Yet taking altogether our Saviour tells them They ought to watch and pray that they enter not into Temptation and he gives the Reason for it in the following words The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak 2. In which words he gives an account of the reason of the Inconstancy and Insufficiency of good Resolutions viz. that although the Spirit be willing yet there is something we carry about us which weakens our best Resolutions and betrays us into Temptations our Flesh is weak which being so near us as to be a part of our selves makes our Case more dangerous and enforces the necessity of Watchfulness and Prayer But here arises one of the most useful necessary and important Cases that relates to practical Christianity which I shall first set down in its full Force and then endeavour to clear it The Case is this how far and in what Circumstances the weakness of the Flesh doth lessen the guilt of Sin which is committed by it If it be not an Extenuation of the Sin why doth our Saviour mention it in such a manner And if it be then these Inconveniencies follow 1. It seems to abate the necessity of our Care and Watchfulness if the Sin be lessened through the weakness of the Flesh which is unavoidable in this imperfect State 2. It seems to be a fair Plea and Excuse for the greatest part of the Sins of Mankind For 1. The Original inclination to Sin in Mankind comes from the weakness of the Flesh the very frame of humane Nature being such as exposes them to continual Temptations There is a natural Combat between the Flesh and the Spirit for the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other as the Apostle speaks and all Mankind find it too true Now wherever the Flesh is there are Inclinations agreeable to it and these being contrary to the Dictates of the Mind all the Sins of the Flesh will appear to come from the weakness of the Flesh. 2. The frequent Commission of the same Sins will be laid upon the weakness of the Flesh. For the generality of Mankind do not sin out of defiance to God or his Laws or with an obstinate Resolution to sin for they know their Duty and wish they could perform it but alas The Flesh is too hard for the Spirit in them They have many Convictions in their Minds many good Purposes and serious Resolutions at some times and if they do sin it is not with their whole Wills for they have great strugglings and checks of Conscience within even while they commit those Sins And therefore what can their continuing in sin be so properly attributed to as to the weakness of the Flesh. 3. Relapses into the same sin after Repentance seems to proceed from the weakness of the Flesh. For he that hath once smarted severely for his Sins and suffered under the Agonies of Conscience for them he that hath gone so far as not meerly to lament his Folly and to abhor his Wickedness but to make solemn Vows and Promises and Resolutions never more to return to the Practice of them it is hard to conceive that such a one should fall into his Sins again with his whole Mind and Soul for the Light of Conscience when it is once throughly kindled is not easily put out it is a secret Fire which burns inward and can hardly be extinguished and all those who sin against Conscience the Dictates of their Minds are right while they commit their Sins and therefore even these Sins seem to be excused by the weakness of the Flesh. But on the other side the Scripture is plain and express that Sins which do come from the Flesh do exclude from the Kingdom of Heaven The works of the Flesh are manifest saith St. Paul Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness c. Drunkenness Revelling and such like which are properly Sins of the Flesh. Of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And in another place For this ye know that no Whoremonger nor unclean Person nor Covetous Man who is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometâ— the wrath of God on the Children of Disobedience Would God be so severe under the Dispensation of his Mercy to punish Mankind with utter exclusion from Heaven and eternal Misery for Sins which came meerly from the weakness of the Flesh Then indeed there were just cause to bewail the sad Condition of Humanity born under one Law to another bound created Sick commanded to be Sound But God will vindicate his Justice at the great Day and Mankind shall be fully satisfied that none shall be damned for the meer weakness of the Flesh but for the Sins of their Will and Choice That as they had evil Inclinations from the Flesh so they had good Inclinations from the Grace of God and the Law of their Minds ought to have governed and kept under the Law of their Members that others by the same Assistance which was offered to them have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof That the Grace of God doth enable them to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World That if Men do fail of the Grace of God it is through their own fault that those who relapse into sin after Repentance and escaping the pollutions of the World Their latter end is worse than the beginning and in short If Men do live after the Flesh they shall die but if through the Spirit they do mortifie the Deeds of the Body they shall live All which shews That there is so great a Possibility of fubduing the Inclinations of the Flesh that if Men neglect it and give way to the fulfilling of them this very thing will be imputed to them as a wilfull and damning Sin But here the Difficulty still rises for Christ supposes that his own Disciples even the most forward and the best resolved might fall through the infirmity of the Flesh and they did so upon no great Temptation as appears by St. Peter's denying his Master in so dreadful a manner upon so slight a Provocation as the Damsels saying to him Thou also wast wâ—â—h Jesus of Galilee What a mean low and timorous Spirit had possessed St. Peter at that time Was this he who but a few hours before said That though he should die with him he would not deny him Lord what is Man Verily in his best Estate he is altogether Vanity What St. Peter deny his Lord who made that Confession of him which Christ owned was not revealed to him by Flesh and Blood but by his Father in Heaven viz. That he was
first Resolutions and to improve them into a present Practice agreeable thereto as the prodigal Son here did who when he had resolved upon it did accordingly arise and go to his Father v. 20. I do not think there are many Persons in the World who have Convictions upon their Minds of the Evil of their Ways but do resolve at one time or other before they die to repent of their Sins and to make their Peace with God But alas these are Ova subventanea they make a fair appearance but there is no principle of Life in them or as St. Jude expresses it they are Clouds without Water of no Consistency but carried about with winds hurried to and fro with the force and power of Temptations and then their Resolutions are like the Vapours St. James speaks of which appear for a little Time and then vanish away Trees they are without fruit as St. Jude goes on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not that make no shew or appearance of Fruit but it hath no such firmness and substance in it as to endure the nipping Frosts and so it drops off and withers away Just such are the Effects of faint and imperfect Resolutions they never hold out long and only aggravate the Sins committed after them For every such Sin is a plain Sin against Conscience or else they would never have made any Resolution against it And those who continue to sin after Resolutions against their Sins not only lose all the Peace and Comfort of their Minds but make it much harder for them either to make or trust their Resolutions again and consequently to be satisfied of the Sincerity of their Repentance If we would then lay a sure Foundation for the Satisfaction of our Minds in a matter of such unconceivable Moment as the Truth of our Repentance is let us call our selves to an Account as to this matter of the firm Purpose and Resolution of our Minds Have we strictly examin'd our