[2.] It engages the heart to attend diligently to all the ways and means whereby Christ is wont to communicate himself to the soul ; and so takes in the real assistance of all graces and ordinances what- ever. He that expects any thing from a man, applies himself to the ways and means whereby it may be obtained. The beggar that ex- pects an alms lies at his door or in his way from whom he doth expect it. The way wliereby and the means wherein Christ communicates himself is, and are, his ordinances ordinarily; he that expects any thing from him must attend upon him therein. It is the expectation of faith that sets the heart on work. It is not an idle, groundless hope that I speak of If now there be any vigour, efficacy, and power in prayer or sacrament to this end of mortifying sin, a man will assuredly be interested in it all l^y this expectation of relief from Christ. On this account I reduce all particular actings, by prayer, meditation, and the like, to this head ; and so shall not farther insist on them, when they are grounded on this bottom and spring from this root. They are of singular use to this purpose, and not else.
Now, on this direction for the mortification of a prevailing distem- per you may have a thousand "probatum est's." Who have walked with God under this temptation, and have not found the use and suc- cess of it? I dare leave the soul under it, without adding any more. Only some particulars relating thereunto may be mentioned : —
First, Act iaith 2}ecidiarl'y upon the c/ea^A, blood, and cross of Christ; tha,t is, on Christ as crucified and slain. Mortification of sin is pecu- liarly from the death of Christ. It is one peculiar, yea, eminent end of the death of Christ, which shall assuredly be accomplished by it. He died to destroy the works of the devil. Whatever came upon our natures by his first temptation, whatever receives strength in our per- sons by his daily suggestions, Christ died to destroy it all. "He gave
84! MORTIFICATION OF SIN IN BELIEVERS.
himself for lis, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,'' Tit. ii. 14. This was his aim and intendment (wherein he will not fail) in his giving liimself for us That we might he freed from the power of our sins, and purified from all our defiling lusts, was his desigiL " He gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or Avrinkle, or any such thing; hut that it should be holy, and without hlemish," Eph. v. 25-27. And this, by virtue of his death, in various and several degrees, shall be accomplished. Hence our washing, purg- ing, and cleansing is everywhere ascribed to his blood, 1 John i. 7 ; Heb. L 3 ; Rev. i. 5. That being sprinkled on us, " jourges our con- sciences from dead works to serve the living God," Heb. ix. 14. This is that we aim at, this Ave are in pursuit of, — that our consciences may be purged from dead works, that they may be rooted out, destroyed, and have place in us no more. This shall certainly be brought about by the death of Christ ; there will virtue go out from thence to this purpose. Indeed, all supplies of the Spirit, all communications of grace and power, are from hence ; as I have elsewhere^ showed Thus tlie apostle states it ; Rom. vi. 2, is the case proposed that we have in hand : ''How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ?" — " Dead to sin by profession ; dead to sin by obligation to be so ; dead to sin by participation of virtue and power for the killing of it ; dead to sin by union and interest in Christ, in and by whom it is killed : how shall we live therein ?" This he presses by sundry considerations, all taken from the death of Christ, in the ensuing verses. This must not be : verse 8, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" We have in baptism an evidence of our implantation into Christ; we are baptized into him: but what of him are we baptized into an interest in? "His death," saith he. If indeed we are baptized into Christ, and beyond outward ])rofession, we are baptized into his death. The explication of this, of one being baptized into the death of Christ, the apostle gives us, verses 4, 6 : "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death ; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Knowmg this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." "This is," saitli he, " our being baptized into the death of Christ, namely, our confor- mity thereunto; to be dead unto sin, to have our corru[)tions moi'tified, as he was put to death for sin : so that a.s he was raised up to glory, we may be raised up to grace and newness of life." He tells us whence it is that we have this baptism into the death of Christ, verse 6; and ' Comiininio)\ wltli Christ, vol. ii. cliaptcis vii. viii.