The Combat Between the Flesh and Spirit, Sermon 19
Sermon XIX. At Lawrence Jewry London, Januar. 19. 1650.
GAL. 5. verſe 17.
For the fleſh luſts againſt the Spirit, and the Spirit againſt the fleſh, and theſe are contrary the one to the other, ſo that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
HAving opened the enmity and contrariety that is between the fleſh and the Spirit: I come now to anſwer two caſes of conſcience relating to this Doctrine, and the firſt is this:
1. If the fleſh doth carry ſuch a contrariety to grace, what are the reaſons why God is pleaſed to leave ſuch contrary principles in the hearts of regenerate men?
2. If there be ſuch a contrariety which can never be reconciled, then to what end is it for a man to oppoſe the fleſh?
Queſt. 1 What are the reaſons why even in regenerate men God ſuffers ſuch a contrariety againſt grace.
Anſw. 1 I ſhall anſwer the queſtion by theſe four particulars.
1. God doth it for the clearer illuſtration of his mercy; God would have ſhewed his goodneſſe if man had never fallen; but being fallen, Rom. 5.21. foreign.God ſhewes his mercy to him. The end of our redemption is that Gods grace and mercy might reign. And herein you may ſee a manifeſt ſignal thereof, that God ſhould work grace in thee when thou hadſt ſuch a contrariety in thy heart againſt it, this is great mercy; though thou haſt a contrary principle in thy nature to grace, yet converting grace will overcome; and though it do not remove, yet it will ſubdue corruption; and grace though it be oppoſed, yet it ſhall never be expelled; grace ſhall be conquerer at laſt, though it be alwayes fighting, whileſt we are in this life.
2. God is pleaſed to leave ſuch a contrariety againſt grace, even in the hearts of regenerate men, that they might put a higher eſtimation on Jeſus Chriſt. If you had not had a contrary principle to grace, you would onelyonly have admired God as a Creator; but now having a principle of ſinne within you, you come to ſee the need you ſtand in of a Mediator. Adam in innocency needed not a Saviour, but now thou being fallen by ſin, and having a principle of enmity in thy nature, nothing but the power of a Saviour can take away this enmity by the work of ſanctification, and nothing but a Saviour can free thee from the guilt of this enmity, even Jeſus Chriſt; as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 7.24,25.I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt that hath delivered me from this body of death; it is he by whom thou art delivered from this guilt and enmity.
3. The Lord leaves this corruption of nature in the hearts of his people, to ſtirre up in them a greater and deeper meaſure of humiliation. Humiliation, it had not been a duty in us, if the Lord had not left the remainers of original corruption in the hearts of his choſen: indeed thou ſhouldeſt have delighted in God to all eternity; but thou ſhouldeſt not have had this ground of humiliation, if ſinne had been totally extirpated. This was Pauls caſe, 2 Cor. 12.7.an eminent Apoſtle; There was given him a thorn in the fleſh, a meſſenger of Satan to buffet him, leſt he ſhould be exalted above meaſure.—
There are foure interpretations given of theſe words, ſome referre this thorn in the fleſh to be meant of Hymeneus and Alexander, which did vex Paul ſo; but this is groundleſſe. Others referre it to ſome exquiſite bodily diſeaſe; but that can harldy be proved. foreign. Cypr.Others referre it to the particular ſinne of luſt of uncleanneſſe; but that cannot be admitted, becauſe Paul had the gift of continency, and wiſhed that all men were as himſelf, as to that particular. But here by the thorne in the fleſh. the moſt inquiſitive and exquiſite Interpreters underſtand it to be the ſin of nature; and it is called a meſſenger of Satan, becauſe the devil doth joyn with mans nature, and doth ſet on the corruption of mans heart; Now why was this thorn in the fleſh left in Paul? was it not to humble him, leſt he ſhould be exalted above meaſure? Deut. 8.15,16.Thus the Lord left the fiery ſcorpions in the wilderneſſe, to humble the Iſraelites; and the Lord leaves corruption in thy nature to humble thee, that thou mighteſt not be puffed up in thy ſelfe, but that when thou perceiveſt the corrupt workings of thy nature, thou mayeſt be the more vile and baſe in thine own eyes.
4. The Lord leaves this corrupt nature in thee for the exerciſe of thy grace. Grace is never more exerciſed, then when it is oppoſed; hereby God will try the truth of thy grace, and the honeſty of thy heart, whether thou wilt fall in with the Spirit, and ſide with it againſt the fleſh. Thus the Lord left the Canaanites in the land, to try whether the Iſraelites would joyn with them; there is a contrary principle to grace left in us, to try whether we will joyn with the fleſh, or follow the motions and dictates of the Lords Spirit.
