Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

My body.-Body is not to be taken here, so much in a physical, as in a moral sense. We are not to understand by his body, only the apostle's fleshly párt, that part of him which consisted of flesh and bones (which, body, is put in Scripture sometimes to signify) but by his body we are to understand, besides his outward man, his sin; that which the apostle elsewhere calls, "the body of sin." Rom. vi. 6. "And the body of death," Rom. vii. 24. “The old man. The flesh, with its affections and lusts," Gal. v. 24. Those carnal lusts and affections, which warred against the peace of his soul. These, he maintained a war with, and endeavored to keep under, and bring into subjection.

I keep under.-The Greek word [vлоnato] which is here rendered keep under, signifies to seize, to lay hold of, to grasp, and to gripe, as a man would his adversary, and one with whom he contends for the mastery and not only so, but to beat, knock, thump and pound, as wrestlers and champions were wont anciently to do. And as some think the term is borrowed from those runners and wrestlers, who were wont to contend in the aforementioned games, and who were wont to beat and pound one another till they were black and blue, and of a gore blood; and forced to acknowledge themselves vanquished and overcome.

I bring it into subjection.-The Greek word [Sovλaywyɛo] which is here rendered to bring into subjection, is sometime used, for a leading captive; and most properly signifies, to bring under command, in servitutem redigere; to make one a servant. Thus the apostle tells us, how he acted in his spiritual warfare; and in telling us what he did, he tells us what we ought to do. If we would be spiritual fighters, as all the saints in their several generations have been and if we consider what the apostle lays down here affirmatively, (viz. the keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection, as some do,) as the means by which he came to be more than such a fighter, as only beats the air; as the means by which he came not to lose his labor in his spiritual warfare: There seems to result this plain truth, which we shall briefly (by divine assistance) insist upon from the words, viz.

Doctrine. That those that would fight to purpose, in the spiritual war, must endeavor to keep under their body of sin, and bring it into subjection. Or thus,

Those, and only those, do fight to purpose in the spiritual war, who do endeavor to keep under, and bring in subjection, all those carnal lusts and affections which they have warring in them.

In the brief speaking to this doctrine, we shall attend only these three things. (1.) We shall endeavor to speak something of the nature of the duty: viz. the keeping under the body of sin, and bringing it into subjection. (2.) We shall endeavor to show

how this keeping under this body of sin and bringing it into subjection, is necessary in order to the fighting to purpose, in the spiritual war. (3.) We shall conclude with some brief appli

cation.

1. We shall endeavor to speak something of the nature of the duty, the keeping under the body of sin, and bringing it into subjection. All that I shall say to conceive any thing of this, shall be under these two or three following conclusions.

Conclusion 1. Man naturally is in league and correspondence with sin. As he came out of the hands of his Maker, he was in league and correspondence with him. Man was God's friend : but since we have broke our league, and forfeited our correspondence with God; a quarrel is commenced between God and us: we have entered into a league and have kept up a correspondence with God's greatest enemy; this amity and friendship, and the natural man, is very near and intimate; it is got into every part of our souls, it is become our near neighbor, and we naturally love it as ourselves; yea we are naturally under the dominion and power of sin Sin rules and reigns in the natural man; he is its slave and vassal; is as the apostle speaks, and it is a truth, 2 Pet. ii. 19. "Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage." Then every natural man being daily overcome and mastered by his lusts and corruptions, he must needs be in servitude, slavery and bondage to them: nor needs there much ado to overcome him; he is naturally willing to obey sin, and so is a servant of it, as the apostle speaks, Rom. vi. 16. "Know you not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death," &c.

Conclusion 2. When a man lists himself under the banner of Christ, he then breaks his league and correspondence with sin, and proclaims a war with it. We cannot give up ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and be faithful in his service, unless we renounce the service of sin, and wage and maintain an irreconcilable war with that. Christ and this mammon are such different masters (captains) as that it is impossible for a man to march under and serve them both. There must be a forsaking of the latter if we would cleave to the former. The apostle tells us, James iv. 4. "The friendship of the world is enmity with God: and whosoever will be a friend of the world, is an enemy of God." It is true of sin and worldly lusts, that those that are in friendship with them are enemies of God and Christ; they wage war against heaven, and bid open defiance to the Lord of hosts. Well, but the friendship of God and Christ is enmity with sin and worldly lusts; and whosoever will be a friend of Christ, will be an enemy of sin; he hath broke his league with it, and wages war against it as when a league and alliance between two princes is broken, a war is wont

to ensue and follow. If therefore indeed we have been brought to engage ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ to serve him in the war against our spiritual enemies, we have been brought to see sin to be an enemy, and a treacherous one also; that which hath been wont to ensnare, and lead us captive, and we have cast off its service, and are resolved to live in perpetual hostility with it.

Conclusion 3. As when a man lists himself under the banner of Christ, he breaks his league and correspondence with sin, and proclaims a war with it; so he hath had a mortal wound given to the habit of it by the Spirit of God. When a man voluntarily offers himself to the service of Christ, upon his proclamation and call, (I say,) when a man is brought effectually to answer that call; as he renounces his correspondence with sin, and enters upon a war with it so, there is by the Spirit of God, a deadly blow given to the old man, our habit of sin. However in a man's natural estate he is under the dominion of sin. Yet when grace comes into a man, the Spirit of God which is stronger than that strong man armed, comes upon him, overcomes him, and takes from him his armor wherein he trusted. Every one that doth indeed actually belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, is freed from the reigning power and dominion of sin: that is accomplished in him, Rom. vi. 12, 14. “That sin hath not dominion over him and sin shall not reign in his mortal body, that he should obey it in the lusts thereof." The Spirit of God hath spoiled sin of its power and dominion, and given it its death wound. An unregenerate man's heart is sin's territory: Sin is in such a man's heart as in its throne, before the Spirit comes, but when that comes, and by that the nature is changed and renewed; sin is cast out of its throne, and condemned to die.

