Killing Sin with St. Owen (pt. 2)

Chapters 5 - 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. What it Means to Mortify Sin

3. General Rules for Mortifying Sin

   1. To Mortify Sin, One Must be a Believer

   2. One Must Universally Hate Sin

4. Conclusion

Introduction

In the last article, we are introduced to the basis for mortification and three general principles for St. Owen’s discourse. In this article, we move on to what mortification of sin is, properly considered, and two general rules that we must abide by, without which no sin will be properly mortified.

What it Means to Mortify Sin

After putting forward these three general principles to start his discussion, now St. Owen moves on to defining what mortification is, both negatively and positively considered. First, negatively, mortification is not: 

• The utter and complete destruction of sin in this life. While the aim of our mortification should be to completely rid us of the blemish of sin, this is an unachievable aim in this life. It is only in glorification that we are totally and completely rid of sin, even the choicest and most Holy Saints, including St. Paul of whom, “no one was endowed with more Grace”¹, yet he had not attained it in this life (Phil 3:12). 

• It doesn’t pertain to some outwardly forsaking of the sin that is not also joined with inward renewal and change. 

• It is not to attempt to grow and quietness and a peaceful outward disposition. Some men are naturally not swayed by passions easily and seem on the outside to be calm. However, on the inside, they can be ruined and ruled over by sin. Seeking to discipline yourself to control your passions so that you have a quieter, more peaceful disposition will not mortify a single sin. 

• It is not a diversion of the same sin elsewhere. One may think that they have put a sin to death in one area of their life, yet it may rear its head in another. St. Owen writes:

A man may be sensible of a lust, set himself against the eruptions of it, take care that it shall not break forth as it has done, but in the meantime suffer the same corrupted habit to vent itself some other way; as he who heals and skins a running sore thinks himself cured, but in the meantime his flesh festereth by the corruption of the same humour, and breaks out in another place.²

• It is not an occasional/temporary conquering over sin, which often two main causes:

1. Caused by some terror of conscience, the law convicts the heart of the sinner, making him terrified of hell and fills him with a hatred of his sin. And so they temporarily and seemingly put it to death. They forsake it for a period, yet once the terror subsides, they return back to their old ways.

2. Caused by some calamity as a result of their sin. For instance, a criminal finally being caught by the law for their crimes. However, this too is temporary, not flowing out of love for God but out of a hatred of punishment. St. Owen writes:

It is the anger of God in every affliction that galls a convinced person. To be quit of this, men resolve at such times against their sins. Sin shall never more have any place in them; they will never again give up themselves to the service of it. Accordingly, sin is quiet, stirs not, seems to be mortified; not, indeed, that it hath received any one wound, but merely because the soul hath possessed its faculties, whereby it should exert itself, with thoughts inconsistent with the motions thereof; which, when they are laid aside, sin returns again to its former life and vigour.³

Now, St. Owen discusses what mortification of sin (or, a lust, as St. Owen calls it), positively, consists of three main things:

1. It is a habitual weakening of the lust, first, we must understand that every lust inclines our heart to evil

Every lust is a depraved habit or disposition, continually inclining the heart to evil. Thence is that description of him who hath no lust truly mortified: “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). He is always under the power of a strong bent and inclination to sin. All lusts must be mortified and put to death, and while all lusts equally--in accordance with themselves--incline us and impel us to sin, yet certain lusts can be given more power, either by temptation or by the fact that it is easier to discern some lusts over others. For instance, sexual immorality is easier to discern then other sins (1 Cor 6:18). Lust continuously wages war with the soul, it battles and attempts to take a foothold over you and bring you to ruin. With that in mind, the first part of mortification is the weakening of the lust so that it cannot wage war like normal, “that it shall not impel and tumultuate as formerly; that it shall not entice and draw aside; that it shall not disquiet and perplex the killing of its life, vigour, promptness, and readiness to be stirring.”⁴

This must be done against all lusts, which St. Owen goes into more later on within his work. It is not enough to only mortify the fruits of the lust, rather instead, an axe must be laid to the root of the tree. If you only mortify the fruits rather than every single aspect of the lust, you have failed to put it to death. 

2. It consists of always fighting against sin. A day must not go by where you are not waging war against sin, but how can this be done? 

   1. First, one must understand just how vicious of an enemy that they are dealing with. Consider it as your enemy and remember just how powerful it is. Though it will not have dominion over you (Romans 6:14), yet it will fight with all its being to drag you into the pits of hell.

   2. Study the enemy, as any great general would, know its “ways, wiles, methods, advantages, and occasions of success.”⁵ Consider how it works, what causes it to arise, how it progresses, how it advances unto your soul, how it has prevailed in the past, and what happens when it does. Study your enemy so that you may fully know its ways to be always ready in warfare against it. 

