SE41 M. TV.I FEESH AND S.PTRIT, &C. 77 that are released from their flesh, which once they had so many, and so sore combats with ! Their flesh, which heretofore prisoned them, and pained them, and drew them often away from God, contrary to that heavenly, bias that was put upon their souls by God the Sanc- tifier !" But we rejoice in hope that our turn shall come too. There is a day of deliverance from this sinful flesh pro- vided for us. All our times are in the hand of God ; and the best time, is the time of our release from this sinful companion. Let our faith say, " I read in the promises that this same happiness belongs to me, which the .saints) above aré now possessed of; It is coming, it-is coming as fast as time and the heavens can move, as fast as days and: hours can remove out of the way." Then we shall have no flesh for the world to lodge one temptation in, nor for Satan to make use of as an engine of his malice, to, batter the constancy and duty of our souls; then we shall be freed from all those methods of injury to our spirits, which we receive now by meansof the flesh. Thus at the day of our death is derived a glorious li- berty, and thence we date our joys; but our joys rise high indeed, if our faith can but look a little farther, and take a prospect of that day, when our flesh shall be raised in perfect holiness, and our spirits completely holy, shall be rejoined to it; then it shall be no more, true, that flesh and spirit lust against each other, and these two are contrary; for flesh and spirit shall both draw one way, both lead us towards our divine original, and the first Father of our beings. Then the law in our members, and the law in our minds, shall concur toge- ther to influence us to perfect holiness ; then, when our spirits shall be like God, the first and best of Spirits ; and when our flesh shall be like the flesh of the Son of Grid, that great pattern of a glorified body. And this day will surely come, for our Redeemer with his body is glorified in heaven, and he sits there as a pattern of our-bodies to be glorified, and a pledge to as- sure usof it too. O come the day when he shall change these bodies of our vileness into the form of the body of his glory ! and he can easily do it, by that po«er where- by he can subdue all things to himself, Phil. iii. l..
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