selves as to our particular Sins For there is no Age no Imployment no Condition of Life but hath its Temptations belonging to it which require not only our Care and Consideration but Resolution to keep us from them But suppose we have been overcome by the Sin which doth so easily beset us the Work is harder to recover the Ground we have lost than at first to maintain it but if we have sinned we must repent and the sooner the better but it is not to be done without awakening the drousie and benummed Faculties of our Minds and exercising the secret and hidden Powers therein Not as though this were to be done without the Grace of God preventing and assisting us but because God worketh in us to will and to doe of his good Pleasure we ought to work out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling Let us then trifle no longer in a Work we can never do too well nor too soon nor go about it with too much Resolution It is the want of this which ruins such a Number of those who would fain go to Heaven but have not Courage and Resolution enough to own their Repentance and to break off their former Sins They are half Penitents they are inwardly troubled for them and wish themselves able to withstand the next Temptation but when it comes they yield and suffer themselves to be drawn away as a Bird hasteth to the Snare and knoweth not that it is for his Life Now in such Cases Resolution is not only a convenient and proper thing but a very wise thing For when once a Resolution is found to be serious and in good earnest the former Companions in wickedness will leave off to solicit and if once a penitent Sinner can endure to be despised and exposed for a time by evil Men for owning his Repentance he will find the other parts of his Change grow more easie to him and the Devil's Instruments in tempting will be like himself i. e. they will give over tempting when they see no hopes to prevail And let no Men ever complain that they want Power to break off their former Sins till they have tried what the strength of a Vigorous Resolution will do But because we have always Reason to suspect our selves let us make our devout Applications to Almighty God to give us the Assistance of his Grace through the only Mediation of his Son Jesus Christ. To whom c. SERMON II. Scripture and Tradition COMPARED In a SERMON Preached at Guild-Hall-Chapel Novemb. the 27 th 1687. Coloss. II. 6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him THERE are two things observable in the manner of St. Paul's expressing himself to the Colossians in this Epistle 1. That he had a very good opinion of them at present as appears by the foregoing Verse For though I be absent in the Flesh yet am I with you in the Spirit joying and beholding your order and the stedfastness of your Faith in Christ. What could be said more to the Advantage and Honour of a Christian Church For Order is the Strength and Beauty of any Society uniting the several Parts to each other and thereby preserving and adorning the whole Body And the more there is of this in any Christian Church the more it resembles the Body of Christ and the greater Honour it brings to the Christian Profession Especially when it is joyned with a stedfastness of Faith in Christ i. e. with a firm and well setled Resolution to adhere to that Faith which Christ himself delivered For the true Faith of Christ is not only the Mark which distinguishes but the Soul which enlivens the Body of the Church and by its Vigour and Influence makes the several Parts of it become the living Members of Christ's Body But if all this were seen by St. Paul in the Church of the Colossians what need he to write so warmly and earnestly as he doth to them Must we think as some do that he uses these Expressions as gentle Methods of Insinuation and commends them for that which he would perswade them to But this doth not seem agreeable to the Apostles simplicity and godly sincerity which he elsewhere sets such a value upon But it is far more probable that hitherto they had been very orderly and stedfast But Epaphras going to St. Paul had informed him throughly of their condition viz. That they were like a Garrison closely besieged on all sides and although hitherto they had held out with great Courage yet he did not know what earnest Sollicitations and fair Promises and tempting Motives might do with them and therefore the Apostle writes this Epistle to encourage them in their stedfastness and to warn them against Temptations Which he doth in such a manner as shews 2. That he had a more than ordinary Apprehension of the danger they were in And this I say saith he lest any man should beguile you with enticing words v. 4 And beware lest
any man spoil you with Philosophy and vain deceit after the Traditions of men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ v. 8. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels c. v. 18. All which expressions do imply that he had just reason to fear and to give them caution in time that while they did yet think that they stood they should take heed lest they fell And this is that which the Apostle aims at in the words of the Text As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Receiving Christ Jesus the Lord doth not here relate to his Person but to his Authority and to his Doctrine so the Apostle himself explains it in the next Verse Rooted and built up in him and established in the Faith as ye have been taught Walking in him is an Eastern-way of speaking and supposes both an adhering to that Faith they had then received and living according to it looking on Christ and his Doctrine as their only way to Heaven And as ye had received him so walk ye in him implies that the manner of their receiving Christ and his Doctrine at first was different from that which the false Apostles endeavoured to bring in among them and that they were bound to keep close to that pure and primitive Doctrine which they at first received From hence we may consider a double Obligation lying upon them 1. To keep stedfast to that Faith which they first received without being seduced from it by the Arts of Deceivers who were then busie among them 2. To live according to it by making that Faith the Principle of a Christian Life and so walking in him as they have received him 1. As to the former the Reasonableness of it cannot but appear from the supposition here made viz. that they had received Christ Jesus the Lord. For thereby they declared that they received him as the Christ i. e. as him who was anointed of the Father to teach and instruct his Church and therefore they were bound to adhere to his Doctrine there being no other whom the Father hath sealed and appointed to declare his Will and in him were hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge They received him as Christ Jesus that is they hoped for Redemption thro' his Blood even the forgiveness of sins And if their hopes of Heaven depended upon his Mediation they had the greatest Reason to adhere only to him They received him as Christ Jesus the Lord and therefore they ought to submit to his Authority to obey his Commands and to observe his Institutions and in all Circumstances of Life to keep stedfast to the Doctrine which he delivered But here arises the great Difficulty how they should know by any certain Rule what was the true and genuine Doctrine of Christ which himself delivered For 1. The false Teachers among them pretended to deliver the true Doctrine of Christ as well as the Apostles 2. That which they at first received was no certain Rule For the false Teachers might have been before them And first Possession gives no Title in Religion 3. The Apostle doth not put the whole Trial meerly upon their Judgments or Memories or Capacities viz. What they thought or remembred was at first taught them for the Doctrine of Christ. For it was very possible for them to have mistaken or to have mis-remembred what was at first delivered Nothing can be more weak than to imagine that the Judgments of People in Matters of Faith must be formed according to the skill and excellency of their Teachers For the hearers of