For the further opening of this Point, you must consider, that there are divers degrees both of the death of sin, and of the life of righteousness. First, there is a perfect death of sin, when the whole body of sin is altogether destroyed, and perfectly rooted out of a man: And there is an imperfect death of sin, when the whole body of sin, and every particular of it, is in part, and but in part, destroyed, and rooted out of a man. Again, on the other side, there is a perfect life of righteousness, when the whole frame of holiness is perfectly and completely set up in a man; and an imperfect life of righteousness, when the same frame is in every particular of it, yet but imperfectly set up. My brethren, that I chiefly desire you should mark is this; That in the imperfect death of sin, and in the imperfect life of righteousness, there is a kind of perfection, in regard of the particular parts both of the body of sin, and of the frame of holiness. There is no part, no member of the body of sin, that is not destroyed and supperest, only it is destroyed but in part, and not perfectly. Every member, I say, of the body of sin doth in part suffer death. Therefore the Scripture calleth it the destruction of the body, Rom. 6. 6. Our old man (saith the Apostle) is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed. It cannot be said that the old man is crucified, or the body of sin destroyed, if so be that every part of the old man, and every member of the body of sin be not in some measure destroyed. But although every part and particular of the body of sin be destroyed, yet here is no part, no particular, but is still alive and unsubdued, even in the people of God. Even in them that be in Christ there are the seeds of all corruptions to be found, there are the relics of every kind of sin, there are the lustings of every fruit of the flesh; and sometime one part of the body of sin, sometime another ⟨p. 57⟩part (according as God is pleased to leave them for their trial) doth break out and manifest it self in them.
For the further opening of this Point, you must consider, that there are divers degrees both of the death of sin, and of the life of righteousnesse. First, there is a perfect death of sin, when the whole body of sin is altogether destroyed, and perfectly rooted out of a man: And there is an imperfect death of sin, when the whole body of sin, and every particular of it, is in part, and but in part, destroyed, and rooted out of a man. Again, on the other side, there is a perfect life of righteousnesse, when the whole frame of holiness is perfectly and compleatly set up in a man; and an imperfect life of righteousnesse, when the same frame is in every particular of it, yet but imperfectly set up. My brethren, that I chiefly desire you should mark is this; That in the imperfect death of sin, and in the imperfect life of righteousnesse, there is a kind of perfection, in regard of the particular parts both of the body of sin, and of the frame of holiness. There is no part, no member of the body of sin, that is not destroyed and supprest, onely it is destroyed but in part, and not perfectly. Every member, I say, of the body of sin doth in part suffer death. Therefore the Scripture calleth it the destruction of the body, Rom. 6. 6. Our old man (saith the Apostle) is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed. It cannot be said that the old man is crucified, or the body of sin destroyed, if so be that every part of the old man, and every member of the body of sin bee not in some measure destroyed. But although every part and particular of the body of sin be destroyed, yet here is no part, no particular, but is still alive and unsubdued, even in the people of God. Even in them that be in Christ there are the seeds of all corruptions to be found, there are the reliques of every kind of sin, there are the lustings of every fruit of the flesh; and sometime one part of the body of sin, sometime another ⟨p. 57⟩part (according as God is pleased to leave them for their tryall) doth break out and manifest it self in them.
