tified professors, that certainly they are in as good a condition as they.

"They are proud, and impatient, and earthly: and, if these men get to heaven, why may not I? It is true they talk of selfdenial and mortification; but look into our lives, and mine is as harmless and innocent as theirs: they discourse of experiences, and communion and acquaintance with God, and a road of words that I skill not; but, certainly, if God will not condemn them, although they do nothing but talk, he will not condemn me, for not talking as they do." And thus the hands of wicked men are mightily strengthened, and hereby they fortify themselves in their unregeneracy.

Now, Christians, if you would adorn the Gospel, and bring a credit upon religion, live so that your conversations may be a conviction to all the world, that God is in you of a truth: which will be, when mortification is more endeavoured and practised. You have a principle within you, which would you exert to the utmost, mere moralists, with all their civility, and legalists, with all the forced harshness which they use to curb and restrain sin in themselves, must confess that they fall short of true mortification.

IV. Now, though there be, in the whole course of Christianity, no other duty that can plead more for itself than this of mortification; yet there is none, that hath more cause to complain of a general neglect from the most of professors, than this hath. A slight superficial Christianity is that, which now serves the turn; and, if men can but keep themselves from the gross and scan. dalous pollutions of the world, and together with that maintain a shining blaze of profession, whatever other mortification is pressed upon them, they reject as a needless rigour and severity. To ENQUIRE INTO THE CAUSES WHY IT SHOULD BE SO would be to uncase a considerable part of the deceitfulness of sin, and the stratagems of Satan. I shall, therefore, content myself with the discovery of some few grounds, that are more obvious and apparent.

As,

i. The HARSHNESS AND DIFFICULTY OF A THOROUGH MORTI FICATION deters many from going to the bottom of it.

If lust will take pet, and die of spite and sullenness, for a few sharp words spoken against it, or for a few hard thoughts conceived of it; then, indeed, the professors of our age are generally very mortified Christians. But, when we tell them that corruption is both tenacious and powerful, and must be dealt roughly with as a stubborn enemy; that it will cost much sweat and blood, many sad thoughts, many bitter conflicts and agonies of soul to subdue it; this frights them from so hot a service: it is a hard saying, and they cannot bear it. What saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 9, 26, 27? So fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I beat down my body, for so the word signifies, and bring it into subjection. But is there any such hardship in this? would any man be frighted with the difficulty of such a combat, wherein he may beat down his enemy, and yet suffer nothing from him? were it no more but to beat it down, trample upon it, and triumph over it, who would ever detract this spiritual warfare? See 2 Cor. xii. 7. There was sent me....a messenger of Satan, to buffet me. Paul beats down his body, and the messenger of Satan buffets him: he and his corruption are already at blows, and the contest grows sharp between them. Heb. xii. 4. The Apostle speaks of resisting unto blood, in striving against sin. Striving against sin and mortifying it, is not so trivial and easy a work, as the generality of professors make it: it will draw tears from the eyes, and groans from the heart. Our Saviour compares it (and indeed the comparison is drawn home) to plucking out the right-eye, and cutting off the right-hand: Matt. v. 29, 30.

Now there are Two things, that make this exceeding difficult.

The Pain and Anguish: and the Unnaturalness of it. And both these are suited to a double distemper too prevalent in the best Christians, whereby the work of mortification is rendered very hard and difficult: and they are,

A sinful Niceness, Tenderness, and Delicacy, utterly misbecoming spiritual soldiers; whereby they are so softened and effeminated, that they cannot endure pain or hardship.

A sinful Fondness and Compassion, which, being still in part carnal, they do bear unto their carnal part: and this makes mortification seem very unnatural. 1. Christians, through a spiritual sloth, that hath seized upon

them, are grown nice and delicate: and this makes the work of mortification seem very painful.

A little pain is more intolerable to men accustomed to a tender education, than torments are to others. Truly, Christians, by too much indulging their corruptions, do bring them up tenderly; seldom crossing or molesting them: so that, when they come in earnest to set upon the work of mortification, the extreme anguish and torment of it is such, that they cannot bear it; and so either they shrink from it, or else perform it very slightly. I may well say, that, through the niceness of Christians, mortification is now-a-days grown so easy and gentle, that corruption itself scarce feels it: some excrescences and superfluities of naughtiness they may possibly prune off; but when is it, that they lay the axe to the root? What is it for a man to pare the nails, or cut the hair? This goes not to the quick. Truly, that, which Christians now call their mortification, is but very little more they do but pare away the superfluous and less sensible parts of corruptions, that, of a wild, over-grown thing, which else it would be, they may thereby reduce it to a decorum and decency. And shall I call this mortifying? or, rather, is it not an adorning, of lust? Shew me the Christian, that stabs sin to the heart, and draws blood at every encounter, that cuts off limb after limb, and member after member; contemning that smart and anguish, which frights tender and delicate Christians from so rough an engagement.

