86 ~ Serm. VII. ~ An Expojition of the EpijUe SERMON VII. · Ep H·ES. 1.. 3· .Among whom alfo we all had our Conwrfation i11 Ttmes paft, i11 the Lufts of our Flefo> fulfiOing the JJefires (or the Wills) of the Flefo, and of the Mind, &c. I N the words before, the Apo!He had mentioned the two external Caufes of all the Corruption in the Lives of Men by Nature, namely, the World, and the Devil : Wherein in llime paft ye walkgd, occording to the Co11rje of thil Wurld, occording to the 'Prince of the Power of the Air. In thefe words you have the third C3ufe, and that the intrinfecal one, The Lujl1 .of the Flejh. And when he cometh to lay open that as the Caufe, ( which is indeed the bottom and root of all the Corruption in Mens Lives,) he doth it, I. In a general way. 2. More particularly. He fir!l: doth it in a general way, We had all 011r Converfat!Qn in" timet pajl .in the utjhof our Flefb. And then he doth particularize thofe Lufts, The Uift~ of the Flejb, the Body; and ofthe Mind. I have opened formerly,what is meant by Flel'h, and told you, that by it is here meant that inherent Corruption in our Natures, whether that which we derive at the firft by birth, and brought into the World with us; or that increafe and addition to it, ( fur by every actual Sin an addition thereunto is made) that which the Apoftle calleth, the Indwelling of Sin. • I niewed formerly, why it is called, F/efo ; and among others, I gave this reafon : Becaufe that when God is taken out of the Heart, then all the ObjeCl:s that the Heart is carried to, they are things of the Flefh. And I did prove by many places of Scripture, that that was the meaning ofthe Phrafe, and to that it did extend, when as it is faid, T!Jofe that are after the Flefb, feeft the thing1 of the Flefb. I gave you a defcription of the thing it felf, as well as an account of the Phrafe, why it is called Flejb: It is that finful difpofition in Man's Nature, whereby the whole Man is empty of all good, and full of all Inclinations to whatfoever is evil. · I came the la!l: day, to !hew you what was meant by Lufts, The Lujl1 of the Flefb: They are the immediate fproutings of that inherent Corruption, all the motions, and inward workings, and firft rlfings, and agitations of the Heart of Man, either again!l: what is good, or unto what is evil, (I may add that to what I faid the !aft Difcourfe, it is not only the motions of the Heart unto what is evil, but alfoagain!l: what is good,) as in Gal. 2.I5. The Flefb ( laith be) U.fleth •gainfl the Spirit. I opened to you the Nature of thefe Lufts~ I did it two ways: I . I opened in general the NatureofL1tjls, ()r oftheLuftiogs ofthe SouL ~. I opened the Sinfulne& ofit. ,.
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