The Nature and Practice of Repentance, Treatise 2
THE COMBAT OF THE FLESH AND SPIRIT.
Gal. 5. 17.
For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; & these are contrary one to another, so that ye can not doe the things which ye would.
THe Apostle Paul from the beginning of this chapter to the 13. verse exhorts the Galatians to maintaine their christian liberty: & frō thēce to the end of the chapter he perswades thē to other speciall duties of godlines. In the 13. verse he stirs them up to be serviceable one to another by louelove: in the 15. verse he disswades them frō contentions & doing of iniuries. In the 16. verse he shewes the remedy of the former sinnes, which is to walk according to the spirit. In this seventeenth verse he renders a reason of the remedie, the force whereof is this. The flesh and the spirit are contrary: wherfore if ye walke according to the spirit, it will hinder the flesh, that it shall not carry you forward to do iniuries & liue in contentions, as otherwise it would.
In this verse we hauehave to obserue 5. points. The first that there is a combat betwene the flesh & the spirit in these words, The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. The second is the maner of this combat, which stands in the contrary lusting of the flesh and the spirit. The third is the cause of the combat in these words, and these are contrary. The fourth is the subiect or person in whō this: combat is, noted in these words, So that yee, the Galatians. The last is the effect of the cōbat, in the last words, that they cānot do, &c.
Touching the combat it selfe, diuers points are to be cōsidered. The first, what these two, which make combat, namely, the flesh and the spirit, are. They hauehave diuers significations. First of all, the spirit is taken for the soule, and the flesh for the body. But so they are not taken in this place. For there is no such combat betwene the body & the soule: both which agree togither to make the person of one man. Secondly, the spirit signifies naturall reason, & the flesh the natural appetite or concupiscence. But they cānot be so understood in this place. For the spirit here mentioned doth fight euen against naturall reason: which though it serue to make a man without excuse, yet is it an enemy to the spirit. Thirdly, the spirit signifies the godhead of Christ, and the flesh the manhood: but it must not be so taken here. For then eueryevery man regenerate should be deified. Lastly, the spirit signifies a created quality of holines, which by the holy ghost is wrought in the mind, will, & affections of man: & the flesh, the naturall corruption or inclination of the mind, will, and affections to that which is against the law. In this first these twain are taken in this place.
Secondly it is to be considered how these twain, the flesh & the spirit can fight togither, being but mere qualities. And we must know, that they are not severed asunder, as though the flesh were placed in one part of the soule, & the spirit in another: but they are ioyned & mingled togither in al the faculties of the soul. The mind or understanding part, is not one part flesh, and an other spirit, but the whole mind is flesh and the whol mind is spirit; partly one and partly the other. The whole will is partly flesh and partly spirit: the flesh and the spirit that is grace and corruption, not seuered in place but distinguished. As the aire in the dawning of the day is not wholly light or wholly darke as at midnight and at nooneday: neither is it in one part light, in another part darke: but the whole aire is partly light, and partly dark throughout. In a vessell of lukewarme water, the water it selfe is not onelyonly hot or only cold; or in one part hot & in another part cold: but heat and cold are mixt togither in every part of the water. So is the flesh and the spirit mingled togither in the soule of man: and this is the cause why these two contrary qualities fight togither.
Thirdly in this combate we are to consider what equality there is betweene these two combaters, the flesh and the spirit. And we must know, that the flesh usually, is more in measure then the spirit. The flesh is like the mighty gyant Goliah: and the spirit is litle and small like young David. Hence it is, that Paul calls the Corinthians which were men iustified and sanctified, carnall. I could not (saith he)1. Cor. 3. 1. breethren spkake unto you as unto spirituall, but as unto carnall, as unto babes in Christ. And none can come to be tall men in Christ accordingEphes. 4. to the age of the fulnesse of Christ, till after this life. And the speech which is used of some divines, that the mā regenerate hath but the reliques of sin in him, must be understood warily, els it may admit an untruth. As for the measure of grace, it can be but smal in respect, whereas we do receiue but the first fruites of Rom. 8. 23.the spirit in this life; & must wait for the accomplishment of our redemptiō till the life to come. For all this, the power & efficacy of the spirit is such, that it is able to prevaile ordinarily against the flesh. For the flesh receiues his deadly wound at the first instant of a mans conuersion, and continually dyeth after by litle & litle: & therfore it fights but as a maimed soldier. And the spirit is continually confirmed & increased hy the holy ghost: also it is liuely & stirring & the vertue of it is like musk; one graine wherof wil giuegive a stronger smell, thē many unces of other perfumes. Some may say, that the godly man doth more feele the flesh then the spirit: & therfore that the flesh is eueryevery way more then the spirit. I answer, that we must not measure our estate by feeling which may easily deceiue us. A man shall feele a paine which is but in the top of his finger more sensibly then the health of his whol body: yet the health of the body is more thē the pain of a fingar. Secondly we feele corruption not by corruption but by grace: & therfore men, the more they feele their inward corruptions, the more grace they hauehave.
