Two treatises. The first is, A plain platform for preaching: whereby the word of truth may be rightly divided; and he that speaketh, speak as the oracles of God. Digested into 20. propositions. The second is, The destruction of in-bred corruption. Or, An antidote against fleshly lust. By A. Symson minister of Gods word.

CHAP. III. By whom the Flesh with the lusts and affections thereof is to be encoun∣tred.

THe persons which are to performe this dutie,* 1.1 and by whom alone the same is indeed performed, are the children of God,* 1.2 whom of his owne will hee hath begotten with the word of truth;* 1.3 purifying their hearts by faith: and bestow∣ing upon them as well a true sight and sense of sinne, as an unfained hatred and detesta∣tion

of the same: they are such as have the spirit dwelling in them,* 1.4 through which they mor∣tifie the deeds of the body. And they that are Christs have cru∣cified the Flesh with the affecti∣ons and lusts,* 1.5 saith the same A∣postle: they are such (as ha∣ving learned Christ,* 1.6 and beene taught by him) put off concer∣ning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt, accor∣ding to the deceitfull lusts: they are such as have put off the old man with his deeds,* 1.7 and have put on the new man which is renew∣ed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: they are such as are already cal∣led to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the beliefe of his glorious Gospell, men and women already san∣ctified

and in part regenerate,* 1.8 even those whose eares are al∣ready digged, their eyes ope∣ned,* 1.9 and themselves turned from darknesse to light, and from the power of Sathan unto God; must take uncessant and unwearied paines, with constant and perpetualll endevours more and more to subdue, beate downe, mortifie, crucifie, de∣stroy and vanquish all and e∣very of these wicked, sinfull, and unlawfull affections, lusts, inclinations and habits that are in them, till they have e∣ven pulled them up by the roots, and cast them quite out of their hearts.

• 1.* 1.10 It is manifest enough, that there is even in the best and most holiest of Gods chil∣dren a great deale of corrup∣tion,

• an evill eye which must be pluck'd out,* 1.11 and a bad hand that must be cut off: not a few spots, and wrinkles, infirmities and imperfections, evill lusts and affections which must be done away while they are here on earth, (how farre soever they are proceeded in the new birth) they doe but know in part:* 1.12 there is something lack∣ing in their Faith,* 1.13 so in their Love, Holinesse, Humility, and such other graces;* 1.14 even Eli∣as himselfe being subject to like passions as we are.* 1.15 And this the Lord suffereth for the greater glory of himselfe, dis∣grace of Sathan, and good of his own children. Needs must it tend greatly to the praise and glory of God, shame and disgrace of the Devill, that

• the Lord knoweth how, and is able to keepe and preserve such weake and feeble vessels as we are against all the pow∣er of Hell: and to make them Conquerers over Sathan in that very flesh, which is so polluted with sin, and was once depraved by the Divell. No lesse tendeth the same to our good, God being pleased hereby to humble us, and to exercise those gifts and gra∣ces of his Spirit that hee hath bestowed upon us.
• 2.* 1.16 It is no lesse evident, that they are not to connive at their owne sinnes, are not to beare with sin in themselves; nay, of all others must walke most circumspectly, lest ei∣ther through sinne they doe wound their owne conscien∣ces,

• or give occasion unto the enemies of God to blas∣pheme.
• 3.* 1.17 Its also without questi∣on, that the lesse carefull they are in subduing their lusts, & the more they are by them sleighted, they get the grea∣ter strength, and put the Saints to a great deale of trou∣ble which they might have easily avoided.
• 4.* 1.18 It is (in like manner) found true by experience, that on them alone God is pleased to bestow the grace of Mortification, and unto them alone; so to blesse the meanes tending thereunto, that they become effectuall.* 1.19 True it is, that as of old, the Philosophers by the very light of Nature, abstained from

• most grosse sins, out of their love unto Vertue, writing ex∣cellent Bookes in the com∣mendations therof: by whose painfull labours (though here∣by they gained unto them∣selves not any thing else but humane applause, or the com∣mendations of men) God of his mercy did much good un∣to others, (as the Bees gather honey to the profit of others, not their owne) they in the meane time glorying in those vertues, and condemning o∣thers better then themselves, who notwithstanding never knew the inward working of chastitie, temperance, mode∣stie, humility, gravity, and the like vertues, by themselves commended (not unlike the Pharisees, whose life outward∣ly

• seeming blamelesse, as also their crueltie, greedines, and pride, artificially covered under the vaile of outward Preaching, Prayer, Almes∣deeds, Phylacteries, and such like, wanted not they ap∣plause of the people, how∣soever inwardly they were wholly unmortified, and un∣circumcised in heart) so there are now not a few whose car∣riage is outwardly commen∣dable and their conversation unblameable, especially at some times, and in some com∣panies; yea, who often out∣strip even the children of God, in bridling their tongue, and restraining their passions of anger, griefe and the like, which notwithstanding are yet in their sinnes, daily de∣nying

• the power of godli∣nes, wholly ignorant of their inward heart; yea such, of whom it may bee truely said, that their Oblations are vaine,* 1.20 their Incense and Sacrifice (e∣ven their best and most pious workes) abomination unto the Lord;* 1.21 and except their righte∣ousnes doe exceed the righteous∣nes of the Scribes and Pharisies, they shall not enter into the king∣dome of heaven.
• 5. Neither can it be deny∣ed, but that as the Lord is pleased to bestow on them a∣lone the grace of Mortifica∣tion, and unto them alone,* 1.22 so to blesse the meanes tending thereunto, that in them they become effectuall: so they are the onely persons which la∣bour and endevour for the