Queſt. 2 The next Queſtion is, To what purpoſe is it for a man to conteſt with the corruption of his heart, ſeeing that we ſhall carry this corruption to our grave? we have heard that contraries can never be reconciled; therefore to what end is it to ſtrive againſt corruption, when there will be no end of the combate?
I ſhall name three reaſons; that though it be true, you cannot remove the contrariety that is in your hearts againſt grace, yet there is juſt reaſon why you ſhould maintain a conteſt againſt it.
1. If you will not oppoſe corruption of nature, it will break forth with greater rage and violence in your lives; thou haſt now an unclean nature, but if thou doſt not oppoſe it, thou wilt have a vicious life: let but thy nature alone, and it will be like a field unmanured, over-runne with briars and thornes; Out of the heart proceed evill thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, falſe witneſſe, blaſphemies; Matth. 15.19if we ſtifle not evil thoughts in the heart, they will break out you ſee into evill and inordinate practices of life; ſo that herein though you cannot remove original corruption, yet if you do not oppoſe it, you will not only have it in your hearts, but alſo viſible in your lives.
2. Though you cannot remove and deſtroy this contrariety of nature, yet you may be able to ſuppreſſe it; it is true, deſtroy it you cannot, but weaken it you may; remove it you cannot, but repreſſe it you may: You may do with it as Joſhua did by the Gibeonites, he ſaved their lives, but made them hewers of wood and drawers of water; and as the Iſraelites did with the Canaanites, they did not throw them out, but made them tributaries, ſo though thou canſt not drive out corruption of nature, yet thou mayeſt keep it under; and the more thou doſt conteſt with thy corrupt heart, the more thou wilt be able to keep i… under. Lev. 14.41,46.It is an obſervable Law which the Lord gave the Jews touching an houſe that was infected with the p…agu… of Leproſie; God bid the people do this, that if the Leproſie were in the houſe, they ſhould ſcrape every ſtone in this houſe, and if it could not be clean by ſcraping, afterwards they were to pull the houſe down: Thy nature, it is this leprous houſe: the plague of leproſie hath defiled thy nature, and the Lord bids thee do with thy nature, as the Jewes were to do with their houſes, they were to ſcrape every ſtone: ſo do you labour to cleanſe your hearts, ſweep thy heart with the beeſom of ſanctification; and if all will not do, when this houſe of thine ſhall be pulled down by death, then it ſhall be cleanſed. But as long as thou liveſt in the world, be conteſting againſt the workings of corrupt nature; and though thou canſt not expell it, yet thou mayeſt ſubdue it. Though our grace in this life will never be ſo ſtrong as to expell and utterly ſubdue our corruption, yet by our ſtriving and labouring to keep up this conteſt, thou wilt keep thy corruption at ſuch an under, as it ſhall never extinguiſh grace.
3. Conſider, that not to conflict with thy corrupt nature, it is an argument that thou haſt no grace in thee. Between one there is no oppoſition; oppoſition muſt be betweeen two: Theſe are contaary the one to the other; as corrupt nature is contrary to grace, ſo grace is contrary to corrupt nature; and therefore if thou doeſt lie ſtill, and not conflict with corruption, it is an evident argument thou haſt no grace.
Ʋſe. 1 Let this contrariety that is in our hearts againſt grace, Libera me Domine à meipſo. Aug.make us ever watchful and jealous over our own hearts, you know not how farre the contrariety and corruption of your hearts may carry you before you die; do not think, ſurely I ſhall never fall into ſuch a ſin, and ſuch a ſin; be not ſecure, thou haſt a nature in thee that may prompt thee to the worſt ſin, that ever was commited upon the earth. I told you of an obſervation of Mr. Capels, that a Chriſtian before he died, ſhould be tempted to break every Commandment of the Law, and to doubt of every Article in the Creed; thou haſt a contrariety againſt all grace, and therefore an inclination to all ſin; carry therefore a jealous eye over thy ſelfe: Peter he was not ſuſpicious enough of himſelfe, when he told Chriſt, That though all ſhould forſake him, yet he would not; Nay, ſayes he, though I die with thee, yet I will not deny thee; and yet Peter he did both, he forſook him, and denied him, Matth. 26.35.and that with a curſe and an oath. Had Peter known his own heart, he would never have ſaid ſo. Good men know not to what the corruption of their natures may carry them; it may be thou art a holy and a gracious Chriſtian, thou walkeſt unblameably in the place where thou liveſt; but conſider, if God ſhould let thy nature looſe, with what impetuous violence wilt thou be drawne to ſin? Hazael, as I noted before, thought not that there was that wickedneſſe in his heart, which the Prophet foretold him of, 2 Kings 8.13.and therefore ſayes he, Is thy ſervant a dog, that he ſhould do this wickedneſſe? Nay, Chriſt himſelfe forewarnes his diſciples, Luke 21.34.That they ſhould beware of ſurfetting and drunkenneſſe, and the cares of this world; a ſtrange exhortation one would think to ſuch as they were, one would think it had been a uſeleſſe caution to ſuch good men; the diſciples they were not at that time hungerbitten, and that they ſhould be guilty of ſurfetting; and they who had not a houſe to put their heads in, that they ſhould be overtaken with drunkenneſſe; that they who had not the things of this life, ſhould be careful about them▪ this was very ſtrange, yet Chriſt he knew that they had the feeds of theſe ſinnes in their natures; and as they, ſo alſo have all we, and therefore we ought to have a ſuſpicious eye over our own hearts. As in the firſt creation, all creatures were ſeminally in the Chaos, and there wanted onelyonly the motion of the Spirit to bring them forth; ſo in our natures there is the ſeed of all evil, and there wants but occaſion and temptation to draw it forth.
