The Great Duty Succcnes. Paul the greateft Cha:11pion rhat cvtr fought the Lord's Spiritual Bat.. tcls, and maiotain'd the Caufc of Grac_c; yet cr;.m~lains. of his ~aptivity to the Law of the l\lembers. Rom: 7· 23 .. Da7.Jtd. n~ JcJ; >~. \V:HTI?ur.agalnll: uncircumci- .ftd Lufh than ar.ainft llO(lrcnnKifed Phrbfltam, yet helCri(S onr of his wounds Pf 11l. 3s. ')·My t;:r:nds jlir:~ •'tn~ trrc ron:upt, beeaufo rif m_y /ooi.jh.tji, It wou'ttl be a very fad and cllft.:ouragwg SpectaclcJf we could fee ~!I tJJc fpoils which :::ia~ ran and Con 1ptio1~ ha~e by for~e taken from the mofr Emtnent Chriftians. Such a Ma1,'s Shidd ol' F11th left 111 fuch an Encounter, fuch a Matl's Sword of t he Spirit \.-\.Tefl:c(J ftom him in another, another loofelh_ the Brc~ft~pbte of Rightep oufncfs, another the Helmet of Hope. Yea, there Is no Ch11Jban but is in fOme Encounter or other defp_oil'd of part of his. Armour, .artd himfrlf taken Prifoncr. Now hereby they are dtfh~artned from again atte~ptmg that Enemy whom they luve found toCI hard. for tncm. \V hen they ~nd Lt1~ to. be an over-match for them, they flee and gtve place, a.nd c~ncludc It utterly In ~alil for them with their ten thonfand, to make War with htm that comes agatnft them with · twenty thoufJ.nd, and fo they lit down under the neglea of Mortification. Thcfe now arc fame of the Ground!. why t his great Duty is fo little praltj. fed among. '?hrifrians; and wha~ is at the bottom of all this but only a great deal of Spmtual Sloth and Laztnefs, that makes them loth to put themfelvcs upon difficulties ~nd ha~ards.; yea, a~d poffibly makes them fancy more difficulties and hazarCs Ill Morttficanon that mdrcd there are. Prov. 26. , 3 , The Jlothful Man Jairh, there ;~ a Lion in tht. WHJ, ,ll Lion in tht .Strc~ts, 'tis a very unlike.: Jy thinr.; that a L1on Ih_ould be m the Street; ye~ th1s his Sloth fuggcfts to JJim as an cxcufe to keep him from the labour of gomg abroad. Well, what do rh the Sluggard do! ln the next Vcrfe the W~fe·Man tells, As the Door turr:crh upon {,is H1,gc1 ; fo dor_h, "! ~iorhfut A!an upon hzs Bed . . T~e J?oor turns often but gains no ground} fbil ~ ~IS ":-here It was. s~ truly .rt IS wah. a Slothful Chrifrian that negleCts Mor(IGcauon for fear of dtfficulncs; let lum turn himfelf to w l~atfoeYer he \-vi\1, yet frill ha is but upon his Hinges, he gains no ground up. on his Lufrs, nor makes ~o progrefs towards H.eave~. Ala:.!. ~eaven and Happincfs arc not to he obramcd With c~fe , by fitung fhll and Wllhmg againfr Luft. but by a laborious ~uteu(!ing and Itrug?,ling ag;ainfr. it. What faith our Savi~ our Matt. 1 T. 12. 7 fJC Kmgdom of Hurven fufftrs ".nolcnce, and the violent ta~e it b) force. Th.ere mufr bt: :J.n.holy Ro~1ghnefs and. Vblcnce uffd, to brelk. through all that ftands 111 ou: way, .neJthl:r c~nng for the~r Allurements, _nor fearwg their Oppofition; but w1th a p1ous Obfbaacy, and (If 1 m~y fo C.:1_11 ' ) FrC>I'.'1'dnefs, we muft thruft away the one, and bear down. tl:~. at . .:r. 1 ~he LhnitiaJ\ who will carry Heaven by force, when the wlun:ang pufiP. :tintf·u~ Prof~.-ffor who only complains of difficulty, but Jlevcr attempts to conq:..:~.r ir, 't.ill be for ever fhut out. ~, he next thing to ~e e1~qnircd into is, ~ha.t 1s this nece_ffn·y and yet mnch neglfcted duty of Mortification, and whcrem It doth conllft. An ex:1a Method would perhaps ha\•e called for this at firtt, fince it were in vain to prcfs the Neceffity, and not to open ~he J?llty: But I .know there are ~ew here, who when mention is made of MoruficatJo~, _do not. In th.e general nouon , apprehend it ro . be fome earneft .and_ confta.n~ itr1v1ng agatnft ~111, f? as to weaken and.conqucr it. Wh ich fuppoliuon IS a .fufhclent ground fo.r adJOUrning the more minute explication of this D1~ty _1mtil now: A;nd herem I .fhall proceed, (1.) Negatively, to fuew you what It. IS not, which zs. made ~ppa~ent. by the ~ally counterfeit Marcations that are 1~ the World, Clthc! d.JfcqJlmanly Severny, and a pontificial Rigour irt tormentmg, ra~her than fubJef!wg t_he outwa~d Man; or elfc at bell: civil Morality, are refrcd m as true MortJficat!on. It will be therefore of confiderabic advantage, to uncafe to you ~hofe appearances of Mortification, which yet indeed are not it. And (2)~ofit~vely, I fhallen~eavour to open wJJatis necef1. f'l 1 ily 1 equircd unto true Moruficauon, and wherem that great Work and Duty 1 • dorh con !dl:. MQmfbt· Fi,·R, lSegatively, what it is not. And here I need not tell you. :ion is nor Firft, That. M~rtlfication is not the utter and [Otal Extirpation and Deitruction a, ~mr. of Sins ln-bewg Ill the Soul. There are a fort of Phanaucks, or Phranticks ra· Exurp:t~t~ ther lifen up among us, who by pretending to that in this Life unattainable ;;,~~'J;:I. Privitedge of a perfect .immunity from all Sin; do make Mot:tification inconfifi:cnt · whl
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