Christ himself although he spake as never Man spake yet did very often mistake his meaning And at one time so remarkably that although he took care to rectify their misapprehension yet it is said From that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him So that the highest Infallibility in the Teachers doth not prevent the Possibility or the danger of mistaking in the Hearers And whatsoever any vainly pretend nothing can do it but Transfusing the Spirit of Infallibility into all If we look over the Apostolical Churches while they were under the Care and Conduct of an infallible Spirit yet this did not prevent their running into great Errours and Mistakes as appears by the Account we have of them given by that Spirit which cannot deceive in the Apostolical Writings In the Church of Rome it self even at that time when its Faith was spoken of throughout the World yet there were dissensions and differences there and such as were contrary to the Doctrine which was delivered And St. Paul bids them to mark such which caused them he doth not say it was impossible for them to introduce any thing contrary to the Doctrine which they had learned by Tradition from the Apostles but he not only supposes it very possible but he bids them have a particular Eye to them lest they should be deceived by them The Church of Corinth was planted by Paul and watered by Apollos and there were Disciples of Cephas and of Christ himself And yet in the Midst of so many infallible Teachers they had like to have lost all their Faith as one of them tells them How say some among you there is no Resurrection of the dead And if Christ be not risen then is our Preaching vain and your Faith is also vain Could not they remember to day what was taught them yesterday and so what the Apostles at first preached to them The Churches of Galatia had such an opinion of St. Paul upon his first preaching the Gospel among them that they received him as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus yet presently after he saith am I therefore become your Enemy because I tell you the Truth What! Of an Angel of God or of one received as Christ Jesus to become their Enemy and that upon the most unjustifiable Account because he told them the Truth But where Truth can make Enemies Errours may easily gain Friends And so we find it was in the Apostolical Churches even under the Conduct and Teaching of the Apostles The Colossians were not yet so far gone but they were in such danger that the Apostle writes this Epistle with great Concernment for them He tells them v. 1. he had a sharp Conflict in his own mind about them They had not yet seen his Face in the Flesh being converted by some sent by him of whom Epaphras is most taken notice of but he was present with them in Spirit v. 5. i. e. He was deeply affected with their Condition for he understood the Designs and Artifices of the Seducers among them He knew what fair and plausible Pretences they had viz. that they went about not to undermine Christianity but to advance it by taking in some Jewish Customs and some Gentile Observances and Modes of Worship
not seem to confine the Consequences here mention'd to another World altho' the full Accomplishment of them be only there to be expected but if we attend to his Scope and Design in the End of the foregoing Chapter and the Beginning of this we shall find that even in this Life the result of a carnal Mind is a sort of a Spiritual Death and of a Spiritual Mind is Life and Peace For when St. Paul in the 7â—h Chapter had represented himself as carnal and sold under Sin although there were great strugglings between the Convictions of his Conscience and the strength of carnal Inclinations yet as long as the latter prevailed so that he could not do the things that his Mind and Reason told him he ought to do but did those things which he was convinced be ought not to have done The more he reflected upon himself the more sad and miserable he found his Condition to be as appears by that Emphatical expression which follow'd upon it O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death But he no sooner finds hopes of Delivery and Escape out of that Estate but he breaks forth into Transport of Joy and inward Satisfaction Thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Not meerly a Victory over Death but over Sin too And so he begins this Chapter after a triumphant manner There is therefore no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit For the Lord of the Spirit of Life which was in Christ Jesus hath made me â—â—ee from the Law of Sin and Death He that groaned under his Captivity before to the Law of Sin doth now rejoyce in his Deliverance from it by the Grace of the Gospel For what could not be done by natural Freedom by the Power of the Law and the Force of Reason is brought to pass by the Assistance of Divine Grace given to the Souls of Men by Jesus Christ. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh What was that which the Law could not do It could awaken convince terrifie and confound the Consciences of Sinners under the Sense and Apprehension of their Sins but it could neither satisfie the Justice of God nor the Minds of Men it could not remove the Guilt nor take away the Force and Power of Sin But God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinfull Flesh and for sin condemned sin in the Flesh i. e. Jesus Christ becoming an expiatory Sacrifice for Sin took off the damning Power of Sin and by the prevailing Efficacy of his Grace subdued the strength and force of it to such a degree That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit How could this be if St. Paul still considered himself in the same Condition he did in the foregoing Chapter For if he were still in Captivity to the Law of Sin in his Members how was it possible that the Righteousness of the Law should be fulfilled in him How could he walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit if the Good which he would he did not and the Evil which he would not that he did For these things are so repugnant to each other that when they are spoken of the same Person it must be under different Considerations the one of him as meerly under the Power of the Law the other as under the Grace and Influence of the Gospel The one was like rough and a churlish sort of Physick which searches into every Part and puts all the ill Humours of the Body into Motion and makes a general Disturbance and Uneasiness within but yet lets them remain where they were the other is like a gentle but more effecutal Remedy which carries off the Strength and Power of inward Corruptions and alters the Habit and Temper and puts quite another Disposition into us which produces very different Effects upon us For instead of Horrour and Despair and inward Anguish and Confusion there will follow a new Life of Joy and Peace here and Eternal Happiness hereafter And this is what the Apostle means in the Words of the Text To be carnally minded c. Wherein are two things which very much deserve our Consideration I. The different Tempers of Men's Minds some are carnally and others spiritually minded II. The different Consequences which follow them To be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace I. The different Tempers of Men's Minds The different Denominations are taken from the Flesh and the Spirit which are here represented as two Principles so different from each other that the same Person cannot be supposed to be acted by both of them For as the Apostle saith in the foregoing Words They that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit Where the Flesh in a Moral sense takes in all our sensual Inclinations which are sinfull either in their Nature or Degree The Spirit is that Divine Principle which possesses the Mind with the Love and Esteem of Spiritual things and keeps our natural Inclinations within the Compass of God's Law To be carnally minded is to be under the Influence of carnal things so as to make the Pursuit of them our chief Design To be spiritually minded is to have so deep and just a Sense of God and his Law upon our Minds