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THE POWERS
AND CONTESTS. OF
FLESH
AND
SPIRIT.
v.
Deny the
flesh
sometimes in its
lawful
appetites,
to
teach it
subjection,
and let it learn
to
be
governed,
by.,
being
sometimes
restrained and disappointed
in its.inno-
cent
desires,
that it
may with more ease
be
withheld
when unlawful
objects
appear.
The
holy
apostle
seems
to have this
in
his eye,
when
he tells
the Corinthians,
"that
,he
that
striveth
for
the
mastery
must be
temperate.
in
all things
:"
And he assures
them,
that "
he keeps
his.
own body
under,
and
brings
it into
subjection.;"
1
Cor.
ix.
ßr25,
27..
And
in
the
last.verse
of
the eighth
chapter,
"
he
will
eat
no
flesh
while.
the world stands
rather
than.
make
his
brother
offend."
Surely then
he would
use
the:
same
self
-
denial,
rather
than
bein
danger
of
giving
him
self
leave
to
offend.
4,
Keep the
body
in
such
temper and circumstances
as.
may
render it
fittest for the
present
duty.
If
excess,
qf
faintness
and
feeble.
spirits make
it
unfit for
service,,
refresh it
with
the
proper
comforts
of
life..
If
through:
excess
of
vigor
and
a
florid
state of
the
blood,
it'
grow
unfit
for any
duties of
religion, or lead the mind astray
to
dangerous vanities
and allurements,
it
may
sometimes
be
kept under.
diligence in labour,
by
sparing
diet,.
and diminished hours of
sleep.
" When
Jeshurun
waxed
fat, he kicked
;"
Deut.
xxxii.
15.
And the danger
of
'Sodom.
was
plenty
and luxury, which the
scripture
de-
scribes
by
"
fulness
of
bread," joined
with
"
abundance
of
idleness,;"
EÑek. xvi.
49.
And
it
is
upon
this account,
that
you
find
fasting
joined
with prayer,
in
the New
Testament
as well
as
in the
Old;
and perhaps
the word
watching, which
is
coupled there-
with, may
in
some places be
supposed
to
include
its li-
teral
sense
also.:
for abstinence from
full
measures of
food and sleep may
give
occasional assistance to the.soul
in
devout exercises; and
where
experience
finds
that
a
full indulgence
either
.of
sleep or food unfits
the
Jody,
or
clogs
the
.soul
in
any duties
of
religion,
there
those ap-
,
petites
of
the
flesh
are certainly to
be
restrained.
I
might add,
in
the,
last place,
that
if any sharp
dis-
eases
of
the
body,
or disordered
humours; awaken the
sinful
ferments
of
any
passion or
appetite,
in
a more
than ordinary
manner,
seek
relief
from the
physician, to
restore
the
flesh
to
its
best
state
of
service to
the
soul;
that
it
.may,be delivered,
through
the divine
blessing,