The Difference Between Legal and Gospel Mortification
This is not a full sermon, but extracts. The real 'marrow
and fat' has been preserved, however!
1. Gospel and legal mortification
differ in their principles from which they proceed. Gospel mortification is
from gospel principles, viz. the Spirit of God [Rom. 8. 13], 'If ye through the
Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live'; Faith in Christ [Acts 15.
9], 'Purifying their hearts by faith'; The love of Christ constraining [2 Cor.
5. 14], 'The love of Christ constraineth us.' But legal mortification is from
legal principles such as, from the applause and praise of men, as in the
Pharisees; from pride of self-righteousness, as in Paul before his conversion;
from the fear of hell; from a natural conscience; from the example of others;
from some common motions of the Spirit; and many times from the power of sin
itself, while one sin is set up to wrestle with another, as when sensuality and
self-righteousness wrestle with one another. The man, perhaps, will not drink
and swear. Why? Because he is setting up and establishing a righteousness of
his own, whereby to obtain the favour of God here is but one sin wrestling with
another.
2. They differ in their weapons with which they fight against sin.
The gospel believer fights with grace's weapons, namely, the blood of Christ,
the word of God, the promises of the covenant, and the virtue of Christ's death
and cross [Gal. 6. 14] 'God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [or, as it may be read, 'whereby,' viz. by the
cross of Christ,] the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.' But now
the man under the law fights against sin by the promises and threatenings of
the law; by its promises, saying, I will obtain life; and win to heaven, I
hope, if I do so and so; by its threatenings, saying, I will go to hell and be
damned, if I do not so and so. Sometimes he fights with the weapons of his own
vows and resolutions, which are his strong tower, to which he runs and thinks
himself safe.
3. They differ in the object of their mortification. They
both, indeed, seek to mortify sin, but the legalist's quarrel is more
especially with the sins of his conversation, whereas the true believer should
desire to fight as the Syrians got orders, that is, neither against great nor
small, so much as against the King himself, even against original corruption. A
body of sin and death troubles him more than any other sin in the world; 'O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?' [Rom. 7.
24]. His great exercise is to have the seed of the woman to bruise this head of
the serpent.
4. They differ in the reasons of the contest. The believer,
whom grace teaches to deny all ungodliness, he fights against sin because it
dishonours God, opposes Christ, grieves the Spirit, and separates between his
Lord and him; but the legalist fights against sin, because it breaks his peace,
and troubles his conscience, and hurts him, by bringing wrath and judgment on
him. As children will not play in the dust, not because it sullies their
clothes, but flies into their eyes, and hurts them, so the legalist will not
meddle with sin, not because it sullies the perfections of God, and defiles
their souls, but only because it hurts them. I deny not, but there is too much
of this legal temper even amongst the godly.
5. They differ in their
motives and ends. The believer will not serve sin, because he is alive to God,
and dead to sin [Rom. 6. 6]. The legalist forsakes sin, not because he is
alive, but that he may live. The believer mortifies sin, because God loves him;
but the legalist, that God may love him. The believer mortifies, because God is
pacified towards him; the legalist mortifies, that he may pacify God by his
mortification. He may go a great length, but it is still that he may have
whereof to glory, making his own doing all the foundation of his hope and
comfort.
6. They differ in the nature of their mortification. The legalist
does not oppose sin violently, seeking the utter destruction of it. If he can
get sin put down, he does not seek it to be thrust out; but the believer,
having a nature and principle contrary to sin, he seeks not only to have it
weakened, but extirpated. The quarrel is irreconcileable; no terms of
accommodation or agreement; no league with sin is allowed, as it is with
hypocrites.
7. They differ in the extent of the warfare, not only
objectively, the believer hating every false way; but also subjectively, all
the faculties of the believer's soul, the whole regenerate part being against
sin. It is not so with the hypocrite or legalist; for as he spares some sin or
other, so his opposition to sin is only seated in his conscience; his light and
conscience oppose such a thing, while his heart approves of it. There is an
extent also as to time; the legalist's opposition to sin is of a short
duration, but in the believer it is to the end; grace and corruption still
opposing one another.
8. They differ in the success. There is no believer,
but as he fights against sin, so first or last he prevails, though not always
to his discerning; and though he lose many battles, yet he gains the war. But
the legalist, for all the work he makes, yet he never truly comes speed; though
he cut off some actual sin, yet the corrupt nature is never changed; he never
gets a new heart; the iron sinew in his neck, which opposes God, is never
broken; and when he gets one sin mortified, sometimes another and more
dangerous sin lifts up the head. Hence all the sins and pollutions that ever
the Pharisees forsook, and all the good duties that ever they performed, made
them but more proud, and strengthened their unbelieving prejudices against
Christ, which was the greater and more dangerous sin.
Thus you may see the
difference between legal and gospel mortification, and try yourselves thereby.
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