Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

and their Iron-Chains a goodly Neck-kerchief; and at last have kissed the Stake, and thanked the Executioner, accounting Suffering the only eligible thing in the World. Thus Faith destroys all Sins eligibilities; and in so doing, as the Apostle speaks, overcomes the World, which is the purest of Victories. The great ones, who captivated the World outwardly and martially, were themselves captivated by it, in one lust or other, Not unlike Amaziah, who subdued the Edomites, and was himself taken with their gods: But Faith, which overcomes inwardly and Spiritually, subdues the lusts themselves.

and their Iron-Chains a goodly Neck-kercher; and at last have kissed the Stake, and thanked the Executioner, accounting Suffering the only eligible thing in the World. Thus Faith destroys all Sins eligibilities; and in so doing, as the Apostle speaks, overcomes the World, which is the purest of Victories. The great ones, who captivated the World outwardly and martially, were themselves captivated by it, in one lust or other, Not unlike Amaziah, who subdued the Edomites, and was himself taken with their gods: But Faith, which overcomes inwardly and Spiritually, subdues the lusts themselves.

Further, yet Faith doth not only strike at the love of Sin, by destroying its eligibilities, but by surrendering the Heart to a better Object; whilst the love and joy, and delight is in Sin, it lives as a body with a spirit in it; but when these are surrendered up to God and Christ, and Heavenly things, it becomes inanimate as a dead Carcass. This was notably ⟨p. 274⟩deciphered in Christ crucified, the grand pattern of our Mortification; he was not only stripped and nailed, but commending his Spirit to God be gave up the Ghost. Answerably in Mortification Sin is not only stripped of its eligibilities, and nailed by restraints, but it dies away in the surrenders of Faith; by which the Soul Enoch-like is translated into Heaven, and its affections are not here below to animate Sin. Were this surrender in perfection, Sin could not so much as be, as is evident in Christs Humane Nature, upon which no spot could fall, because it ever was in perfect surrender to his Father. And proportionably, where it is but in truth only Sin is a-dying; because the love and joy, whilst in the raptures and triumphs of Faith, afford no quickening thereunto: hence the Apostle exhorts, Walk in the spirit, in the elevations of Faith and other Graces, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh,