul, when men would be soothed in their lusts, cannot endure close and searching truths: but either affect general discourses, that they may creep away in the crowd without being attacked; or loose garish strains that please the fancy, but do not reach the heart: or must be honyed and oiled with grace; scarce can endure the Doctrine of Mortification; none need it so much as they; or love flattery more than reproof; 'tis a sign sin and they are agreed, and they would sleep securely: Not only did an Herod put John in Prison, but an As • put the Prophet in the stocks, 2 Chron. 16.10.

4. In case of great spiritual deadness : The heart hath too freely conversed with sin, and so groweth less apt for God, Psal. 119.37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken me in thy ways; and Heb. 9.14. How much more shall the Blood of Christ purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God? Our vivification is according to the degree of our mortification, and therefore great deadness argueth the prevalency of some carnal distemper.

5. Live much in doing good : The intermitting of the exercise of our love to God, maketh concupiscence, or the carnal love, to gather strength; and when men are not taken up with doing good, they are at leisure for temptations to entice them to evil; our lusts have power indeed to disturb in holy duties, but 'tis when we are remiss and careless; and usually 'tis the idle and negligent who are surprised by sin, as David walking on the Terras, 2 Sam. 11.2. Diabolus quem non inven •• occupatum, &c. I will close all with these two remarks,

• 1. That 'tis more sweet and pleasant to mortify your lusts, than to gratify them: Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant; but the dead are there, Prov, 9.17. so Job 20.12, 13, 14. Tho wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue, though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth, yet his meat in his bowels, it is the gall of asps within him. Sin is but a poisoned Morsel; Mortification is not pleasant in its self, yet in its fruits and effects 'tis rewarded with joy, and more occasions of thanksgivings we shall have, Rom. 7.24, 25. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• 2. If you enter not into a war with sin, you enter into a war with God; shall sin be your enemy, or God? the Eternal Living God? Ezek. 23.14. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.

SERMON XIX.

D OCT. That in mortifying of sin, we and the Spirit must concur. Here I shall handle,

• 1. The manner of this Co-operation.
• 2. The necessity of it.

1. To state the manner of this Co-operation. First, We must know what is meant by the Spirit; 'tis put either for the Person of the Holy Ghost, or for his Gifts and Graces, the new Creature, or the Divine Nature wrought in us. The Person of the Holy Ghost, Matth. 28.19. Baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: The new Nature, John 3.6. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. The former is here intended, the uncreated Spirit or Author of Grace, called the Spirit of Christ, v. 11. which leadeth and guideth us in all our ways, v. 14. which witnesseth to us, v. 16. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 .

2. The Spirit is the Author or principal Agent in this work : For he doth renew and sanctify us; we are merely passive in the first infusion of Grace, Ezek. 35.25. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, Eph. 2.1. You that were dead in trespasses and sins; yet now hath he quickened ; but afterwards we cleanse ourselves, 1 Pet. 1.22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit. First he worketh upon us as Objects; then by us as Instruments; So that we concur not as co-ordinate causes, but as subordinate Agents; being first purified and sanctified by him, we purge out sin yet more and more.

3. Tho the spirit be the principal Author, yet we must charge ourselves with the duty; it is our work; they destroy all human industry and endeavor, that make mortification to be nothing else but an apprehension that sin is already slain by Christ; no, 'tis charged on us, Col. 3.5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon earth. And 'tis our act, or else we can have no comfort in it, Gal. 5.24. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof : and 2 Cor. 7.1. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Under the Law the Leper was first to be cleansed by the Priest, and afterwards to wash himself in running-water, and shave his hair, Levite. 14.8. After being sprinkled with the Priest, the necessary ceremony, he himself was to wash: The Ceremonies which the Priest used are considerable, therefore I shall explain them a little. Two Sparrows were to be taken, and one of them killed in an earthen vessel over running water, and the other after he was dipped in the blood of the sparrow that was to be killed, let loose in the open field, to fly up in the air as it were in the sight of God; there was a notable Mystery couched under this Type; for the bird killed over the running water signified the death of Christ, accompanied with the Sanctification of the Spirit, typed by the running water, the only means to cleanse us from our Leprosy; and the bird that was let go alive having his wings sprinkled with blood, signifieth the Intercession of Christ, who is gone with blood to the Mercy-Seat; and we are told that Christ came not by Water only, but by Water and Blood: No other Bath for spiritual Leprosy, but Water and Blood, the Merit of Christ's Sacrifice and Intercession; and the Spirit of Grace to heal our natures; but after all this, the man was to wash himself; which figured the endeavors that God's people should use to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.

