Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse and explication 3
Vers. 3. Among whom also we had all our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
THe Apostle doth now apply this Doctrine to the Jews, of whom he himself was one; and therefore he designeth them by the pronoun, We, and affirmeth them to have been before conversion equally miserable with the Gentiles. In doing whereof, and that he may more fully explain this Doctrine of man's misery, he sheweth, first, That even they had their conversation among those children of disobedience, as being no lesse obstinately rebellious against God, than the disobedient Gentiles, following the lusts, or the first motions and sudden flashes of their inbred corruption (here called flesh) which, flowing from Adams first sin, hath infected his whole posterity (Christ alone excepted, 2 Cor. 5-21-) and seated it self in all the powers and faculties of their souls and bodies, even the understanding and will not being excepted, Rom. 8. 7. Col. 2. -18. for, so is the word flesh usually taken in the New Testament, Joh. 3. 6. Gal. 5. 13, 16. Now, all corruption and sin, even that which is in the mind, is called flesh; because it is conveyed by fleshly generation, Joh. 3. 6. the fleshly members of the body are the instruments whereby all is executed, Rom. 6. 19. and every sin draweth the man from God to things earthly and fleshly. Secondly, he subdivideth this inbred corruption of their natures into two heads, first, the flesh, particularly so called, whereby, as it is distinguished from flesh before mentioned, and opposed to the mind spoken of afterwards, must be meaned that corruption, which is seated in the inferiour part of the soul, to wit, the sensual appetite; and next, the mind, whereby is meaned the most noble faculties of the soul, to wit, the will and understanding, in so far as they are also corrupted. Concerning both which he affirmeth, that even the Jews in their unconverted state were fulfilling their wills and desires; by which desires of the flesh, as they are distinguished from the lusts of the flesh formerly mentioned, are meaned their deliberate and fixed resolution to follow those lusts and suggestions of corrupt flesh, which accordingly he sheweth they did fulfill and accomplish to the utmost. And, thirdly, he pointeth at the root and fountain-cause of this their miserable slavery and subjection to sin in the lusts and desires therof, even their natural sin and misery, whereby they were from nature, that is, from their very cradle, birth and conception, children of wrath, as being by reason of their original sin lyable to the stroke of God's eternal wrath, and as much lyable to it as the Gentiles were. Doct. 1. There is not any piece of a Minister's task wherein he hath more need of a spirit of wisdom and impartiality, than when he is about the reproof of sin, and the discovery of peoples vilenesse by reason of their wickednesse; lest, if herein he respect persons, those whom he reflects upon most, be irritate, as conceiving themselves to be unequally dealt with, and lest others, to whom he doth apply that convincing doctrine, neither so directly, nor with such an edge and vehemencie, be puft up in their own conceit above others: for, the Apostle holdeth-forth the rest of what he hath to speak upon this subject of mans misery by nature, in the person of the Jews; lest either the Gentiles had been irritated, or the Jews puffed up; Among whom we all also bad our conversation. 2. Whatever differences may be among unregenerate men as to things civil, externals in Religion, or the particular sins unto which they are inslaved; yet all of them are alike vile in God's sight, children of disobedience, in whom Satan ruleth and worketh; in so far as they are all walking in the lusts of the flesh following inbred corruption as their guide, and obeying it in some one or other of its lusts: for, though there was neither civil commerce, nor religious fellowship betwixt the Jews and Gentiles, Joh. 4. 9. though the Jews had many external religious priviledges which the Gentiles did want, Rom. 9. 4, 5. and though some both of Jews and Gentiles were not enslaved to such vile and fleshly lusts, as others were, Phil. 3. -6. yet Paul pronounces of himself and all of them, that they were children of disobedience because one way or other they followed the lusts of the flesh; Among whom also we all had our conversation in the lusts of the flesh. 3. They, who in their unconverted estate have led a blamelesse life before the world (and therefore have thought their condition abundantly good, Philip. 3. 7-) will, when converting grace cometh, see themselves to have been as vile and wretched as any. They will not only see, that nothing they did was truly good and acceptable to God, as not being done in saith, Heb. 11. 