but people that in their ordinary course go with a great deal of contentment in evil wayes But though this be true that this is comprehended in walking after the flesh yet this is very lame and short of the full and whole meaning of this place I say it is not the main nor chief meaning of this place it is not primarily not principally meant this is a truth and it will follow as a necessary consequence as I shall shew anon and I doubt not but the Apostle means it when he saith We walk not according to the flesh because in Rom. 6. he takes a great deal of pains in that point but I think this is not the chief meaning My Reasons are these First because I finde that the very scope of this learned Epistle is different if not almost contrary to this his scope is not to quarrel with them for want of doing good works and for walking in sinful works but the scope of it is to beat them off from their own works and to bring them to Christ and therefore he saith Abraham was justified without works he all along disparageth their works as they did them Therefore I think he doth not go so far from his text or from his scope as to make this the main business their sanctification or holiness the not walking in evil or the walking in good works Secondly this cannot be the chief scope of the place because if you take these words They that walk after the flesh in this sense that is those that follow sinful courses if you take them so that none but such as walk holily have a right to Jesus Christ and his righteousness Or if you take them in this sense that they onely that walk in a holy life can come to know that they have the righteousness of Christ fulfilling the law for them neither of these can hold 1. For the first that no man can have to do with Christ or his righteousness but that man that walks according to the Spirit that walks in a holy way and not in sinful courses this is contrary to the stream of the Gospel Why Because the Gospel all along offers Christ to sinners to the chief of sinners to aliens and to the ungodly 2. Then again if this were so sanctification should be before justification a man must be holy before he should be justified As for the latter sense to wit that the Apostle should mean this that no man can know any other way that the righteousness of Christ did belong to him but onely by not walking after the flesh or by walking after the Spirit this cannot be neither for however we may know a little in a way of sense by our walking yet the main way to know our justification is the same way that we come by justification for Faith is the evidence of things not seen The main evidence whereby I know I am justified is because the word of faith saith so the word tells me and faith evidenceth it that faith that I believe by it shews me that I believe Therefore though I be inconstant in my way of grace that to sense shews me a little yet it doth not solely and chiefly and primarily So that this is the substance of it that that sense which godly reverend men give of this place it is true but it is not all nor the first and the chief part of the meaning of it Secondly flesh in the Scriptures and so here and in divers other places it may be understood concerning the Priviledges those various Prerogatives and Priviledges that the people of God the Israelites had in a natural fleshly way from generation to generation Being born of such Parents of such Tribes they had such priviledges belonging to them they had the Oracles and the Covenants and the Tables c. and this is called flesh and I doubt not but the Apostle had this in his eye Saith he The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us that walk not after the flesh As if he had said Do not think because you are of the seed of Abraham or because you have the Covenants and Circumcision and that you are born of such Parents that therefore you shall the sooner have this priviledge to have the law fulfilled take heed of that for now it springs from another root and it comes now in a Spiritual and not in a fleshly way as it did before for they had their mercies generally in the Old Testament according to the flesh that is by generation Isaac as he was Abrahams Son and Jacob his Son c. but now it is in a spiritual way Now that flesh is so taken in Scripture I will give you that one place in Phil. 3. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh saith Paul If any man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more What doth he mean by flesh here He tells you Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law a Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the Church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless As if he had said I had all the priviledges if any man might boast in the flesh I might I am an Hebrew of the Hebrews a Gentleman of the best descent c. So in 2 Cor. 11. 