774 The Great Daty ---·---- ne ver yet experimentally knc weft ~ ha t belongs t o Mo r ti flcni on. One ailowed Sin is Vent enoug h for the Body of Co rr uption to take breath at, and fo Iona as thou permi ts it this breathing place, all Endeavours to dcftroy it arc Utter ly 0fruft rate and in vain. Thirdly, If thou wou ldft judge of the Truth of thy Mort ificat ion, t hen fee what Tri~·l~r thofe Arguments and Confldcrati ons are, whereby thou daft aftua\Jy deal againft ~\1onific,,. thy Lufts. Now thefc Argumcms belong but to two Heads ; ei t her t he y an.: Le~ rio11, cral, and fuch as are drawn only f1 om a fad Reflection on the end and ifl'uc of Sin ~hich is Shame, Death~ ~ell and _Deftrudion. <?r elfe they arc Evanr;e lical, ta: ken from the N~turc ot S~n, as bcu1g a T!·an(~re~Ion and ~ffence againft a g raciGtls Father, agamft a crucJfi.ed and bleeding Savwur, agamft a patient and longfuftt:ring Spirit, and many other like ~ggravations which work kindly andingcnioufiy up~n the Heart of a. Child ot God. Put it now ro the queftion when a Temptation affaults thee, with what Weapons doft thou relift it, what Confiderations daft thou over-awe thy Heart with? Daft thou only run down to H ell to fetch Arguments againft Sin from thence? Canft thou no where elfe quench thefe fiery Darts, but in tbe Lake of Fire and Brimftone? Can nothin v. keep thee from Sinning but only the Whip and the Rack, Wrath, Vengeance, Ho~·ours, and fuch dreadful Things, which while thy Confcience thunders in thine Ears, it makes thy Soul an Hell, and it felf becomes thy Tormentour? If this be all, know that thy AffeCtions are wofully intangled in the Sin, and thou art fully refolved upon the Commiffion of it? if there were no Puniihment to follow. Thou may'ft indeed by this means be fnghted and feared from Sin, but never mortified to it. ,But now the eva ngelical Confiderations which a Child of God makes 11fe of to mortifie Sin by, though they work not with that Dread and Terrour, yet are tltcy far more etrcaual ; he fees Sin in its ugly Nature, in that fpot, ftain and defilement that it would briug upon his Soul, and this caufeth in him a ~rue Hatred of it; he faith under a Temptation, what, fhaB l fubjed a noble and fpiritual Soul made capable of enjoying the God of Heaven? Shall I proftitute it to the filthy Allurcments of a bafe Luft? Shall I blot out and deface the Image of God inftampt upon me, and degrade my felf from the Glory of his Refemblancc, to be conformable to the Devil? Can 1 commit this Sin which heretofore hath drawn Blood from my Saviour, and now feeks to draw Blood from my Confciencc? Was not this the very Sin that fqueczed clotted Blood from him, and was a full Load for God himfelf to bear? Did he die to free me from its C ondemnatinn, and Ihall I upon every fiight Temptation rufh into the commiffion of it; is there any thing fo atrrafrive in it, as to counterpoi~c the infinite and unfea~cha~le Love 9f Chrift. No, Oh Lord ! Thy Love conftrameth me, l cannot do tlns thtng and Sm againft fo free, forich, fo infinite Mercy and Goodnefs. Thus a gracious Heart a1 gues againft a Tempta t ion, and prevails unto a true 1\lortification. obj.:llion. But may fame fay, m:1y ,., c not make ufc of Legal Arguments, of Confiderations. d rawn from the VVrath of God, the Wages of Sill, the Everlafting Damnation to whiCh Sinners are appointed to oppofc againft a Temptation to fin? Arc thefc of no Efficacy unto Mortification? · To this I anfwer: Firjf, You may and ought in dealing againft your Lufts to ufe fu ch Arguments 1 • as thefe are : Why clfe doth our Saviour inculcate the Fear of God npon his Dif~ .An{wer. ciples, from the Confidcration of his Vv' nub and Power ? J:"ear him 1Vho is able to dcflroy both ~ody and Soul in Hell Fire, yeti, 1 fay unto you Fear IJim. And why doth the Apoftle here in the Text threaten the bel ieving Romam with Death if they live after the Flen1, unlefs thcfe Confiderations may be made ufc of even by gradous Souls again!t their Sins? 'Tis no other than a loofc Notion to think the only Incentive to Obedience, and the only Check and Refhaint of Sin, is the Confideration of the Love of God. 'Tis true, thefe Gofpel Arguments are moft prevailing and conftraining, yet let not him with whom the Fear of God's Wrath hath no Sway to keep him from !inning think himfelf an high attainer; 1tis rather a ftupidity, till we arc got paft all defert of Hell to be fearlcfs of it. Secondly, Though thofc Arguments and Legal Confiderations, may of thcmfclves prevail to keep us from the Commiilion of Sin, yet they cannot pre\'ail to the Mortification of it. Where there are not other Confideratioos befidcs chefe working thefe never bring off the Heart, but only hold the Hands from Sin. Na~f
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=