Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

Oh what a Touchstone is this? how will ihis discover true mortification from that which was counterfeit? Some may think they are dead unto sin, when in deed and in truth they are not dead, but asleep unto sin; and it appears by this, because there were no pangs in their death, you know this is a difference betwixt death and sleep; there are pangs in the one, but not in the other: O my soul, examine, what pangs were there in thy death unto sin? what agonies, what soul-conflicts hast thou felt? what compunction of heart, what affliction of Spirit, hast thou endured for sin? what trouble hast thou had to find such a law in thy members rebelling against the law in thy mind, ¹and bringing thee into captivity to the Law of sin? why surely thou art not so mortified, as to be freed wholly from the power of sin; it may be, it doth not rule in thee as a Prince, yet certainly it tyrannizeth over thee, it oft-times carries thee contrary to the bent of thy regenerate mind, to the omitting of what thou wouldst do, and to the committing of what thou wouldst not do; and is not this an affliction of Spirit? doth not this cause frequent conflicts in thy spirit? if not, thou mayest well suspect that sin is not dead, but asleep; or if it be dead to thee, yet thou art not dead to it, I confess, death-pangs are not all alike in all; some have a more gentle, and others a more painful death; so it is in this Spiritual death unto sin; and that herein there may be no mistake, I shall propound this question: What is the least measure of these pangs, these soul-agonies, and conflicts, that are necessarily required to true mortification? I answer,—

Oh what a Touchstone is this? how will ihis discover true mortification from that which was counterfeit? Some may think they are dead unto sin, when in deed and in truth they are not dead, but asleep unto sin; and it appears by this, because there were no pangs in their death, you know this is a difference betwixt death and sleep; there are pangs in the one, but not in the other: O my soul, examine, what pangs were there in thy death unto sin? what agonies, what soul-conflicts hast thou felt? what compunction of heart, what affliction of Spirit, hast thou endured for sin? what trouble hast thou had to find such a law in thy members rebelling against the law in thy mind, ¹and bringing thee into captivity to the Law of sin? why surely thou art not so mortified, as to be freed wholly from the power of sin; it may be, it doth not rule in thee as a Prince, yet certainly it tyrannizeth over thee, it oft-times carries thee contrary to the bent of thy regenerate mind, to the omittting of what thou wouldst do, and to the committing of what thou wouldst not do; and is not this an affliction of Spirit? doth not this cause frequent conflicts in thy spirit? if not, thou mayest well suspect that sin is not dead, but asleep; or if it be dead to thee, yet thou art not dead to it, I confess, death-pangs are not all alike in all; some have a more gentle, and others a more painful death; so it is in this Spiritual death unto sin; and that herein there may be no mistake, I shall propound this question: What is the least measure of these pangs, these soul-agonies, and conflicts, that are necessarily required to true mortification? I answer,—