4. It being our duty, we must use the means which tend to mortification ; for to dream of a Mortification which shall be wrought in us without our consent or endeavors, as well whilst we are sleeping, as whilst we are waking, is to delude ourselves with a vain fancy; no, we must set a careful watch over our Thoughts, Affections, and Works; the Spirits Operation doth license no man to be idle; we must join with him, and obey him in his strivings against the flesh; for the Spirit worketh not on a man as a dead thing, which hath no principle of activity in himself; therefore those that upon the Spirits doing all, will lie idle, abuse the spirit, who both urgeth us to the duty, and quickeneth us to the use of means, or stirreth us up to use our endeavors, that the end may be obtained; otherwise we neither obey the Spirit, nor desire the benefit; We do not obey the Spirit, for he doth first sanctify us, then quicken us to use the means, and blesseth the means so used; and we do not desire the benefit; 'tis but a wish, not a desire, a ve • leity, not a volition, as Prov. 13.4. The soul of the s • uggard desireth, and hath nothing, because his hands refuse to labor. Many a man hath wishes that he could leave his sins, especially when he thinketh of the shame and punishment; as many an incontinent Person, Adulterer, Glutton, or Drunkard, hath a wish to part with his sin, but not a will; for he doth not seriously strive against it, his love to it remaineth unconquered and unbroken. Well then, let us see how far we have gained the point in hand: First, Every Christian must determine that the flesh must be mortified; secondly, mortified it must be by us, every man must mortify his own flesh; thirdly, that mortified it cannot be by us without the Spirit; the Spirit will not without us, and we cannot without the Spirit, neither when we are first to begin this work, nor can we carry it on without his assistance.

5. The Spirit mortifieth sin in us, as a spirit of Light, Life, and Love.

1. As a Spirie of Light, affecting the soul with a sight and sense of sin, so as we groan under the burden of it; nothing cometh to the heart but by the understanding; conviction maketh way for compunction, and compunction for a detestation and hatred of sin; and detestation and hatred, for the destruction and expulsion of it. Sin is always loathsome, but we have not always eyes to see it. When we look upon it through Satan's spectacles, or the cloud of our own passions, and corrupt affections, we make nothing of it; it seemeth lovely, rather than loathsome to us. But when the spirit annointeth our eyes with his eye-salve, it is the most hateful thing to the soul, that can be imagined, Jer. 31.18. After I was instructed, I smote upon the thigh, yea, I was ashamed, and confounded. We see sin to be another manner of thing, than ever we thought it before: Psal. 119.108. Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. When the heart is thoroughly possessed of the evil of sin, and we dare not dandle and indulge, or pass it over as a thing of naught: fear of punishment may suspend the act of sin, but the sight of the evil of it, doth help to mortify the root.

