The Difference Between
Legal & Gospel Mortification[1]
by
Ralph Erskine
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 [i.e., behaviour], whereas the true believer
should desire to fight as the Syrians got orders [1 Kings 22:31], 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 [i.e., is never truly successful]; 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.
[1]
Mortification: putting to death (of sin)