18. Seeing that many glory after the flesh I will glory also ye suffer fools gladly Wherein any is bold I am bold also Are they Hebrews so am I. Are they Israelites so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham so am I. They had priviledges being Israelites more then other people and this is called flesh So I am confident that the Apostle had this in his eye in a special manner when he saith They that walk not according to the flesh And you shall finde that they attributed all priviledges to them because they were Israelites as you see in Mat. 3. say they We are the children of Abraham Saith John Baptist Ye are a generation of Vipers And so in Joh. 8. say they We are free men we are the sons of Abraham saith Christ Ye are of your father the Devil See the Gospel takes away that fleshliness and puts all in another stream and course and way The Apostle aims at that here when he saith Those that walk not according to the flesh As if he had said You shall never have this righteousness to satisfie the law the sooner because you are the Sons of Abraham no more then if you were Scythians or Barbarians Thirdly and lastly the main and chief meaning of this place is this though the other be included when the Apostle saith Those that walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit By flesh here the Apostle means walking according to the old Covenant according to the Covenant of Works in the way of the law and by Spirit is meant walking in the way of faith
or in the way of the Gospel or in the way of Christ There be divers expressions in Scripture that help us to understand it as Rom. 4. 14. it is called They that are of the law that is those that walk according to the law In Gal. 3. there are two or three phrases Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith The walking according to the Spirit is the hearing of faith and it is twice there they that are of faith they that are of faith To be of faith and to walk according to the Spirit is the same to be of the law or of circumcision is to walk according to the flesh In Rom. 10. 5. The righteousness which is of the law saith on this wise The righteousness of the law that is the way of the law that Scripture sets out the way of those that walk according to the Covenant of Works now the way of the law is the same as walking after the flesh and faith he The righteousness of faith saith on this wise that is the grace of the Gospel or the way of faith So the meaning is this we hear of a glorious priviledge that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us and there is no man in the world can get it by his own works or in reference to the Covenant of works no not Abraham himself but it is meerly by Jesus Christ Therefore if any of you think to have this righteousness fulfilled in him and go in the old way to Mount Sinai to the Covenant of Works he is deceived he shall never have it but by walking according to the Spirit no man can enjoy this priviledge by a Covenant of works by their own doing by seeking to fulfil the law of God by their own righteousness but they that walk after the Spirit as if he had said Do not mistake me it is a great priviledge to have the law fulfilled for you but it is not by your own strictness and zeal and though some of you go further then others yet none of you can attain the fulfilling of the law that way for all are come short Rom. 3. But it is those that walk after the Spirit that is those that seek it in a way of faith in another not in themselves those that seek it according to the principles and directions of the Gospel Now because I know this Expositions is harsh to many of you though I exclude not the other therefore I shall endeavour to shew you three things First I will prove clearly out of the Scriptures that this is the meaning Secondly I will give you a Reason why that is the chief meaning Thirdly I shall give you a few Reasons why the Apostle saith that they that walk according to the Covenant of works walk according to the flesh and they that go according to the way of faith walk according to the Spirit Concerning the first that flesh is often taken clearly in this sense I will give you some places of Scripture Gal. 3. 3. This I would learn of you Received you the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect in the Flesh We see in Chap. 1. they are called to the grace of Christ through the Gospel Gospel principles were rightly and savingly practised among them and after there came some among them that perverted them and saith he Are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit and have had Christ crucified among you that now you will be made perfect by the flesh that now you will go and seek justification by your own works and go about to keep the law c. Another place is in Phil. 3. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh and then he speaks of the priviledges of an Israelite and if you look further ver 7. I count all these loss that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is of the faith of Christ So by the flesh he means the righteousness of the law which he throws away for the righteousness which is of faith Take another place Rom. 10. 5. compared with Rom. 6. 14. saith the Apostle Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace When you were under the law and walked after the flesh sin had dominion over you and you obeyed it Here is a parallel place for saith the Apostle When you were in the flesh the motions of sin by the law did work in your members When you were in the flesh that is when you were under the law then the motions of sin did work but now sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under the law you are not in the flesh you do not walk according to the flesh And that I suppose is the meaning of that Scripture 2 Pet. 2. 10. