give way to them at any time, are rescued, it is only by the sovereign and unaccountable mercy of God. And, thus, while Satan casts fire, do thou cast firebrands. This is to make hell his second torture, that, as God makes use of it for his punishment, so thou for his defeat and disappointment.

(2) For the right managing of this direction, for indeed much care and circumspection must here be had, take these following particulars.

[1] Take heed, lest, through any deceitfulness of thy heart, thou excuse and lessen thy sin, when thou shouldst be dealing against it by a vigorous mortification.

To take off any thing from your apprehensions of the guilt of sin, is to add to the power and strength of the temptation. And, therefore, take it for a sure rule, That that sin, in which thou dost not now see that black and horrid guilt which formerly thou hast done, hath more power over thee, and is more unmortified in thee, than ever formerly it was. It is the common method of Satan, in the height and fury of a temptation, to persuade the heart, either that it is no sin, or else a small and venial one. If this deceit prevail and take place, the work of mortification can never go on vigorously. Certain it is, that, where the guilt of any sin is apprehended to be but small, there the endeavours against it will be but weak. And,

[2] Beware of weakening and enervating arguments drawn from the desert and danger of a prevailing lust, by relieving thyself with thoughts of the goodness and safety of thy spiritual condition.

This is a most desperate deceit of the heart, and a ready way to undo thousands of souls. When you have made head against a temptation, by arguments drawn from the wrath of God due to it, and that eternal vengeance which will follow, have you never found your corrupt hearts replying upon you, "Yea, but I am delivered from the wrath to come: I am ransomed from that vengeance: my spiritual and eternal state is secured by the immutable promise of God, and the immortal seed of grace; and, therefore, though I do commit this sin, yet my soul shall live?" This is the common fallacy of the Devil, thus to make presumptuous applications of mercy, pardon, and free grace, to patronize the allowance of sin. If you thus argue, certain it is that you can never make good work of mortification. It is impossible to persuade that man from sin by the

terrors of the Lord, who looks upon whatsoever is spoken of that kind, as not appertaining to him.

And, therefore, consider,

1st. To encourage thyself in sin, upon hopes of thy being in a state of grace, is so rotten and unworthy a principle, as is scarce consistent with grace.

What is this, but to make use of grace against itself, against the God of Grace; a mere turning of it into wantonness, and sinning that it might abound? which, of all things in the world, is the most opposite and repugnant to the truly noble and ingenuous nature of a gracious heart. And,

2dly. Consider: If thou shouldst be in a state of grace, and stand accepted with God, yet thou canst never know thyself so to be; nay, thou hast all the reason in the world to judge the contrary, if this consideration embolden thee to sin.

What though the perseverance of the saints unto glory be certain; yet, are they to persevere thereunto, whatsoever sins they commit? We find no such promise in the whole tenor of the covenant. It is, therefore, more unreasonable and absurd, to conclude from thy grace that thou mayest sin without danger; than to conclude, because thou makest use of such an encouragement to sin, therefore thou hast no grace. And,

3dly. Though thou knowest thyself, by the highest pitch of assurance attainable, to be delivered from the wrath to come: yet still this wrath is the due desert of thy sin; yea, and will be the certain punishment of it, unless it be mortified in thee.

If ye, ye elect, ye sanctified and justified ones, if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. We may and ought, therefore, to denounce death and hell to the most assured saint, if he doth not mortify: for, though God hath decreed to save all his elect, yet he never decreed to save any of them but through mortification. The vanity of those men is, in these our days, sufficiently discovered, who would not have believers take notice, nor make application to themselves of any thing, that sounds threatening and terrible in the Scripture, as being unsuitable to their free and evangelical spirit. Let such know, that, in letting go such harsh and severe considerations, they lose a great advantage which they might have against their lusts. The holiest on earth, when God threatens sin, ought to tremble: and, whatsoever judgment they pass upon their persons, though they know themselves to be regenerate and elect; yet this is the judgment

which they ought to pass upon their actions, that, if they be sinful, they are also damnable.

So that, whatever thy condition be, yet, whenever corruption tempts and troubles thee, oppose against its prevalency and seduction these affrighting considerations of wrath, hell, and vengeance. Thus follow and ply it: thus heap coals of fire upon its head: throw a hell between thee and thy lusts. This, if any thing, will stop thee. But, if thou canst frequently wade through these unto it; if thou canst commit it, even while the thoughts of future wrath are hot and scorching, while everlasting burnings are flaming and flashing about thee; this argues a wretched obstinacy in sin, and is the sad symptom of a most dangerous, if not desperate condition.

And thus I have done with the First Direction unto Mortification. We must be well acquainted, and have a thorough insight into our sins; both to know whence they have their great strength, and also to know what the great guilt and danger of them is.

ii. Another direction, in brief, shall be this: IF YOU WOULD EFFECTUALLY MORTIFY CORRUPTION, THEN ARM YOURSELVES AGAINST IT WITH STRONG RESOLUTIONS; WITH RESOLUTIONS, FREE FROM LIMITATIONS, FREE FROM ANY SECRET RESERVATIONS.