Remember, Direction 2 though there be this contrariety in thy heart againſt grace, yet be not diſcouraged: though thou diſcerneſt this corruption in thy nature more then ever thou didſt in all thy life-time paſt, yet be not diſheartened: there are many godly ſoules in this caſe, who never ſaw more corruption, nor more violence then now they do; they thought ſin was dead, but now they ſee it alive; they thought the power of it was weakened, but now they ſee the edge of it ſharpened. There are theſe conſiderations, why ſuch ſhould not be diſcouraged.
1. Becauſe it may proceed, not from an increaſe of ſin in thy nature, but from a clearer diſcovery of ſinne; not that the object is multiplied and greatened, but becauſe thy ſight is cleared; a godly man he ſees more corruption in his nature then ever he ſaw before: this proceeds not becauſe there is more corruption then indeed was before, but becauſe the Lord hath given him a clearer inſpection into his own heart. I may illuſtrate it by this compariſon. In a dark and gloomy day, you ſee no duſt, nor motes flying up and down your chamber; but let the bright beames of the Sunne ſhine in there, and then you ſee abundance of duſt: now the duſt was there before, but you ſaw it not, becauſe the Sunne made it not appear to you; thus it is with men: Before converſion they have an abundance of luſts in their hearts, but they ſee them not, becauſe the Sunne of righteouſneſſe hath not ſhined into them.—You have a notable paſſage of Paul in Rom. 7.13. Rom. 7.13.But ſin (ſayes he) that it might appear to be ſin, wrought death in me; ſin was ſin before, but ſin did not appear to be ſin, untill he was converted; and now ſayes he, I perceive the workings of my corrupt nature; whileſt I was a Phariſee, I did not then ſee, nor know my ſelfe to be ſo vile and ſinful as now I do; and ſo when light breaks into the ſoul, thoſe ſins appeared which lay hid, and thoſe which ſeemed but as motes, now appeare beames; and thoſe which ſeemed as little as gnats, now appeare as bigge as Camels,
2. It may proceed from a more gracious and tender ſincerity in thy conſcience, then there was in times paſt. In former time thy conſcience was hard, ſeared, and ſenſeleſſe, fighting againſt the ſenſe of ſinne, but now God hath melted and mollified it; God hath made thy conſcience to be not as ſeared, but as raw fleſh: godly men may complain of corruption, and think they have more then ever they had, but it is becauſe they are more tender, and more ſenſible. When a man hath hurt his finger, he thinks he doth never ſo much touch it as then, and this ariſeth from the tenderneſſe of the part, ſo God having made thy heart a broken and a ſoft heart: therefore the corruption of thy heart is more felt then before. Prov. 7.2…Sin to a wicked man is as a blow on the back, but ſin to a godly man is as a blow upon the eye.
3. Conſider this, though you diſcern the corruptions of your nature, and ſee more of it then ever you ſaw before; yet be confidently aſſured of this, that thou ſhalt have the final victory. To this purpoſe I may accommodate that paſſage concerning Rebecca, who having conceived the children ſtrugled together within her, and ſhe ſaid, Lord, Why am I thus? And the Lord ſaid unto her, Two Nations are in thy womb, that is, the riſe of two Nations, Gen. 25.22,23.Eſau and Jacob; two manner of people ſhall be ſeparated from thy bowels, and the one people ſhall be ſtronger then the ether, and the elder ſhall ſerve the younger. Whence mark 1. It is ſaid, There was two manner of people in her womb, and theſe ſeparated; Thus is Sin and Grace.
