An exact collection of the works of Doctor Jackson ... such as were not published before : Christ exercising his everlasting priesthood ... or, a treatise of that knowledge of Christ which consists in the true estimate or experimental valuation of his death, resurrection, and exercise of his everlasting sacerdotal function ... : this estimate cannot rightly be made without a right understanding of the primeval state of Adam ...

CHAP. XXVIII.

Of the General Contents which concern the Duty of Mor∣tification: And which be the Special Works of the Flesh we are to Mortifie.

ROM. Chap. 8. Vers. 11.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you: he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his spirit that dwelleth in you.

Vers. 12. Therefore Brethren, we are Debters; not to the Flesh, to live af∣ter the Flesh.

Vers. 13. For if ye Live after the Flesh, ye shall dye: but if ye through the spirit do Mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

1. THis Portion of Scripture is more fit to ground the Con∣nexion of what goeth before or cometh after it, from the beginning of this 8^th Chapter unto the end, then to receive any Bounds or Limitation which it is capable of, from any Reference to other Passages, either for the plain and full Grammatical, or for the Moral and Theological Sense. The Grammatical Construction of the 12^th verse (though for so much as some of our Modern Translations sug∣gest unto us, it afford but One Proposition, and that a Negative, [We are debters not to the flesh:] yet) according to the Original Character or full Construction, it contains Two Emphatical Propositions, the One Affirmative, the Other Negative. The Affirmative 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Debters we are; and Debters for a greater Sum, then all Mankinds either Real or Personal Estates in this world are able to discharge. The Negative, Debters we are in no wise

either in whole or part unto the Flesh, unto which we owe nothing besides Re∣venge or Mortification of It, that is, by delivering it up Captive to the Spi∣rit, unto whom we owe more then our temporal Estate here on Earth, our very Souls. The 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or full Declaration of both Propositions follows, vers. 13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: this is the unsupportable debt which the flesh hath brought and seeks to bring upon us: But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall Live for ever. This is a greater Boon then we can deserve; as much as we can desire; more then we can make any part of requital for it.

2. For stating Cases of Conscience (not for dealing betwixt man and man, but) but betwixt the Judge of Quick and Dead, and our own Souls, I know no portion of Scripture whether in the Old or New Testament of better or more frequent Use then This 13^th verse. Let such as are so minded maintain Tenents already set on Foot, or multiply Questions to the worlds End about the Certainty of their Personal Estate in Grace, or Final Salvation, or bestow their Marks and Tokens whether of Absolute Election or Repro∣bation as they please: yet unto honest hearted Christians, or such as desire so to be, there can be no Sign or token of Salvation either Firmer in its self, or more Certain to them, then the right Computation of their constant Pro∣gresse in the Mortifying of the Flesh by the Spirit.

The First Question or Examination of our Progresse in this Duty, is to know; [What be the deeds of the Flesh or Body, which we are to Mortifie; And, How far we are to mortifie them?]

The Second; [How the flesh is Mortified by us; How by the Spirit?]

The Third, which happily will intermingle it self here and there with the first and second Quaeries, is, [The Limitation of these Two Propositions: If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: But if ye through the spirit do Mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live.]

3. Touching the First Point, [What be the deeds of the Flesh or Body, which we are to Mortifie:] They are set down by our Apostle, Gal. 5. 19, 20, 21. Now the works of the Flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, Forni∣cation, Vncleanness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred Variance, Emu∣lations, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Heresies, Envyings, Murders, Drunkenness, Revel∣lings, and such like. It shall suffice by the way to note in a word that the Flesh or Body is sometimes taken for the Fleshly Nature or Bodily Substance it self: Sometimes for the Corruption of the Flesh or of Nature corrupted. And in this Later Sense it is to be taken in This Place.

4. That we may the better understand this Duty of Mortification by Sounding the Bottom of it, we are in the first place to take it into serious Consideration. That the words by which our Apostle here expresseth the Works or Deeds of the Flesh, are not to be measured according to that Carnal Conceit or Grosse Sense, which the Flesh it self alwayes partial for it self, is ready to suggest; but according to the Scale of the Sanctuary. When He saith, Adultery, Fornication, &c. are the works of the Flesh, we must not understand Only those Acts of Adultery or Fornication, which come under the Cognizance or Censure of Courts, Civil, or Ecclesiastick; not the Fruits or Blossomes; But The very First Seeds of these Sins; all Inclinations of the Flesh or Secret desires of the heart, of this Kind. This Art or Method of measuring these words, or the sins comprehended under them, our Saviour hath taught us, Mat. 5. 27, 28. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not Commit Adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a Woman to Lust after her, hath committed Adultery with her already in his