as to make it our business to please him and therefore to subdue all such Inclinations which are repugnant to his Will But here lies the main Difficulty how to judge concerning this matter so as to be able to determine whether we our selves be carnally or spiritually minded Which is a thing of so great Consequence for us to know that the Peace of our Minds the true Comfort of our Lives our due Preparation for Death and a happy Eternity do all depend upon And yet that this is a real Difficulty will appear from these Considerations 1. It requires a greater Knowledge of our selves as to our spiritual Condition than most Persons in the World can pretend to For it is not a slight and superficial View of our selves not a transient sudden Reflection nor a partial Inquiry into our inward Passions and the Course of our Actions which can make us capable of passing a true Judgment upon the Temper of our Minds but there must be a true Light a serious and diligent Search frequent Recollection free and deliberate Thoughts long Observation and due Comparison of our selves with our selves and with the Law of God before we can form a just Opinion as to the prevailing Temper and Disposition of our Minds It 's true this is not necessary in all Persons for some and I am afraid too many are so carnally minded that
the least Reflection or Consideration would make them see how bad their condition is For they have no true Sense of God or Religion at all they have no serious thoughts or apprehensions of Divine and Spiritual things this World they pretend to know something of and have too great an Esteem of the Vanities and Pleasures of it for these wholly take up their Hearts and Time and they have a savour and relish for any thing that tends to their Greatness or Honour or Entertainment of their Appetites or Fancies here buâ— if we speak to them of another World of God and Heaven and a Spiritual Disposition of Soul either they look on us with Amazement as if they were insensible of such things or else with Scorn and Contempt as if we went about to deceive them Alas They are too wise to be imposed upon by us and they have other things to mind I am sure not greater or weightier which take up all their Time and so what through the Business and the Impertinencies of this World their Time passeth away as a Table that is told and as though it were a pleasant Tale they are troubled only to think it will be so soon at an End But these are not the Persons who require any such Care to pass a right Judgment upon them for they can pretend to nothing that is spiritual as to the Tempers and Dispositions of their Minds and therefore such as these must be set aside for it is too apparent that they are only sensual and carnally minded But as the Papists distinguish of the Body of Christ so may we of the carnal Mind there is a gross and Capernaitical Sense and there is a more refined and if I may use the Expression a more Spiritual Sense of it For altho' it be a great Absurdity in them to suppose that a meer Body can be after the Manner of a Spirit yet it is not so to suppose a Carnal Mind to have a Mixture of some Spiritual Qualities and Dispositions in it And this makes the difference so much harder to be perceived between the carnally and spiritually minded since there are the same Faculties of Perception Reasoning and Application in both and the same common Principles of Religion may be owned by both which may in Reason be supposed to make some Impression on the Minds of the more ingenuous Part of Mankind who are not given over to such a Reprobate Sense as the former were Now how to distinguish between frequent good Impressions on the Mind and an habitual Temper and Disposition is not so easie to all who are concerned to distinguish them And yet a Person may be throughly convinced of his Sins and tremble at the Apprehension of the Justice and Severity of God against them he may have many Checks and Reluctancies of Conscience while he goes on to commit them he may sigh and groan and lament under the wretchedness of his Condition by his Love of Sin and yet may love his Sins all the while more than God or Heaven or any thing in Competition with them The difference doth not lie in the Nature or Number of the Impressions from without but in the inward Principle of Action A Cistern may be full of Water falling down from Heaven which may run as long as that holds which fell into it but a Spring hath it rising up within and so continues running when the other is spent A carnal Mind may have many Spiritual Convictions and good Motions and Inclinations but after a time they wear off and leave no lasting Effect behind them but where there is a Spring in the Soul there is a fresh and continual Supply of such Inclinations as keep up a constant Course of a Spiritual Life which our Saviour calls Rivers of living Water I confess it is hard to determine what a Habit or Principle abiding in our Minds is yet the Scripture doth evidently suppose such a thing when it speaks of the New Birth and the New Life and the New Creature and the Children of God all which are very insignificant Terms if there be not under them something answerable to the First Principles of Life and if there be not a Divine Spirit dwelling and acting in the Souls of good Men and raising them up above carnal and sensual Objects to things Divine and Spiritual and carrying them through the Passage of this World so as to prepare them for a better But yet there may be many things which carry some Resemblance to this Principle within which come not up to it There may be such Principles of Education and good Manners such Awakenings of Conscience such a Strength of Natural Reason and common Ingenuity as may carry one on to do some very good things and yet he may fall short of having a true Principle of Spiritual Life in him But then there must be another Principle within which contradicts this and prevails over it and carries him on to the Love of Sin which proves too strong for the Love of God and the due Regard to Spiritual things The Result of this Discourse is since the Carnal Mind is not to be taken meerly for such a one which stands out in opposition to the Gospel nor for such a one which is insensible of Spiritual things but such as may consist with a common Profession of Religion and have the same Convictions and good Impressions which others have it doth require a more than ordinary Acquaintance with our selves to be able to judge aright whether the Temper of our Minds be Carnal or Spiritual 2. But this is not all for since there is so great a Mixture of Good and Evil in the better sort of Mankind there is required not barely Knowledge of our selves but a good Judgment too to adjust the Proportions of Good and Evil in particular Persons so as to be able to judge whether we are carnally or spiritually minded For as those who are Carnal while they follow their carnal Inclinations may have many inward Strugglings by spiritual Convictions so those who are spiritually minded may meet with many Combats from the Flesh which may be troublesome where it cannot prevail But there is a great difference between the Spirit struggling against the Flesh in the carnally minded and the Flesh struggling against the Spirit in those who are spiritually minded For where there is no perfect Victory there will be some Opposition and the best have so many Failings to complain of in this World so many Infirmities and Defects in their good Actions so many Passions not brought into their due Order so many Omissions of Personal and Relative Duties such Variety of Tempers and Weakness of Resolution such Coldness in Devotion and unreasonable Dejections of Mind so many unaccountable Fears and such dreadfull Apprehensions of Death and the Consequences of it that these things must make great Abatements as to such as are truly spiritually minded But by all these things the
