ESSAY. +'321 tiitre, where the word fleshmust necessarily be taken in a literal and proper sense, denoting the body to be the seat or spring of many sinful affections ; as Eph. ii. 3. where the desires oftheflesh are distinguished from the sinful desires of the, mind. And 2 Cor. vii. L where both the filthiness offlesh and spirit is men- tioned ; andthere are very few places which will not allow us to understand it in a literal sense. And it is evident to any one who compares the various parts of the writings of this apostle, that he speaks ten times of the body, the flesh, or the members, as the springs of sin, where he once mentions the lusts of the mind ; intimating, that the far greatest part of the sins of men, are de- rivedfrom theirflesh, and are owing to their compliance with the sinful desires.or affections of thebody. I would not be mistaken here, as if I supposed the flesh tobe the only immediate spring of all our sins; though perhaps, it is the original, and remote spring of all,as I shall show presently: But the soul of man, beingonce depraved, has many sinful qua- lities in it ; the understanding, and the will, the very mind and conscienceare defiled ; Tit. i. 15. The soul itself has some proms pensities to things that are forbidden, as well as sinful aversions to God, and things holy and heavenly. There are the lusts ofthe mindas well as lusts of the flesh. There is a filthiness both of flesh and spirit. The devils, who have no flesh and blood be- longing to them, are vile sinners ; these are called spiritual wick- ednesses in high places; Eph. vi. 12. or, as it may be translated, wicked spirits in heavenlies ; that is, in the airy regions : So the spirit of man has sins of its own, that it borrows not immediately from the flesh There is a pride in the mind, arising from learn- ing, and intellectualpowers, and accomplishments ; there arevain and excessive desires of humanknowledge; there is a sinfulcu- .riosity, prying into secret futurities ; there is a glorying in self, a vanity of mind, and self-confidence, insteadof trusting in God, and givinghim the glory of all: There is, indeed, a secret dis- like and aversion to God and holiness, in the soul of every un- sanctified sinner ; these are more spiritual iniquities. I might add also, that there are several ofthose sins which, in some appearances of them, are numbered among the worksof the flesh, because theyare often excited,,and almost always increased, by the humours and ferments Of the' body ; which yet, in some other operations and appearances, begin in the spirit, belong chiefly to the soul, and must be called spiritual sins, or lusts of the mind ; such as malice and envy, self-conceit, emulaticn, hatredof good men, &c. which are doubtless found in the fallen angels, those evil spirits, who have no flesh about them. Now as anun- sanctified soul may be sometimes guilty of these when in thebody, so, when it is dismissed from flesh, we must grant, that it would be filled with all these iniquities, these spiritual lusts, for ever, VOL. Ji. X
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