2. As a spirit of life ; for Jesus Christ to all his seed is a quickening spirit, 1 Cor. 15.45. We have life Natural from Adam, but life spiritual and eternal from Christ, and that by the spirit; for we are said to be born again of the spirit, John 3.5. The spirit reneweth us, and maketh us partakers of the life, and likeness of God, Titus 3.5. Now when this life is infused, there is an opposite principle set up in us to subdue the lusts of the flesh, and also to prevent the power of the objects of sense, which serve and feed them; for the flesh doth obstruct the operations of this new life, and cross the tendency of it: The operations of this new life are obstructed by the flesh; for Gal. 5.17. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit. And life is sensible of what annoyeth it, the operations of it are the serving and pleasing of God, Gal. 5.25. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. And we see a weight hanging upon us, and sin doth easily beset us, that we cannot serve God with that liberty, purity, and delight, that we desire. And therefore this is an heavy grievance and burden to the new nature, that we desire to get rid of it by all means, and labor, and strive in it, and that with good effect; a new life also hath a new tendency; as soon as 'tis infused it discovereth its self by its tendency to its end, and rest, which is God and Heaven: so the objects of sense have the less force and power upon us. Well then, the flesh is an enemy to this new life, and this new life an enemy to it, as having contrary operations and tendencies. Now how doth this new life discover its enmity? Partly by complaining of it, as a sore burden and annoyance, Rom. 7.24. Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death? Paul was whipped, scourged, imprisoned, exercised with many vexations, and sorrows: But the relics of the corruption were his greatest burden; not, when shall I come out of these afflictions? but who shall deliver me from this body of death? 2. By endeavors and striving against it. There may be some dislike of sin in a natural heart, for conscience will sometimes take God's part, and quarrel against our lusts; otherwise a wicked man could not be self-condemned, and hold the truth in unrighteousness; but checks of conscience are distinct things from the repugnancies of a renewed heart: a wicked man's conscience telleth him he should do otherwise, when his heart inclineth him to do so still. But a renewed heart hateth sin, and therefore there is a constant earnest endeavor to get it subdued; and doth watch, pray, plead for God, use means; dare not rest in sin, or live in sin, Yea, 3. Prevail against it so far, that the heart is never turned away from God to sin, 1 John 3.9. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. His heart cannot easily be brought to it, he looketh upon it as a monstrous incongruity, Gen. 39.9. How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God! 2 Cor. 13.8. For we can do nothing against the truth: and Acts 4.20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. There is a natural cannot, and a moral cannot: the natural cannot, is an utter impossibility; the moral cannot is a great absurdity, the new life breedeth such an aversion of heart and mind from sin, such constant rebukes and dislikes of the new nature. A Child of God is never in a right posture, till he doth look upon sin, not only as contrary to his duty, but his nature; they have no satisfaction in themselves, till it be utterly destroyed.

3. As a spirit of love ; the great work of the spirit is to reveal the love of God to us, and to recover our love to God; for the spirit cometh to us as the spirit of Christ, by virtue of his redemption; now the infinite goodness and love of God doth shine most brightly to us, in the face of our Redeemer, in the great things which he hath done and purchased for us, and offered to us; we have the fullest expression and demonstration of the love of God, which we are capable of, and which is most apt to kindle love in us to God again, Rom. 5.8. God commendeth his love to us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ; and 1 John 2.1, 2. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not: and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world: and Eph. 3.18, 19. That you may be rooted and grounded in love, and comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and may know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge. Now the spirit attending this dispensation, surely his great work and office is to shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, Rom. 5.5. and Gal. 4.6. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father : That being persuaded of God's fatherly love, we may love him again, and study to please him. Therefore nothing doth stir us up against sin, so much as the sense of God's love in Christ: shall sin live, which is so contrary to God? Shall I take delight in that which is a grief to his Holy Spirit? cherish that which Christ came to destroy? Live to myself, who am so many ways oblged to God? displease my father to gratify the flesh? Alas! how many read and hear of this, who are no way moved into an indignation against sin? 'It is not the love of God called to mind by a few cold thoughts of ours, that worketh so, but the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the spirit, that melts the heart, maketh us a shamed of our unkindness to God, and stirreth up an hatred against sin.

6. After conversion, and the spirits becoming a spirit of light, life, and love to us; after grace is put into our hearts to weaken sin, still we need the help of the spirit ; partly, Because habitual grace is a created thing, and the same grace that made us new creatures, is necessary to continue us so: For no creature can be Good independently, without the influence of the prime good: all things depend in esse, conservare, & operari, on him that made them. In him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17.28. If God suspend his influence, natural agents cannot work; as the fire cannot burn, as in the case of the three Children, much less voluntary; and if there be this dependence in natural things, much more in supernatural, Phil. 2.12, 13. Will and Deed are from God, first principles of operation, and final accomplishment: Partly, because in the very heart there is great opposition against it, there is flesh still, the warring law, Rom. 7.23. gratia non totaliter satiat. The cure is not total as yet, but partial; therefore they need the spirit to guide, and quicken, and strengthen them. Partly, as it meeteth with much opposition within, so it is exposed to temptations without; Satan watcheth all advantages against us, and the soul is strangely deluded by the treachery of the senses, and the revolt of the passions, and our corrupt inclinations, when temptations assault us; so that unless we have seasonable relief, how soon are we overtaken, or overborn! Adam had habitual Grace, but gave out at the first assault: A City besieged, unless it be relieved, compoundeth and yieldeth; so without the supply of the spirit, we cannot stand out in the hour of trial, Eph. 3.16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.