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly and to reserve the wicked to be punished but chiefly those that walk after the flesh in the lusts of uncleanness Now if you take walking after the flesh for sinful wayes it would be the same as if he had said There are divers people that walk wickedly but chiefly they that walk after the flesh for all people naturally walk after the flesh but these were a peculiar people that the Lord would bring judgements on and they walked according to the flesh Who were they They were most of them Jews they were Adams sons that walked in the old Covevenant chiefly they that walk according to the flesh that is the meaning of it or else he would not have said according to the flesh for every man naturally walks according to the flesh So in this Text Who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit and in ver 8. of this Chapter They that are in the flesh cannot please God Now I shall open that by another Scripture Heb. 11. 5. where it said that Enoch pleased God We reade of Enoch Gen. 5. 24. that he walked with God he walked not according to the flesh now saith the Apostle Without faith it is impossible to please God now he that walks in the flesh cannot please God Why so He that goes not in the way of faith by Jesus Christ he cannot please God By believing I please God by walking in the obedience of faith to God I and my works please God Now to please implies one was offended before all my doing cannot please God but my believing presenting to God a perfect righteousness by faith pleaseth God and then all my works are accepted There are two words for it in the Original one signifies to please one that hath been offended another is pleasingness with one that hath not offended as my childe pleaseth me though he have not offended me but the
waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our body The meaning is there is no man knows what that glory is that is to be revealed nor no man what it is to look for it and expect it The word in the Original is as one saith as a woman looks for deliverance when her pains are on her Oh! she would fain be delivered or as a man in Prison that looks for his Friend out of a window he puts out his head and looks but he cannot get out though he fain would Such an earnest hope and expectation and desire there is in the Saints that walk according to the Spirit to see Jesus Christ come and to enjoy that glory that is to be revealed There are many more expressions there that are the fruits of it as the spirit of supplication ver 26. and there is also a triumphing over all our spiritual enemies ver 31. What shall we say 〈…〉 God be with us who can be against us c And then there is an absolute dependance upon God for all things He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him give us all things And then there is also a patient suffering of all afflictions saith the Apostle ver 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed And then there is lastly an absolute eternal union with Jesus Christ in respect of his love I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor any thing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. These are the expressions of the fruits of the Spirit of God in the Soul when men walk according to the Spirit when they walk according to grace Take a man that walks according to the flesh or according to the law you shall finde none of these kinde of things in his soul So much concerning that Use Vse 3. In the next place as this Doctrine is a Touchstone whereby you may try and judge of mens persons so hereby also you may try your services and actions I say this is a rule whereby you may come to know what your services are what worth is in them For as they onely are Saints who walk according to the Spirit let the world judge how they will and those that walk carnally according to the flesh according to the law are not Saints so I say those actions or services of ours that proceed from the spirit of God they are only pleasing to God and those that proceed from the flesh from Old Adam they are not pleasing to him Now I say by this we may try our services and actions as well as our persons for there is the same reason for both in all my actions all that I expect from them is that they be pleasing to God that is the end of all that we do for they cannot justifie us that is done already or if it be not they cannot do it but all is to be pleasing to God Now then the main Rule by which I am to judge of my actions it is this not to judge of them according as they are plausible to men or according as they have affection or enlargement in them as we call it but we are to judge of our actions chiefly if not principally by the principle that they flow from if it be the weakest and meanest action if it be the least sigh or prayer if it proceed from the New Adam the Lord Jesus it is sweet and pleasing to God it is an acceptable sacrifice But if it be the most glorious thing in the world if it proceed from Old Adam not only from sinful Adam but from naturall Adam as he is called the naturall man 1 Cor. 15. I say that that riseth from natural wisdome and invention and understanding and memory c it is but flesh and whatsoever is born of flesh is flesh and as we say Pepper is Pepper that is it is dear so flesh is flesh that is it is a filthy abominable thing to God as it is in this Chapter They that walk according to the flesh cannot please God So that that is born of the flesh that service that ariseth from the flesh that is done from the flesh cannot please God Quest But you will say Cannot the actions that proceed from the principles of natural Adam be pleasing to God Every man knows that of corrupt Adam cannot but cannot that of natural Adam As a man may pray meerly by a naturall wit and bravely to please man and to please himself and he may Preach by a natural wit and do other Exercises and do them finely cannot they be pleasing to God Answ No this is a certain rule that there is nothing that comes from flesh from a principle of Old Adam whether it be naturally good or evil there is nothing whether from pure Adam or from corrupt Adam that is pleasing to God The reason is this Because as it is Gen. 3. 