of Mortification. ---------------------- with Lult: All whLh and many more, are great Difcouragements unto Chriltians , ma king not nnly the Hand' of rh~ir Enemies ~rang ar,ainlt them, but many times their Gwn Hand~ •· e1k , and thetr Hearts famt j fo that they are ready to C1y they fhall one day fail by the Hands of thefe mighty Lufts; and that then.:for~ it is as good to give thcmfelvcs up for loft Men, and never more to ftrn gr;le agJmft what they c1nnot poffibly fubd,ue:. An~ truly, did. not the Spirit of God in the T~tt, grm midft ofthcfe fad Thoughts, break m wtth extr~ordtnary Supports and .o\fliftances, dif or:r.1gtall lheir Hopes and Co11fidenccs would here gtve up the Ghoft; and tbc}' abJn- mw u in don themfctves over to the l'owcr of their Lufts to be captivated by them at thctr tile w .!·L· of Plcafutc. But omitti11g "thcfe, 1 fhall only fp~ak to two great difr.;ouragcments Momji.adrawn from the bad event of an endeavoured Mortification. on. £,rfl, The little vilible Succefs they gain after all their P,dns and Labour. 1 • Stcondly, The many [Jd Defeats and Foils, which notwichfranding all they re- "1· ceive from their Lufts. Fi rft The little vifiblc and app3rcnt Succcfs of the Exercife of Mortification, 1 • doth m'ightily di!hearrcn even true Chriftians from it. And this Difcouragement is by fa much the greater, if before there Convcrfton Confcience was tender, and Luft never outrar_;ious nor broke out into any fcandalous foul Sin. Such Cbriftians can hardly pe:rceivc the dilterence between thcmfelres now, and themfclves long ago ; after all the labour and toil they h.ave taken in Mortification, they. are they think, bur a!moft where they where; little progrefs have they made, lmlc ground have they got, they arc not confcious to themfelves of any wilfulncglett; they have conftantly ftood upon their guard., kept their watch, carefully 11fed the rr'iean~ for Mortification; and yet aft~r all, Luft they think is frill as pre\•a\ent with them as before; and this difcourageth them from taking fa great pains (as they think ) ro fa little purpofe. Now there are two grounds why the Succefs of Mortification is nor always vifible and apparent. Firft, Becaufe of the Root~d Permanency of every Luft in the Soul. Mortifi1 • cation doth not utterly kill, but only wound and weaken Sin .. And therefore though you fingle out any one particular Luft, and fct the whole Jl:rength of Grace againft it, though you do as Samutl did with ./Jgag, ltcw it in pieces before the Lord, that you would think it Jhould ne.ver be able to ftir more ; ycc it is in this like to Worms· and Serpents, every ptece will move; the very next Temptation, ObjeCt or Opportunity, will draw forth the fame Corruptio_nagain, which you thought you had utterly kill'd. Mortification <loth uot put Sin to death, fo as that it Ol:lll never move more in the Soul: And therefore ChriJbans aiming at this death and Extirpation of Sin, think that all their labour iS but loft, when they find every one of thofc Corr11ptions to ftir and move as they did fol'mally. And this difcourageth them. · Steondty, Another thing that hinders the vifible fuccefs of Mortificatioti, is the 2 . great variety and multiplicity of Corruption, Y. hereby it comes to paiS rh at one follows upon the Neck of another, and as foon as one is beaten down , anothCr rifcth up; that though a Cht iftian exercife a daily Mortific:J.t iun, yet he can fcarcely tell whether the number- of his Enemies be diminifhcd or augmented; every dJy he fights, and every day he conquers, and yet every day he h:1th as . many to fight againft, and to conquer as br.:forc. Now what a Difcouragemcnt this is, any who is ~oth to put himfelf to a great deal of trouble to no purpofe, may eafi ly ill!agine. 0~! faith fuch a one, could I perceive that I p-_ain'd advantage ae3inft my CotTllptiOns, [hat I fubdued and put to death any of them, I Otould couJJt ail my pains well bcftowed: Bnt alas! there's fitch a Luft that I have been ftrug~ling againft fo long,and yet am not free from it; nay,therearc fo many thou(·md Lufb;>rhat arc ftill rifinr; in me, and when 1 turn my fclf ag,ainft one, anOther furprifcth me: Jf l oppofe that another gets within me; all my victories are in v.1in, my work is endlefs, and ftilll have as many Enemies to combat with as at the firft. And hereupon he is ftrongl y tempted to give over Mortification, as a fruitlefs work. That's thefi rft _Difc:ouragemenr, the little vifiblc fuccefs by reafon of the permanency and multttude of Corruptions. Secondly, Another great Difcouragement in the work of Mortific.'ltion, is the i; many fad Defeats and Foils, which notwirhfb11ding all their Endeavours, even the beft Chriftians have often received from their Lufts. Though the couqueft at the laft be affured, yet it is not without many doubtful Trials-and various Dddddd . Succelfcs.
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