The Method of Grace

First, The death of the cross was a painful death, and the mortification of sin is very painful work, Matth. 25. 29. 'tis the cutting off our right hands, and plucking out our right eyes: it will cost many thousand tears, and groans, prayers and strong cries to heaven before one sin will be mortified. Upon the account of the difficulty of this work, and mainly upon this account, the Scripture saith, narrow is the way, and strait is the gate that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it, Matth. 7. 14. and that the righteous themselves are scarcely saved.

Secondly, The death of the cross was universally painful, every member, every sense, every sinew, every nerve was the seat, and subject of tormenting pain. So is it in the mortification of sin: 'tis not this or that particular member, or act; but the whole body of sin that is to be destroyed, Rom. 6. 6. and accordingly the conflict is in every faculty of the soul; for the Spirit of God by whose hand sin is mortified, doth not combat with this or that particular Lust only, but with sin as sin: and for that reason with every sin, in every faculty of the soul. So that there are conflicts, and anguish in every part.

Thirdly, The death of the cross was a slow and lingering death: denying unto them that suffered it the favour of a quick dispatch. Just so it is in the death of sin, though the Spirit ⟨p. 464⟩of God be mortifying it day by day; yet this is a truth ¹