sin, though dear as a right eye, or needful as a right hand, must be cut off; at least, its dominion must be destroyed, and its motions be incessantly resisted*. In short, to root out sin, and to serve, honour, and enjoy God, must be our daily busi- ness, our unintermitted employment. Nor must we ever think that we belong to Christ, till we have the testimony of our conscience, that we are thus crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts u.]
3. Of encouragement —
[As we have ruined ourselves, God might well leave us to restore ourselves : and then indeed would our condition be most pitiable. But he graciously offers us the assistance of his Spirit ; so that none need despair : none need to decline the work of mortification for want of strength to accomplish it ; seeing that " the grace of Christ is sufficient for us," and through the aids of his Spirit we can do all things1 : yea, " his strength shall be perfected in our weakness." Let every one then address himself to the work: " Have not I commanded thee ? saith the Lord : be strong, therefore, and of a good courage; for the Lord thy God is with theey:" " Be strong, and let not your hands be weak ; for your work shall be rewarded2."]
* Mark ix. 43 — 48. u Gal. v. 24.
x Gal. v. 16. and Phil. iv. 13. y Josh. i. 9.
z 2 Chron. xv. 7.
Rom. viii. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God.
THOUGH Christ's obedience unto death is the only meritorious ground of our salvation, yet it is certain that heaven is held forth to us as a prize which we are to attain by running, and as " a recom- pence of reward" which we are to gain by labour. Many shrink back at this idea, on account of the vast disproportion between the work and the reward : and well they may shrink back, if nothing be taken into the consideration but the intrinsic excellence of our works. But there is one point of view in which the disproportion will not appear so great, or perhaps