2. There is, in the best, too much of a sinful fondness and compassion, that makes mortification seem to be cruel and unnatural.

And how can it be otherwise, while, in the very best, there are still remainders of that other self, I mean corruption! Every Christian hath a double self, his carnal and his spiritual self; and mortification is as it were self-murder: he doth what in him lies to murder himself, that is his carnal self. Now look how dif ficult it is for a man to offer violence to himself; for the righteye to be torne out by the right-hand, and that again to be cut off by the other, so difficult it is (abating only that it is another self that doth it) for a Christian to exercise mortification; because it is a kind of self-destruction. Lust is so close and intimate with the soul, so inlaid with the principles and wrought into the very bowels of it; that what the Apostle saith, Eph. v. 29. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, I may apply to this case: No man ever yet hated his fleshly part; that is, with such an

utter antipathy and detestation as he ought. With what compassion, or rather with what extremity and rage of passion, would a mother see an infant of her own conception delivered up to the slaughter! truly, there is in all men somewhat of the like natural affection towards the conceptions of their own lust; so that it is with a great deal of reluctancy and violence offered to nature, that they expose their infant lusts as soon as born to the sword and slaughter of mortification. Now, until this fondness be removed, and Christians more hardened against their corruptions, (so that their hearts shall not pity them, nor their eyes spare them, though they are their own offspring: though they are so much themselves, yet they can with their own hands thrust the sword of mortification through them, and with delight look upon their gaspings and blood;) this great work can never go forward, proportionably to the great and absolute necessity of it.

That is the First particular.

ii. As the difficulty, so THE CONSTANCY, THE PERPETUITY OF THIS WORK frights many from engaging in it.

If sin would be laid dead by a blow, most men would for once strike home: but, when they think that mortification is a perpetual quarrel which they must all their lifetime prosecute, without a day's or minute's respite, that still they must be in arms, still upon the watch, and still fighting, without the truce of a breathing allowed them; this makes some give it over quite as an endless thing, and others to follow it but very remissly.

And, truly, unless this work of mortification be pursued with an indefatigable constancy, without intermission, these Two evils, will necessarily follow.

1. In the interval, Lust, after it hath been defeated, will again recruit and gather head, and possibly assault the soul with a redoubled force. And

2. Grace will, for want of exercise, grow unwieldy, unactive, and less fit for service than it was.

If at any time there be a neglect of mortification, all, that was formerly done against corruption, is merely in vain, and but so much labour lost. Lust will rally, after a rout; and therefore grace, when it hath defeated it, must pursue it close; still gaining upon it, and disputing its ground by inches, till it hath at last quite forced it out of the soul. Men, that are to empty a pond, in which there are many springs rising, must be still

casting out the water as it is still bubbling up: if they stop, the pond grows presently full, and their labour is again to begin. Truly, our hearts are like this pond, in which there are many springs still spouting out corrupt streams: mortification is the laving of this pond: if Christians do but for a while cease and give it over, the heart grows full again of all manner of wickedness, and the work is set as far back as it was at the beginning. These incessant pains few will bear; and therefore it is, that this work of mortification is generally so much neglected in the world.

iii. The many DISCOURAGEMENTS, WHICH EVEN CHRISTIANS THEMSELVES MEET WITH IN THE WORK OF MORTIFICATION, do make them backward to it, and negligent in it.

Many discouragements I might here mention,, both from without and from within: as, the evil examples of unmortified professors; the auxiliaries, that lust receives from the policy and power of Satan; the manifold enforcements, which, when a temptation is in its hour, it hath from objects, occasions, and such like outward advantages; the inward, secret conspiracies of the heart itself with lust: all which, and many more, are great discouragements unto Christians; making not only the hands of their enemies strong against them, but many times their own hands weak and their hearts faint: so that they are ready to say they shall one day fall by the hands of these mighty lusts; and that, therefore, it is as good to give themselves up for lost men, and never more to struggle against what they cannot possibly subdue. And, truly, did not the Spirit of God, in the midst of these sad thoughts, break in with extraordinary supports and assistances, all their hopes and confidences would here give up the ghost; and they would abandon themselves over to the power of their lusts, to be captivated by them at their pleasure.

But, omitting these, I shall only speak to Two great Discouragements, drawn from the bad event of an endeavoured mortification.

The little visible Success which they gain, after all their pains and labour.

The many sad Defeats and Foils, which, notwithstanding all, they receive from their lusts.

1. The little visible and apparent Success of the exercise of mortification, doth mightily dishearten even true Christians from it.