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who would be accounted religious, and yet despise gospel light, and for the duty we have in hand, know no more of it, but what consists in men's denying themselves sometimes in outward enjoyments, which is one of the outmost branches of it, which yet they will seldom practise. The good Lord send out a spirit of mortification to cure our distempers, or we are in a sad condition.

There are two evils which certainly attend every unmortified professor; the first in himself, the other in respect of others.

(1.) In himself. Let him pretend what he will, he hath slight thoughts of sin; at least of sins of daily infirmity. The root of an unmortified course, is the digestion of sin without bitterness in the heart. When a man hath confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy, as to be able without bitterness to swallow and digest daily sins, that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Neither is there a greater evidence of a false and rotten heart in the world, than to drive such a trade. To use the blood of Christ, which is given to cleanse us; 1 John i. 7. Tit. ii. 14. the exaltation of Christ, which is to give us repentance; Acts v. 31. the doctrine of grace, which teaches us to deny all ungodliness; Tit. ii. 11, 12. to countenance sin is a rebellion, that in the issue will break the bones. At this door have gone out from us, most of the professors that have apostatized in the days wherein we live, for awhile they were most of them under convictions; these kept them unto duties, and brought them to profession. So they escaped the pollutions that are in the world, through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;' 2 Pet. ii. 20. But having got an acquaintance with the doctrine of the gospel, and being weary of duty, for which they had no principle, they began to countenance themselves in manifold neglects, from the doctrine of grace. Now when once this evil had laid hold of them, they speedily tumbled into perdition.

(2.) To others. It hath an evil influence on them, on a twofold account.

[1.] It hardens them, by begetting in them a persuasion that they are in as good condition as the best professors.

Whatever they see in them, is so stained for want of this mortification, that it is of no value with them; they have a zeal for religion, but it is accompanied with want of forbearance, and universal righteousness. They deny prodigality, but with worldliness; they separate from the world, but live wholly to themselves, taking no care to exercise lovingkindness in the earth; or they talk spiritually, and live vainly; mention communion with God, and are every way conformed to the world, boasting of forgiveness of sin, and never forgiving others; and with such considerations do poor creatures harden their hearts in their unregeneracy.

:

[2.] They deceive them in making them believe, that if they can come up to their condition, it shall be well with them and so it grows an easy thing, to have the great temptation of repute in religion to wrestle withal; when they may go far beyond them, as to what appears in them, and yet come short of eternal life; but of these things, and all the evils of unmortified walking, afterward.

CHAP. III.

The second general principle of the means of mortification proposed to confirmation. The Spirit the only author of this work. Vanity of Popish mortification discovered. Many means of it used by them not appointed of God. Those appointed by him abused. The mistakes of others in this business. The Spirit is promised believers for this work; Ezek. i. 19. xxxvi. 26. All that we receive from Christ, is by the Spirit. How the Spirit mortifies sin; Gal. v. 19-23. The several ways of his operations to this end proposed. How his work, and our duty.

THE next principle relates to the great sovereign cause of the mortification treated of, which, in the words laid for the foundation of this discourse, is said to be the Spirit; that is, the Holy Ghost, as was evinced.

He only is sufficient for this work; all ways and means without him are as a thing of nought; and he is the great efficient of it, he works in us as he pleases.

1. In vain do men seek other remedies, they shall not be healed by them. What several ways have been prescribed for this, to have sin mortified is known. The greatest part of Popish religion, of that which looks most like religion in

their profession, consists in mistaken ways and means of mortification. This is the pretence of their rough garments, whereby they deceive. Their vows, orders, fastings, penances, are all built on this ground, they are all for the mortifying of sin. Their preachings, sermons, and books of devotion, they look all this way. Hence those who interpret the locusts that came out of the bottomless pit, Rev. ix. 2. to be the friars of the Romish church, who are said to torment men, so that they should seek death and not find it,' ver. 6. think, that they did it by their stinging sermons, whereby they convinced them of sin, but being not able to discover the remedy for the healing and mortifying of it, they keep them in such perpetual anguish and terror, and such trouble in their consciences, that they desired to die. This I say is the substance and glory of their religion : but what with their labouring to mortify dead creatures, ignorant of the nature and end of the work, what with the poison they mixed with it, in their persuasion of its merit, yea, supererogation, (as they style their unnecessary merit, with a proud barbarous title) their glory is their shame; but of them and their mortification, more afterward: chap. viii.

That the ways and means to be used for the mortification. of sin invented by them, are still insisted on and prescribed for the same end by some, who should have more light and knowledge of the gospel, is known. Such directions to this purpose have of late been given by some, and are greedily catched at by others professing themselves Protestants, as might have become Popish devotionists three or four hundred years ago. Such outside endeavours, such bodily exercises, such self-performances, such merely legal duties, without the least mention of Christ, or his Spirit, are varnished over with swelling words of vanity, for the only means and expedients for the mortification of sin, as discover a deep-rooted unacquaintedness with the power of God, and mystery of the gospel. The consideration hereof was one motive to the publishing of this plain discourse.

Now the reasons why the Papists can never with all their endeavours truly mortify any one sin, amongst others,

are,

(1.) Because many of the ways and means they use and insist upon, for this end, were never appointed of God for

that purpose. Now there is nothing in religion that hath any efficacy for compassing an end, but it hath it from God's appointment of it to that purpose. Such as these are their rough garments, their vows, penances, disciplines, their course of monastical life, and the like, concerning all which God will say, 'Who hath required these things at your hands?' And 'In vain do you worship me, teaching for doctrine the traditions of men.' Of the same nature are sundry selfvexations, insisted on by others.

(2.) Because those things that are appointed of God as means, are not used by them in their due place and order; such as are praying, fasting, watching, meditation, and the like; these have their use in the business in hand. But whereas they are all to be looked on as streams, they look on them as the fountain. Whereas they effect and accomplish the end, as means only subordinate to the Spirit and faith, they look on them to do it by virtue of the work wrought. If they fast so much, and pray so much, and keep their hours and times, the work is done; as the apostle says of some in another case, they are always learning, never coming to the knowledge of the truth; so they are always mortifying, but never come to any sound mortification. In a word, they have sundry means to mortify the natural man, as to the natural life here we lead; none to mortify lust or corruption.

This is the general mistake of men ignorant of the gospel about this thing; and it lies at the bottom of very much of that superstition and will-worship that hath been brought into the world. What horrible self macerations were practised by some of the ancient authors of monastical devotion? what violence did they offer to nature? what extremity of sufferings did they put themselves upon? search their ways and principles to the bottom, and you will find, that it had no other root but this mistake; namely, that attempting rigid mortification they fell upon the natural man, instead of the corrupt old man; upon the body wherein we live, instead of the body of death.

Neither will the natural Popery that is in others do it. Men are galled with the guilt of a sin that hath prevailed over them; they instantly promise to themselves and God, that they will do so no more; they watch over themselves,