[4.] There is a daily and ordinary course of mortification ; and a solemn extraordinary setting about this work in special seasons. The daily course is needful, because sin is at continual work in our hearts; and as soon as a christian neglects his soul, the effects do soon appear. In this sense, a christian must die daily, that is, to his sins and cor- ruptions ; he must still watch, and strive, and get some advantage against them, by every prayer he maketh to God, every act of receiving the Lord'.s Supper, or hearing the word ; it is his constant task ; but there are certain seasons when he must solemnly set about this work ; a.s, —
(1.) When God maketh sin bitter by afflictions, and we are threshed, that our husk may fly off. Affliction is a special time of dealing against sin, Jer. ii. 19. We must not hinder the working of God's physic, but further it rather, exercise ourselves under the rod: Heb. xii. 11, 'It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, to them that are exercised thereby.' Use it to God's ends and purposes ; the smartness of the rod should make sin more hateful to us.
(2.) When you have some serious stirrings upon hearing the word, or some new powerful consideration is given you to quicken your hatred against sin ; when a truth is borne in with great light, power, and evidence upon the heart. There is a providence that goeth with sermons; many gracious opportunities are lost by our negligence; certainly when the waters are stirred, it is good getting into the pool :
VeR. 13.] SKRMONS UPON ROMAN'S VIII. 61
see Jam. i. 23, ' If a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.' If so, there is a season lost ; there is some duty pressed, some sin discovered, some want laid open ; mortification is much promoted by observing and improving these seasons : 1 Pet. i. 22, ' Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through tlie Spirit ; ' and Ps. cxix. 104, ' Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way.' By attending on the word, we get new degrees of light, and hatred against sin ; sometimes God weakeneth this lust, sometimes that, according as he is pleased to direct it to your consciences.
(3.) After some notable fall, or sin against God. Seethe core of the distemper pulled out. To get a pardon is not enough, but mortification must be looked after ; the longer sin defileth the heart, the deeper it is rooted ; therefore speedily recover yourselves at such a time ; a green wound is more easily cured, than an old rankled sore ; and David complaineth his wounds did stink through his foolishness, Ps. xsxviii. 5. The longer these wounds be neglected, the worse. If a member is sprained, or out of joint, if you delay to set it, it never groweth strong or straight. Peter did not lie in the sin, but went out immediately and wept bitterly, Mat. xxvi. 75. The longer corruption is spared, it iicquireth the more strength, secureth its interest more firmly, and is more deeply rooted in the soul, and bringeth a custom on the body also.
Secondly. Why justified persons must mortify the deeds of the body.
1. Witli respect to Christ.
2. With respect to sin.
3. With respect to grace received.
1. With respect to Christ ; and there, — (1.) What he did, and is to us. (2.) Our relation to him.
[1.] What he did, and is to us ; for what end he suffered for us, and for what end he is offered to us. (1 .) He suffered for us, to take away sin, or to purchase grace whereby sin may be mortified ; he paid the price to provoked justice : 1 Pet. ii. 24, ' He bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we being dead unto sin, should live to righteousness.'
Naturally we are dead to righteousness, and alive to sin ; but Christ's intention in dying for sinners, was to remedy this, that sin might die and grace live ; and therefore our old man is said to be crucified with Christ, Eom. vi. 6. Then the price was paid, and grace purchased. He came not only to free us from punishment, but cut also the power of sin. The guilt of sin is contrary to our happiness ; the power of sin, to God's glory. (2.) The end for which he is offered to us. God propoundeth Christ, not only as a foundation of comfort, but as a fountain of grace and holiness : 1 Cor. i. 30, ' Who of God is made to us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption ; ' to be our sanctification, as well as our righteousness ; where he is the one, he is the other ; one principal blessing is to turn us from our sins, Acts iii. 36 ; and that is mortification, or weakening the power and love of sin in our hearts. Now that we may receive him as God ofifereth him, and not rend and divide him by a broken and imperfect faith ; a^ we look for comfort in Christ in the sense of our justification and pardon ; so an experience of his power in mortifying sin, otherwise we have but half of Christ.