Thus much of the combat it selfe: now let us come to the maner of this fight.
It is fought by Lusting. To lust in this place signifies to bring forth & to stir up motions & inclinations in the hart, either to good or euil.
Lusting is twofold: the lusting of the flesh, & the lusting of the spirit.
The lusting of the flesh hath two actions: the first is, to ingender euill motions & passions of selfe-louelove, envy, pride, unbeliefe, anger, &c. S. Iames saith, that men are enticed and Iam. 1. 14.drawen away by their own concupiscēce. Now this inticing is only by the suggestion of bad cogitations & desires. This action of the flesh made Paul say that he was carnall solde under Rom. 7. 14.sinne.
The second action of the flesh is to hinder, & quench, & overwhelm all the good motiōs of the spirit. Paul found this in himselfe, when he said, I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of the mind, & leading Rom. 7. 23.me captive to the law of sinne. By reason of this action of the flesh, the man regenerate is like to one in a slumber troubled with the disease called Ephialtes or the mare: who thinks that he feeles something lying on his breast as heavy as a mountaine: & would faine hauehave it away, wherupon he striues & labours by hāds and voice to remoue it, but for his life can not doe it.
On the contrary, the lusting of the spirit containes two other actions. The first is to beget good motions, inclinations, & desires in the mind, will, & affections. Of this David speaketh,Psalm. 16. 8. Myreines teach me in the night season. That is, my mind, affection, and will, and my whole soule being sanctified and guided by the spirit of God, do minister unto me consideratiōs of the way in which I ought towalk. Isaias prophecying of the Church of the new testament, saith, When a mā goeth to the right Isa. 30. 22.hand or to the left, he shal he are a voice, saying, here is the way walke ye in it. Which voice is not only the outward preaching of the ministers, but also the inward voice of the spirit.
The second action of the spirit is to hinder aud suppresse the bad motions and suggestions of the flesh. S. Iohn saith, he that is borne of God sinneth not, because his seed remaineth 1. Ioh. 3. 9.in him, that is, grace wrought in the heart by the holy ghost, which resisteth the rebellious desires of the flesh.
That the manner of this fight may more clearely appeare, we must examine it more particularly. In the soule of man there be two speciall parts, the mind and the will.
In the mind there is a double combat. The first is betweene knowledge of the word of God, and naturall ignorance or blindnes. For seeing we doe in this life knowe but in part: therefore knowledge of the truth must needs be ioyned with ignorance in all that are inlightned: & one of these being contrary to an other, they striue to ouershadow and ouercast ech other.
Hence we may learn the cause why excellēt divines do vary in divers points of religiō: and it is, because in this cōbat, naturall blindnes yet remaining, prevailes more or lesse. Men that are dim sighted & cannot discerne without spectacles, if they should be set to discry a thing a far off, the most of them would be of divers opinions of it. And men inlightened & regenerate in this life do but see as in a glasse darkly. 1. Cor. 13.Again, this must teach all studēts of divinity often to suspect themselues in their opinions and defences: seeing in them that are of soundest iudgemēt the light of their understanding is mixed with darknes of ignorāce. And they can in many points see but as the man in the Gospell, who when our Saviour Christ had in part opened his eyes, saw men walking, not as men, but in the forme of trees. Also this must teach all that read the scriptures to invocate & cal upō the name of God, that he wold inlighten thē by his spirit, & abolish the mist of natural blindnes. The prophet David was wor thily inlightned with the knowledge of Gods word, so as he excelled the ancient and his owne teachers in wisdom: yet being privy to himselfe touching his owne blindnes, often prayeth in the Psalms, Inlighten my eyes that I may vnderstand the wonders of thy law.
