The Great Daty Member after Member, contemning that Smart and Anruifh, that flights tender and delicate Ch:riftians from fa roug,h an Engagement. 1.. Secondly, there is in the . bcft, too much of a Sintul Fondnefs and Companion A Sinflll that makes Mortific1tion fecm to be cruel and unnatural; and how c<Jn it otherfonrl.>1tfs wife be, while in the very heft there arc ftill remainders of that other Self, 1 mean unrab[l Corruption! Every Chriftian hath a double Self, his Carnal and his Spiritual Selt; i:J:?.fi a- and Mortification is as it were Self-Munher, he doth what in him lies to .Murtio~ }u~ ther himfclf, that is, his ·Carnal Self. Now look how diflicult it is for a f'rlan mu I. to offer violence to himfclf; for the Right Eye to be torn out by;1hc Right Hand, and that again to be cut off by the other; fo difficult it is (abati ng only that it is another Self that doth it) for a Chriftian to exercife Mortification; becaufe it is a kind of Self-DeftruC\:ion. Luft is fo clofe and intimate with the Soul, fo inlaid with the Principles, and wrought into t~e very Bowels of it; that what the Apoftle faith, Eph. ~· 29. No Man yet e'Vtr hated his on;n Flt/h; I may apply [Q this .cafe, NoMa~ yet ever hated his fl_efhly Part; this is, with fuch an utter Antipathy and Deteftation as he ought. With what Compaffion, or rather, with what extremity a:nd rage of Panlon, would a Mother fee an Infant of her own Conception delivered up to the Slaughter! Truly there is in all Men fomcwhac of the like natural Affection towards the Conceptions of their own Lufr, fo that ic is with a great deal of Reluctancy and ViolCnce offer'd to Nature, that they cxpofe their Infant Lufrs as foon as born to the fword and fhughter of Mortification. Now un~il this Fondn~fs be removed, 'an~ ~hrifrians more ha~de~icd ag:1infr their • Corrupuons, that their Heart~ ibaU •no t puy them, nor the1r Eyes {pare rhern though they a1e their own offspring7 though they are fo nnJCh t hCmfclves ye~ they can with their own Hands thruft the Sword of Mortification through them and with delight look upon their gafpings and blood ; this great \Vork can ncvc; go forward proportionabk to the great and abfolute necdlity of it. That's the firft particular. 2 : Srcondij, As the difficulty, fo tl1e conftancy, the perpetuity of this work frir;hts 7"heperpe- many from engaging in it. If Sin would be laid·dead by a blow, moit l\·len would tuitJ of' for.once ftrike home, but when they think that Mortification is a perpetual quarM~rifi· rei, which they mu(t all their Life time profccute1 without a day's or minute's '"~~~~~ refpite, that frill they muit be in Arms, frill upon the Watch, and fl.ill fighting ~~~~ fr!J'PS without the Truce of a breathing allowed them; this makes fame r, ive it over it. quite as an endlefs thing, and others to follow it but very remifsly. And truly unlcfs this work of Mortification be purfued with an indefatigable Confl:ancy without interrniffion, thcfe two Evils will neceffary follow. t. Pirft, In the interval, Luft after it bath ~een defeated, ~ill again recruit and gather Head, and poffibly arrault'the Soul Wtth a redoubled torcc. 2 • And Secondly, Grace will for want of Exercife grow unwieldly, 110active, and lefs fit for fervice than it was. If at any time there be a neglect of Mortification, all that was formerly done againft Corruption -is mec•ly in vain, and but fo much labour loft; Luft will rally after a Rout, and therefore Grace when it bath defeated it, muft purfue it clofe, ftill gaining upon it, and difputing its ground by in· ches, till it bath at laft quite forced it out of the Soul. Men that arc to empty :1 Pond, in which there are many Springs riling, muft be ftill cafting out the Water as it is frill bubling up; if they ftop, the Pond grows prcfently full and their labour is again to begin. Truly our Hearts are like this Pond, in which there are many Springs frill fpouting out Corrupt Streams: Mortification is the Laving of this Pond, if Chrifl:ians do but for a while ceafe and give it over, the Heart grows full again of all manner of Wickednefs, and the work is fet as far back as it was at the beginning. Now thefe ineetfant Pains few will bear, and therefore it is that this work of Mortification is generally fo much neglected, in the World. 'l»i.rdly, The many Difcouragements which even Chriftians themfelves meet with in the work of Mortification, to do them backward to it, and negligent in it. Many Difcouragcments 1 mieht here mention both from without and from within; as the evil Examples of unmortified Profeffors, the Auxiliaries that Luft receives from the Policy and Power of Satan, the manifold Enforcements which when a Temptation is in its hour, it bath from ObjeCts, Occafions, and fuch like outward Advantages; the inward fecret Confpiracies of the Heart it ~eJf With
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=