to the E P H E S I A N S. 73 Then again, in the fourth place, itis called Flefb, in relpcel: ofthe morevi{ible r~ feat and !ubje8: ofCorruptNature, m w~tch tt JS mort feen; vt!ibly_It IS m the l~ FleUI it js in the Lufls of the Body of ail forts and krncls,. The Scnpture cloth give Y.ou denominations ·not always fi·om the more principal" part, but it gives the denomination from what IS vi!ible, as fpeakmg ad 211fg11s to the people : as for Example, The nature of Man conGfts of Body and Soul. The Soul is aSpirit, you kno\v but the Body is Flefh. PfuaHy m Scrtpture the name that IS given to · Man i~ Flejb; The Word wa< mttde F!ejb. J,r h~fght jlu/1 >to Flefo bojt~ffij1cd; that js, no Man. Here you fee the Body can'ies away·tht! denomination. It •is not that Man bath not a So11l, and that that IS not the more prmctpal pnrt, but becaufe the Flelli is die rt\ore vifible part, that which we behold, in which the Soul dwelleth. Hence therefore the Scriptme calletlt Man FlejlJ. Anfwerably, rho Sin is as much, and much more in.our Will and Undcrlbnding than it is in fenfual Luf1s; yet notwithflanding, becaufe that Ori~inal Sin is feert moll: in fenfual Lufl:s, which have their feat m the Flefi), hence tt ts called FlejlJ; the denonunation of the whole arifeth ftont thence. And let me give you this Obfervation by the way, That the D~vlls, rl\o they have the fame corruption in their.U nderftanding and Wil\1 ,that' We nave', an<:! we ihe C11De that they have: for, Paith Me, Je are of yourfather the Devil, and his Lujls;e will do. Yet they are not called"flcfhly, n~irher are they called FlejlJ ; but they are called, in Ephef. 6. I 7. Spirit11al Wick§dm.JJ"es, Why? becaufe they have no bodily, no fenfital Lufl:s in them, which in a viGblc way fhould carr~ away the denomination. But becaufe in_ Man's Nature there is another part, m which Sm IS more vifibly teen, wluch emmently IS c<~llcd Luft, which is Original Corruption, therefore it is in a more peculiar manner called Flefo. And fo much now for the Reafons of the Denomination. I will give you an Ob!ervation or two. In the firfl place, my Brethren, we may from hencetake a Directory for the Obferv. 1 ; humbling ofour !elves. Here you fee in thefe words, havi1rg mrr Converfotion in the Ltjis of the Flejh, there are three things the Apoflle holds forth to every Man to confider, when he would humble himfe!fbefore God. In the firf1 placc,he cl ifcovers to him his Flelli, that i·s, Ills cnrrnpt Nature, having the feeds of all-Sin iR him. Which corrupt Nature, he tells him, in the fecond pbce, is an a8:ive principle in him, it is the caufe of all the Luf1s in his heart, and all the evil in his converfation. It is an altive principle that is never idle : for tho it !elf is indeed but a meer privation, yet becaufe it is a privation in an active fubject, as Man's Soul is, hence therefore it is never quiet. In Rom. 7· 5, Io. he faith, that when he was in tlie Flefh, the motions of Sin wrought, they had force in his members . to carry him on to evil ; and· in verC I o. he giveth the name of Sin above all elfe to this origi,nal corruption by way of eminency, Sin,faith he, "Nrollght in me all Conmpifcence. .What cloth he mean by Sin? mof1 plainly Original Sin. Why? be– caufe that which works Concupifcence, which brings forth Lufl:s, that muf1 needs be Original Corruption; Sin wro11ght, f.1ith he. I fpcak it for this, it is an aCl:ive principle, therefore he calleth that the great Sin of all the rcf1, he giveth it the name ofSin above all the ref1, not only becaufe it hath the feeds of all Sin in it, but becaufe it is the worker, the great Mother ofall the Abominations. As B.,bylon is called the Mother of all the Abominations in E11rope, all Idolatries come from thence : fo this isthe great Mother ofall the Abominations in Man'sHeart. There– fore in the fame Rom. 7· 13. he calleth it Sin abrve mea.fore, tho he means Sin in the general, and actual Sin too; but yet Original Sin he efpecially [peaks of, and carrieth along in that difcourfe, it is, faith he, abqve meafimjinjitl, for it is the Mo– ther ofall Abominations and works all Concupifcence; and therefore this hum· bled 'Pa11l more, and fo it fhould do us. And, my Brethren, it is a predominant principle too; that's clear in the Text alfo: for all our Luf1s, and all our Sins, they arc not fo much called the Luf1s of the Man, as the Lufl:s ofthe Flefh; becaufe that Flefh, that Corruption,is now the predominant principle in every Man's nature : therefore all Sins are called the ji-11its ofthe Flejh, [o in Gal. 5· They are called the deeds ofthe Flejh, [o in Rom. 8. And we are \aid kl be in the Flejh, Rom. 7. And not only the Flefh to be in us, • K b~
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