772 The Great Duty break through all thcfc? Not as Men that run t~e Gauntlet, to receive a Scourge from o~c, and a VVot~nd from another; but as Tnumphant, as_Conquerors, routing 1 fcattenng, (\aughtenng thefe Forces of Hell, and (what lS worfe) of your own Hearts. \V hat s;rength can you ~1ake? Will you mufter up the Poverty, the Nakcdnefs, the WcaK_nefs, the L:1n_gmfume~t, the Wounds of your Souls, to atchieve this great Entcrpnzc by? Or w11l you bnng forth and marfhall your Graces? Why alas? Do you think to obtain the Conqueft as ;Jrbufttes prefumed by the blind and tbc lame, weak and imperfeCt Things; and yet befidcs thefe, what other Auxi~ llaries have you? What other befides thefc? Yes, the Spirit of God bimfclfis pleafed ro enrol and lift himfelf in this Warfare? and though we are Weak and have no Mir..:ht againfl: that great Company that comes up againft us; yet not by Might nor ttPower, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord. What are the Deeds of the Bad to .the Power of the Spirit? What arc P~incipalities, and ~o~er~, and fpirtuft \V1ckedndfcs compared to that God who IS far above all PrlllClpallty and Power who is the Spirit of Holinefs? Go forth boldly therefore, and fight the Lord's Bat~ tles againft thefe uncircumcifed, though gygantick Lufts; the Sons of Anak, w·ith whom thou fcemeft to thy felfbut as a Gralbopper, rufu on thee; yet the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon can deftroy the whole Haft of them. Wilt thoulhrink from this Engagement when thou haft fo much the odds of thy Corruptions. when the Spirit of God ftands by to encourage thee, to help and afiift thee? Th~ Prophet tells the lfraclircs, Ifai. 31. 3· 'Thttt the Egypti~tm Hmfu were but Fit{h 11nd not Spirir, and thnefore their- help was but . vain. 1 maY tell you, your Ene~ mies are but Flefh, H~fi'.'Y Lufts th~t 1~a~ agat~ft the Soul; but your helper is the Spirit and therefore then· Oppofinon 1s m vam. Never yet was it known th t tll3t s'oul who engaged the Spirit of God in the Quarrel, that ever he came ~tf with lefs than a Victory. Though thou haft formerly gone out in thine own ftrength, and thereby betrayed thine own weaknefs, a_nd haft got nothing but many a dee.r Wound, many a fad Fall, many a fore Brmfe; yet D?'."' call in the Spirit to tbtne Affiftancc, he can root out an~ deftroy ever~ prevailu.lg ~uft, he can reinforce thy Scattered Graces, he can revtve thy droopmg and faumng Sot~l, he can ftrengthcn thy feeble Knees, and thy weak Hands, and make thee more thau a Conqueror. Haft thou not kno~r~n? Haft thou. not heard, t~o~t th.e cverlfljling God, the Lord, the Creatour of the euds of the Earth, fam~eth not,. ne~ther u weary? He giv- ~th po1ver to the f aint; and to rhofe that ba-ve no mtght he tncrea{cth jlrength, I[ttio 40 , 28, 29t Thus you fee wherein true Mortification confifts, in the habitual weakning of the Principle of Corruption, and in the atl:ual curbing of its Motiom; and what is thereunto necellarily required, the inward Root of Grace, and the Influences of the Holy Spirit to draw it forth and act it. The next thing that 1 fhall proceed unto is, to lay down fame Particulars where by you. may examine and try your Mortification, whether it be right and faving. If you \ralue eternal Life it felf, you will likewife value that Light, though it be but in its fidl: Dawn and weakeft Gleanings, thatfhall difcover your Intereft in it. This Inter eft ftands upon nothin!? mo~·c fnre than. our Mo:tification : If ye mortifie y~ fl1all live. Yea, but we are m th1s Work fubjetl: to M1ftakes and Errours, fo that it is not a more difficult thing rightly to excrcife it, than it is to know when we do fo. ~'ill it not be a fad and aftonifhing thing, when Men who have been Profeffours of Religion, Chriftians of no mean Account both in their own as alfo in the Eyes of others; yet fuall at Iaft be dragged down to Hell, and there be etcr~ nally Murthered by thofe very Sins, the Mortification of which they made their beft and cleareft Evidence for Heaven? The T rial therefore being of fo vaft Con~ cernment, I fuall give it you in thefe following particulars. r. Eirft, Let thy contending againft Sin be what it will or can be, yet if it be not Trial of joined with a fincere Endeavour after an univerfal Obedience unto God in the Mortijica~ performance of Duties, it is nor, neither can it be, true Mortific;ation. This is Jign. that which many deceive themfelves in, they find a perplexing LuJt within, that troubles their Confcience, difturbs their Peace; the exceedmg Guilt of it fills them with Bitternefs, Dread, Horrour; and ftill it will be thus with them till they have beaten it down and fubdued it; they vow, and ~ray, and watch, and ftrivc againft it; they cut off all OccJ.Iions that fhould draw Jt forth, all Provifions ~:hat (hould relieve and fupport it, and do whatfoevcr may be done towards the killing
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