Secondly, All these duties, rightly improved, work two ways to- wards the end designed: first, Morally, and by way of impetration, — namely, of help and assistance; secondly. Really, by an immediate opposition unto sin and its power, whence assimilation unto holiness doth arise: —
(First.) These duties work morally and by way of impetration. I shall instance only in one of them, and that is prayer. There are two parts of prayer with respect unto sin and its power: first, Com- plaints; secondly, Petitions: —
[First.] Gomjdaints. So is the title of Psalm cii., "A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint be- fore the Loud." So David expresseth himself, Ps. Iv. 2, " Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise." His prayer was a doleful lamentation. And Ps. cxlii. 2, " I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble." This is the first work of i^rayer with respect unto sin, its jjower and prevalency. The soul therein pours out its complaints unto God, and showeth before him the trouble it undergoes on the account thereof And this it doth in an humble acknowledgment of its guilt, crying out of its deceit and violence; for all just and due complaint respecteth that which is grievous, and which is be- yond the power of the complainer to relieve himself against. Of this sort there is nothing to be compared with the power of sin, as to believers.
This therefore is, and ought to be, the principal matter and subject of their complaints in prayer; yea, the very nature of the whole case is such as that the apostle could not give an account of it without great complaints, Rom. vii. 24. This part of prayer, indeed, is with profligate persons derided and scorned, but it is acceptable with God, and that wherein believers find ease and rest unto their souls; for, let the world scoff while it pleascth, what is more acceptable unto God than for his children, out of pure love unto him and holiness, out of fervent desires to comply with his mind and will, and thereby
CHAP. VIII.] THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF IT. 559
to attain conformity unto Jesus Christ, to come with their complaints unto him of the distance they are kept from these things by the captivating power of sin, bewailing their frail condition, and humbly acknowledging all the evils they are liable unto upon the account thereof? Would any man have thought it possible, had not experi- ence convinced him, that so much Luciferian pride and atheism should possess the minds of any who would be esteemed Christians as to scoff at and deride these things? that any one should ever read the Bible, or once consider what he is, and with whom he hath to do, and be ignorant of this duty? But we have nothing to do with such persons, but to leave them to please themselves whilst they may with these fond and impious imaginations. They will come either in this world (which we hope and pray for), in their re- pentance, to know their folly, or in another. I say, these complaints of sin, poured out before the Lord, these cryings out of deceit and violence, are acceptable to God, and prevalent with him to give out aid and assistance. He owns believers as his children, and hath the bowels and compassion of a father towards them. Sin he knows to be their greatest enemy, and which fights directly against their souls. Will he, then; despise their complaints, and their bemoaning of them- selves before him? will he not avenge them of that enemy, and that si:)eedily? See Jer. xxxi. 18-20. Men who think they have no other enemies, none to complain of, but such as oppose them, or obstruct them, or oppress them, in tlieir secular interests, advantages, and concerns, are strangers unto these things. Believers look on sin as their greatest adversary, and know that they suffer more from it than from all the world; suffer them, therefore, to make their com- plaints of it unto him who pities them, and who will relieve them and avenge them.
[Secondly.] Prayer is directly petitions to this purpose. It consists of petitions unto God for supplies of grace to conflict and conquer sin withal. I need not prove this. No man praj^s as he ought, no man joins in prayer with another who prays as he ought, bvit these peti- tions are a part of his praj^er. Especially will they be so, and ought they so to be, Avhen the mind is peculiarly engaged in the design of destroying sin. And these petitions or requests are, as far as they are gracious and effectual, wrought in us by the Holy Ghost, who therein "maketh intercession for us, according to the will of God;" and hereby doth he carry on this Avork of the mortification of sin, for his work it is. He makes us to put uj) prevalent requests unto God for such continual supplies of grace, whereby it may be con- stantly kept under, and at length destroyed.
And this is the first way whereby this duty hath an influence into mortification, — namely, morally and by way of impetration.
560 MORTIFICATION OF SIN, [BOOK IV.
(Secondty.) This duty hath a real efficiency unto the same end. It doth itself (when rightly performed and duly attended unto) mightily prevail unto the weakening and destruction of sin; for in and by fervent prayer, especially when it is designed unto this end, the habit, frame, and inclinations of the soul unto universal holiness, with a detestation of all sin, are increased, cherished, and strengthened. The soul of a believer is never raised unto a higher intension of spirit in the pursuit of, love unto, and delight in holiness, nor is more con- formed unto it or cast into the mould of it, than it is in prayer. And fi-equency in this duty is a principal means to fix and consolidate the mind in the form and likeness of it; and hence do believers ofttimes continue in and come off from prayer above all impressions from sin, as to inclinations and compliances. Would such a frame always continue, how hap])y were we ! But abiding in the duty is the best way of reaching out after it. I say, therefore, that this duty is really efficient of the mortification of sin, because therein all the graces whereby it is opposed and weakened are excited, exercised, and im- proved unto that end, as also the detestation and abhorrency of sin is increased in us; and where this is not so, there are some secret flaws in the prayeis of men, which it will be their wisdom to find out and heal.