By reason of this fight, when naturall blindnes prevailes, the child of God truly inlightened with knowledge to life everlasting, may erre not only in lighter points, but euen in the very foundation of religion, as the Corinthians & the Galathians did. And as one man may erre, so an hundred men may also: yea a whole particular Church: and as one Church may erre, so an 100. more may. For in respect of this combat, the estate and condition of all men is alike. Whence it appeares that the Church militant upō earth is subiect to error. But yet as the diseases of the body be of two sorts: some curable, and some incurable which are to death; so likewise errours are. And the Church though it be subiect to sundry fals, yet it can not erre in foundation to death: the errours of Gods children be curable. Some may here say, If all men & Churches be subiect to errour, then it shall not be good to ioyne with any of them, but to separate from them all. I answer, though they may and do erre, yet we must not separate from them, so long as they do not separate from Christ.
The second combat in the mind is, between faith & unbeliefe. For faith is imperfect, and mixt with the contrary unbeliefe, presuming, doubting, &c. As the man in the Gospell saith, Lord I beleeve, help mine unbeliefe.
By reason of this fight, when unbeliefe preuailes, the very child of God may fal into fits & pangs of dispaire: as Iob & David in their tēptations did. For David once considering the prosperity of the wicked, brake out into this speech, Certenly I have clensed mine heart in Psalm. 73. 13.vaine, & washed mine hands in innocencie. yea, this dispaire may be so extreme, that it shal weakē the body & consume it, more then any sicknes. No man is to think this strange in the child of God. For though he dispaire of his election & saluation in Christ, yet his desperatiō is neither total nor final. It is not totall, because he doth not dispaire with his whol heart, faith euen at that instant lusting against dispaire. It is not finall, because he shall recouer before the last end of his life.
To proceed, the combat in the will is this. The will partly willeth and partly nilleth that which is good at the same instant: & so likewise it willeth & nilleth that which is evill: because it is partly regenerate & partly unregenerate. The affections likewise, which are placed in the wil, partly imbrace & partly eschew their obiects: as louelove partly loueth and partly doth not louelove God and things to be loued: feare is mixed & not pure (as schoolemē hauehave dremed) but partly fili…l partly servil, causing the child of God to stād in awe of god not only for his mercies, but also for his iudgements & punishments. The will of a man regenerate is like him that hath one leg sound, the other lame: who in every step which he makes, doth not wholly halt or wholly go upright, but partly go upright & partly halt. Or like a man in a boate on the water: who goeth upward because he is caried upward by the vessell: & at the same time goes downward, because hee walkes downward in the same vessell at the same instant. If any shall say that contraries cā not be in the same subiect. The answer is, that they cā not, if one of them be in his full strēgth in the highest degree: but if the force of themIn gradibus remissis non in summis. both be delaied & weakned, they may be ioyned togither.
By reason of this cōbat, whē corruption prevails against grace in the wil & affectiōs, there ariseth in the godly a certain deadnes or hardnes of heart, which is nothing els but a wāt of sense or feeling. Some may say, that this is a fearfull iudgement: but the answer is, that there be 2. kinds of hardnes of heart: one which possesseth the heart, & is never felt: this is in them, who hauehave their cōsciences seared with an hotEphes. 4. 19. iron, who by reason of custome in sin are past all feeling, who likewise despise the meanes of softning their harts. And indeed this is a fearful iudgement. There is another hardnes of heartZach. 7. 11. which is felt: & this is not so dangerous as the former: for as we feele our sicknes by contrary life & health: so hardnes of hart when it is felt argues quicknes of grace & softnes of hart. Of this Dauid often cōplained in the Psalmes: of this the childrē of Israel speak when they say,Isai. 65. 17. Why hast thou hardned our harts frō thy waies.
Thus much of the maner of the c…mbate in particular: before we proceed any further, let us mark the issue of it, which is this.
The spirit prevailes against the flesh at two times: in the course of a mans life, and at his end; but yet with some foiles receiued.