Difficulty still increaseth and therefore it is time to come to the Resolution of it and that will be by shewing that the Difference between the carnal and spiritual Mind lies in these three Things 1. In the deliberate Judgment and Choice 2. In the prevailing Interest 3. In the constant Rule and Measure of Actions 1. In the deliberate Judgment and Choice For the main difference as to the carnal and spiritual Mind lies in the different End which is aimed at by them Where the chief End is the pleasing our selves and the enjoying of any thing as our Happiness under the Supream Good whatever Thoughts and Intentions we may at some times have to repent of our Sins and turn our Souls from the Love of Sin to the Love of God as long as we continue pursuing a wrong End we have too great Reason to conclude our Minds to be yet carnal and sold under sin For while the Apostle represents himself so he tells us he had his Conscience thoroughly awakened with the Sense of his Sins even of those which the World is least apt to be sensible of inward and secret Sins he was not only convinced of the Excellency and Purity of the Law but had some Pleasure and Satisfaction in it he had some hearty desires to be rid of his beloved Sins but yet they were too hard for him he sighed and lamented under his deplorable Condition but till the Grace of God came to set him free he was in a miserable and hopeless State But how is it that the Grace of God thus refines and purifies the Minds of Men so as of Carnal to make them Spiritual when the same Passions and Inclinations remain A Change there must be and that real and spiritual and therefore in our best Faculties viz. our Understandings and our Wills not by a Revelation of New Objects to the Mind nor by offering any Force upon the Will but by fixing the Judgment of the Mind and the Choice of the Will upon the best and most desirable Objects which is God himself as the Supreme Good The Turn of the Soul which makes one spiritually minded must not be only from gross and sensual Inclinations but from every other kind of Good which stands in Competition with the Supreme A truly spiritual Mind is one that is possessed with the Love of God above all and that values other things as they tend to the Enjoyment of Him God must be the only Center of his Hopes and Designs for in him alone his true Happiness consists As the Psalmist expresses it Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee Whatever falls short of this may agree to a carnal Mind but a carnal Mind can never love God as he ought to be loved not with a Supreme transcendent Degree of Love which is alone proper and suitable to him All other kind of Love is beneath his Infinite Goodness and Perfections and to love him as we do his Creatures is to do him the greatest Dishonour for it levels their Perfections and supposes them to deserve the same Degree of Affection from us But there may be many spiritual Notions in Men's minds about God and Religion about mystical Unions and the Participations of Divine Love many seeming Spiritual Raptures and Ecstasies and yet there may not be this spiritual Mind For the Heats of Enthusiasm may seem to be very Spiritual but are of another kind they are Spiritual as they are the Effects of a great heating of the Spirits by the Force of a vehement Imagination which hath been often accompanied with as vehement an Inclination to sensual Pleasures which shews the plain Difference between an exalted Fancy and a spiritual Mind A Spiritual Mind is such a one as is not only throughly convinced of the Reality of Spiritual things but of their Excellency and Desirableness above any others that can be offer'd to our Choice It sees through all the glittering Vanities of this World and soars above the most tempting and bewitching Follies of Mankind here It frequently retires from the Noise and Confusion the Hurry and Vexation of Worldly Affairs that it may converse more freely with invisible Objects not meerly by way of Contemplation but by raising the Affections of the Soul towards them as the things which it hath chosen for its Happiness And this makes a wonderfull Alteration in the thoughts that these different Tempers have concerning the same things I do not deny but those who have carnal Minds may have some raised and spiritual Thoughts but they are too cold and speculative they may have noble and refined Speculations about the invisible World may be fully convinced that the things which are seen could not be what they are were it not for the things which are not seen and that the things which are not seen are of incomparably greater value than those which are so much more admired because they are seen But we must not conclude that because Men do really believe Spiritual things therefore they are spiritually minded for that were to suppose all to be Saints who are not Atheists but there must be such a due Preference in our Minds of that Invisible and Eternal State above all that is accounted great and desirable here as gives a just Denomination to one that he is spiritually minded i. e. that his Mind and Soul is fixed upon another World as his proper Happiness and other things are regarded and valued in subserviency to it 2. A Spiritual Mind is discerned by the Prevailing Interest For as long as we are made up of Flesh and Spirit there will and must be a Combat between them For the Flesh lusteth 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 And yet the same Apostle soon after adds They that are Christ's have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts the Meaning is that in some particular Instances and less remarkable Cases the Flesh may sometimes be too hard for the Spirit but in all notorious Instances of the Lusts of the Flesh which he reckons up and in the main Issue of all lesser Combats the Spirit will be too hard for the Flesh in those who are spiritually minded as the Flesh will be too hard for the Spirit at last in those who are carnally minded If we look on them in the time of the Combat it will be hard to judge which is most likely to prevail but those may have the better in some particular Skirmishes who may lose very much in the State of the War a good Man may be foiled by Surprise or under some disadvantage but he will recover himself and it may be gain Ground by his Falls and a bad Man may in some fits of Devotion seem so spiritually minded that one might be apt to think he were quite changed till he returns
forth the most unvaluable Kindness which was ever manifested to the world in his now approaching Agonies and suffering on the Cross for the Expiation of the Sins of it One would have thought the very mention of the shedding of his Blood Ver. 28. should have startled and amazed and confounded the Spirits of his few weak and concerned Disciples who placed all their Happiness and Comfort in the Presence and Safety of their beloved Lord. Especially when he took his solemn leave of them after this Supper in that admirable Discourse related by S. John which he concludes with that most Divine Prayer Chap. 17. But all this made no great Impression upon them at that time not through any natural dulness or stupidity but they were so possessed with an Opinion of his Power and Wisdom to free himself from Danger and Suffering and they had seen so many Experiments of it that they could not believe it till they saw him actually betrayed and carried away For when he told them as they were going up to Jerusalem that he should be betrayed condemned mocked and scourged and crucified the Evangelist saith They understood none of these things i. e. they took all that relates to the greatness of his Sufferings and his Departure from them to be some deep Mystery and Allegory which their Capacities could not comprehend and that because of his Figurative and Parabolical way of speaking as when he said He would not henceforth drink of the fruit of the Vine untill he drank it new with them in the Kingdom of Heaven They could not tell but the shedding his Blood might be as Figurative an Expression as this was Our Saviour perceiving them to be still so secure and inapprehensive after the usual Hymn at the end of the Passover he takes them out to accompany him to a Garden near the Mount of Olives whither as S. John saith He often resorted with his Disciples As they were going along our Saviour tells them