SER M. XXVI vated. If ever you will act becoming the principles and nature of new creatures, then feek earthly things with fubmiffion, enjoy them with fear and caution, refign them with cheerfulness and readiness; and thus" let your moderation be known unto "all men," Phil. iv. 5. Let your hearts daily meditate, and your tongues difcourfe about heavenly things; be exceeding tender of fin, ftrict and punctual in ever duty; and hereby convince the world, that you are men and women of another fpirit.

Fifth ufe, for confolation.

Let every new creature be cheerful and thankful: if God hath renewed your natures, and thus altered the frame and temper of your hearts, he hath bestowed the richeft mercy upon you that heaven or earth affords. This is a work of the greatest rarity; a new creature may be called, One among a thoufand: it is alfo an everlafting work, never to be destroyed, as all other natural works of God (how excellent foever) muft be: it is a work carried on by almighty Power, through unfpeakable difficulties and mighty oppofitions, Eph. i. 12. The exceeding greatnefs of God's power goes forth to produce it; and indeed no lefs is required to enlighten the blind mind, break the rocky heart, and bow the ftubborn will of man; and the fame almighty power, which at firft created it, is neceffary to be continued every moment, to preferve and continue it, 1 Pet. i. 5. The new creature is a mercy, which draws a train of innumerable and invaluable mercies after it, Eph. ii. 13, 14. 1 Cor. iii. 20. When God hath given us a new nature, then he dignifies us with a new name, Rev. ii. 17. brings us into a new covenant, Jer. xxxi. 33. begets us again to a new hope, 1 Pet. i. 3. intitles us to a new inheritance, John i. 12, 13. It is the new creature which through Chrift makes our perfons and du. ties acceptable with God, Gal. vi. 15. In a word, it is the wonderful work of God, of which we may fay, "This is the Lord's

doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." There are unfearchable wonders in its generation, in its operation, and in its prefervation. Let all therefore, whom the Lord hath thus renew. ed, fall down at the feet of God, in an humble admiration of the unfearchable riches of free grace, and never open their mouths to complain under any adverfe or bitter providences of God.

Of the Nature, Principle, and Neceffity, of Mortification.

GAL. v. 24: And they that are Chrifl's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts.

T

WO great trials of our intereft in Chrift, are finished; we now proceed to a third, namely, The mortification of fin: They that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh." The icope of the apostle, in this context, is, to heal the unchristian breaches among the Galatians, prevailing, by the inftigation of Satan, to the breach of brotherly love. To cure this, he urges four weighty arguments.

First, From the great commandment, to love one another; up, on which the whole law (i.e.) all the duties of the second table, do depend, ver. 15.

Secondly, He powerfully diffuades them, from the confideration of the fad events of their bitter contests, calumnies, and de tractions, viz. mutual ruin, and deftruction, ver. 15. .

Thirdly, He diffuades them, from the confideration of the contrariety of thefe practices, unto the Spirit of God, by whom they all profefs themselves to be governed, from ver. 17. to ver. 23.

Fourthly, He powerfully diffuades them from these animofities, from the inconfiftency of these, or any other lufts of the flesh, with an intereft in Chrift: "They that be Chrift's, have cru"cified the flesh," &c. q. d. You all profefs yourselves to be members of Chrift, to be followers of him; but how incongru. ous are thefe practices, to fuch a profeffion? Is this the fruit of the dove-like Spirit of Chrift? Are thefe the fruits of your faith, and profeffed mortification? Shall the sheep of Chrift fnarl, and fight like rabid, and furious beafts of prey? Tantaene animis caeleftibus irae? So much rage in heavenly fouls? O how repugnant are thefe practices with the study of mortifica tion *, which is the great study and endeavour, of all that are in 2992

-Non fecus ac.
Cum duo converfis inimica, in praelia tauri,
Frontibus incurrunt--

Shall Chriftians one another wound and push,

Like furious bulls, when they together rush?

Chrift!"They that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts." So much for the order of the words ; the words themselves are a propofition wherein we have to confider, both

1. The fubject.

2. The predicate.

First, The fubject of the propofition, they that are Christ's, viz. "True Chriftians, real members of Chrift; fuch as truly "belong to Chrift, fuch as have given themselves up to be go"verned by him," and are, indeed, acted by his Spirit; füch, all fuch perfons (for the indefinite is equipollent to an universal) all fuch, and none but fuch.

Secondly, The predicate; "They have crucified the flesh, "with the affections and lufts." By flesh, we are here to understand carnal concupifcence, the workings, and motions of corrupt nature; and by the affections, we are to understand, not the natural, but the inordinate affections; for Chrift doth not abolish, and destroy, but correct, and regulate the affections of those that are in him: And by crucifying the flesh, we are not to understand the total extinction, or perfect fubduing of corrupt nature; but only the depofing of corruption from its regency, and dominion in the foul; its dominion is taken away, though its life be prolonged for a season; but yet, as death furely, tho' flowly, follows crucifixion, (the life of crucified perfons gradually departing from them, with their blood) it is just so in the mortification of fin; and therefore what the apoftle, in this place, calls crucifying, he calls, in Rom. viii. 13. mortifying. "If

ye, through the Spirit, do mortify," Savaters; if ye put to death the deeds of the body: But he chufes, in this place, to call it crucifying, to fhew, not only the conformity there is betwixt the death of Chrift, and the death of fin, in respect of shame, pain, and lingering flowness; but to denote, also, the principle, means, and inftrument of mortification, viz. the death, or crofs of Jefus Chrift, in the virtue whereof, believers do mortify the corruptions, of their fiefh; the great arguments, and perfuafives to mortification, being drawn from the sufferings of Chrift for fin, In a word, he doth not fay, They that believe Chrift was crucified, for fin, are Chrift's; but they, and they only, are his, who feel, as well as profefs the power, and efficacy, of the fufferings of Chrift, in the mortification, and sub.

