J iSIN in BELIECrEiiS; no fpiritual ftrengeh; hence he complained that he was fick, weak, wounded, faint ; there is, faith he, no foendnefr in me, Pfal. xxxviii. 3. 1 am féeble and fore Groken, v. 8. yea I cannotfo much as look up, Pfal. xl. iz. An unmortify'd luft -will drink up the fpirit, and all the vigour of the foul, and weaken it for all deities. For I.) It untunes and unframes the heart itfelf, by entangling irs affections: Itdi- verts the heart from that fpiritualframe, that is required for. vigorous cómmuniori with God. It lays hold on the affeftions, rendring its ohjed beloved and deferable; fo expelling the love of the father, r ;John ii. I. pap. iii. 17. fo that the foul cannot fay uprightly and truly to God, thou are my portion, having fomething elfe that it loves. Fear, defire, hope, which are the choice affections of the foul, that fhould be full of God, will be one way or other entangledwith it. z.) It fills thethoughts with contrivances about ir. Thoughts are the great pit- mots of the foul, to bring inprovifon tofarisfy its alfeflióhs.; -and if fin remain uumortify d in the heart, they mull ever and anon be malting provifion for the drib, to fulfil the lulls thereof. They muff glaze, adorn and drefs the objects of the 8efh; and bring them home to givefatisfadion. And this they areable to do, in the fer- viceof a defiled imagination, beyond all exprellion. 3.) It breaks out and actually hindersduty.. The ambitious man mullby undying; and theworldling mull be working or contriving, and the fenfual vain perfon provi- ding himfelf forVanity, when they fhould be engaged in the worfhipofGod. Were this my prefent bufinefs, to fet forth the breaches, ruin, weaknefs; defolà- clone, that one nnmortify'd lull will bring upon a foul, this difcourfe mull beentera led much beyond my intendment. [z.) As fin weakens, fo it darkens the foul. It is a cloud3 thick cloud, that fpreads itfelf over the face of the foul, and intercepts all the beams of God'slove and favour. It takes away all fenfe of the privilegeof our adoption : and if the foul begins to gather up thoughts of confolation, fin quickly reatters them. Of which afterwards. Now in this regard doth the vigour and power of our fpiritual life, depend on our mortification. It is the only means of the removalof that, whichwill allowus neither the one nor theother. Men that are lick and wounded under the power of luth, make many applications for help ; they cry to God, when the perplexity of their thoughts overwhelmes them; even to God dö they cry, bur arenot deliver'd; in Vain do they ufe many remedies, theyfhaU nor be healed; fo Hof. 13. Ephraim law his fieknefr, and Judah his wound, and attempted fundry remedies ; nothing will do- Until they come, v. i y. toacknowledge their offence. Men may fee their ficknefs and wounds, but yet if they makenot due applications; their cutewill not be effected. (a.) Mortification prunes all the graces of God, and makes room for them in our hearts to grow. The life and vigour of our fpiritual lives confifts in the vigour and flouriflting of the plants of grace in our hearts. Now as you may fee in a garden, let there be a precious herb planted, and let the ground be untiled, andweeds grow about it, perhaps it will live- [till, but be a poor, withering, unufeful thing; you mull look and fearch for it, and fometimes can fcarce find it ; and sehen you do, you tan fcarce know it, whether it be the plant you look for or no; and fuppofe it be you 'can make no ufe of it at all ; when let another of the fame kind be fee in ground, naturallyas barren and bad as the other; but let it be well weeded; and every thing that is noxious and hurtful removed from it, it flourifhes and thrives; you may fee it at firfl look into the garden, and have it for your ufe when you pleafe. So it is with the graces ofthe fpirit thatare planted in our hearts. (3.) As toourpeace; as there is nothing that path any evidence offincerity with- out it, fo I know nothing that kath fuch an evidence of fincerity in it; which is no (mall foundation of out peace. Mortification is the foul's vigorous oppolition to felf; Wherein fincerity is molt evident. CHAP;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=