Conclusion 4. Though a mortal wound be given by the Spirit of God to the habit of sin, when a man lists himself under the banner of Christ, yet sin is not then quite overcome and destroyed in a man. However grace doth really subdue sin, yet it does not wholly destroy sin. Though it doth really purify a man's nature, yet in this life it doth not quite perfect his nature. A Christian must not expect to experience a state of perfection here in this life: No, that estate is reserved till he comes to experience a state of glory. The best of men in this life have a double nature in them, as we may see of man in general, that he consists of body and soul; so we may say of every godly man (in a theological sense) that he hath both flesh and spirit, corruption as well as grace. Though sin be beat out of its strong holds, yet it hath betaken itself to its inward castle, where it will remain and have a being in us, as long as we shall have a being here in this world. This Canaanite will dwell in the land, nor can the children of God drive it out of this city. God doth with us, in respect of sin, (our

inward enemy,) as the Psalmist prayed against his outward enemies, Ps. lix. 11. 66 Slay them not, scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield." Thus doth the Lord do in respect of sin and corruption in his saints here in this world; those enemies are brought down from that power and dignity, in which they were wont to be, but they are not wholly slain. They are surrounded, are taken, arraigned, a sentence of death is passed upon them, and they are dead in law, but yet they have their lives lengthened out for a season during our bodily life, nor can we till the death of the body, expect perfectly to be freed from the body of death. The wise man proclaims a challenge to all the world, to enter the lists with him upon this account, Prov. xx. 9. "Who can say, I have made mine heart clean?" And though there may be some of mankind, that may falsely and presumptuously say that they have; yet none can truly and safely say that they have: "For if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John i. 8.

Conclusion 5. Sin not being thus quite overcome and destroyed; it follows that every man, who hath listed himself under the banner of Christ, hath a diversity of principles in him, between which there can be no amity and friendship, but on the other hand a continual warring. The principles, sin and grace, flesh and spirit, are diametrically opposite one unto another, are the greatest contraries in the whole world, as contrary as light and darkness, as life and death, as good and evil, as heaven and hell. And being so opposite and contrary, they cannot be dormant, and latitant in the soul, but must needs be up in arms, endeavoring to vanquish and expel each other. These two principles are (as it were) the company of two armies, Cant. vi. 13. They lie intrenched and engaged one against the other. As long as a man keeps his league with sin and serves that, he feels nothing at all of this: "While the strong man armed keeps the palace, his goods are in peace." Luke xi. 21. As long as Israel is subject to the Egyptians, and doth their drudgery, all is well, there is no stir; but when once they shake off that servitude, and set out for Canaan, then they are pursued with all the forces and powers imaginable, to be brought back to their former bondage. Especially therefore upon a man's first choosing of the Lord Jesus Christ for the captain of his salvation, is this onset high; and not only then, but when we have made considerable proficiency, and have obtained much victory over sin: Yea, those that have arrived to the highest attainments are not free from this combat within, but like Rebekah, have twins, struggling in their wombs; the flesh and the Spirit, like the twins in her womb, do war and strive one with another. "The law in the members wars against the law in the mind." Rom. vii. 23. "The fleshly lusts war against the soul." 1 Pet.

ii. 11. and the soul also wars against them. Gal. v. 17. "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these two are contrary one to the other."

[ocr errors]

Conclusion 6. This keeping under the body of sin, and bringing it into subjection, consists in such a warring with sin, as to endeavor its death and destruction: and the subjecting all our faculties and members to the service of God and Christ. We must endeavor the death and destruction of sin in this sense; there must be a "resistance unto blood striving against sin," Heb. xi. 4. Sin will have its pleas to be spared and saved alive, and we may be willing to deal gently with it, as David gave charge concerning Absalom: this prisoner of war will cry for quarter when the life of it is in danger, and will speak us fair, and make seemingly great propositions. Some sins will promise us profit and worldly gain, if we will not slay them; as those ten men said to Ishmael, Jer. xli. 8. Slay us not, for we have treasures in the field:" Others will promise us promotions, and worldly honor, as Balak said to Balaam, "Am I not able indeed to promote thee unto honor?" Others will promise us pleasures and delights, if they may be spared and indulged: Others will plead they are little ones, and therefore will desire they may escape: yea, and others will plead they are our relations and our kindred; flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones, and no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but we must stop our ears against all their most cursed charms, and endeavor to do by every sin, as Joab by Absalom, "thrust it through the heart." 2 Sam. xviii. 14. Both small and great must be dealt with after this manner: The great ones, the champions, the Goliaths, that come out of the camp of these enemies, these Philistines, must be fought with and killed, and the little ones must be also dashed against the stones. This slaughter must be like that which Saul was commanded to effect against the Amalekites: 1 Sam. xv. 3. all sorts both young and old must be put to the sword, and not so much as one Agag must be spared alive. And as there is in the duty we are speaking of, an endeavoring the death and destruction of sin, so an endeavoring to subject all our faculties and members, to the service of Christ: every thought we must endeavor to bring into obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 5. Our members, not only the parts of our bodies, but the faculties of our souls also, these must not be yielded as "instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yielded as instruments of righteousness unto God," Rom. vi. 13. "We must not any longer live the rest of our time, to the lusts of men but to the will of God," as it is expressed, 1 Pet. iv. 2. Our bodies, i. e. our whole man I conceive, a part is put for the whole man. Rom. xii. 1. "Our whole man must be presented a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God:" and when we do sincerely endeavor

« VorigeDoorgaan »