   3. Daily make war with sin with the techniques that St. Owen will come to discuss, kill it and destroy it. Do not lay off the blows, wound it day by day.

3. It consists of real and frequent success against sin. You are victorious over it and pursue complete conquest over it. Say a sin comes upon you, beginning to form in its first motions, to have success over it looks such that “the heart instantly apprehends sin, and brings it to the law of God and love of Christ, condemns it, follows it with execution to the uttermost.”⁶ When you come to such a state, its motions and actions are fewer, it doesn’t pull you and conquer over you as it once did. You have truly put it to death by removing its power over you.

General Rules for Mortifying Sin

After negatively and positively defining mortification, now, St. Owen--before getting to particular instructions--discusses two general rules for the mortification of sin, without them not a single sin can be mortified. 

To Mortify Sin, One Must be a Believer

The first general rule is that one must be a believer, rooted in Christ, for mortifying sin. Mortification is a work that is commanded of believers, not of unbelievers. Now though it is the duty of everyone, it is only to be done in accordance with God’s way. First, one must be converted, then they are to mortify sin. The duty of the unbeliever is not principally to mortify sin, but rather to convert it. The Spirit is the means by which sin is mortified, it is a work of the Spirit, and it cannot be done without him. Those who attempt it fail, and they only merit condemnation. St. Owen writes,

Unless a man be regenerate, unless he be a believer, all attempts that he can make for mortification, be they never so specious and promising, — all means he can use, let him follow them with never so much diligence, earnestness, watchfulness, and intention of mind and spirit, — are to no purpose. In vain shall he use many remedies; he shall not be healed.”⁷

Any success that they have against sin and growing in virtue is not a result of God’s renewing grace, but rather God’s common restraining Grace against evil. The duty of the unbeliever is to convert, when the Law convicts them of their sin, what they are to do is to run to Christ, not mortify sin. This doesn’t mean that they have free reign to do all forms of evil because their principal duty is not mortifying sin, they should still be growing in virtue, yet this ultimately bears no good for their soul if they do not convert.

One Must Universally Hate Sin

The second general rule is that one must have a universal sincerity to kill every lust, not just particular lusts. Without this sincerity, no lusts will be mortified. If one particular lust catches your eye, but no other, your good works are ultimately filthy rags and total rubbish in the eyes of God. Take heed of the example of the Israelites, St. Owen writes: 

The Israelites, under a sense of their sin, drew nigh to God with much diligence and earnestness, with fasting and prayer (Isaiah 58). Many expressions are made of their earnestness in the work, “They seek me daily, and delight to know my ways; they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching unto God” (v.2) But God rejects all. Their fast is a remedy that will not heal them, and the reason given of it, verses 5-7, is, because they were particular in this duty. They attended diligently to that, but in others were negligent and careless. He that hath a “running sore” (it is the Scripture expression) upon him, arising from an ill habit of body, contracted by intemperance and ill diet, let him apply himself with what diligence and skill he can to the cure of his sore, if he leave the general habit of his body under distempers, his labour and travail will be in vain. So will his attempts be that shall endeavour to stop a bloody issue of sin and filth in his soul, and is not equally careful of his universal spiritual temperature and constitution.⁸

Why would someone not universally hate all of their sin, what is the cause of their hatred of one particular sin over others. Ultimately, St. Owen diagnoses it as a corrupt foundation, you want to kill a sin because it has bad effects on your life--such as guilt, punishment, or others--not because it is sin. If you hated sin as sin, you would hate all sin which Christ bled for. Christ did not just die for one particular lust, but all of them, because all sin is unholy, and God hates it all. 

In your negligence to mortify all of your lusts universally, the same lust will erupt in other places. Though you may be watchful in one place, yet if you find comfort in the suppression in one part of your life, because you are not watchful everywhere, it will come out and bring you ruin elsewhere. Finally, God will often punish you by giving you up to one sin for another sin in your life. The only means by which we do not fall into sin constantly is by God’s constant renewing and restraining Grace, yet by continuously falling into a sin that you are not watching for, a sin that you are not mortifying, God may cease restraining you, bringing ruin unto your soul. 

Therefore, you must be putting to death all of your sin, universally. 

Conclusion

Now, with mortification defined and rules set forth, St. Owen turns to practical advice for mortifying sin, which is discussed in the next article.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

1. On the Priesthood, St. John Chrysostom

2. The Mortification of Sin, St. John Owen, p. 56

3. Ibid, p. 58

4. Ibid, p. 64

5. Ibid, p. 68

6. Ibid, p. 67

7. Ibid, p. 73-74

8. Ibid, p. 81-82