more plainly that very night such a wonderful Alteration would happen among them that they who now seemed to value him above all the World and to rejoyce in nothing but his Presence would shamefully forsake him and disown him All ye shall be offended because of me this night S. Peter had so little mistrust of himself that he boldly answered Though all men should be offended because of thee yet will I never be offended Our Saviour pittied him for his Weakness and Presumption and withal tells him though he thought so well of himself then he would fall the first and the foulest of any Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee that this night before the Cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice Yet such was S. Peter's Confidence of himself by reason of his present warmth and resolution that he Replies with great assurance Though I should die with thee yet will I not deny thee It was bravely said and no doubt at that time he meant as he spake But this Resolution was not peculiar to him for the rest of the Disciples expressed the same Likewise also said all the Disciples Never did Persons seem better resolved than these there was no Hypocrisie or False-heatedness no Artifice or Design in all this they verily believed themselves and did not in the least question but they could as readily die for Christ at that time as they could live with him But our Blessed Lord was more sensible of their Weakness than they were themselves he knew what a sudden change his Apprehension and Arraignment would cause in their Minds how their Passions would be too strong for their Resolutions and they who so lately had declared they would die with Christ could not have the heart to stand by him Therefore although his own Sufferings came on very fast upon him and seized first upon his Mind when he said My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death and pray'd in that passionate manner to be delivered when he fell on his Face and said O my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me c. yet he was so concerned for his poor Disciples that were so little apprehensive of their Danger that they were fallen asleep in the Garden that in the midst of his own Agonies he rouzes them up and gently awakes them for their unseasonable Drousiness What could ye not watch with me one hour and immediately subjoyns this short Exhortation Watch and pray that ye enter not into Temptation From which words we may consider 1. The Insufficiency of mere present Resolutions without Watchfulness and Prayer 2. The Reason of that Insufficiency from the weakness of the Flesh joyned with the weakness of the Spirit 3. The necessity arising from hence of Watchfulness and Prayer But before I come to these Particulars it will be necessary to give some account of what is meant by entring into Temptation here which implies one of these two things Either 1. That they might be kept from extraordinary Tryals which seems to be meant in the Lords Prayer when we say lead us not into Temptation For to Tempt in general is no more than to Try and a state of Temptation is a state of Tryal to pray therefore that we may not be put into a state of Temptation is to pray our selves out of this World which was designed by Almighty God for a state of Tryal in order to another World Therefore when we pray not to be led into Temptation the meaning is that God by his wise Providence would keep us from such Tryals which according to the ordinary measures of Grace we should hardly be able to withstand For although it be possible for those to whom God gives extraordinary Assistance not only to resist the Temptation but to triumph over it and to shake off Temptations as St. Paul did the Viper from his hand on which account St. James saith to such Heroic Christians My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers Temptations And Blessed is the Man which endureth Temptation c. Yet considering the frailty of humane Nature and that God is not obliged to give extraordinary Assistance in difficult Cases it is a Wise and becoming Petition for us to our heavenly Father that he would not lead us in this manner into Temptation or as our Saviour here expresses it To pray that we enter not into Temptation 2. But because our Saviour very well knew that his Disciples were so suddenly to enter into Temptation in the former Sense and because it is not fit for us to set Bounds to Gods infinite Wisdom with respect to our Condition therefore there is a farther meaning in this Expression viz. That if it seems fitting to him who hath the Power and Right to dispose of us to single us out for great Temptations or more than ordinary Trials of our Constancy or Resolution that then he would give such supplies of his
any one Precept of the Law especially such as respected God and his Worship that would make amends for all the rest and this was the true Reason why the Pharisees made long Prayers and yet devoured Widows Houses for they thought the Duties of the first Table would excuse the neglect of the other But S. James saith If a Man keep all the rest of the Law and yet allows himself in the wilful breach of any one Point that implies such a Contempt of the Lawgiver as renders him as obnoxious to Divine Justice as if he had broken the whole But here a great difference is to be made between a single Act committed through the Power of Temptation against a contrary habit of Vertue and the habitual Practice of known Sins It is possible for a sober Man to be surprized into an Act of Intemperance and to be overcome by the strength of Wine but see the difference between such a one and one that hath a habit of Intemperance The one goes on in his Course and hath lost the very Sense of his Sin and the Power of resisting it and by degrees thinks he cannot live without it the other looks with Indignation upon himself for his Folly he repents presently and resolves to avoid all occasions of being guilty of the like Folly And the same holds as to other Sins if Persons do love God and their Souls and be overcome with Temptations they presently repent with great Sincerity and return no more to the Practice of it 3. All Acts of known Sins presumptuously committed are inconsistent with a constant and sincere Endeavour to please God Where there is true Friendship among Men it is not presently broke by every Neglect or sudden Heat and Passion but if a Man sets himself with Study and Deliberation to affront another that is a reasonable Cause to break off any Pretence of Friendship because such an Action was not consistent with the love of a Friend so it is with notorious Sins committed wilfully and deliberately notwithstanding all the Motions to the contrary from God's Honour and Justice and Soveraignty and from the Commands and Threatnings of the Gospel these are inconsistent with being in a State of Friendship with God which is all one with a State of Salvation Not that all who commit them must immediately or necessarily be damned for them but tho' hereby they renounce any Title to Friendship with God and all their hopes as long as they continue in such a State without true and hearty Repentance are vain and groundless And to entertain such hopes notwithstanding such sins is properly the Sin of Presumption which is Confidence of anothers Favour without any Reason for it 2. By these we may now easily understand what those Failings are which the Gospel allows for Infirmities viz. such which are unavoidable by us in this imperfect State notwithstanding a constant and sincere Endeavour to please God by doing his Will God knoweth our frame and remembreth that we are but dust Not meer Dust for then it were to no purpose to take Care to save our Souls but a Mixture and Composition of dull heavy lumpish Matter and a sprightly vigorous active Soul which grows uneasie by being fettred and clogged and distracted in its best and freest Motions by it The Soul can hardly raise it self above this Region of Darkness and Temptation and attempt a Flight towards the State of Serenity and Happiness above but it is pulled down by that weight which hangs upon it and diverted