5. that when Adam sinned against God you know his punishment was that he should die he was not to eat or touch the forbidden fruit lest he should die Now when Adam eat of that fruit you know the Curse came upon him and in reference to this you shall finde those phrases in this Epistle Whosoever walks according to the flesh shall die whosoever walks as Old Adam is in the state of the old Curse He shall die and O miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death He calls it a body of death alluding to the main Curse of Old Adam which was that he should die Now when the Lord said that Adam should die for sin conceive not that the meaning is onely that he should die personally that his person now should be subject to the wrath of God to damnation of soul and body for ever in Hell that is not the onely meaning of it it is true he fell under that but the meaning is this also that whole Adam Adam as thou art a publick person thou shalt die that whereas I made and appointed thee to be the Spring and Foundation of all Mankinde and every man in the world is to have thy Image on him and I have filled thee with righteousness and wisdome and good things that may tend much to thy happiness and thy posterity that thou mayest derive a principle to them to be like thee in good and to be pleasing to me But when Adam sinned now saith God thou shalt die I made thee a happy Creature and put abundance of excellencies in thee for thy self and thy posterity as a publick person but now thou hast sinned and extinguished all that good Now I will blast them all thy wisdome and thy righteousness thy soul and thy body thy very being Adam shall die Thy person as thou art a private man and as
the Spirit of God as long as they do so they shall never know the will of God We are not debtors to the flesh but we must be debtors to the Spirit if we will have one true thought of Jesus Christ O praise the Spirit and prize the Spirit If you have any thought of Christ thank the Spirit if you have any glimpse of him in your souls worth any thing praise the Spirit That is the reason that the Saints in the Book of God speak not of the Spirit of God without some special Epithite of Commendation Guide me by thy HOLY Spirit and saith another thy BLESSED Spirit and thy GRACIOVS Spirit and the Spirit of GRACE faith another They never speak of it without some word that shewed their love to it and high esteem of it When the Lord shall come and his Spirit shall be advanced in the hearts of men we shall have glorious times and never before that and those times will come I remember Calvin on those Prophesies in Isaiah and Joel The SVN shall be darkened and the MOON shall be turned into blood in that day Saith he the meaning is all the excellency that a man naturally hath his Learning and Endowments in the dayes of the Gospel when the Spirit shall come with his light when God shall exalt the Spirit The Sun shall be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood Men shall not so much esteem Learning from Books but learned and great men and Scholars shall come to one Classis and one Rank and Form with simple people all waiting on God by his Word through the Spirit A man can take his Boy from School that hath his Latine and Greek and send him to the University and he assures himself that he shall be as good a Minister as his other Son that it may be hath served the Spirit seven years this is our way and a hundred more whereby we basely slight and disdain the Spirit of God and do not honour him and therefore he will not honour us 3. If ever you will be true Gospel-Saints you must suffer your selves to be led by the Spirit of God That phrase you finde oft in Rom. 8. Gal. 5. If you live in the Spirit Walk in the Spirit Be led by the Spirit We are not complementary to commend the Spirit of God c. but give it scope to lead us You must heed more what the Spirit of God saith to you and what he works on you If there come a place of Scripture in your minde hear and consider whether the Spirit of God hath not put it in thy minde and would have thee study it and would have thee compare Scriptures And when thou comest to do any action whatsoever not so much to advise with this man or that man but what saith the Spirit I mean according to the light of the Scriptures hearken to that more then what all the world saith Therefore I have known some men that in their whole lives have often mâ—st the will of God in circumstantial things usually it may be for a year or two or three and they have mist it again in another thing and in another thing and when they have examined how this comes about they can say If they had hearkned to the Spirit they had not done so but they hearkned to men and so went against the dictates of the Spirit in their Conscience they would hear what this man said and what the other man did But now the Spirit will say to them You see I would have shewed you the right way but you would not give me scope but made a cypher of me And for my one particular I do not yet see how I should ever have mist the will of