The Apostle hath given us many a tried piece of Christian armour, Eph. vi. There we have the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the breast-plate of righteousness, the helmet of salva tion, and a complete panoply. But what are these, without resolution to use them? The shield may rust against the wall, and the sword in the sheath: grace may lie sluggish and inactive in the soul, while lust tempts, seduces, and captivates, unless holy resolution rouse it, arm it, and lead it forth to the conflict. Wherefore is it, that so many complain that their lusts and corruptions are invincible? that they cannot stand before them? what is the reason, that they are so often ensnared and so often captivated, but because they do not put on the resolutions of Men or Christians? they are not resolved to conquer: they do not fortify or steel their hearts with absolute and peremptory resolves, that, notwithstanding all the advantages any corruption hath gained against them, though it hath already frequently prevailed over them, though it daily and hourly tempt, entice, impel, yet they will beat it down and trample on it. Men are not thus firmly resolved, but waver and stagger in their purposes; and thereby give Satan hope and encouragement, while

they thus fluctuate, to assault and prevail over them. Were they once fully resolved, they would not yield; and Satan, who can do nothing against them without their own consent, would have but small encouragement to continue tempting he would then say, "It is in vain, to lay siege to that soul: his resolutions have fortified him, and made him impregnable: not a fiery dart will stick, but rebounds back as from a rock of adamant, and makes no impressions: he is grown obstinate against my temptations, and will hearken to none of my suggestions: he will not stand so much as to consider what a temptation can say for itself, but peremptorily refuseth and rejecteth all: there is no hope left for me to prevail with such a soul." What David saith of his enemies, Psal. cxviii. 10, 11. All nations compassed me about: but, in the name of the Lord, will I destroy them. They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but, in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them; the same must we say concerning our corruptions: though they beset us round and compass us about, though they swarm about us like bees; yet, in the name of the Lord, in the aid and assistance of the Holy Spirit, we will destroy them. You know what particular corruption it is, that doth most of all perplex and prevail over you: now take up fixed resolutions for the mortifying of that sin: "Oh! never more will I give way to such a temptation: never more will I hearken to the flatteries and enticements of such a lust never more shall this break my peace, wound my conscience, displease my God: now will I be revenged on it, and pour out the heart-blood of it before the Lord." Such absolute resolutions will be of great influence in the work of mortification. Yea, and though it may seem to be an old-fashioned, antiquated prescript; yet would it approve itself to be of singular use and advantage, if we strengthened such resolutions against sin by laying upon ourselves some binding vows and engagements against them: see how strongly David binds himself by an oath, Psal. cxix. 106. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. David was resolved to keep the Law of God; but, lest that resolution should prove too weak, he strengthens it with an oath, I have sworn, that I will keep them: yea, and as if this oath were not security enough, he backs it with another resolution, I have sworn, and I will perform it. So do thou, against thy sins: resolve and vow against them: enforce one by the other: lift up thy hands unto God, that, in the strength of Christ and the aid of

the Spirit, thou wilt never more yield to such a temptation, give way to such a corruption, commit such a sin. This, were it more practised among Christians, would mightily promote the great work of mortification.

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But," you will say, "what benefit can there be in this? Alas! my corruptions are so violent and outrageous, that they break through far greater engagements than my own resolutions are neither Law nor Gospel can oppose them: they rush through commands, admonitions, threatenings, promises; and set all at nought: and shall I think, then, that such weak and insignificant things as purposes and resolutions are of any moment?"

Be it so, that the rage of thy lusts hath broken through all those greater engagements, and hath borne down before it whatsoever either Law or Gospel should say to the contrary; yet now bring against it thy purposes and resolutions. Though there may be, and is, an obligation of greater authority from other considerations; yet nothing carries in it an obligation of greater efficacy than these do. There is that temper in every man's nature, that, though he struggle against an engagement which the authority of another imposeth on him; yet he looks upon a voluntary engagement which he imposeth on himself, as most binding, sacred, and inviolable. Certainly, did you but thus bind yourselves, and in a serious manner call God to witness and assist your resolutions, you would find that those corruptions, which have broken through all other considerations, would have a stop put to them by this.

iii. Another direction is this: RESIST STRONGLY THE FIRST MO

TIONS AND FIRST RISINGS OF THY CORRUPTIONS.

Crush them while they are in their infancy, before they get to a head, and gather strength against thee. It is folly to stay till thy enemies are grown up: no; take the offspring and progeny of lust, while they are little; and deal with them, as God threatens Babel, dash those little ones against the stones. Consider,

1. That there is not the least and most inconsiderable sinful motion, which riseth in thy soul, but it tends to the very utmost guilt, of which that kind of sin is capable.

Thou art deceived, if thou thinkest it will still be a weak, faint, languishing conception: no; corruption will lay in provision for it and nourish it, till that, which was at first but as a