of Mortification. 775 if when :1 Temptation is ftirring irtthe Children of God themfelvcs, they only anfwcr it by thefe Legal Con!iderarions, they dare not commit it for fear of Hell and Wrath hereafter, or of Shame here; and there be no Arguments drawn from the Love of God, and the Relation they ftand in to him, from the Death of Chrift, and the Obligation which that lays upon them to Obedience, from the Deformity of the Sin to which they are tempted, from the Repugnancy and Antipathy that is in their regenerate Part againft it; the abitaining_ from the Cornmillion of that Sin is not Mortification, but only Reftraint, even ln the Children of God thcmfclvcs. ThirdlJ> Thefe Lesal Arguments and Coniiderations, may be of great nfc and 3· moment in a fobfervtency unto the Mortification of Sin. Fi1ft, They may hold a Temptation or Corn1ption at a bay, till Gofpel Con1 • :fiderations come in to beat it down. Ufua\ly the ,very firft rifingsof our Hearts againlt a Corruption is from the dangerous Confequences of it from that Wrath and Vengeance that' is due to it, and wi\1 follow upon it; now this ftops the Sin and puts the Soul to a demur, and thou~h this cannot deftroy the Corruption, yet it holds it fo long till the new Man calls in aid from Gofpel Arguments to mortifie it· Secondly, Thefe Legal Confiderations when mixt with Gofpcl Motives make 2 • t hem work more ftrongly and more effeCtually unto Mortification. The Confideration of the Infinite Wrath of God heightens and aggrandifcth the infinite Love of God in redeeming us from it, and fo makes it far more enforcing unto Mortification. Fourthly, 'Tis an ill fign that that Heart is very much unmortificd, where a 4 . Temptation or Corruption can _bre~k through all Gofpel Confidcrations ufed a· r;ainft it, and is rtopt from breaktng mto aa, only by Legal Arguments. \Vhcn a Temptation to fin afiilults thee, thou runnefi: it may be to the Love of God, to the death of Cbrift:, to the ugly Nature of Sin, to be beaut iful Nature of Holinefs, to beat it down by thefe (the beft and mort elfeaual) Confiderations; if thefe do not prevail but the Luft and Temptation frill tumultuates and is ready jurt to break forth into aCt, thy Heart is a1l on a Flame with it; and then poflibly ·a Ehought of Hell, of Vengeance, of everlaft:ing Wrath, rtarts up fuddenly and quafhes and quenches this Temptation as Water caft on a Fire; if this be ufual with Y?u, your Hearts ar~ muc~ unmortified, and your Affeaions ftrongly engaged unto Stn. That's the t:htrd tnal.· FouP"thly, A truly mortified Man fees the great evil of and chiefly labours againft: 4 t~ofe Luft:s, whic~ others who aa from any other Principle lower than true Grace, Trial~! either take no nouce of, or elfe do not oppofe, and thefe arc (r.) Inward Heart Mqrrijica.. Sins, and (2.) Spiritual Wickednelfes. This is a mort fure and infallable CharaCter. ti(Jn. Firft, A mortified Man fets himfelf efpeciallyagainft inward HeartSins,againft the Bublings of linful Thoughts, and the uproars of finful Affe8:ions, and the bent of 1 ' finful Delircs; thofe lurking and invifible Lufts, which though an Hypocrite fuffcr, yea, though he fofter, yet may he have a yery large Tertimonial to his Saindhip, to which almofi:~ all the World will be ready to fet their Hands. Thefe doth a truly mortified Chrirtian principally complain of and ftrive againrt; and in this indeed con lifts the very Truth and Sincerity of Mortification. That rthat the Apoitle faith, Rom. 2. 2S, 29. That is not Circumcifion that is outward in th~ Flejb, but that which iJ of th~ Heart in the Spirit: So I may fay, that is not Mor~ tification which is outward in the Flelli. but 1that which is of the Heart in the Spirit. There may be a kind of dead Palfey and numbnefs feize tlpon the outward Members of the Body, when yet the Heart beats rtrong and quick, and the ~rain works with fprightful and vigorous Motions and Conceptions; 10 truly is tt iu this cafe, the old Man may fometimes be benumbed in bis outward Limbs, and deadned as to the executive part of !inning, when yet the Head may work bufily in moulding and fhaping finful Objeas, and the Heart may eagerly beat and pant after them. 'Tis ufually the highcft refult and upfhot of a wicked Man's Ca•c and Endeavour, to keep Luft from Boiling.over, from railing SQJoak and Allies about him; and if he can attain unto this, let ~he Heart be brimfull of_ Sin, let the Thoughts fteep, foak and ftcw in malicious, unclean, worldly Contrivances and Defigns, yet thefe inward Motions and Ebullitions, he laments not, he fuppreffeth not. Now though poffibly it might feem an eafy Task to rnortifie fuch
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