flesh" we are to understand all the motions of our corrupt nature : and from these we shall be pre- served, if we follow the direction given us in our text. But here we must carefully distinguish between what is promised, and what is not.
1. It is not promised that we shall ?iot be tempted by the lusts of the flesh —
[The carnal principle still remains with us after we are renewed ; as the Apostle says, " The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other ; so that ye cannot do the things ye would1." If, on the one hand, our spiritual principle keeps us from following the evil bias of our nature ; so, on the other hand, the remainder of the carnal principle within us keeps us from following so fully as we could wish the dictates of our renewed mind. The Apostle Paul himself complained, that " when he would do good, evil was present with him ;" and that, notwithstanding he delighted in the law of God after his inward man, " he had still a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and at times bringing him, in some degree, into captivity to the law of sin which was in his members k." And we, too, shall find the same, even to our dying hour. But,]
2. It is promised that we shall not fulfil them —
[God will " strengthen us by his Spirit in our inward man1," and enable us to " crucifv the flesh with the affections and lustsm." Weak as we are in ourselves, " nothing shall be impossible to us," if we trust in Him n : he will " give us more grace0," and " strength according to our dayp." Whatever be our temptations, " the grace of Christ shall be sufficient for usq;" and "we shall be enabled to do all things through Christ, who strengthens usr."]
From this subject we may clearly learn,
1. What is the great work we have to do —
[The one employment which we have daily to attend to, is, to be putting off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts ; and to be " putting on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holi- ness8." We are here as in a great hospital, where the process
« ver. 17. k Rom. vii. 21—23. J Eph. iii. 16.
m ver. 24. n Matt. xvii. 20. ° Jam. iv. (J.
P Deut. xxxiii. 25. i 2 Cor. xii. 9. r Phil. iv. 13. « Eph. iv. 22—24.