God since I knew him if I had hearkned to the Spirit of God if I had but observed so much light as the Spirit had put into my heart Now we ballance the Spirit with this mans example and with the other mans opinion and so come home by Weeping Cross Therefore give scope to the Spirit I mean not against the Word or above the Word but still I mean the Spirit of God working according to the Scriptures and no otherwise 4. Another thing and a special one is I wish you for the Mysteries of the Gospel to study the Scriptures in the simplicity of them without the glosses of men for a man in extremity must do that that a man that is not in extremity would not do We have brought our selves in such slavery to men that we must take that course that another sober man should not I mean thus when ever we go to look for any truth of God for the will of God we have notions in our mindes beforehand according to the times and places we live in As concerning Baptism what need I go to the Scriptures saith one we have it in such and such mens Writings and so we forestall the will of God that we are blinded and cannot see it Therefore if you will see the will of God I wish you for a while to look on the naked Scriptures And for my part I know but three uses to be made of other Books 1. As first there is this use of Books you have Books that will read the Scriptures in divers languages and shew the Originall and open the tongues now when I see a word in English and doubt of the meaning of it then I will go to the Greek or Hebrew as God hath endowed me with knowledge 2. Then there is another use of Books when I reade one single Scripture it may be I have a Book that will point out halfe a dozen Scriptures to open one Scripture by 3. And it may be I have some Books that take some Scripture and presse it upon my soule as Doctor Prestons and other godly Books But to take Books and say Jerome thinks this and Austin that and fill our heads with notions they blind us that we cannot see the will of God Therefore in reading of the Scriptures there should be this difference from our reading of other Books I mean in respect of age When we are Children and young we use not Spectacles it may be at twenty or thirty or fourty yeares old we can reade without Spectacles but when we come tofifty or sixty then we can see nothing but through Spectacles It should be just contrary with us when we are Christians When we are young we usually never read the word of God but through the Spectacles of mens glosses but when we are older Christians and stronger Saints we should learne to read better without Spectacles we should daily make lesse use of Mens Books and more of Gods Book That whereas before a man turned over twenty Authors upon a point Now he can go humbly to God with his Bible and without Spectacles he can see what the will of God is Therefore lay aside Spectacles sometimes and only take the spirit of God and compare Scripture
acceptation of flesh a borrowed kinde of speech and so it is to be understood in this place Now to open this to you I shall shew you First in general what is meant by flesh Secondly particularly By flesh therefore in general you are to understand in this place and the like every thing let it be what it will be that is against Jesus Christ or his Spirit or his Worship or any thing else that belongs to it any thing that is not of faith or of Christ is it flesh in general Let me speak more plainly Any thing that is of Old Adam is flesh whether it be good or evil and any thing that is of and from the New Adam that is Spirit Now you know we receive two things from Old Adam some natural moral good some reliques of that that he had the fulness of and we receive evil when he was corrupted Now both these take them in the largest extent they are both called flesh in Scripture whatsoever is of or comes from Old Adam is called flesh therefore flesh in many places in the New Testament it is the very same with the old man and you have them taken promiscuously Our old man is crucified Rom. 6. And in another place Those that are Christs have crucified the flesh not onely the corruption or evil that Original sin as we say that is within us but whatsoever of the image of the old man is upon us whatsoever we have had whether it be good or evil from the old man And indeed in the New Testament it is more frequently taken for the moral good of Old Adam then the evil though it be taken for both yet I say most frequently the good of Old Adam especially the wisdom of Old Adam The wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God Rom. 8. as in the New Adam the Lord Jesus Christ the wisdom of the holy Ghost is a most excellent piece so the wisdome of Old Adam is the unhappiest and most miserable thing of all That you may understand this you must conceive that all the principles of this world I mean of all Mankinde all their motions and actions do wholly spring and flow from two roots two principles as the Heathen Philosophers said in another sense they held that all this world did rise from two Beginnings from two Beings from two Principles there was one good and another evil that set all things on work so all things in every man in this world the principles and motions and actions and thoughts and inclinations and wisdome and reasoning and doing whatsoever is within or without man springs from one of these two roots that is it is either from Old Adam â— mean not nature in you but it flows from Adam that was once in Paradise or else