by the various and restless Impertinency of wandring Imaginations The most watchful Mind cannot prevent all the disorders of a roving Fancy in the midst of our more serious Devotions If we set our selves to fix our Minds upon the best Objects and to prevent any wandring thoughts the Success seldom answers our Design and our thoughts are gone before we are aware of it Our Minds are like a Ship tossed upon the rowling Waves but although we cannot hinder their unequal Motion we may steer their Course to the Port we aim at But beside the Extravagancies of Imagination our Desires are hard to be kept within their due Bounds there are many Failings in our best Duties great Coldness and Lukewarmness at least in our Devotions and yet too great Proneness to think well of our selves for them though God knows our Omissions and Neglects are so many and those we do perform are so mean and slight that we have more cause to pray to God to forgive than to hope he will accept our mean Performances But yet I do not say our best Actions are Sins for there is a real difference between Actions imperfectly good and morally evil in these the Substance is bad but in the other the Acts themselves are good but only lessen'd by the manner of doing them And to these Failings in our best Actions we must add the great unevenness in our Tempers the Inconstancy of our Resolutions the uneasiness of our Minds under the Troubles of Life arising from want of due Resignation and Submission to the Will of God the many secret lurking Passions within us which are called the Motions to sin and S. James styles The lust which conceives and brings forth sin and St. Paul The Law in our Members warring against the Law in our Minds which may give a great deal of disturbance where it cannot prevail It is a sad thing to read the Complaints of such Persons as St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Jerom about the inward Motions to sin after an Age spent in Mortifications and when their Bodies were wither'd with Age and broken with Diseases and hard Usage But there is a greater Instance than these of St. Paul himself who after all his Perils by Land and by Sea after all his Watchfulness and Fastings and Prayers yet he was forced to keep under his Body and to bring it in Subjection lest that by any means saith he ' when I have preached to others I my self become a cast-away But still there is a great difference between pursuing the things of the Spirit with the Reluctancy of the Flesh and pursuing the things of the Flesh with the reluctancy of the Spirit the former shews only the Motions of the Flesh which being subdued are but Infirmities but the latter do not cease to be wilful Sins tho' there be inward struggling in the Commission of them and the prevailing Party ought to give the Denomination to the Person whether carnal or spiritual For They that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh but they that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit And according to the great Design and Tenour of our Lives and Actions will be our Character in this World and recompence in another Nothing now remains but to conclude with recommending to you the Duties of Watchâ—ulness and Prayer 1. Watchfulness which is a constant Care of our selves and Actions We walk as
raised from the Dead even by him doth this Man stand here before you whole Could any thing be spoken with more Freedom and Plainness than this The Person whom ye crucified God hath raised from the Dead and thereby hath demonstrated your Wickedness and Folly he whom ye slighted and killed even now he works Miracles among you for by him doth this Man stand here before you whole Could any thing be more provoking to them than this Why was not the Matter at first examined And if there had been any occasion to suspect them never were men more concerned to lay open an Imposture than these were Why were not other Witnesses produced against them and the whole Contrivance then laid open to prevent any farther mischief But like guilty Men they durst not go farther into it only they endeavoured to stop their mouths and charged them not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus But this would not do their Business for they answered They could not but speak the things which they had seen and heard After this we find them brought before the Council again and then they severely rebuked them for breaking their command to which the Apostles answered with great Temper and Constancy We ought to obey God rather than Man and immediately tell them the same things The God of our Fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree And we are his Witnesses of these things No wonder that it follows that when they heard it they were cut to the heart for nothing is so cutting as a true Charge of Guilt when Persons cannot answer it nothing can be more uneasie than to be told of it And instead of examining the Matter farther they take Gameliel's Counsel and let them alone This I the rather insist upon because the Matters were then fresh the Persons were alive who were most concerned to disprove them and the Apostles urged them before that Council which had not long before contrived and porcured the Death of Christ and took great Care to prevent the taking away of the Body when it was in the Monument And now Why should it be thought by any a thing incredible that God should raise the Dead When there were such early and such constant Witnesses of it who offered the Proof of it to all sorts and wrought Miracles to confirm their Credibility What can the most incredulous Mind suggest towards the taking away the force of their Testimony There are but two ways to do it 1. To suppose them honest and well meaning Men who were deceived by their own Fancies 2. To suppose them cunning and designing Men who went about to deceive the World with what they did not believe themselves 1. To suppose them deceived themselves All that hath been suggested in this Cavilling and Sceptical Age to this Purpose is that the Scripture it self owns that some good Men have been deceived in the same manner as Abraham and Lot taking the Angels for Men and believing that they did eat But I will make it plain that there was a vast Disparity in the Case For 1. Here was a true and real Body without Dispute for it is not denied that Christ did really suffer on the Cross and was dead and buried But what became of the true Body of Christ In the other Cases either there was no real Body at all but the Angels assumed such Matter for the time which had all the appearances of Humane Bodies in speaking walking and eating or if the Bodies were real yet we read nothing as to any such Circumstances of dying and being buried as there are about Christ's Body And there are some remarkable Circumstances as to the Body of Christ which ought to be observed 1. That there was infallible Proof that he was really dead by the Testimony St. John gives of his seeing the Soldier pierce the Pericardium with his Launce which all agree to be a mortal and incurable Wound if there had been Life before and he adds it because there were then some who denied that he really died on the Cross. 