80 / 514
72
2LESH
ANA
srmir,
&C.
[sEAhi.
IV.
not
our
only enemies,
but that
we
wrestle also
with
prin-
cipalities and
powers,
and spiritual
wickedness,
i.
e.
with Satan and the powers
of
darkness.
Yet
we
must
remember
that
the
powers,
of
darkness
chiefly
attack our
spirits
by
means
of
our
flesh.
I
cannot
believe they
would have
so
much advantage
.
over
our
souls
as
they
have,
if
our
souls were released from
flesh
and blood.
Satan
has
a chamber
in
the imagination,
fancy
is
his
shop wherein to
forge sinful
thoughts
;
and he
is
very
busy
at
this mischievous
work;
especially when the pow-
ers
of nature
labour under
any disease, and such
as af-
fects
the head and the
nerves
He
seizes
the unhappy
opportunity, and
gives
greater disturbances
to the mind,
by
awakening the
images
of
the brain in
an
irregular
manner, and stimulating and urging onwards
the too
unruly
passions.
This crafty adversary
is
very ready
to
fish,
as
we
say,
in
troubled
waters, where
the
humours
of
the body are
out
of order. Thus
he
is
wise
to
make
his
advantage
of
all
our
weaknesses,
and to
gain
some
interest
in them, to execute
his
hellish designs thereby,
Cor.
xii.
7.
A
messenger
of
Satan
and
a thorn
in
the
flesh,
were
both together troublesome
to
St.
Paul
:
whe-
ther
they became
two
distinct
enemies,
or
one
strength-
ened
by
the influence
of
the other,
is
hard
to
determine
;
but
thus much
seems to be
intimated,
that
some
trouble-
some
disorder
in
the
flesh,
gave
a great
occasion to Sa-
tan
to buffet
St.
Paul
more
severely,
and
do him more
mischief.
It
is
hard
wrestling for
a poor
sanctified soul, with
so
violent and strong
a
yoke-
fellow as
our
flesh.
The
powers
of
the
flesh
twine
about
our
feeble spirit, and
often
pull it to
the ground, and get the mastery
of
it.
The
just
man may
fall
down seven times,,
and rise again
;
but
the
wicked
fall
into
mischief,
and
attempt not
to
rise,
Pror.
xxiv.
16.
We are
tied to
the
flesh
while
we
are
here,
and it
is
the
biggest,
and
the
hardest
part of
our
state of trial, to
be
constantly tied to
such
flesh
as
ours
is. All
the adversaries
we
have besides,
are not equal
to the
adversary
that
dwells with us,
nor
is
all
their
power equal
to the
power
.
of
our
flesh
and
blood, with
its restless urgencies,
leading us
away
from
God
to
sin.
There
is so
close
a union
between
flesh
and spirit,
in this
state,
that
we
carry our prison
about
us,
even
the
flesh