79 / 514
SEAM. TV.)
FL$SH
AND
SPIRIT,
&C.
71
Remark IV.
In
this
description
of
the principles
of
-sin
and
holiness,- as
seated
in
our
flesh,
or
in
our
spirit,
we
may see
the
nature
of
the
Christian
warfare
;
that
much of
it
consists in
a
fight
of
the
spirit
with
flesh
and
blood.
Little
do some Christians
consider
how much
of
religion lies in watching
over
their appetites
and
senses,
and
setting
a
guard
upon
the sinful tendencies
of
the
flesh
;
little
do they
think how much
of their
piety and
their
holy
peace depends
on
keeping
down this
flesh,
and subduing
it to the best service
of
the soul.
There
may be some persons,
who
under pretence
of
serving God
in
the spirit,
and
the more
exalted and re-
fined
notions and
practices
of
Christianity, give
a
loose
to the
flesh;
in
eating, and drinking, and dressing, and
all the
luxuries
of
life.
But
can these
christians ima-
gine,
that
when they
pamper and indulge
that
wherein
sin
is
chiefly
seated,
their spirits should
long maintain
their purity
and heavenly
-
mindedness
?
St.
Paul
was
of
another mind;
1
Cor.
ix.
27.
I
keep
under
my
body,
says
he;
I
fight with
my flesh
which
is
my
great
enemy,
`owwsria?,w
xxi
&Azycvyw,
I
subdue
it,
and
bear it
down, as
with heavy
blows,
I
keep
it under
as
a
slave, lest, when
I
have
preached
to
others,
I
myself
should
become
a
cast
-
away
;
lest,
when
I
have
preached
to
others
the
doc-
trine
of
mortifying the
flesh,
and
of
walking
according
to
the
spirit, I should
indulge such
fleshly sins
as would
prove
my
eternal ruin..
Let
not
any man imagine,
that
I
am
here teaching the
Romish penances, and
monkish
severities
:
there
is
no
necessity
of
sackcloth and
beggary,
scourging and
starv-
ing, in
order
to keep
the
body
fit
for the
duties
of
reli-
gion. Surely
there
is
a
medium between the
self-
indul-
gence
of
some
lazy
and carnal christians, and the
super-
stitious forms
of
mortifying the
flesh,
practised
in
the
popish
church;
and
if,
under
a
pretence
of
sublime
spirituality,
we
let
the
fleshly
appetites get the
mastery
of
us,
the
prosperity, and
even
the
safety
of
the soul,
will be
in
extreme hazard
;
for
St.
Peter
and
St.
Paul
agree
well
in this
doctrine,
that
fleshly lusts
war against
the
soul;
1
Pet.
ii.
11.
I
confess
the apostle
tells
the Ephesians, chap.
vi.
ver.
12.
We wrestle
not
against
flesh
and
blood,
&c.
But
it
is
plain
he
means no more, than
that
flesh
and blood
are
r4