6-. but also that the root of all sin was in them, budding out without any check or restraint, except from respect to self-interest, credit, pleasure or advantage, Mat. 14. 5. and that the more blamelesse they were before the world, spiritual pride did abound the more, Philip. …. 7- and so were more loathsom to God, Iam. 4. 6. for, Paul, whose life, even in his unrenewed estate, was blamelesse, Philip. 3. -6. being now converted, affirmeth of himself as well as of others, Among whom also we all in time past bad our conversation in the lusts of the flesh. 4. As the unregenerate man is powerfully tempted by Satan, and strongly encouraged by the common custome and example of others to sin against the Lord; So there is a corrupt nature within him, which maketh him readily entertain those external incitements, yea, and which would make him do mischief, though there were not a devil to tempt, nor any evil example to be followed; and therefore none of those allurements and temptations to sin from without, though never so strong, doth excuse the sinner; seing they are no more ready to tempt than corrupt nature in him is willing to be tempted: for, the Apostle, having spoken of two guides of a natural man's sinfull course, which are without him, the custom of the world, and Satan's suggestions, ver. 2. he addeth here a third, which is within him, and as forward as any of the former; We, saith he, had our conversation in the lusts of the flesh. 5. The whole man, both soul and body, is infected with sin by nature, so that not only the sensual part, but even his will and understanding are corrupted by it, there being not only ignorance, but also mistakes of God and good in the understanding, 1 Cor. 1. 23. a crooked perversnesse and aversnesse from that which is spiritually good, in the will, Rom. 8. 7. for, Paul reckoneth even the mind, to wit, as it is corrupted, to be a part of flesh: fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind. 6. There are several degrees of sin, whereof, as the latter doth carry sin a step further on towards the height, than the former; so the former maketh way for the latter: for, first, there is flesh, or the very inbred corruption of our natures. Secondly, Lusts of the flesh, these are the first motions of inbred corruption towards unlawfull objects, and such as go before deliberation and advice, and are forbidden, in so far as they relate to our neighbour, in the tenth Command. Thirdly, the desires, or wills of the flesh, which are somewhat more, even the hearts through-consent to the sinfull motion, and a fixed resolution to act it after deliberation and advice, and is that kind of lust spoken-of, Matth. 5. 28. And, lastly, the fulfilling those wills and desires of the flesh, that is, the actual committing of sin so resolved upon. 7. Every unregenerate man, come to age and discretion, is a slave to sin in all the fore-mentioned degrees; for, Paul affirmeth here of himself, the Jews and Gentiles before conversion, that not only flesh was in them, which did lust after unlawfull objects, but that those lusts did come the length of fixed resolutions and desires, yea, and that they did fulfill and accomplish them: for, though civilians do not fulfill the lusts of the fleshly appetite; yet they fulfill the desires of the mind by their pride, vanity of spirit, self-seeking and such like; We all had our conversation in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind. 8. As all men are guilty of original sin by nature, and from the first moment of their conception, Psal. 51. 5. and therefore, in the course of divine justice, liable to the stroke of God's vindictive wrath and anger, and this by nature also; So the misery of unregenerate men is never sufficiently seen, untill it be traced up to this bitter root and fountain, even the sin and misery wherein they were born: for, his saying they were children of wrath by nature, implyeth they were also sinners by nature; seing wrath doth alwayes follow upon sin, and this he reserveth last, as that which was the root, fountain and head-stone of all their misery; And were by nature the children of wrath. 9. Though those, who are borne within the visible Church, have a right to Church-priviledges even from their birth, and by nature, which others have not (See Gal. 2. Ver. 15. Doct. 1.) yet all men, whether born within, or without the Church, are alike by nature, as to the point of original sin inherent in all, and the desert of God's wrath following upon that sin, which wrath is due to all: for, saith he, speaking of the Jews, We were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, by which others he meaneth the unchurched Gentiles.