SER M. This infpires the foul with new life and vigour; that fame breath of God which gave it being, blows it into a flame; it ftirs up the original tendencies of the mind, and fills it with new and fresh defires of virtue and holinefs ; and this is the beginning of a christian life. So that now we fee how to understand diftinctly what is meant by the spirit in those many places of the new teftament, where it is fet in oppofition to the flesh, (i. e.) that fpirit of a man that is in him thus newly animated and revived by the fweet influences of the holy spirit of God. The Spirit indeed is willing, (i. e.) the mind of man, wrought upon by the operations of God's holy fpirit, is filled with good defires and holy refolutions; it is fincere and forward, and apt to be flushed with great hopes and affurance of fuccefs, and ready to encounter any temptation. And thus it is opposed to the flesh, by which, both here and in other places of fcripture, is meant not only this groffer body of ours with all its fleshly lufts and appetites; but the inferior foul which is the feat of our paffions and affections, and all other corrupt defires and vices of the mind, which hath been used both by Jews and Christians to be expreffed by the name of a third principle, refulting from the union of the pure fpirit with the body. This is that part of us that is faid to be weak in the text, very weak indeed to all goodness, but violent and headftrong to all manner of vice and wickednefs; which natural condition of infirmity the holy fcripture reprefents, by SER M. our being hapen in iniquity, and conceived in XXI. fin; by having every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts to evil continually; they call it the law of the members warring against the law of the mind and bringing it into captivity, infomuch that in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. And with refpect to religion we are faid to be in a state of death, (i. e.) in a condition as unapt for the exercife of virtue and holiness, as a dead body is for those of life and motion. After this, when the holy Ghost hath breathed into us a new principle of spiritual life, and that by God's preventing grace the mind is rouzed out of this lethargy, then begins the struggle; the principles of reafon and grace against the appetites and propensions of nature; and then it is we begin to have a fenfe and feeling of our weaknefs and the manifold infirmities of the flefh. We are full of holy defires and good refolutions; we are daring and refolute, very confident of ourselves, and have a fecret pleasure and rejoicing as a Giant that is to run his courfe, having a full affurance of the victory. We are apt then to fancy it will never be otherwise with us, and to think the work done before we have well begun it; this is commonly in the abfence of temptation, the first. approaches of which fhock and ftagger all these refolutions; and as it fteals upon them by degrees, fo they are all melted down into a compliance; infomuch that it could not enter SERM. into his thoughts that ever he fhould be fo XXI. baffled and overcome: Then when remorfe of confcience, a fenfe of fhame, and profpect of damnation fets him a thinking again, all his refolutions are renewed; but the temptation returns again with the fame fuccefs, and quafhes all thofe good defires and holy purpofes of the mind: This is done frequently; and every defeat contributes to the impairing of our fpiritual ftrength, and breaking the powers of the mind; our defires of goodness decay, our good purposes grow faint and languid, till at laft we have only one refolution left; namely, that we will refolve to purpose fome time or other. ap This is the very state of infirmity defcribed in the text, which was occafioned by a famous inftance of the moft ardent and forward zeal, and of the great infirmity and weakness of human nature; when Chrift was to be prehended and crucified, though all men fhall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended, fays Peter, though I fhould die with thee yet will I not deny thee: Likewife alfo faid all his disciples, yet there was not one that ftood by him; and he that expreffed himself with the most confidence of them all denied him thrice with oaths and proteftations. Our bleffed Saviour who had himself a fenfe of this infirmity, and forefaw what temptation was coming on them, advised them to the use of those means which alone could enable them to overcome it, (i. e.) watching and and praying: They however flept, for their S ER M. eyes were heavy, and they fell fhamefully. XXI. Their mafter put them both in practice and obtained a glorious victory over all the powers of hell. And now we fee what that work is that lies before us, the great bufinefs and employment of our lives. The flesh is weak indeed, but it must be made ftrong in a spiritual sense. Nature must be overcome, and a fecond nature introduced; all, even its most craving appetites must be left unfatisfied, and fo frequently croffed and disappointed that they fhall all be brought under the power of the mind, infomuch that we fhall be ready to pluck out an eye, to cut off a right hand," and remove from us that very darling temptation which hath hitherto been dearer to us than our fouls and everlafting felicity: Our very members must become inftruments of righteoufnefs to God, and we must glorify God in our bodies; fo that even they fhall become a living facrifice, holy and acceptable to bim. I fhall now proceed to confider the means laid down here for the doing of this; means that never yet failed of fuccefs, where they were duly put in practice, and without which it is in vain ever to attempt the healing of a fickly and corrupt nature. And therefore, 2dly. The great means, by which we are to furmount and overcome this difficulty, are here faid to be watching and praying. VOL. II. SERM. I. As to the first of them, that of watchXXI. ing against temptation, is a metaphor taken from the careful obfervance of an enemy or robber in the night, and being upon our guard that we might not be surprised by them and taken at a difadvantage; it is a very general word, and doth more particularly imply diligence and perfeverance. By diligence I mean a fincere and earnest endeavour of virtue and holiness, and of fubduing all our fleshly inclinations; that our heart be in the work, and that we do this with the full bent of the foul: So that we labour to carry on and improve our good refolutions into a ftaid and fettled ftate of holiness; and do this with the fame vigour and intenfenefs of the mind that fome purfue riches and honour, or any other worldly ends. It is à vain expectation of people, who think that the work of religion will go on fmoothly without let or disturbance, whenever they refolve in earneft to fet about it; it hath been a mistake fatal to the fouls of many, who after they have begun well, and meeting with fuch dif ficulty and uneafinefs as they did not expect, in denying the vitious inclinations of the flesh, and restraining their lufts, they are beaten back and quite difcouraged; and there is no thought fo natural to fuch beginners than, that when they refolve indeed to be good and virtuous, they fhall in fome degree live a life of Angels, in undisturbed innocence and tranquillity. The spirit of God, foreseeing the evil of this, hath |