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Heart. When he reckons Lasciviiousness amongst the works of the Flesh, we must not restrain this word to Actual Lasciviousness, or Lascivousnesse in at∣tempt: We are to extend it to every Degree of this sin in Word or Thought; to every Motion of the Tongue, of our Heart, or Senses, by which either the Ears or Senses of others, or our own Souls or Consciences may be pol∣luted. When he saith, Idolatry is a work of the Flesh, we must not take Idolatry only for the Visible or External Act of Adoration profered either to Creatures or their Images: It comprehends All inordinate Affection of the heart to any Creature. For to love Money more then God, then our Neighbours, or more then Equity or just dealing, is a Branch of the Idolatry here mentioned by our Apostle. For so he interprets himself, Eph. 5. 5. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor Covetous man who is an Idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Again, when he reckons Murther amongst the Works of the Flesh, We must not mea∣sure This Monster only by such Pictures of it, as are drawn in Bloud: For even Hatred, Wrath, Strife, and Sedition, are true Lineaments or live Limbs of this Gyant. Ye have heard (saith our Saviour) it was said by them of Old Time, thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the Judgment: But I say unto you, That whosever is angry with his Brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the Judgment: And whosoever shall say to his Brother Racha, shall be in danger of the Councel: But whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire. Mat. 5. 21, 22. Lastly we are not to take the works of the Flesh (albeit we take them in the grossest sense) for those Acts, Habits, or Accustomances only, which are seated in the Flesh or Bodily part of man, but for those Acts or Inclinations which are accomplished in the Operati∣ons or Exercises of the Reasonable Soul. For if we mark the Apostles Words; not Witchcraft and Idolatry only, which are usually accomplished in some External or Bodily Act, but even Heresie it self is expresly mentioned amongst the works of the Flesh: and yet is Heresie the proper Off-spring of the supreme Faculty of the Humane Soul, that is, of the Intellective Faculty or Understanding. The most dangerous Hereticks have been alwayes men of great understanding, and for wit, acute and subtile. Nor are we to re∣strain this word Heresie to profest Opinions, or Errors expressedly maintain∣ed or subscribed unto. We are to extend the Apostles meaning unto the First Seeds or Roots of this sin, as to Emulation, to Affectation of applause, to Secret pride of heart, or hearty desire of Vain Glory or Excelling others. These are the General Seeds of the most Grosse Sins here mentioned. And therefore our Apostle in the Conclusion of this 5^th Chapter to the Galatians, strikes at the very Root: Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. If we harbour these or the like desires, though secret∣ly in our breasts, they will, as Opportunity serves, betray us to the Grossest Sins here mentioned, as to Murther, to Heresie, or the like. Now not of these grossest sins only, as Murther, Adultery, Heresie, or Idolatry; but of their First Seeds or Roots, our Apostle fore-warnes these Galatians, as he had done in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the King∣dom of God, Gal. 5. 21. And who then shall Inherit this Kingdom? For who is he that is not subject to some one or other of these Mis-demeanours or per∣verse Inclinations? who is he that doth not either consent to unlawful Lust, or entertain desires of Applause or of Excelling others, or doth not often either Envy or Emulate his Equals, or Betters? True it is, that no man can say, His Heart is Clean in respect of these Acts, or inclinations unto them. Shall no man therefore (seeing no man is altogether Free from these) Enter

into the Kingdom of Heaven? God forbid. It is one thing to Do such things according to the ordinary Use and construction of this Phrase in our vulgar Language; another thing to be a Doer of Them, or to make these Mis∣doings the chiefest of our Doings, which is the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this and like Sayings. So when it is said, He that doth sin is the Servant of sin: the meaning is, He that is a Doer of that which is sinful, is the servant of sin: But so is not every one that sinneth, for there is no man which sinneth not. It is well observed by Maldonate the Jesuite, that this word, to Do in the Hebrew Dialect, includes not the present Act or Operation only, but the Habit or Custome of Doing. There is no man which sometimes Doth not some of the works here mentioned by our Apostle. And yet there is No Man which hath Mortified the Flesh, or seriously intends this work of Mortifi∣cation, that Habitually or customarily Doth Any of The Works by him mention∣ed. But this Point will come more fitly to be handled in discussing the Second Branch or Member of the First of our Three General Enquiries, propounded in the fore part of This Chapter, which was, [Concerning the Extent of this Pre∣cept or Duty; or how farr we are to Mortifie the Deeds of the Body that we may Live.]

Notes

• A brief Para∣phrase upon Rom. 8. 12, &c.
• This word, Flesh, some∣times signifies our Bodily sub∣stance; some∣times, our Cor∣rupted Nature.