Owen's view of mortification of sin

I'm reading John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, and something captured me while spending some time in Chapter 2:

Where sin, through the neglect of mortification, gets a considerable victory, it breaks the bones of the soul; and makes a man weak, sick, and ready to die, so that he cannot look up. And when poor creatures will take blow after blow, wound after wound, foil after foil, and never rouse up themselves to a vigorous opposition, can they expect any thing but to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and that their souls should bleed to death?

Now, I might also add to Owen's view that this isn't a legalistic thing to do in the Christian walk. Mortifying the deeds of the flesh is for all believers. 1 John 3:6 states that those who abide in Him keeps on sinning; for those who keep on sinning do not know Him. The idea implied here is mortification.

It's part of being a Christian. Be like Jesus. The more and more you focus on Him, the less you care about that former life you led.....

In Christ,
jason