from the New Adam Christ Jesus for there were but two men that ever in the world were publick persons that were the Fountain of the principles and proceedings of Mankinde Adam in Paradise natural Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ the Spiritual Adam All Mankinde was made after the Image of the first Adam We have born the image of the earthly Adam 1 Cor. 15. and indeed all the Saints shall bear the image of the heavenly Adam too hereafter at the least Now both these Adams are as two Springs in a hill conveying their streams to two rivers they are springs from whence arise all the thoughts and imaginations and actions and proceedings all the wisdome and righteousness whatsoever is in us it springs either from the second Adam the Lord Jesus planted in the Soul or else it flows from Old Adam from natural Adam that is in us therefore they are called the roots the Lord Jesus is called the root of Jesse Why so because all the new Creation all the work of grace all the principles thoughts and actions of a Saint so far as they are of grace they rise from the New Adam the Lord Jesus Christ Therefore I say to understand this a little in general before I go further A man that walks according to the flesh who is he A man that walks according to any thing of Old Adam whether it be good or evil And usually in the New Testament it is taken for the good 1 Cor. 1. there flesh is taken for the good of Old Adam when a man walks according to the wisdome of Adam according to natural wisdome and according to the righteousness of Old Adam that is done by us or when we walk according to the sins and lusts and corruptions of Adam for both are put together and all makes but flesh and whole flesh strives against whole Spirit Now I say take it in a general sense to walk after the flesh is not onely to walk sinfully and carnally but when a man walks though devoutly and righteously in the eye of the world yet if it be after the principles of Old Adam if he do not walk by a principle planted in him from the New Adam the Lord Jesus Christ all this is but flesh Now then for a man to walk according to the Spirit What is that All his principles spring from the root of Jesse from the Spirit of the Lord Jesus all his actions are upon another ground Now I say all the principles and actions of every man and woman in the world springs from one of these therefore it is convenient and necessary that you consider how the two Adams are the two Springs of all Mankinde the two pillars as it were upon which God hath laid all Mankinde and all that is done in the world and those that walk after the one walk after the flesh and those that are after the other walk after the Spirit So much in generall Now more particularly by walking after the flesh in this place there are three things meant The first thing meant by walking after the flesh according as most of our godly and learned translate it is when a man walks according to the dictates and suggestions of corrupt nature So flesh is taken for Original sin that is that corruption of nature that is prone to every evil and that is an enemy to all good So a man that walks according to the flesh is when the course and bent of a mans soul and life goes after sin though he do some good sometimes yet when his course is that way that is his continuedness and contentedness is after sin this is to walk after the flesh First when it is his continued course for walking is not a step or a leap or a stride but walking is a thing of many paces So it is called a going from iniquity to iniquity Rom. 6. And then there is in walking contentedness and sweetness a man is not said to walk when he is tired or when he goes in danger but walking it pleasant to all young and old So when he saith they that walk according to the flesh that is not onely when men are overtaken by lusts and sin
other is to be pleased with one that was an Enemy before one that was against me that is now received to favour So I have told you briefly some Scriptures to shew you that the flesh is taken in this sense Now the main Reason of it why I believe this to be the chief meaning of it is because that I see clearly that this is the chief drift and scope of this Epistle and if I may speak without disparagement there is nothing more methodically laid down and this is spoken to bring them from the way of works to the way of faith But I hasten Why doth the holy Ghost call walking after the Covenant of Works and after the law walking after the flesh and the other walking after the Spirit The Reason is Because there is so great affinity and nearness between walking legally and walking sinfully that they are promiscuously in Scripture taken one for another For let a man walk and endeavour and do his best according to the Law and not by the Gospel he shall be sure to walk sinfully and carnally there is no help for it If he be under the law sin will have dominion over him and if he go after the flesh the motions of the flesh will bring forth fruit unto death Sin and the law are as it were of so near a kin that the law makes sin more sinful and the more a man strives to keep the law the more he sins The Apostle brought it so near that people were ready to speak non-sense that the law was sin He prevents the objection Is the law sin O no faith he sin is the transgression of the law So that a man that walks according to the law and not according to the way of the Gospel in spight of his heart he shall walk according to the flesh that is according to the lusts of nature he can never walk holily let him do what he can A second Reason why it is called flesh is in allusion to the two Sons of Abraham as we see in Gal. 4. 