• same in sinceritie and truth; which by all meanes possible labour to obtaine this preci∣ous jewell, and hid Manna of inward grace, the Circumcision of the heart; and are accor∣dingly blessed in their expe∣ctation:* 1.23 They know that all the worshippers of God must wor∣ship him in Spirit and truth:* 1.24 They understand that God is light, and in him is no darknes, who beholds all iniquitie, espe∣cially inward, whereof An∣gels, Divels and Men may be ignorant: They have also that glorious knowledge,* 1.25 that Christs Spouse is all glorious within, as accordingly must all the Bride-Maidens, arrayed with the glorious garments of the needle-worke of the Spirit; who shall bee presented

• chast Virgins to Christ; and who having fought hitherto against the evill one, and kept their gar∣ments unspotted with the corrup∣tion that is in the world through lust; as through grace they have begun in the Spirit, so through grace they shall end in the spirit, and not in the flesh. How then can it otherwise be, but that they should practise this duty of Mortification? but that being thus endued with the Spirit of grace and of glory, they should obey the good motions thereof, inspiring them, and knocking at the dores of their soules, to the keeping especially of their hearts with all diligence?* 1.26

Between them and the rest of the world grace hath made such a change, as there is be∣tweene

them that dwell in a faire house of great height,* 1.27 and full of many great lights, and them that dwell in a low dark house, whose windowes remaine alwayes shut, those can discerne in a manner of every thing, these not take notice or view any thing.* 1.28 So the Saints through the abun∣dance of the light of God in them, can espie even a moate in the Soule, whereas the un∣godly who will not permit the holy light of Gods con∣victing, reproving, improving word to have passage in them, abide still in darknes, having their hearts haunted, as it were with Zim, Ochim,* 1.29 and Jim, in stead of more com∣fortable guests.

The Saints know that God

dwels in their hearts, as his owne Tabernacle, with the Sonne and holy Spirit, which therefore must be well kept, clensed, purified, and washed by the blood of Christ, and water of his sanctifying Spirit, that uncleannes may not en∣ter therein.

To this end,* 1.30 as Iehoiada the Priest put a great guard of Princes & Preists about young Ioas, that wicked Athalia could not come at him to harme him;* 1.31 which made her cry out Treason, Treason. So the Saints left Sathan should at any time get entrance into them, get themselves garded by the word and Spirit, Pray∣er, Repentance, Watchful∣nes, holy feare to offend God, and grieve the Spirit by whom

they are sealed unto the day of Redemption:* 1.32 yea as the Elders which sate with Elisha in his house,* 1.33 at his command shut the dore upon bloody Iorams messenger, and held him fast thereat, the sound of his masters feete being behind him;* 1.34 so the Saints understanding that e∣vill motions are as it were Sathans messengers, or har∣bengers, to take up his lod∣ging for him, whom he im∣mediatly followeth, through grace, they so resist the same, that either they doe not en∣ter, or if they enter, they get no footing, and are compel∣led speedily to depart.

In the wicked indeed hee getteth a renewed entry at his owne pleasure; but not so in the Saints, Hee seekes

rest, but heere hee finds none. Thus that the Saints doe, and are to encounter the Flesh, with the Lusts and Affections there∣of: and so of the third Par∣ticular.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The godly are the on∣ly mortifi∣ers of sin.
• * 1.2

  Iam. 1.18.
• * 1.3

  Act. 15.9.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 8.i3.
• * 1.5

  Gal. 5.24.
• * 1.6

  Eph. 4.22.
• * 1.7

  Col. 3.9.10.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 40.6.
• * 1.9

  Act. 26, 18.
• * 1.10

  Even the best of Gods chil∣dren have corrupti∣on.
• * 1.11

  Mar. 9.43.
• * 1.12

  1 Cor. i3.9.
• * 1.13

  1 Thes. 3.10.
• * 1.14

  Iam. 5.17.
• * 1.15

  Why cor∣ruption is suffered to abide in Gods chil∣dren.
• * 1.16

  Gods chil∣dren must not winke at their owne sins.
• * 1.17

  The more corruption is sleighted the more it encreaseth.
• * 1.18

  The grace of mortifi∣cation be∣stowed on∣ly upon the Saints.
• * 1.19

  Many seem to have it, who not∣withstan∣ding have it not.
• * 1.20

  Isal. 1.13. Pro. 21.27.
• * 1.21

  Mat. 5.20.
• * 1.22

  The godly the onely persons which doe in truth la∣bour for Mortifica∣tion.
• * 1.23

  Ioh. 4.24.
• * 1.24

  •• Ioh ••.5.
• * 1.25

  Psal. 45.13.
• * 1.26

  Pro. 4.23.
• * 1.27

  Simil.
• * 1.28

  Difference betweene the godly and the un∣godly.
• * 1.29

  Isa. i3.21.
• * 1.30

  2 Chron, 23.13.
• * 1.31

  Simil.
• * 1.32

  Eph 4.30.
• * 1.33

  2 King. 6.32.
• * 1.34

  Simil.