to the EP H E S I A N S. ~ r. What the thing it felf is, that is meant by Flefh, namely, that Corrup- ~ tion of Nature Original. 2 • The Rcafon of the Phrafe, why this Original Corruption is termed, the Flejh. I !hall do both the~, as briefly as poffibly I can. And, Firf1; F'or the thing it felf, I will give you btlt this brief D~fcriptio~ oi De– finition of it, and give you Scripture for <!very word of it, or for the chief Branches of it. It ;, a Jinfid Dijjojition in 1'v&n's _Nature, that if become h·'< Nature, whereby it if empty of all Good, yea, oppo(ite to it, to all Good iLat i ':· ward! God, and containeth i11 it the Seed! and Pri11dplu of 4/l Sins wt,alfoe-;p This in a word is meant by Flefh. Now to make this out : I. I fay, it is a corrupt DifpoJition, or Biafs, as I may fo call it, i11 the Nat.re •f Man, in the whole Nature of Man. ft is not the fubfbnce of Man's Na– ture; for then, when it was faid, The Word was made Flej/J, the ffic:aning were, that the Word was made Sin, if that Flcfh and Corruption had been the ilrb– france of Man's Nature, and Jefus Chrifl: and we had not been of the fame Na– ture, as he was Man. In ]ohn 3· 6. faithChrifl:, Thatwl.ichiJ bornofthe Flejb, is F/ejb. He evidently meant here by Flefh, a difl:in/J: thing fi·om the Nature of Man ; for he faith, that that which if b01·n of the Flejb, iJ Flejb, even as he taith, that That which if born of the Spirit, iJ Spirit. By Spirit, in the lafl: words, he rneaneth, a differing thing from Spirit in the firfl words; fo when he f.1ith, I1 Flejb, be meaneth, a differing thing from that which is born of Fldh: the one notes out the Subflance; the other, theadjunC! Difpofition of it. Which Difpofition is yet now becon'e Man's Nature, that is, as natural Difpo– fitions are, and all this emptinefs of Good, and Seeds of all Evil: Therefore the next words tell us, that he is by 1\:llure (as i fhall open it afterwards in part) the Child of Wrath. And as there is a Divine Nature, that hath the Seeds of all Good in it, all things belonging to Life and Godlinefs, 2 'Pet. 1. 3, 4· compare but the Verfes together; it is called the D1vi11e Nat11re, and it is faid, to have all things belonghtg to Lift a11d Godlinefl : So this corrupt Nature of ours, on the contrary, it is a Difpolltion to all Evil, I fily, a Difpofition. And therefore, altho this corrupt Nature of Man is fometimes called Flefb; yet you fholl find in other Scriptures, it is C1id to be ftejhly, and C1id to be cmtal : Tho it be called Flejh in the Abflrafr, for [ome reafons; yet to fhew, it is but a Difpofition in Man's Nature, not the Subfl:ancc of his Nature, therefore he is faid robe;iefbly; as in Rom. 7· 14. I am camal, (it is the fame word, but only there is an Adjeaive; he f.1ith not, I am ftr.fb, but, I am carnal,) fold under Sin, As that Spirit, which is born of the Spirit; is called the Spiritual Man in Scripture; fo that which is born of the Fle!h, and called Fleib, is called the carnal Man in Scripture: I Cor. 3· 3· Are ;-e not carnal? And, I Pet. 2. I!. they are called, Jlefbly Lufls; becaufe this Flefh is but an Adjunct, it is but a corrupt Qi)ality, or conupt Difpolltion, that clingeth to Man's Nature. And fo much now for the fir!]. part of the Definition. 2. It makes Man's Nature empty of all good Difpofitions whatfoever; it im– porteth an emptinefs, a vacuity of all good. _What faith the Apofl:le, R~111. !· In my Flejh dwelleth no good thing? And yet if ever m any Mans Flefb, m hts Unregenerate part, there had reafon to have been fomc good thing, there was as much reafon it fhould have been in Paul's unregenerate part, as ever in any ones; why t becaufe there was fo much Grac'e mingled with it l Yet all that Grace couldnever kill it, never work good in i<, [o long as it remained; it might de– frroy 1t, but it could never teach the unregenerate part good, or work the leail good m tt. Nay, it.is nor only an emptinefs of' all good, but it is an enmity to· all
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