+ Vere Chriftiani qui ad Chriftum pertinent, qui fe ei dedere re gendes. Pol. Synop.

duing of their lufts, and finful affections. And fo much, briefly, of the parts, and sense of the words.

The obfervation followeth.

1

Doct. That a faving intereft in Chrift, may be regularly, and ftrongly inferred, and concluded, from the mortification of the flesh, with its affections, and lufts.

This point is fully confirmed, by thofe words of the apostle, Rom. vi. 5, 6, 7, 8. "For if we have been planted together in "the likeness of his death, we shall be alfo in the likeness of his "refurrection; knowing this, that our old man is crucified with "him, that the body of fin might be deftroyed, that henceforth 66 we should not ferve fin; for he that is dead, is free from fin: "Now if we be dead with Chrift, we believe that we shall alfo "live with him."

Mark the force of the apoftle's reafoning; if we have been planted into the likeness of his death, viz. by the mortification of fin, which resembles, or hath a likeness to the kind and manner of Chrift's death (as was noted above) then we shall be, alfo, in the likeness of his refurrection; and why fo, but because this mortification of fin is an undoubted evidence of the union of fuch a foul with Chrift, which is the very ground-work, and principle, of that bleffed, and glorious refurrection: And therefore he faith, ver. 11. "Reckon ye, also, yourselves to be dead, "indeed, unto fin, but alive unto God, through Jefus Chrift "our Lord;" q. d. Reafon thus with yourselves, these mortifying influences of the death of Chrift, are unquestionable prefages of your future bleffednefs, God never taking this courfe with any, but thofe who are in Chrift, and are defigned to be glorified with him. The death of your fin is as evidential, as any thing in the world can be, of your fpiritual life for the prefent, and of your eternal life with God hereafter. Mortification is the fruit, and evidence of your union, and that union is the firm ground-work, and certain pledge, of your glorification; and fo you ought to reckon, or reafon the cafe with yourselves, as the word Aoys there fignifies. Now for the stating, and explicating of this point, I fhall, in the doctrinal part, labour to open and confirm thefe five things.

1. What the mortification, or crucifixion of fin, imports. 2. Why this work of the Spirit is expreffed by crucifying. 3. Why all that are in Chrift, must be so crucified, or mortified unto fin.

4. What is the true evangelical principle of mortification. 5. How the mortification of fin evinces our interest in Christ. And then apply the whole.

Firft, What the mortification, or crucifixion of fin, imports. And, for clearness fake, I fhall fpeak to it, both negatively, and pofitively; fhewing you what is not intended, and what is principally aimed at, by the Spirit of God, in this expreffion.

66

First, "The crucifying of the flesh doth not imply the "total abolition of fin, in believers, or the deftruction of its very being and exiftence in them, for the prefent; fanctified "fouls fo put off their corruptions with their dead bodies at "death" This will be the effect of our future glorification, not of our prefent fanctification. Sin doth exift in the moft mortified believer in the world, Rom. vii., 17. it still acteth, and lufteth in the regenerate foul, Gal. v. 17. yea, notwithstanding its crucifixion in believers, it till may, in refpect of fingle acts, furprize, and captivate them, Pfal. Ixv. 3. Rom. vii. 23. This, therefore, is not the intention of the Spirit of God, in this expreffion.

Secondly, Nor doth the crucifixion of fin confift in the fuppreffion of the external acts of fin only; for fin may reign over the fouls of men, whilst it doth not break forth into their lives, in grofs, and open actions, 2 Pet. ii. 20. Mat. xii. 43. Mora lity in the Heathens (as Tertuallian well obferves) did abfcondere, fed non abfcindere vitia, hide them, when it could not kill them; Many a man fhews a white, and fair hand, who yet hath a very foul, and black heart.

Thirdly, The crucifixion of the fleth doth not confift in the ceffation of the external acts of fin; for, in that refpect, the lufts of men may die of their own accord, even a kind of natural death. The members of the body are the weapons of unrighteousness, as the apoftle calls them; age or fickness, may fo blunt, or break thofe weapons, that the foul cannot use them to fuch finful purposes, and fervices, as it was wont to do, in the vigorous, and healthful feafon of life; not that there is lefs fin in the heart, but because there is lefs ftrength and activity in the body. Just as it is with an old foldier, who hath as much fkill, policy, and delight, as ever in military actions; but age, and hard fervices have fo enfeebled him, that he can no longer follow the camp.

Fourthly, The crucifixion of fin doth not confift in the fevere caftigation of the body, and penancing it by ftripes, falling, and tirefome pilgrimages. This may pafs for mortification among

Mortificari carnem non eft eam ita perimi, ut aut prorfus non fit, aut nulla prava in homine defideria commoveat, quod in corpore martis hujus non contingit, &c. Eftius in loc.