I say the spirit prevails not in one instant, but in the whol course of a mans life. So S. Iohn saith, He which is begotten of God sinneth not: 1. Ioh. 5. 19.for he preserveth himselfe: the grace of God in his heart ordinarily prevailing in him. And Paul makes it the property of the regenerate man to walk according to the spirit, which isRom. 8. 1. not now & then to make a step forward, but to keep his ordinary course in the way of godlines. As in going from Barwick to London, it may be a man now and then will go amisse: but he speedily returnes to the way againe, & his course generally shall be right.
Again, the spirit prevails in the end of a mās life. For then the flesh is utterly abolished & sanctification accōplished: because no uncleane thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven.
This further must be conceived, that when the spirit prevailes, it is not without resistance & striving. As Paul testisieth, I do not the good which I would, but the evill which I would not that do I. which place is not to be understood only of thoughts & inward motions (as some would hauehave it) nor of particular offences: but of the generall practise of his duty or calling, through the whol course of his life. And it is like the practise of a sickman, who having recovered of some grieuous disease, walkes a turn or twain about his chamber, saying, ah, I would fain walk up and down but I cannot: meaning not that he can not walke at all, but signifying that he cannot walke as he would, being soone wearied through faintnesse.
I added further, that this prevailing is with foyles. A foile is, when the flesh for the time vanquisheth & subdueth the spirit. In this case, the man regenerate is like a soldier, that with a blow hath his brain-pan cracked, so as he lyes groueling astonished not able to fight: or like him that hath a fit of the falling sicknes, who for a time lies like a dead man. Hence the question may be mooued, whether the flesh preuailing doth not extinguish the spirit, & so cut off a man from Christ, till such time as he be ingrafted again. The answer is this. There be two sorts of christians: one who doth only in shew & name professe Christ: & such an one is no otherwise a member of Christs mystical body, then a wooden leg set to the body is a mēber of the body. The second is he that in name & deed is a liuely part & mēber of Christ. If the first fall, he cānot be said to be cut off, because he was never ingrafted. If the secōd fall, he may be & is cut off from Christ. But marke how: he is not wholly cut of but in some part, namely in respect of the inward fellowship & communiō with Christ, but not in respect of coniunctiō with him. A mans arme takē with the dead palsie, hangs by & receives no heate, life, or sense frō the rest of the members, or frō the head, yet for all this, it remains still united & coupled to the body, & may again be recovered by plaisters & phisicke: so after agrievous fall the childe of God feeles no inward peace and comfort but is smitten in conscience with tbe trembling of a spirituall palsie for his offence: and yet indeed remaines before God a member of Christ which shall be restored to his former estate after serious repentance.
And God permits these foiles for weighty causes: first that men might be abashed & confounded in thēselves with the consideratiō of their vile natures & learne not to swell with pride, because of Gods grace. Paul saith that after he had bin rapt into the third heaven, the angell Satan was sent to buffet him, and (as we said) to beat him black & blew, that he might not be exalted out of measure. The secōd, that we may learn to deny our selues & cleaue unto the Lord frō the bottom of our hearts. Paul saith that he was sick to death, that he might 2. Cor. 1. 9.not trust in him selfe, but in God who raiseth the dead.
Thus much of the maner of the combate: now followes the cause of it.
The cause is the contrariety that is between the flesh and the spirit. As Paul saith, The wisdome Rom. 8. 5.of the flesh is enmitie to God.
Hēce we are taught, that since the fall, there is no free wil in mā, in spiritual matters cōcerning either the worship of God or life everlasting. For flesh is nothing els but our naturall dispositiō: & mā is nothing els but flesh by nature: for the spirit comes afterward by grace: & yet flesh is flat contrary to the spirit which makes us do that which is pleasing unto God. wherfore the wil naturally is a flat bōdslaue unto sin.
Again, hence we may learne: that it is not an easie matter to practise religiō: which is to liue according to the spirit, to which our naturall disposition is as cōtrary as fire to water▪ wherfore if we will obey God, we must learne to force our natures to the duties of godlines: yea, even sweat and take paines therein.
