i4 meekness." If temptations prevail, and overbear us that we fall under sin, it is a special mercy to have the reproofs and coun- sels of our brethren, who will not suffer sin to rest upon us, Lev. xix. 17. Whilst we are sluggish and sleepy, others are vigilant and careful for our safety : The humility of another reproves and mortifies my pride : The activity and liveliness of another awakens and quickens my deadness : The prudence and gravity of another detects and cures my levity and vanity : The heavenliness and spi- rituality of another may be exceeding useful, both to reprove and heal the earthliness and sensuality of my heart. Two are better than one, but wo unto him that is alone. The devil is well aware of this great advantage, and therefore strikes with special malice against embodied Christians, who are as a well disciplined army, whom he therefore more especially endeavours to rout and scatter by persecutions, that thereby particular Christians may be deprived of the sweet advantages of mutual society.
Inf. 9. How deeply hath sin fixed its roots in our corrupt nature^ that it should be the constant work of a Christian's whole life, to mortify and destroy it ? God hath given us many excellent helps, his Spirit within us, variety of ordinances and duties are also appointed as instruments of mortification : And from the very day of regenera- tion unto the last moment of dissolution, the Christian is daily at work in the use of all sanctified means, external and internal, yet can never dig up and destroy corruption at the root all his life long. The most eminent Christians of longest standing in religion, who have shed millions of tears for sin, and poured out many thousand prayers for the mortification of it, do, after all, find the remains of their old disease, that there is still life and strength in those corruptions which they have given so many wounds unto in duty. O the depth and strength of sin ! which nothing can sepa- rate from us, but that which separates our souls and bodies. And upon that account, the day of a believer's death is better than the day of his birth. Never till then do we put off our armour, sheath our sword, and cry, victory, victory.
Second use, for exhortation.
If they who are Christ's have crucified the flesh, &c. Then as ever we hope to make good our claim to Christ, let us give all dili- gence to mortify sin ; in vain else are all our pretences unto union with him. This is the great work and discriminating character of a believer. And seeing it is the main business of life, and great evidence for heaven, I shall therefore press you to it by the follow- - ing motives and considerations.
1 Motive. And first, methinks the comfort and sweetness re- sulting from mortification should effectually persuade every believer to more diligence about it. There is a double sweetness in mortifi-
38G THE METHOD OF GEACE. SEEM. XXVIII.
cation, one in the nature of the work, as it is a duty, a sweet Chris- tian duty ; another as it hath respect to Christ, and is evidential of our union with him. In the first consideration there is a wonder- ful sweetness in mortification, for dost thou not feel a blessed calm- ness, cheeriness, and tranquillity in thy conscience, when thou hast faithfully repelled temptations, successfully resisted and overcome thy corruptions ? Doth not God smile upon thee ; conscience en- courage and approve thee ? Hast thou not an heaven within thee ? whilst others feel a kind of hell in the deadly gripes and bitter ac- cusations of their own consciences, are covered with shame, and filled with horrors. But then consider it also as an evidence of the soul's interest in Christ, as my text considers it ; and what an heaven upon earth must then be found in mortification ! These en- deavours of mine to subdue and mortify my corruptions, plainly speak the Spirit of God in me, and my being in Christ ! and O what is this ! What heart hath largeness and strength enough to receive and contain the joy and comfort which flow from a cleared interest in Jesus Christ ! Certainly, Christians, the tranquillity and comfort of your whole life depend upon it ; and what is life with- out the comfort of life ? Rom. viii. 13. " If ye through the Spirit " do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live,'1 i. e. you shall live a serene, placid, comfortable life ; for it is corruption unmor- tified which clouds the face of God, and breaks the peace of his people, and consequently imbitters the life of a Christian.
2 Motive. As the comfort of your own lives, which is much, so your instrumental fitness for the service of God, which is much more, depends upon the mortification of your sins, 2 Tim. ii. 21. " If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a ves- " sel unto honour ; sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and " prepared unto every good work." Where is the mercy of life but in the usefulness and serviceableness of it unto God ? It is not worth while to live sixty or seventy years in the world to eat and drink, to buy and sell, to laugh and cry, and then go down to the place of silence. So far as any man lives to God an useful, ser- viceable life to his praise and honour ; so far only, and no farther, doth he answer the end of his being. But it is the purged, morti- fied soul which is the vessel of honour, prepared, and meet for the Master's use. Let a proud, or an earthly heart be employed in any service for God, and you shall find that such an heart will both spoil the work, by managing it for a self-end as Jehu did ; and then devour the praise of it by a proud boast : Come see my zeal. When the Lord would employ the prophet Isaiah in his work and ser- vice, his iniquity was first purged : and after that he was employ- ed, Isa. vi. 6, 7, 8. Sin is the soufs sickness, a consumption upon the inner man ; and we know that languishing consumptive per-
SERM. XXVIII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 387
sons are very unfit to be employed in difficult and strenuous labours. Mortification, so far as it prevails, cures the disease, recovers our strength, and enables us for service to God in our generations.