6 The MORTIFICATION ruin. The ccnteft is for our lives and fouls. Not to be daily employing the fpirit and new nature, for the mortifying of fin, is to negle& that excellent fuccour, which . God hash given us againft our greateft enemy. If wenegle& to make ufe of what wehave received, God may juhly hold his hand from giving us more. His graces, as well as his gifts, are bellowedon us, to ufe, exercife, and trade with. Not to be daily mortifying fin, is to fin againft the goodnefs, kindnefs, wifdom, grace, and love, of God, who bath furnilh'd us with a principle of doing it. g. Negligence in this duty, calls the foul into a perfeft contrary condition to that which the apoftle affirms was his, z Cor. iv. 16. In thefe the inward manperifheth and theoutward man is renewed day by day. Sin is as the houleofDavid, and grace as thehoule of Saul.. Exercife and fuccefs are the two main cherifhersof grace in the heart ; when it is fuffered to lie hill, it withers and decays : the things of it are ready to die, Rev. iii; z. and fin gets ground towards the hardening of the Heart, Rib. iii. 13. This is that which I intend, by theomillion of this duty, gracewithers, tuft gòurifheth, and the frame of the heart grows worfe and worfe : and the Lord knows what defperate and fearful ilfues it kath had with many.: Where fin through the negle&of mortificationgets a confiderable vi&ory, it breaks the bones of the foul, Pfal. xxxi. io. Pfal. li. 8. and makes a man weak, rick, and ready to die, Pfd., xxxviii. 3, 4, S. that he cannot look up, Pfal. xl. 12. Ifa. xxxiii. 24. and when poor creatures will take blow after blow, wound after wound, foil after foil, and never. roufe up themfelves to a vigorous op ofition, can they expeft any thing, but to be hardened through the deeeitfulne r o in; and that their fouls fhould bleed to death, ügohn8 ?. 6. It is our duty t t be perfefting holinefs in the fear of theLord, z Cor. vii. r. To be growing in grace every day, t Pet. ii. z. 2 Per. iii. 18. to the renewing our inward man day by day, z C.. iv. 16. now this cannot be done without the daily mortifyingof fin : fin fete its flrength againft every aft of holinefs, and againft every degree we. grow to. Ler not that man think he makes any progrefs in holinefs, who walks over the bellies of his lulls ; he who cloth not kill fin in his way, takes no Reps towards his journey's end, He who finds not oppofirion from it, and who lets not himfelf in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it. This thenis the fieff general principle of our enfuing difceurfe: notwithffanding the meritorious mortification, if I may fo fpeak, of all and every fin in the crofs ofChrif, notwithftanding the real foundation of univerfal mortificationlaid in our firft converfion, by coyvi&ionof fin, humiliation for fin, and the implantation of a a new principle, oppofrte to ir, and defiru&ive ofit; yet. finBoth fo remain, fo aft, and work, in the belt of believers, wliilft they live in this world; that the confiant daily mortification of it, is all their days incumbent on them. Before I proceed ro the confrderation of the next principle,. I cannot but by the way complain of many peddlers of thefe days; who inftead ofbringing forth fuck great and evident fruits of mortification as are expefted, fcarce bear any leaves of it. There is indeed a broad light fallen upon the men of this generation'; and together therewith many fpiritual gifts communicated, which with fome other cohfiderations have wonderfully enlarged the bounds of profellors and profelfion; both they and ir, are exceedingly multiplied and increafed. Hence there is anoife ofreligion and religious in every corner; preaching in abundance;and that not in an empty, light, trivial, and vain manner, as formerly, but to a good proportion ofa fpiritual gift ; fó that if you will meafure the number of believers, by light, gifts, and profellìon, the church may have caufe to fay, who bath born me all thole ? But now if you will take the meafure of them by this greatdifcriminating grace of chriftians, perhaps you will find their number not fo multiplied. Where almoft is that profeffor, who owes hisconverfion to thee days of light, and fo talks and profeffes at filch a rate offpirituality, as few in former days were in any meafure acquaintedwith; (I wit notjudge them, butperhaps boaft- ingwhat the Lord path donein them), at loth not give evidence ofa miferably un- unmortified heart? if vain fpending uhftime, idlenefs, unprofitablenefs in mens places, envy, ftrife, variance, emulations, wrath, pride, worldlinefs, felfìlhnefs, (1 Co. a.) be badges ofchriftians, we have them on us, and amonglk us in abundance. The good Lordfend out a fpirit of mortification to cure our diftempers,or we are in a fad ma- dition. Them
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