Lastly here we may learne the nature of sin. The spirit is not a substance but a quality: and therfore the flesh which is nothing els but originall sinne, and is contrary to the spirit, must also be a quality: for such as the nature of one contrary is, such is the other. There is in eueryevery man the substance of body and soule, this cannot be sin, for then the spirit also should be the substance of man. There is also in the substance the faculties of body & soule: & they can not be sinne, for then eueryevery man should hauehave lost the faculties of his soule by Adams fall. Lastly in the faculties there is a contagion or corruption which carieth them against the law: and that is properly sinne and the flesh, which is contrary to the spirit.
The fourth point is touching the persons in whom this combat is. Paul shewes who they are, whē he saith, So that ye can not, &c. where it appeares that such as hauehave this cōbat in them must be as the Galatians, men iustified & sanctified: And yet not all such, but only they that be of yeres: for the infants of the faithfull, how soeuer we must repute them to belong to the kingdom of heauen, & therfore to be iustified & sanctified: yet because they do not commit actuall sin, they want this cōbat of the flesh and spirit, which stāds in actiō. As for those which be unregenerate, they neuer felt this fight. If any say that the worst man in the world, when he is about to cōmit any sinne, hath a strife & fight in him. It is true indeed: but that is another kind of cōbat, which is between the conscienceand the heart. The cōscience on the one part terrifying the man frō sinne: the will and the affections haling & pulling him therunto: the will & the affections wishing & desiring that sin were no sin, & Gods commandement abolished: wheras contrariwise the conscience with a shril voice proclaimes sin to be sin. This fight was in Pilat, who by the force of his conscience feared to condemne Christ: & yet was willing, and yeelded to condemne him that he might please the people.
Furthermore, this cōbat is in the regenerate but during the time of this life▪ for they which are perfitly sanctified feele no strifte. If any shal say, that this cōbat was in Christ whē he said, Father, if it be thy will let this cup passe from me, yet not my will but thine be done. Indeed here is a cōbat, but of another sort: namely the fight of two divers desires: the one was a desire to do his fathers will in suffering the death of the crosse: the other a natural desire (which was no sinne but a meere infirmity of humane nature) whereby he in his manhood desires (as the maner of nature is to seek the preseruation of it selfe) to hauehave the cursed death of the crosse remooued from him.
The fift point is the effect of this combat, which is to make the man regenerate, that he can not doe the things which he would: and this must be understood in things both good & ill.
And first he can not do the evill which he would for two causes. First because he cannot commit sin at what time soeuer he would. S. Iohn saith, He that is borne of God sinneth not, 1. Ioh. 3. 9.neither can he sin, because he is borne of God, that is, he can not sin at his pleasure or when he will. Ioseph when he was assaulted by Putiphars wife to adultery; because the grace of God abounded in him, wherby he answered her, saying, Shall I doe this, & sin against God, he could not then sin. Lot, because his righteous heart was grieved in seeing and hearing the abominations of Sodom, could not then sin as they of Sodom did. Hence it appeares, that such persons as liue in the daily practise of sin against their own consciences, (though they be professours of the true religion of Christ) hauehave no soundnes of grace in them.
Secondly, the man regenerate can not sin in what manner he would: And there be two reasons therof. First, he can not sinne with full consent, of will or with all his heart: because the will so far forth as it is regenerate, resisteth and draweth back: yea, even then when a man is caried headlong by the passions of the flesh, he feeles some contrary motions of a regenerate cōscience. It is a true rule that sin doth not reigne in the regenerate. For so much grace as is wrought in the mind, will, affectiōs: so much is abated proportionally of the strength of the flesh, wherfore whē he cō mits any sin, he doth it partly willingly, & partly against his wil. As the mariners in the tēpest, cast Ionas into the sea willingly: for otherwise they had not done it: & yet against their willes too: which appeares because they prayed, and cast their goods out of the ship, & laboured in rowing against the tempest, & that very long before they cast him out. And herein lies the difference betweene tvvo men cōmitting one & the same sinne, the one of them being regenerate, the other unregenerate. For the latter sins with all his heart & with full consent, & so doth not the first. Secōdly, though he fall into any sin, yet he doth not lie lōg in it, but speedily recouers himself, by reason of grace in his hart.
