Any severy penance observed on a religious account. The mortification of sin in believers is a duty enjoined in the sacred Scriptures, Romans 8:13 . Colossians 3:5 . It consists in breaking the league with sin; declaration of open hostility against it; and strong resistance of it, Ephesians 6:10 , &c. Bal. 5: 24, . Romans 8:1-39 . The means to be used in this work are, not emacerating the body, seclusion from society, our own resolutions: but the Holy Spirit is the chief agent, Romans 8:13 . while faith, prayer, and dependence are subordinate means to this end. The Evidences of mortification are, not the cessation from one sin, for that may be only exchanged for another; or it may be renounced because it is a gross sin; or there may not be an occasion to practise it; but if sin be mortified, we shall not yield to temptation; our minds will be more spiritual; we shall find more happiness in spiritual services, and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. Dr. Owen on Mortification and on the Holy Spirit, ch. 8: book 4; Charnock's Works, vol. 2: p. 1313; Bryson's Sermons on Romans 8:1-39 : p. 97, &c.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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