of a man's state, from his walking, and the
Spirit's working in him; we would now speak of the conjunction of these
two, and the influence that that privilege hath on this duty, and
something of the nature of this description, "who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit."

In the creation of man, man was composed of soul and body. There was a
right order, and subordination of these, suitable to their nature. In his
soul he reached angels above,--in his body he was like the beasts below;
and this part, his flesh, was a servant to the soul, that was acted and
affected according to the desires and motives of the soul. Now sin
entering, as it hath defaced all the beauty of the creation, as it hath
misplaced man, and driven him out from that due line of subordination to
God his Maker, for he would have been equal to God, so it hath perverted
this beautiful order in men, and turned it just contrary,--hath made the
servant to ride on horses, and the prince to walk on foot. This is the
just punishment of our first sin. Adam's soul was placed by creation under
the sole command of its Creator, above all the creatures, and his own
senses; but in one sin, he proudly exalted himself above God, and
lamentably subjected himself below his senses, by hearkening to their
persuasion. He saw it was good, and tasted it, and it was sweet, and so he
ate of it. What a strange way was this! To be like God, he made himself
unlike himself, liker the miserable beasts. Now, I say, this is the
deserved punishment of man. His soul, that was a free prince, is made a
bond slave to the lusts of his flesh; flesh hath gotten the throne, and
keeps it, and lords it over the whole man. Now therefore it is, that the
whole man unregenerate, is called flesh, as if he had no immortal spirit,
John iii. 6, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh;" and this chap.
ver. 8, has a description of natural men, "they that are in the flesh;"
because flesh is the predominant part that hath captivated a man's reason
and will. Nay, not only the grosser corruptions in a man, that have their
use and seat in his flesh and body, are under that name;--but take the
whole nature of man, that which is most excellent in him, his soul and
spirit, his light and understanding, the most refined principles of his
conversation,--all these are now but flesh. Nay, not only such natural
gifts and illuminations but even the light of the gospel, and law of God,
that someway enters his