Hence it is manifest, that sinnes of infirmitie are cōmitted only of such as are regenerate. As for the man unregenerate he cannot sin of infirmity whatsoeuer some falsly think. For he is not weak but stark dead in sinne. And sinnes of infirmity are such only as rise of constraint, feare, hastines, & such like sudden passions in the regenerate. Aed though they sin of weaknes often by reason of this spirituall combat, yet they do not alwaies: for they may sinne against knowledge & cōscience of presumptiō.
To come to the secōd point: the regenerate mā cannot do the good which he would: because he cannot do it perfitly & soundly according to Gods will as he would. Paul saith, To will is Rom. 7. 18.present with me, but I find no means (foreign) perfitly to do that which I would. In this point the godly man is like a prisoner that is gotten forth of the gayle, & that he might escape the hand of the keeper, desires & striues with all his heart to run an 100 miles in a day: but because he hath strait and weighty boults on his legs, cannot for his life creep past a mile or twain, & that with chafing his flesh & tormenting himselfe. So the servants of God do hartily desire, & indeavour to obey God in all his commādements: as it is said of king Iosias, That he turned to God with all his heart, with 2. king. 23. 25.all his soule, with all his might, according to all the lawes of Moses, &c. yet because they are clogged with the boltes of the flesh, they perfourme obedience both slowly and weakely, with divers slips & falles.
Thus much of the combat: now let vsus see what use may be made of it.
First of all by it we learn what is the estate of a christian man in this life. A christiā is not one that is free frō al evil cogitations, frō rebellious inclinations & motiōs of will & affections, frō all maner of slips in his life & cōversation: for such an one is a mere deuise of mans brain & not to be found upō earth. But indeed he is the sound christiā that feeling himselfe laden with the corruptions of his vile & rebellious nature, bewailes them frō his hart, & with might and main fights against them by the grace of gods spirit. Againe here is ouerthrown the popish opinion of merit & iustificatiō by workes of grace, on this manner. Such as the cause of works is, such are works thēselves. The cause of works in man, is the mind, will, & affectiōs sanctified: in which, the flesh & the spirit are mixt togither, as hath bin shewed before. Therfore works of grace, euen the best of them are mixt works, partly holy & partly sinfull. wherby it is euidēt to a man that hath but cōmon sense, that they are not answerable to the righteousnes of the law: & that therfore, they can neither merit life, or any way iustify a mā before God. If any reply, that good works are the works of Gods spirit, & for that cause perfitly righteous: I answer, it is true indeed, they come frō the holy ghost that can not sin, but not only or immediatly. For they come also from the corrupt mind and will of man, and in that respect become sinfull, as sweete water issuing out of a pure fountaine, is by a filthy channell made corrupt.
Thirdly, we do hēce learn that concupiscēce or originall sin is properly & indeed sin after baptism, though it please the councel of Trent to decree otherwise. For after baptism it is flat cōtrary to the spirit, & rebels against it. Papists obiect that it is takē away by baptism. Ans. Original sin or the flesh is takē away in the regenerate thus. In it there be 3. things, the guilt, the punishment, the corruptiō: the first 2. are quite abolished by the merit of Christs death in baptisme: the third that is the corruptiō remaines still: but mark in what manner: it remains weakened, it remaines not imputed to the person of the beleeuer.
Lastly hereby we are taught to be watchfull in prayer. Watch & pray (saith Christ, &c. for the spirit is ready but the flesh is weak. Rebecca, when 2. twins stroue in her wombe was troubled & said, why am I so? wherefore she wēt to ask the Lord, namely by some prophet. So when we feele this inward fight, the best thing is to hauehave recourse to God by prayer, and to his word, that the spirit may be strengthened against the flesh. As the children of Israel by compassing the city of Ierico 7. daies, and by sounding rammes hornes overturned the walles thereof: so by serious invocation of Gods name the spirite is confirmed, and the turrets and towres of the rebellious flesh battered.
The voice of a man
1. Carnall of
Evill. I doe that which is evill and I will doe it.
Good. I doe not that which is good and I will not doe it.
2. Regenerate of
Evill. I doe the evill, which I would not.
Good. I doe not doe the good which I would.
3. Glorified of
Evill. I doe not that which is evill, and I will not doe it.
Good. I doe that which is good and I will doe it.
LAVS DEO.
End of the text · William Perkins, The Nature and Practice of Repentance (1593)