Secondly, The necessity of this Concurrence and Co-operation. 1. Of the Spirt with us. 2. We by the Spirit.

1. Of the spirits work: we cannot without the spirit, mortify the deeds of the body.

1. From the state of the person who is to be renewed and healed. A sinner lying in a state of defection from God, one that hath lost original Righteousness, averse from God, yea an enemy to him, prone to all evil, weak, and dead to all spiritual good, and how can such an one renew and convert himself? There is no sound part left in us to mend the rest: 'It is true he hath reason left, and some confused notions and apprehensions of good and evil, but the very apprehensions are maimed and imperfect; and we often call evil good, and put good for evil, Isa. 5.20. However to choose the one and leave the other, that is not in their power. We may have some loose desires of spiritual favors, especially as apprehended under the quality of a felicity or natural good, and as separated from the means, Numb. 23.10. O that I might die the death of the righteous! and my last end might be like theirs. They may long for the death of the Righteous, though loath to live their life; but these desires are neither truly spiritual, nor serious, nor constant, nor laborious; so that if we consider what man is in his natural estate, blind in his mind, perverse in his will, rebellious in his affections; this work can only be wrought but by the Spirit of God. Will a nature that is wholly carnal, ever resist and overcome the flesh? But so we are by nature, John 3.6. Can flesh destroy its self? Can a man of himself be brought to abhor what he dearly loveth? And he that drinketh in iniquity like water, be brought to loathe sin, and expel, and drive it from him? On the other side, will he be brought to love what he abhorreth? There is enmity to the Law of God in a carnal heart, till grace remove it, Rom. 8.7. Can we that are worldly, and wholly governed by sense, look for all our happiness in an unseen world, till we receive another Spirit? The Scripture will tell you, no, 1 Cor. 2.12, 14. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given us of God; but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ; and 2 Pet. 1.9. He that lacketh these things, is blind, and cannot see afar off. What man of his own accord will deny present things, and lay up his hopes in Heaven? Can a stony heart of its self become tender, or a dead heart quicken its self, or a filthy heart cleanse its self; bring a clean thing out of an unclean? it cannot be.

2. The honor of our Redeemer requireth that our whole and entire recovery to God, should be ascribed to him. Not part only, as our freedom from guilt, while the power of sin is subdued, and broken by ourselves. Renewing Grace is his gift, as well as reconciling Grace; and we can no more convert ourselves to God, than we can reconcile ourselves to him; both go together, and both are obtained by the same merit, and both are received from the same hand, Act. 5.31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince, and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins ; and 1 Cor. 6.11. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God. As by the virtue of his blood and sufferings he reconciled us to God; so by the Almighty Power of his Grace, he doth cure and heal our natures, and imprint God's Image upon our souls. The work of Redemption would have ceased forever if Christ had not paid our ransom for us, Psal. 49.8. So the work of Renovation, Job 14.4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. Surely Christ hath purchased this grace, and purchased it into his own hands, not into another's; and sendeth forth his conquering and prevailing spirit to bring back the souls of men to God; this work must not be disparaged nor looked upon as a low, natural, common thing; for this is to lessen the benefit of the new Creation, which is so much magnified in Scripture.

2. The necessity of our Co-operation, if we by the spirit.

• 1. We may.
• 2. We must.

1. We may: God hath given us gifts which are not in vain, the new nature or principle of Grace infused into us, all which tend to weaken and mortify sin, Acts 15.9. Purifying their hearts by faith: Hope, 1 John. 3.3. He that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself as Christ is pure : Love, which looketh backward or forward, teacheth us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, Tit. 2.11, 12, 13, 14. So that we may, or ca • , if we be not wanting to ourselves, do something to the crucifying of the flesh; certainly after Regeneration, we are or may be active; otherwise there would be no difference between the renewed and the carnal; and some of God's best gifts would be in vain; you are to improve the death of Christ to embitter sin to you by his sufferings, to improve the Grace received, pray for the supply of the spirit, to retrench the provisions of the flesh, to walk as in the sight of God, and prepare for a better world, to maintain a constant conflict with sin, and watch over all your ways: There are means of Grace appointed to weaken sin, as the Word, and Sacraments, and many Providences, which might be of great use to you, if you did improve them.

