body, and bring it unto subjection; lest
that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway," 1 Cor. ix. 27. It is a speech borrowed from reprobate silver
which is not refined from dross, and so is the word used by the
Septuagint, Isa. i. 22, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH VARIA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} "Thy silver is become
dross." The Apostle therefore sets himself to the study of mortification,
lest, saith he, when I have been refining and purifying others, I myself
be found to be drossy silver. And as there is _inherent_ dross, so there
is _adherent_ uncleanness in the best; and who can say that he hath kept
his garments so clean that he is "unspotted of the world" (Isa. i. 27), or
that he hath so separated himself from the pollutions of the world as that
he hath touched no unclean thing: so that there is an universal necessity
of making use both of the refiner's fire, and of the fuller's soap.

Secondly, Let us once become willing and contented, yea, desirous to be
thoroughly mortified. A man's lusts and corruptions are indeed so strongly
interested in himself, and his corruptions are his members, therefore,
when we leave off sin, we are said to live no more "to ourselves," 2 Cor.
v. 15; and mortification is the greatest violence that can be done to
nature, therefore it is called a cutting off of the chief members of the
body (Mark ix. 43, 45, 47), a salting with salt, and a burning with fire
(ver. 49), a circumcision (Col. ii. 11), a crucifying (Rom. vi. 6): so
that nothing can be more difficult or displeasing, yea, a greater torment
to flesh and blood. Yet now art thou willing, notwithstanding of all this,
to take Christ on his own terms? to take him not only for righteousness
and life, but to take him as a refiner's fire, and as fuller's soap? O
that there were such a heart in th