2. The one is ſaid to be ſtronger then the other, that is, the poſterity of Eſau they ſhall be ſtronger fot a while then the Iſraelites, Numb. 22.18.for they did defeat them once; but now what is the comfort? Why, The elder ſhall ſerve the younger; and ſo it came to paſſe, that the Edomites did ſerve the Iſraelites: 2 Sam. 8.14. 1 Kings 22 47. Obad. 8.17,18.Thus I may ſay as of Eſau and Jacob, Corruption of nature is ſtronger then Grace in many good men, and it is elder then grace; but here is your comfort, The elder ſhall ſerve the younger; Grace ſhall get the final victory.
Direction 3 I inferre hence, that though you are not to be diſcouraged, conſidering this corruption, yet you are greatly to be humbled in the ſenſe of this contrariety, that is, in your natures againſt grace. If you had onelyonly a diſability as to grace, it were matter of humiliation for you; if you had onelyonly an oppoſition againſt grace, that would be cauſe of more humiliation, but having an utter contrariety againſt grace, here is greater cauſe for you to be humbled. A carnal minde is not onelyonly an enemy to God, but enmity it ſelfe. What the Spirit perſwades to, that the fleſh diſſwades from: Rom. 8.7. foreign.and what the Spirit wills, that the fleſh wills; and therefore you have great cauſe of humiliation.
4. Learn to reduce all actual ſins that have broke out in your lives, to their original; that is, to this contrariety of nature. Thou doſt not ſin, becauſe the devill tempts thee, nor becauſe thou art in bad company, but becauſe thou haſt a corrupt nature. It is a ſaying of a learned Divine, that a Chriſtian hath many enemies to fight withall, but he hath onelyonly one which overcomes grace, and that is the fleſh. Were it not for corruption within, all temptations would be no other to thee, then they were unto Chriſt; the Tempter came to him, but he found nothing in him; his temptations were but as a ſpark of fire caſt into the ſea: but the devil comes to thee, and the world comes to thee, and they find fit matter in thee, a ſuitablenes in thy nature to fall into and cloſe with the temptation; and therefore reduce actual ſin to its original; thus Paul did, It is no more I that ſins, ſayes he, but who doth he blame? Rom 7.20.not the devil, nor the world, but ſin that dwelleth in me; that is, an evill and corrupt nature; it is my corrrupt nature which drawes me to evill, and hinders me from good; and if you would thus reduce your ſinne to its original, what cauſe of ſorrow and debaſement would it give unto you? It is ſaid of David, that the devil moved him to number the people, but he doth not charge it upon the devil, 1 Chr. 21.1. 2 Sam. 24.10.but upon himſelf; and ſayes he, I have ſinned, and I have done fooliſhly: we are all tranſgreſſours from the womb. Complain not of the evill that is in thy life, but charge it upon thy corrupt nature; and thus alſo David in another place, Iſai. 48.8.he duces thoſe two great evils of murther and adultery to the corruption of his nature; and ſayes he, I was ſhapen in iniquity, and in ſin did my mother conceive me. And thus Auguſtine in his Confeſſions, Pſal. 51.5.when he confeſſeth how he robbed an Orchard, he ſaith, neither hunger, nor want of the fruit he ſtole, for he had better at home, but it was meerly to gratifie corrupt nature.
5. If there be contrariety in thy nature againſt grace, oh then do not joyn in with this contrariety againſt the Spirit; wouldſt thou joyn with an enemy? this contrariety, why is it in thee? is it not to damne and deſtroy thy ſoule? 1 Pet. 2.11.therefore ſayes the Apoſtle, Abſtain from fleſhly luſts, becauſe they warre againſt the ſoule; the fleſh ſtrives to damne you, but the Spirit ſtrives to ſave you; therefore do not take part with thy enemy. Yet how many men are there that joyn with the corrupt motions of their hearts when they prompt them to evill? and how unreaſonable is this; the Apoſtle tells us, that We are not debtors to the fleſh, to live after the fleſh; Rom. 8.12.as if he ſhould ſay, You owe nothing to corrupt nature, and why will you yield thereunto? It is honeſty in every man to pay his debts: But you owe nothing to corrupt nature, but you are Debtors to the Spirit; and if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye ſhall live: Therefore indulge not the fleſh, or, as the ſame Apoſtle ſpeakes, Make no proviſion for the fleſh. Rom. 13.14.If an enemy come into your houſes, will you victual his camp, will you ſend in Armes to an enemy to deſtroy you? this is that which men do, when they joyn with the fleſh againſt the Spirit. By how much any man makes proviſion for the fleſh, by ſo much doth he joyn in oppoſing, reſiſting, quenching, and grieving of the Spirit. Thus I have done with the double conflict between the fleſh and the Spirit, and the double cauſe of this conflict, Theſe are contrary the one to the other.