2. We must : For two Reasons,

• 1. That God may apply himself to us in our way.
• 2. That we may apply ourselves to God, and meet him in his way.

1. That God may apply himself to us in our way. God being our Creator, doth preserve the liberty of his workmanship, he applieth himself to every creature according to the nature of it, so as to improve it, not destroy it; he offereth no violence to our natural faculties, but super-addeth grace; draweth, that we may run, Cant. 1.4. Not hoised up, as dead things by Pulleys and Engines; the will is not compelled, but overcome by the sweet efficacy of Grace; being acted by God, we act under God; that is, by our own voluntary motion, and in a way of operation proper to us: I say, God influenceth all things according to their natural inclination; he enlighteneth by and with the Sun, burneth by and with the fire; reasoneth with man, acts necessarily with necessary causes, and freely with free causes, draweth us with the cords of a man, Hos. 11.4. Now we pervert this order, if we lie upon the bed of ease, and cry, Christ must do all; Christ that doth all for you, doth all in you, and by you; he propoundeth reasons which we must consider, and so betake ourselves to a godly course; he showeth us our lost estate, the possibility of Salvation by Christ, sweetly inviting us to accept of Grace, that he may pardon our sins, sanctify our natures, and lead us in the way of holiness to eternal life.

2. That we may meet with God in his way ; He hath appointed certain duties to convey and apply this Grace; we are to lie at the Pool, till the waters be stirred; to continue our attendance upon God with all diligence and seriousness, till he giveth grace, Mar. 4.24. And he said unto them, Take heed what you hear: with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you; and unto you that hear, shall more be given. God will have Believers bestir and put forth themselves, and he will help them in and by their own endeavors: We must not idly think that Grace will drop to us out of the Clouds; he was an evil and a slothful servant, that did not improve his Talent: To neglect duty, is to resist Grace, and to run away from our strength: God hath promised to be with us, while we are doing; therefore we are to wait for this power in the use of all holy means, that our corruption may be subdued and mortified.

USE is to exhort, with all diligence, to set about the mortifying the deeds of the body▪ by the Spirit.

Two Things I shall press you to:

• 1. Improve the death of Christ.
• 2. A right carriage towa • ds the spirit.

1. Improve the death of Christ ; For the term, Mortify, or Crucify, often used in this matter, respects Christ's death; and everywhere the Scripture showeth that the death of Christ is of excellent use for the mortifying of sin; I shall single out a few places, Gal. 2.20. I a am crucified with Christ. Three Propositions included: 1. Christ crucified. 2. Paul crucified. 3. With Christ. It doth not imply any fellowship with him in the acts of his Mediation, there Christ was alone; only that the effects of his death were accomplished in him, a participation of the benefits of his Mediation, so Rom 6.6. knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin may be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Then was there a foundation laid for the destruction of sin, when Christ died; then was the merit interposed, or price paid, and the obligation laid upon us to mortify it: Something there was to be done on God's part, the body of sin was to be destroyed, which intimateth the communicating of his spirit of grace to weaken the power and life of sin: and something done on our part, that henceforth we should not serve sin. There was a time when we served sin, but being converted, we must change masters, and betake ourselves to another service, which will be more comfortable and profitable to us. One place more, 1 Pet. 4.1. For as much as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh: arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin. That is, since Christ hath suffered for you, you must follow and imitate him in suffering also, or dying with him, namely, in dying to sin, as he died for sin: or mortifying our lusts and passions. For 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , one that hath suffered in the flesh, or is crucified in his carnal nature, it hath not respect to suffering afflictions, but mortifying sins; for 'tis presently added, He hath ceased from sin, given over that course of life; so that he should no longer live the rest of his life in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but the will of God. He inferreth the obligation of this correspondence and conformity, from Christ's dying. From all these places we collect:

1. 'It is an obligation. This was Christ's end, and we must not put our Redeemer to shame, 1 John 3.8. For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. That the interest of the Devil might be destroyed in us, and the interest of God set up with glory and triumph; shall I go about to frustrate his intention? or make void the end of his death? cherish that which Christ came to destroy? tie those cords the faster, which he came to unloose? By professing his name, we bind ourselves to die to sin, Rom. 6.2. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? not ab impossibili, but ab incongruo.

