Page images
PDF
EPUB

there will be a denying finful felf that hinders us in the way. The Holy Spirit raifes up a new man in us, and then helps us to mortify the old man, that the new man may keep the throne-Sin fhall not have dominion; grace fhall reign. Every attempt to mortify fin without the Spirit and grace of God, is like the Æthiopian changing his skin, or the leopard his fpots. Satan is not divided against himself. No fuperftitious modes of mortification, which are invented by Satan, will ever hurt his reign, or destroy his kingdom. Whipping may wound the back, going bare-foot may cripple the feet, and thumping the breaft may make it fore. This is not only neglecting the body (Col. ii. 23), but abufing it; for the old man is ftill untouched, and of course unhurt. Such mortification is wickednefs; for no man should hate his own flesh, but nourish and cherish it. Ephef. v. 29. The body is the workmanship of God, but fin is not.

The body was very good till man let fin into it. They punish the poor body, but fhew lenity to the old man-These tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Not the body, therefore, but the deeds of the body, the corruptions of our heart, are to be mortified through the Spirit.

1. The Spirit affifts us in this work by testifying of Chrift to the foul. Every time that faith is favoured with a fresh view of Chrift, all grace is in exercife; faith looks and rejoices; love delights in the blessed object; hope abounds at the thoughts of future enjoyment; patience brings up the rear, in waiting

waiting till the change come; humility and meeknefs fink the foul into lefs than nothing, at the thoughts of a rebel being made heir to the inheritance of the faints in light. Put off, concerning the former converfation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lufts; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true boliness. Eph. iv. 22, 24.

2. By helping our infirmities in prayer, God promises to fubdue our iniquities-He will turn again; be will have compaffion upon us; he will fubdue our iniquities; and thou wilt caft all their fins into the depths of the fea. Micah vii. 19. In this way the Spirit helped Jabez-And Jabez

called on the God

of Ifrael, faying, O that thou wouldeft bless me indeed, and enlarge my coaft, and that thine hand might be. with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. And God granted him that In this way which be requested. 1 Chron. iv. 10. Paul prevailed against his thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan that was sent to buffet him.

3. The deeds of the body are mortified by our attending to, and delighting our fouls in, the influences and operations of the Holy Spirit. When we follow after righteousness, peace, charity, meeknefs, patience, and faith, fetting our minds upon them, and delighting our fouls in these things, the This I fay old man gets neglected, and withers. then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh. Gal. v. 16.

M 2

4. By

4. By leading us to love and to delight ourselves in reading and meditating on the word of God. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor ftandeth in the way of finners, nor fitteth in the feat of the fcornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth` he meditate day and night. And be shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his feafon; his leaf alfo fhall not wither; and whatsoever he doth fhall profper. Pfalm i. 1—3. Here we are informed that this delightful work is intended to keep our leaf green, and to make us fruitful, like a tree that brings forth its fruit in due feafon.

5. The Spirit affifts us in mortifying the deeds of the body by his quickening influences upon us, which keep up a keen appetite for fpiritual food; fuch fouls thirst for the living God, and long for the courts of the Lord's houfe; faying, When fhall I come and appear before God? And fuch have their promife-Thofe that be planted in the house of the Lord fall flourish in the courts of our God: they shall be fat and flourishing, they shall bring forth fruit in old age, to fhew that the Lord is upright. A keen appetite and a heavenly banquet employ all the powers of the foul-I fat doven under his fhadow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my tafte. And, when Chrift's fruits are fo fweet and delightful to our tafte, the devil cannot vend his wares; the old man, with his deceitful lufts, are rather defpifed and

blown

blown upon than relifhed. This forrowful meat is fet before us when the better fort is withheld, when there is a famine and a compulfive faft. Can ye make the children of the bride-chamber faft while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken away from them, and then fhall they faft in those days. Luke v. 34, 35. When thefe mournful days come, which are but too often, then Satan fhews us all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them, and the imaginary happiness of his children, who war after the flesh. These are the days for four grout, and for filling the belly with the east wind. But Satan never tells us who is to pay the reckoning, nor informs us about an eternal fast, and begging water in hell, when the Lamb and his wife will be bathing in endless pleasures in heaven.

6. The Spirit helps us in mortifying the deeds of the body, by exciting us to follow hard after Chrift, and by encouraging us to cleave to him with full purpose of heart; to labour hard in order to our abiding fenfibly in him, in his favour, in the light of his countenance, in the peace of him, and in the love of him; in the joy of the Lord, and in communion and fellowship with him; and by conftant vifits to him, and abounding in the work of him.I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is withered;

[blocks in formation]

and men gather them, and caft them into the fire, and they are burned. John xv. 5, 6. This is the most fure way to abound in fruitfulness; the more we commune with the Saviour, the more we favour of his good ointments, and the more we are equipped against Satan and his wiles. When, on the other hand, if this be neglected and not attended to, the branch gets at a distance, till fin, guilt, fear, and fhame, ftop up the intercourfe, and then deadness and barrennefs follow; leannefs comes into the foul, the heart finks, the countenance falls; fpiritual gifts, abilities, zeal, apparent livelinefs, diligence, and all joys, feem to blight under the fire of inbred luft; and all wither away together, unless the Spirit difplays his power in such a foul.

7. The deeds of the body are not a little mortified by the fiery trial. When the old man, with his deceitful lufts, are ready to be too much for the believer, infomuch as that the enjoyment of peace and common comforts are not fufficient to keep him, these are withdrawn; at which the foul is alarmed, fatherly anger lowers, fear and terrors follow up and flow in, and a fpirit of heavinefs fucceeds. Doubts and fears about the goodness of our state lay us under great concern; God feems to be gone; every thing looks difmal; and the devil tempts the poor foul that he has no part nor lot in the better inheritance, &c. This fometimes crucifies the old man, with all his lufts and pleasures. This terrible remedy was applied to the incestuous Corinthian-In the name

of

« PreviousContinue »