n and delight, but have no depth of
earth; that is, neither having had a work of the law upon their
consciences for deep humiliation, nor being rooted and grounded in love to
the gospel, nor, peradventure, so much as grounded in the knowledge of the
truth, nor having counted their cost, and solidly resolved for suffering;
thereupon it comes to pass, when suffering times come, these wither away,
and come to nothing. There is a third sort, who go a step farther; they
have some root, and some more solid ground than the former, so that they
can suffer many things, and not fall away because of persecution, yet they
perish through want of mortification. One may suffer persecution for
Christ, not being sore tried in that which is his idol lust, yet enduring
great losses and crosses in other things: of such it is said, that "the
cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of
other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful,"
Mark iv. 19. Mark that, "the lusts of other things;" that is, whether it
be the lust of the eyes, or the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life;
and he speaks of the "entering in;" meaning of some strong tentation
coming upon a man to catch him in that which is the great idol of his
heart, and his beloved lust, whatever it be; such a tentation he never
found before, and therefore thought the lust had been mortified, which was
but lurking. Did not Judas suffer many things with Christ during the time
of his public ministry? Did not Ananias and Sapphira suffer, for a season,
with the apostles and church at Jerusalem? What was it then that lost
them? They neither made defection from the profession of the truth, nor
did they fall away because of persecution; but having shined in the light
a sound profession, having also taken up the cross, and borne the reproach
of Christ, they made shipwreck at last upon an unmortified lust.

I shall enlarge the doctrine no further, but touch upon some few uses, and
so an end.

First, Let all and every one of us be convinced of the necessity of our
further endeavouring after mortification. The best silver which cometh out
of the earth hath dross in it, and therefore needeth the refiner's fire;
and the whitest garment that is worn will touch some unclean thing or
other, and therefore will need the fuller's soap. The best of God's
children have the dross of their inherent corruptions to purge away; which
made Paul say, "I keep under my