2. That the death of Christ was a lively and effectual pattern of our dying to sin. For the Glory of God, and our Salvation, Christ died a painful, shameful, accursed death; now we must crucify sin, Gal. 5.24. Be crucified to the world, Gal. 6.14. That is to say, Christ denied himself for us, and we must deny ourselves for him; he suffered pain for us, that we should willingly digest the trouble of Mortification, and suffer in the flesh, in our carnal nature, as he did in the human nature. 1. The death of Christ was an act of self-denial ; he pleased not himself, Rom. 15.3. Minded not the interest of that nature he had assumed; parted with his Life in the Flower of his Age, when most cause to love it: And will you part with nothing, make it your business to please the flesh, and gratify the flesh? he loved you, and gave himself for you, and will not you give up your lusts. 2. The death of Christ was an act of pain and sorrow : of all deaths, crucifixion is the most painful, and shameful. Sinful nature is not extinguished in us without trouble; as sin is rooted in self-love, self-denial is a check to it; as this self-love is mainly a love of pleasure, or the delight we take in sin, so the pains of Christ's death check it: shall we wallow in fleshly delights, when Christ was a man of sorrows? Christ's sufferings are the best glass, wherein to view sin; will you take pleasure in that which cost him so dear? he was mocked, spit upon, buffeted, he bare the shame due to our vain conversations. A Malefactor was preferred before him. Therefore when you remember Christ's death, you learn how to deal with sin; the Jews would not hear of Christ's being King; Away with him, we have no King but Caesar : such an Holy indignation should there be a in a renewed soul, Rom. 6.12. Let not sin reign therefore in your mortal bodies, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Let it not King it, we have no King but Christ. 3. 'Twas a price paid, that we might have grace. Every true Christian is a partaker of the fruits of Christ's death; and one fruit is, that we might die unto sin, 1 Pet. 2.24. Who his own self, bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead unto sin, should live unto righteousness. This is communicated to us by the spirit: he bought sanctification as well as other privileges, Eph. 5.25, 26. As Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. And Titus 2.14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works, 1 Pet. 1.18. Redeemed us from our vain conversations. We are ready to say, I shall never get rid of this naughty heart, renounce these sensual and worldly affections; our hearts are so wedded to the interests of the flesh: but Matth. 19.26. With God all things are possible.

2. Carry it well to the spirit.

1. Believe that the Holy Ghost is your sanctifyer, and resign up yourselves to him as such, that he may recover your souls to God: This is but fulfilling our baptismal vow, Mat. 28.19. Go baptize all nations, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. To God the Father as your Lord and happiness, to Chr • st as your Redemer and Savior; to the Holy-Ghost as your guide, comforter and sanctifier. We renew this consent in the Lord's Supper, that we may bind ourselves the faster to him, to submit to his spiritual Discipline, that our cure my be wrought in us.

2. You must obey his sanctifying motions, for otherwise this resignation was in vain; therefore we must faithfully endeavor by the power and help which he giveth us, to mortify sin: we must strive against sin, and we must strive with them; to strive and resist him, argueth great profaneness, Gen. 6.3. Acts 7.51. Not to strive with him, much neglect and laziness; you must strive with your hearts, when the spirit is striving with you, and take the season of his special help. 'It is not at our command, for the wind bloweth as it listeth; take it when you have it: 'It is an offense to the spirit, when the flesh is obeyed before him: men are easily entreated by sin, but deaf to his motions.