21. The Apostle there speaking of these two Covenants he saith Abraham had two sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free woman but he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh but he of the free woman was by promise which things are an allegory or a comparison for these are the two Covenants the one from mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage which is Agar for this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children but Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all He is proving that the old Covenant was to be done away Agar was to be thrown out with her children He proves that those two Sons of Abraham Ishmael and Isaac were types of the two Covenants that God made with mankinde the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace Now the Covenant of Works he compares to Ishmael that was born after the flesh as other children were Abraham went in to Hagar and she conceived and bare a childe as other women but Isaac was not born after the flesh all fleshly wayes could not produce Isaac he was a childe of Promise and the Spirit of God breathing in the promise and working mightily in Abraham and Sarah Isaac was produced This is an Allegory there is a great Mysterie that you think not of when you reade of Ishmael and Isaac By Ishmael is meant the Covenant of Works and the principles of it and the practitioners of it and they walk according to the flesh as Ishmael did and by Isaac is meant the Covenant of Grace and those that go that way are children of the promise as Isaac was So God hath set this Comparison and I conceive the Apostle alludes to it and calls it a walking according to the flesh As if he had said Thou shalt never have this righteousness by walking in the way of thy father Ishmael by Mount Sinai in Arabia by walking in the law to turn away the wrath of God but if thou wilt get this righteousness thou must walk according to the Spirit thou must get the Spirit and be a childe of promise The third and last Reason that I shall give why it is called walking according to the Flesh is because of weakness for flesh is put for weakness as the Scripture saith They are Flesh and not Spirit that is they are poor weak things so those that walk in that way in the way of the law they are weak creatures there is nothing but wishing and woulding and covenanting and promising and protesting and vexing and fretting but there is no strength Now one Saint that is truly planted in Christ and the Gospel hath truly taken place in his heart he hath more strength then five hundred of the other Saith Paul I can do all things I can want and I can abound I can go to prison freely I can rejoyce with them that rejoyce and mourn with them that mourn Because the same Spirit that dwells in Christ and works effectually the same Spirit dwells in us and works in us Therefore that is the meaning of it They that walk after the flesh that is they that go after the law they are weak they tug and are never the nearer Heaven and if they should live a thousand years they would be no better but wishers and woulders and say I have a good desire to do as the Preacher saith but I have no power Vse Let me conclude with one word of Use from all this that hath been said which I hope you will consider of From this Doctrine thus opened you may hence see the saying of our Lord Jesus Christ verified and made good that few shall enter into the kingdome of Heaven Doubtless Paul did not look on sinners and Saints as we do we account every Professor let his principles be what they will either from the first or second Adam if he begin to leave sin and to perform duties we account him a good man But when the Lord comes to judge he will look further and examine us and will I fear finde abundance that shall never enter into the kingdome of Heaven even of those that follow good old Adam I mean there are abundance of Professors that have left corrupt Adam in his grossness and follow good old Adam that is a sprig from that they will abstain from sins and they will perform duties and they will do no wrong and all is but old Adam still Therefore you that are Professors look to your selves for the Lords sake I am mistaken if there be not many hundreds of us that will be found the Sons of Ishmael at the last day many that make a great Profession and many that make a greater Profession then others that are honest spiritual Saints before the world before men for when a man goes to keep the law every light that comes into his
