Motives : —
1. Consider your engagement, as you are Christ's : Gal. v. 24, ' They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof.' Every man is engaged by his profession and covenant, sealed in baptism, so to do ; which should be a very moving argument to press us to do things cross and unpleasing to the flesh.
2. Your comfort dependeth on it. For here is your evidence, either you must mortify the flesh, or gratify the flesh ; if you gratify the
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flesh, you are not under the conduct of the Spirit, and so not under the hope of glory ; if you mortify it, then you shall live. The only evidence that will content and satisfy you, as to your gracious state, is such a high estimation of God and Christ and grace, as weaneth you, and draweth off the heart from other things. A dull approhation of that which is good will make no evidence, nor a few good wishes ; nothing but such a strong bent as deadeneth your affections to the world : Gal. vi. 14, ' God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.'
3. This will be your wisdom. There is a false wisdom, and a true wisdom : James iii. 15, ' This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devillish : ' ver. 17, 'But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable,' etc. This is the true wisdom, to be wise for the spirit. I do the rather insist upon this because there is a notion of wisdom in the word of the text. Carnal men judge their own way wisest, and the way of the godly to be mere folly : 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' The natural man receiveth not tlie things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him : neither can he receive them, because they are spiritually discerned.' The godly employ themselves to get things spiritual, and such as God's honour is mainly concerned in ; and are not attended with an income of worldly advantage, but rather of loss and detriment — but yet the end shall prove that they that thought themselves the only wise men and gainers, have been mere fools ; and the greatest losers (those others whom they looked upon as madmen) are the wisest adventurers and the greatest gainers. The issue will show it: Gal. vi. 8, ' He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting ; ' Kom. viii. 6, ' To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.'
4. The flesh is really our enemy ; yea, our greatest enemy. There- fore we should not indulge the flesh, but give up ourselves to be ruled by the Spirit: 1 Peter ii. 10, 11, 'Take heed of fleshly lusts which war against the Spirit.' That it is one of our enemies, is clear by that : Eph. ii. 2, 3, ' Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now ruleth in the children of disobedience : among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind ; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.' There is the course of this world, and the prince of the power of the air,, and our own flesh. Corrupt nature within us would make us vile enough, without external incite- ments and suggestions, though there were never a devil to tempt or evil example to follow. If the devil should stand by, and say nothing, there is enough within us to put us upon all manner of evil, though there were no other irritation than God's law : Eom. vii. 9, ' When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.' Other enemies could do us no harm without our own flesh. We are tempted to sin by Satan, encouraged to sin by the example and custom of others, inticed to sin by the baits and allurements of the world ; but inclined to sin by our own flesh. It is the flesh that holdeth correspondence with
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Satan, the flesh that openeth the door to temptations, the flesh tliat maketh our abode iu the worUl so dangerous, the flesh that chokelli the good seed, that hindereth all our heavenly thoughts, and maketh the service of God so burdensome. The flesh is within us and maketh a part of ourselves. There is more imminent danger from a plague in the body, than from an enemy that waiteth in the streets to kill us. If we would but keep ourselves from ourselves we should do well enough. It is the flesh that lulleth us asleep in carnal security, that tainteth all our actions, and is so ready to betray us. The devil dealeth with us as Baalam by the Israelites ; all his curses and charms pre- vailed nothing, till he found a means to destroy them by themselves, to cofrupt them by whoredom, and by whoredom to draw them to idolatry. It is the flesh that is the domestical enemy, that dwelleth with us, and in us, and so maketh us a ready prey to Satan. We carry it about with us wherever we go, and so it is ready to do us mischief upon all occasions. When we are about holy duties, it distracteth us with vain thoughts, and taketh off our edge, and make us drowsy and dead-hearted, and weary of Grod's service. When we are about our callings, it is the flesh that maketh us lazy and negligent, and diverteth us by the proposals of sensual objects ; or else to be so earnest in them, that we have no time nor heart for God and soul-necessities. When we are eating and drinking, it is the flesh that turneth our table into a snare, and tempts us to glut ourselves with carnal delights, and to oppress our bodies when we should refresh them and strengthen them for God's service. In our recreations it is the flesh that maketh us inordinate in them, and to forget our great work and last end ; and so we are the more intangled in sin when we should be more fit to glorify God. It is the flesh that, being beaten out at one door, entereth by another, and still assaults us afresh, to our great spiritual prejudice. And will you study how to please the flesh, that is so great an enemy to your souls — that flesh that resists all the motions of God's Spirit ; that cloggeth you in every duty, and draweth you off from the pursuit of everlasting happiness ?