from above is earthly, sensual, devilish ;' it hindereth us from discern- ing the reality of our hopes, and from having a true sense of our duty impressed upon our hearts : 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis- cerned;' and also from applying our rule to particular cases, either in judging of our estate or in guiding of our actions. It is strange to see how the world, or the delusion of the flesh, do blind very knowing men, and how unacquainted they are with tlieir own hearts, or unable to discern their duty in plain cases, when the performance of it is likely to be displeasing to the flesh. What strange disguises it puts upon temptation, and how they wriggle and distinguish themselves out of their duty, when either God must be disobeyed or the flesh displeased. The flesh is always jiartial for itself ; therefore get a sound mind and this spiritual discerning.
(2.) Look to the heart, that there be no flesh there. Sinful inclina- tions must be observed and mortified. Satan doth observe them, and shall not we ? He seeth which way the tree leaneth, and what kind ol' diet their soul-distempers crave, and suiteth his temptations accordingly. As the skilful angler suiteth his bait as the fishes will take it, every month : 1 Cor. vii. .5, ' Lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency.' He hath a bait of preferment for Absalom, for he is ambitious ; a bait of pleasure for Samson, for he is voluptuous ; a bait of money for Judas, for he is covetous. Thus will he furnish them with temptations answerable to their inclinations. A man by temper voluptuous esteems not profit much, nor an earth-worm pleasure, nor an ambitious man much either of them, but honour, and reputation, and great place. Now, it is sad that our enemy should know our temper better than our- selves. Your uprightness and faithfulness to God is seen in weakening your particular inclination to sin : Ps. xviii. 23, ' I was also upright before him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.' Observe the decay of your master-sin, and other things will come on the more easily ; fight not against small or great, but the king lust, the domineering sin. Satan is the more discouraged when we can deny our domineering lusts. As Samson's strength lay in his locks, so doth the strength of sin in one lust more than another. Every man knoweth his darling com- monly ; but that which is our great care is to wean our hearts from it. Herod raged when John the Baptist touched his Herodias ; Felix trembled when Paul touched his bribery and intemperance ; and the young man goeth away sad when Christ discovereth his worldliness,' Mark x. 22. We have all our tender parts, which we cannot endure sliould be touched. But now, when you are willing to part with this sin, pray, strive, and watch against it ; grow in the contrary grace ; it sheweth your self-denial and sincerity ; jovl will not spare your Isaac. Well then, see that no worldly thing be too near and dear to you, and that God hath a greater interest in your heart than the flesh, or any thing that belongeth to it.
(3.) Let not the senses cast off the government of reason, and be the ruling power in your souls. They were not made to govern, but to be governed, and to be subjected to God and reason. Man by the fall is inverted : Tit. iii. 3, ' hateful and hating one another.' Man in
52 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XVII.
his right constitution should be thus governed. Tiie understanding und conscience piescribe to the will, the will according to right reason and conscience moveth the atiections, the affections move the bodily spirits and the members of the body. But by corruption all is inverted and changed ; pleasure affects the senses, the senses corrupt the fancy, the fancy the bodily spirits ; they the affections ; and the affections by their violence and impetuous inclination to forbidden things, move the will ; and the will yielding, blindeth the mind ; and so man is carried headlong to his own destruction ; the feet are where the head should l)e, e contra. Well then, you must guide the senses, as Job made a covenant with his eyes : Job xsxi. 1. and David prayeth : Psal. cxix. 37, ' Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.' They let in objects, and objects stir up thoughts, and thoughts affections, Mat. v. 28. Now take heed they do not grow masterly ; if they transmit temptations and stir up evil motions — crush the scorpion on the wound.
(4.) Keep up a readiness for your work, which is to obey the will of God. It argueth some prevalency of the flesh, wlien our duty beginneth to grow troublesome and uneasy ; therefore the spirit or the better part cannot so readily produce its operation. The soul in the right temper doth willingly and cheerfully obey God : I John v. 3, ' This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.' Psal. xl. 8, 'I delight to do thy will, 0 my God : thy law is in my heart ;' and Psal. cxii. 1, ' Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his command- ments.' Therefore it is time for you to check the flesh, and overcome it, lest furtlier mischief increase upon you.