388 Book IV. 1!.oolttng unto 'jjcfu.S'. Chap. 3· Sett+ ------------~------------~--~~--~--- 2. True mortification is general; not only one fin, but all fins are mortified in a tru~ Col. J· S· Jam. 3· •· Believer. As death is unto t~e Members of the body, fo is mortification unro the members of fin; now death fetzeth upon every member, it leavr,; not life in any one member of the body; fo neither doth mortification leave life in any one member of fin. my meaning is, it takes away the commanding power of fin in every member: Mortifi~ your memben whi~h are upon the earth (faith the Apoflle) your members , not one.mem– ber; and then he mflameth, Formcatton, Vnclemmejs, _Inordinate .AjfeClions, EvilConcupifcence, andCovetoltfne(s, wh~eh u Idolatry. Chnfltans that have their imerefl if! Cbrift's death, muft not only leave _Pt:ide, but Lufl;. not only Uncleannef>, but eo~ vttoufnefs? St~ m~r[l not only be llamm the undcrtlanding, but in the will and affecti– ons: morttficatton ts general. . :ou will fay this is an hard faying; doth any lnan, any Believer, lea~e all fin? yes; 10 .'ef~ect of rulmg power he leaves ~ll fin; all ~rofs fins, and all other lms : only with tins dtfference, . all grofs fins m prat'bfe and acttons, and all frailties and infirmities in allowance and affection. It is good to obferve thedtgrees of mortification: the firfl is to forbear the practife of gro.fs allll feandalou ;fins in word and deed : If any manof– fend >Jot in nwd, the fame u a perfeCl inan; and this_perfection by the help of Grace, a. godly man may reach to m tins hfe. The fecond ts to deny confent and will to alt fr~ilties and infirmities: 'The evil which I ~vouldnot, that d~ 1,, Ro_m. 7· 19. I may do· ev1l, and yet I n·ouldnot do ev•l; there IS a demal of lt 10 the will. The third is ro be free from any ferled liking of any evil motion: not only to deny confent and will bnt alfo to deny the very thought or imaginnion fetledly and deliberately to deliaht i~ fin. I know, to be void of all evil motions arifing from the flei!J, or of all fudden palfions within, or of all fudden delights in lin, or of all deadnefs or backwardnefs to good things by reafon of fin, it is an higher pitch than any man can tOuch in this pre– fent world, for whi][l we live, the Law of the members will be working, and we IJJall findcaufeenough to complain of a body of death; only, if when thefe motions fir!! arife, weprefently endeavourto quench them, to rejed them , to detell:them, and to £all them away from us, therein is true mortification: and thus far we mufl look to it, to leave all fin. 3. True mortification is not without its prefent combats, though at!all it conquer. many a time corruption may break out, and luft may be ihong and violent; but chi; violent lufl is only for the prcfent, whereas a lull unmonified ever reigneth. It is with fin in aBeliever, as it is with a man that bath received his deadly wound from his enemy. he will not prefently flie away, but rather be will run more violently upon him th;t hath wounded him; yet, be he never fo violent, in the middle ·ofl1is action be fiok down, becaufe he hath received his deadly wound; fo it is with a Believer's fin,and with a mortified lufl; it may rage in the heart, and feem to bear fway for a time; but the power and flrength of lin is mortified, it finks down, and wants ability to pre– vail; by this fign may we know whether the corruptions and llirrings of our heartspro– £eedfrom a mortified, or from an unmonified lufl; a lufl, though mortified, may rage fora time, but it cannot rule ;)t may flrive, but it cannot totally prevail; it may be in the bean, as a thief in the houfe, not to refide or dwell, but ro lodge for a night, and be gone: And (thatwhichiseverto~e obferved) after its_fwin~e ~nd breaking out, the heart that lodged it, abhors its felf in dull: and alhes, ~rtes m1ghuly unto God for mercy and pardon, repairs the fureach with flronger refolutton; and m?re invind– blc watchfulnefs again[\ future alfaults; but a Lull: unmomfie~ polfelfeth 1t felf, and rules and reigns in the heart and foul; it abides there, an~ Will not away: I ll•all not deny , but there may be a celfation of its actings for a ume; bu~ ~hat is ?Ot ahy wam of good will, as they fay, but onLy of matter, means, ?pponumty, enttcemenc, company , provocati~n,. or t~e li~e ; and after fuch celfatton or forbearan~e '. the heart ufually emertatns tt agam With m?re gre~d1_nefs; . 1t hes an~ del1ghts m tt as much as ever, it hardens it felf motlobtlmately llltt, as 1f It were tmpolfible to leave it, otlive without it with any kind of comfort, 4• True mortification is a painful work. T~every W?rd import~ n? Jefs ; to kill_:r . man or to monifie a member will not be wtthout pam; hence lt 1s called a cruciQ,j f. , 4 • fying of the flelh, and a cutting off the right hand, a plucking out the right eye: they M1t. 5 ·•9 30. that are Chrijf's,h~'!e crucifiedtheJlejh; ifthy handoffend t~ee, ct:t tt..ff;_and ifthy '{.,' offind thee, pluck.. tt om : mtlus refpect tbts ~e~th umo fin carnes w~th 11 a l!kene[s tot edea~f
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