3. Use the appointed means by which the spirit worketh: There are means of obtaining the spirit at first, by the Word and Prayer. The spirit is conveyed by some Doctrine; for God's operative Power is applied to man as a reasonable creature, not for necessity. For the Word, Gal. 3.2. Received ye the the spirit by the works of the law, or the hearing of faith. So for Prayer If not for friendships sake, &c. Luke 11.8, 13. yet because of his importunity. If ye being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that ask it? Beg it of God, upon the account of Christ, Titus 3.5.6. But we speak now of another thing, not the gift of the spirit at first, but the supply of the spirit. 'It is gotten the same way; the spirit joineth his power and efficacy with the proper instituted means, the Word, which is the sword of the spirit, Eph. 6.17. This sword was made by the spirit. Holy men spake as moved by the Holy Ghost. Used by the spirit to vanquish Satan, 1 John 2.14. And the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. • It is used for the defense of the better part; the sword of the flesh is the excessive love of pleasures, some carnal bait. And by it the power of the holy ghost came upon us, Acts 10.44. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word. A spirit of sobriety, godliness, meekness, and the fear of the Lord. We cannot make use of this sword, without the spirit; 1 Pet. 1.22. Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through the spirit. So Sacraments, 1 Cor. 12.13. And have been all made to drink into one spirit. Prayer; looking up to God who helpeth us in our conflicts, openeth their ears to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity, Job 36. And breaketh the yokeless disposition and opposition in our hearts.

4. To forbear those willful sins, which grieve the spirit, Eph. 4.30. Grieve not the spirit. 1 Thes. 5.19. Quench not the spirit ; do not provoke him to withdraw his assistance from us; as David was sensible of his misery Psa. 51.10, 11, 12. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me; cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me: restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me by thy free spirit.

SERMON XX.

W E come now to the Promise ( ye shall live ).

Doct. That life is promised to those that seriously improve the assistances of the spirit, for the mortifying of sin.

1. What is the life here promised; the life of Grace, or the life of Glory? I shall give my Answer in Three Considerations.

1. The more we die unto sin, the more fit we are to live that new life, which becometh Christians, or new creatures : For Mortification and Vivification do mutually help one another: So much sin as remaineth in us, so far is the spiritual life clogged and obstructed; therefore it is called a weight that hangeth upon us, and retardeth and hindereth us in all our heavenly flights and motion, Heb. 12.1. That weight is there explained to be sin, that doth easily befet us; 'tis the great impediment to the heavenly life, and maketh our progress therein, slow and troublesome. Well then, the more these inordinate inclinations are broken, and mortified, the more we are alive unto Righteousness; as the Scripture everywhere witnesseth; and the more we tame and subdue the flesh, the more doth the spirit or better part thrive and prosper; therefore it may be truly said, If ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live : That is, spiritually.

2. The spiritual life is the pledge and beginning of the life of glory. Here 'tis begun by the spirit, and there perfected; the spirit of holiness is the surest pledge of a Resurrection to eternal life, as I proved, v. 10, 11. The reasonable nature inferreth Immortality, and the new nature a blessed Immortality; everywhere the new birth, 'tis made the seed of Eternity, called therefore the immortal seed, 1 Pet. 1.23. And he that is born of God is said to have eternal life abiding in him; he hath the pledge and earnest, and first fruits of it; the spiritual life consists in the knowledge, love, and contemplation of God, and perfect love and subjection to him; so that if it were meant of the Life of Grace, the Life of Glory cannot be excluded.

3. As it cannot be excluded, so 'tis principally intended ; as is evident; partly, because 'tis put in opposition to death, which is the fruit of the carnal life; if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. Such a life is intended, as is directly opposite to that death; and partly, because 'tis propounded by way of motive, and motives are seldom taken from things co-ordinate, such as are vivification and mortification, a dying to sin; but from things of a superior rank and order, as the glorious reward is to duty; and partly, because this suiteth with the Apostles scope, That justified Persons shall not be condemned, but glorified, because of the life of the spirit in them.

2. To confirm the point; First, by Scripture : The offer of eternal life is everywhere propounded in Scripture, as the great encouragement of all our endeavors, either in subduing sin, or perfecting holiness, as Prov. 12.28. The way of righteousness is life, and in the path thereof is no death. There is the hope of life asserted, and the fear of death removed: death elsewhere is propounded as the reward of sin; and life as the great motive to keep us in the true love and obedience of God, Gal. 6.8.