Which ivar in your members. — There are several sorts of wars in the heart of man. In a wicked man's heart there may be combats — (1.) Between a man and his conscience. A heathen^ could say, o-racrta^ei amoiv '^v)(7^, their soul is in a mutiny ; and elsewhere, s])eak- ing of a wicked man, ovhe irpo^ eavrov <I>lXikio<; e^et, he is not friends with himself. A wicked man and his conscience are at odds and difterence. (2.) Between conviction and corruption. Sin stormeth at the light that discovereth it, and ' the law of the members' riseth up against ' the law of the mind.' (3.) Between corruption and corrup- tion. Lusts are contrary one to another, and therefore jostle for the throne, and usually take it by turns. As our ancestors sent for the Saxons to drive out the Picts, so do carnal men drive out one lust by another, and, like the lunatic in the Gospel, Mat. xvii., ' fall sometimes in the water and sometimes in the fire.' As diseases are contrary, not only to health, but to themselves, so are sins, not only to grace, but to one another ; and we ought not seek to cure a dead ptilsy by a burning fever. But now in a godly man the war is between sin and grace, fleshly coimsel and enlightened reason. Now these ' wars' are said to be ' in their members.' By members are understood both inward and outward faculties, which are employed as instruments of sin; and the inward faculties are called members elsewhere : Rom. vii. 23, ' The law in the members.' He meaneth the strong inclination and bent of the will and affections against the knowledge of the truth. So Rom. vi. 13, ' Give not u}) your members to be weapons of unrighteousness ;' that is, your faculties, which are exercised in and by the members of the body, and because of the analogy and proportion that they carry to tlie outward members, as the eye to the understanding, the will to the hand, &c.
Obs. 1. Lust is the makebait in a community. Covetousncss, pride, and ambition make men injurious and insolent. (1.) Covetous- ncss maketh us to contend with those that have anything that we covet, as Ahab with Naboth ; hence those injuries and vexatious suits between neighbour and neiglibour ; hence ])ublic contentions.^ Men care not how they overturn all public welfare, so they may attain those things upon wliicli their covetous and carnal desires have fastened. The Assyrian king did ' destroy and cut off nations not a ibw,' to add to the greatness of his empire, Isa. x. 7. (2.) Pride is the cockatrice egg that disclosetii the fiery fiying-serj)ent : Prov. xiii. 10, ' By pride cometh contention.' Pride eiuhneth no equals. Hanian's thirst of blood came from his haughtiness ; the apostles strove who should be greatest. (3.) Ambition. Diotrephes' loving the pre- eminence disturbed the churches of Asia, 3 John 10. (4.) Envy. Abraham and Lot's herdsmen fell out, Gen. xiii. 7. Two great ones
' Arist. Ethic.
- 'Ex cupiditatibus odia, diasidia, discordise, • seditiones, bella nascuntur.' — I'ullius de FudhuK, lib. i.
JaS. IV. 1.] UPON' THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 327
cannot endure one another near tliera : Gal. v. 2G, ' Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.'
Obs. 2. When evils abound in a ])lace, it is good to look after the rise and cause of them. Men engage in a heat, and do not know- wherefore : usually lust is at the bottom ; the sight of the cause will shame us. Is it not because I would be greater than others, more pompous and high than they ? Grammarians talk of finding out the root, and philosophers of finding out the cause ; so may Christians also. It is good to sift things to the bran and bottom. From whence doth this come ? 1 Cor. iii. 3, * While there is among you envying, strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal?' It is good to check the fervour of an engagement by such a pause and consideration.
Obs. 3. Lust is a tyrant that warreth in the soul, and warreth cir/ainst the soul. (1.) It warreth in the soul ; it abuseth your affec- tions, to carry on the rebellion against heaven : Gal. v. 17, ' The fiesh lusteth against the Spirit,' &c. The Spirit no sooner presenteth a good motion, but the flesh riseth uj) in defiance against it ; there is pride, and passion, and earthly-mindedness, envy, sensuality, unbelief, self-seeking, carnal policy ; as soon as you purpose to repent, believe, pray, these are ready to hinder you, to distract you, that you cannot do the things that you would ; nay, the flesh sometimes lusteth against the flesh : sin is a burdensome taskmaster, it commandeth contrary things. How often is a man divided between his pomp and his sparing, his luxury and his covetousness ! (2.) It warreth against the soul : 1 Peter ii, 11, * Abstain from fleshy lusts, which war against the soul.' You carry an enemy in your own bosoms, which defaceth the beauty, disturbeth the order, and enthralleth the liberty of the soul. Instead of God's image there is Satan's likeness ; and instead of subjection to reason there is the rebellion of appetite and vile affec- tions ; instead of freedom for righteousness there is a sad bondage, which w^e may discover, but cannot help.