knowledge the minde cannot be good that is till a man have a stock of knowledge of things he can never act his understanding and minde about it There are two short Reasons why those that are carnal and fleshly those that are after the flesh they minde the things of the flesh and they minde nothing else nor cannot and those that are after the spirit minde the things of the spirit because they know them they understand them and understanding them they cannot choose as David saith Psal 1. but exercise themselves in them day and night they exercise their thoughts and affections and all in them Now for the opening of it unto you here are three questions First What is meant by being after the flesh And secondly What is meant by the things of the flesh and the things of the Spirit I will put them both together for the one will open the other And thirdly What is meant by minding the things of the flesh and by minding the things of the Spirit First by being after the flesh it is in effect the same that I told you before to walk after the flesh therefore if you have not forgotten that you will easily understand this But yet to make it clearer you must understand that a man is said to be after the flesh or carnal for so they reade it in Latine Qui carnalis c. Men are said to be carnal or after the flesh three wayes The first is when a man is a true Saint but hath but a little measure of grace and hath much corruption much flesh It pleaseth the holy Ghost many times to denominate such a man by the greatest part that is in him which is flesh and so to call him Carnal as in Rom. 7. saith Paul speaking how spiritual the law is but saith he I am carnal sold under sin sold to sin not that there was no grace in Paul but that there was such abundance of corruption at least in his feeling So in 1 Cor. 3. Are ye not carnal saith Paul have ye not need of milk are ye not babes When I hear there are such divisions that some are for Paul and some for Apollos and some for Cephas Are ye not carnal are ye not after the flesh that is Is there not a world of corruption in you doth not corruption rule and bear sway over that little grace that is in you So in Gal. 6. 1. If any man be overtaken with sin you that are spiritual restore such a one that is as if he had said There are some carnal and they cannot keep themselves from being overtaken frequently with sin and much less can such restore others but a spiritual man one that the spirit hath prevailed in some measure over the flesh in keeping him from the foils and falls that weak men fall into and making him able in some measure to raise and heal others Now so we are not to understand it here in this place when he saith They that are after the flesh Secondly a man may be said to be after the Flesh or to be carnall A man that is a true Saint may be called carnall when he doth some one action that may in a sence be wholy carnall For a Saint may do an action that he nor none about him may perceive any thing but carnallity in As in Mat. 16. 23. Compared with Mark 8. 32. There you shall see a godly Saint Peter by name when his Master was Preaching to him what he should suffer at Jerusalem and how he should be put to death and the like Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying Be it far from the Lord this shall not be unto thee This was a Fleshly speech a meer carnall speech Christ was going to Jerusalem to die for Peter and for other poore sinners and Peter takes him aside and rebukes his Master and tells him it should not be so Far be it from thee Christ takes him ahd tells him Get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence to mee for thou savourest not the things of God but the things of men Thou speakest as a carnall fleshly man thou hast no tast of spirituall things If thou diddest looke on it spiritually thou wouldest rejoyce and pray the Lord to help thee to suffer in that temptation with thy Master or to make a spiritual use of it but thou art carnall and savourest of Flesh Now when the Apostle sayeth here They that are afeer the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh he doth not properly mean that neither But thirdly and lastly a man is said to be after the flesh when he is in his pure naturals when he is meerly carnal when he is wholly flesh when he is destitute of the spirit of God when men are so flesh and fleshly in their principles and actions that there is nothing of the Spirit of God in them So it is principally to be taken here Though for the former two I may say this that as far as a Saint either in the measure of his graces or in his actions is fleshly he mindes fleshly things but a man that is wholly fleshly wholly mindes fleshly things And so much concerning the first Question The second thing is What is meant here by the things of the flesh and by the things of the spirit If you remember what I have told you of flesh before you will understand much what is meant by the things of the flesh I told you Flesh was Old Adam both in his good and in his evil pure Adam and corrupt Adam and every thing that came from him or every thing that leads to him that was Flesh So the things of the flesh are these things and all opportunities belonging to them in general But that you may understand it a little better I will shew you what the holy Ghost calls these things of the flesh and the things of the spirit that so by the Scriptures you may understand Scriptures We will put them both together the one will open the other to you In 1 Cor. 2. 11. there you shall see the things of the flesh are called the things of a man For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him The things of a man The things of the flesh are the things of a man that is proper to a man as man Therefore Mark 8. 32. they are called The things that be of men The things of the flesh are called the things that men deal about the things that men as men naturally deal about and look after the things of men But the things of the Spirit of God in that 1 Cor. 2. you have divers expressions of them ver 9. they are the things that Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath entred into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him What are these things these glorious things that no carnal man hath ever seen or