spirit," we understand, those sins which are more independent of the body, and have their proper residence in the mind ; as pride, envy, malice, wrath, revenge ; discontent, covetousness, deceit; impenitence, unbelief, and numberless other evils. But from all of these we are to be cleansed. If one be re- tained willingly, deliberately, habitually, it will so defile, as utterly to destroy, the soul : as God has said, " If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy*^." It is to no purpose for any to plead, that God has given them passions, and that they are not able to restrain them; for God will enable us to restrain them, if we cry to him for help : He has declared, that " his grace shall be sufficient for us." Neither, on the other hand, must any one think well of himself, merely because he does not indulge any gross corporeal lusts : for he may be " fulfilling the desires of the mind to a vast extent," even whilst he restrains " those of the flesh ^;" and the indul- gence of spiritual lusts is no less hateful in the sight of God, than the gratifications which are more disgraceful in our eyes. A pi'oud Christian, a passionate Christian, a discontented Christian, or an unbelieving Christian, is as palpable a con- tradiction in terms, as a drunken or a lewd Christian. Evil tempers and dispositions of whatever kind must be subdued and mortified ; if but one reign in the soul, we are Christians in name only, and not in deed and in truth : for " they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts ^" "Would to God that professing Christians would more attentively consider this ! It is a grievous mistake to imagine, that any notions however scriptural, or any virtues however specious, will be of any avail, as long as one evil temper remains in us unmortified and unsubdued. " If we regard iniquity in our hearts (of whatever kind it be), the Lord will not hear us."]
2. The cultivation of universal holiness —
[Not contented with " putting off" the old man," we are to be continually " putting on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness :" we are to be " renewed in the spirit of our mind^." This is an expression that deserves to be deeply considered : for it contains the very essence of real sanctification. We must "put on the Lord Jesus Christ s," and have in ourselves the very " mind that was in him\" Mark his every disposition ; his delight in God's presence, dependence on his care, and zeal for his glory ; his self-denying habits of every kind, and, at the same time, his
<= 1 Cor. iii. 17. ^ Eph. ii. 3. « Gal. v. 24.
f Eph. iv. 23, 24. s Rom. xiii. 14. Gal. iii. 27.
h Phil. ii. 5.