2. That his Body was laid in a new Sepulchre cut out of a Rock which is taken notice of by three Evangelists because it was not liable to any suspicion of Practises by his Disciples as to the conveying away of the Body by any other way than by the mouth of the Sepulchre 3. That the mouth of the Sepulchre was closed up with a Stone which was Sealed and had a Watch set to Guard it so that here was all imaginable Care taken to prevent any taking away the Body out of the Sepulchre 2. The Proofs as to the Truth of Christ's individual Body after the Resurrection are quite of another Nature from those of the Angels appearing to eat with Abraham and Lot for this was a sudden Action of theirs and not the main thing intended by them It was only to introduce the Message they had to declare but in the Case of our Saviour the great business was to assure them of the Truth of his Resurrection Therefore it is said That he shew'd himself alive after his Passion by many infallible Proofs being seen of them forty days Among these Proofs St. John insists upon his shewing them his Hands and his Side but this would not satisfie Thomas but he must thrust his Hand into his Side Could there be greater Proof of the same Body than this So that either we must give over all Evidences and Proof of the same Body or we must allow that it was given in the Case of Christ's Body And nothing but obstinate Infidelity can make any objection against the way of Proof supposing the Matter of Fact to be true as the Evangelists relate it 2. But if that be not allow'd then they must be charged with a Design to deceive and abuse the World To which I shall only say at present these two things 1. That endless Sufpicion is a very unreasonable thing where there is no Foundation for it as none can be assigned as to the Apostles either as to this World or another since they declare no hopes of recompence hereafter and no Compensation to be expected here 2. That some Proof of Sincerity must be allow'd and they offer'd the fairest and that is the true Reason why Christ appeared to them and not to his Enemies 1. The Disciples themselves were asraid of being deceived this way and therefore could not be convinced till by many infallible Proofs as St. Luke calls them they were satisfied it was the real Body of Christ. If it had been only a sudden and transient Appearance there might have been some cause to have suspected it but this was so far from it that he conversed among them forty days at several times he shew'd them his hands and his feet his flesh and bones and the very holes in his side which the Spear had
made And what Proof can be given of the Truth of a Body greater than this If they had pretended that after his Resurrection his Body was presâ—nt but after the manner of a Spirit i. e. after an invisible impalpable unintelligible manner the World would have despised their Testimony and there had been no need to have said more for rejecting it than that if Body and Spirit be to be known asunder it must be by the different Properties and therefore to confound them is to confound our knowledge of them 2. It was necessary that there should be such Witnesses who would attest what they saw which his Enemies and Murderers would not have done if he had appeared to them Can we imagine that the High Priests and Elders and his other implacable Enemies who had Blasphemously attributed his other Miracles to the Power of the Devil would immediately have been convinced upon the sight of his Body after the Resurrection No doubt by the same Reason they would have concluded it to have been an Apparition of the Devil 3. There must be some Proof of the Honesty and Sincerity of Mankind allow'd and the Apostles gave the greatest that ever Men did by their Self-denial Unanimity Courage Patience Constancy and Perseverance They almost all laid down their Laws to attest this Truth and all underwent great Persecutions for it when the Discovery of the least Fraud would not only have set them at ease but gained them a plentiful Reward And therefore Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise his Son from the Dead 2. We must consider this with Respect to the general Resurrection of the Dead What Reason can we have to think that incredible when God hath already given such an Evidence of the Possibility of the thing by the Resurrection of Christ He that can raise up one Body can raise the rest since the difficulty lies not in the number of Bodies but in the Nature of the thing Some have ridiculously question'd whether the Surface of the Earth would be large enough to hold all the Bodies of Mankind upon it at the Day of Resurrection But an ingenious Person hath demonstrated the Folly of such an Imagination And it cannot be thought a needless Exercise of Divine Power when it is in order to the general Judgment and the Resurrection of Christ was intended as a Pledge and Assurance to the World not only of that day to come but that Christ is appointed to be the Judge Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the Dead What remains then but for us to think it our greatest Concernment to live as becomes those that believe we must not only die but be raised from the Dead by the mighty Power of God and that in order to our appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ that we may receive according to to things done in the Body whether good or bad What manner of Persons ought we then to be in all boly Conversation and Godliness What fruit had ye then saith St. Paul in those things whereof ye are now ashamed As though the bare Reflection of a Man 's own Conscience were enough to make him sensible of the Folly of Sin But what then is it to consider That those things which will not bear a severe Reflection at home shall be laid open before the Judgment Seat of Christ We are now to palliate and disguise and conceal our Follies and Weaknesses here as much as we can from our selves as well as others we would fain keep upon good Terms with our selves and use too many Arts to blind and deceive our own Consciences But alas How vain and foolish a thing is it for us to deceive our selves to our own Destruction If the Judge at the great Day would judge just as we do it would be the best Argument in the World â—or deceiving our selves But he will judge the World in Righteousness Not according to the vain Opinions Men have of themselves not according to the rash Censures or indiscreet Flatteries of others who cannot be able to judge of us as we may do of our selves And this is a Matter of the greatest Importance to us since God is pleased to leave it so much to our own Judgment That if we judge our selves we shall not be judged Let us not therefore do it carelessly partially and ineffectually but deal faitâ—fully and sincerely with our selves searching for our most secret and beloved Sins and proceed against them in such a manner as we shall wish we had done when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Think with your selves then how shall we then abhor those Sins of the Body which will expose both Soul and Body to the eternal Vengeance of God How shall we be ashamed to have yielded so much and so easily to the Inclinations of it against the Convictions of Reason the Checks of Conscience and the plain Commands of Scripture And therefore the thoughts of that day should have the most powerful Influence on us to keep our Bodies in subjection to our Minds and to subdue the irregular Appetites that come from them For these Bodies of ours now are not so much Companions as Traitors to our Souls holding a Correspondence with their greatest Enemies suggesting Counsels which tend to their Destruction and the Temptations which arise from them are so many and so bewitching that without a constant Care our Bodies may prove the ruin of our Souls And those who have the greatest Command over them have enough to do to keep under the Passions that arise from them which may grow troublesome when they cannot Govern and like discontented Persons be very uneasie when they are not gratified to their own Desire It is therefore a great satisfaction to the Minds of good Men to think there is a Day of Resurrection coming when their Bodies shall no longer be an â—ncumbrance or a Temptation to their Minds they shall neither hinder their Happiness nor draw them from it Thus all the dark Temptations and cloudy Vapours and disturbing Passions which arise from our Bodies now shall be scattered and dispersed and there shall be nothing but Purity Serenity and Clearness in that State For Then the righteous shall shine forth like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father when the glorious Light within shall break through the Passages of the Body and cause as great a Splendour in it as the Sun it self would have within so narrow a Compass Thus it is said of our Saviour upon his Transfiguration That his â—ace did shine as the Sâ—â— and yet his Body then had the same Qualities that our's have now But after the Resurrection the glorified Bodies shall be so purified and refined by a Divine Spirit and