Sermon 10

Exodus 3:13-14. And Moses said to God, Behold when I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and shall say to me, what is his name; what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM, THAT I AM: And he said; thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.

We come now to the next Attribute; and that is the Simplicity of God: he is without all composition, without any parts, not having soul and body, as we have, not being compounded of substance and accident, as we are, but he is simple, without all composition. Which I gather out of these words; I AM, WHAT I AM: that is, whatever is in me, it is myself. I am a pure act, all being, a whole, entire, simple, and uniform being, without parts, not like to the creature: for the best of them is compounded of actions, and qualities, but whatever is in me, it is myself.

Now in this simplicity, and immixture of God, we will first fall upon that which the Scripture sets down in plain words, (John 4:24) God is a Spirit: that is, he is not mixed, he is not compounded of body and soul, as men are, but he is a Spirit. The word Spirit, both in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongue, does signify, breath. A breath is indeed a body, but because it is the finest body, the most subtle, and most invisible, therefore immaterial substances, which we are not able to conceive, are represented to us under the name of a spirit, or breath.

Besides, this is to be added; though God be said to be a spirit, yet he is not properly a spirit as Angels are; for an Angel is a creature, and though it wants a body, and is a spirit, yet it is a created substance: but yet because that is nearest to the pure, and incomprehensible nature of God, therefore he calls himself a spirit, as Angels are, and our souls are.

To show you what a spirit is, these four things are to be considered.

1. It is proper to a Spirit to be invisible, impalpable, not to be discerned by any sense. Therefore Christ bids his Disciples to feel him: Behold my hands, and my feet (says he) that it is I myself, handle, and see; for a Spirit has not flesh and bones as I have (Luke 24:39). A Spirit is that which is drawn from the sight of any corporeal sense whatever, and in this sense God is called a Spirit, because he is invisible: and therefore Moses is said to see him that is invisible, not by any bodily eye, but by the eye of faith.

2. Every Spirit moves itself, and other things also: The body is but an earthly piece, that is not able to stir itself at all, as you see it is when the soul is gone out of it, it is the spirit, that both moves itself, and carries the body up and down where it pleases, and it moves itself with all speed, and agility, because it finds no resistance. Bodies, beside their elementary motion upward and downward, have no voluntary motion, they cannot move themselves where they will, as spirits do; And this I gather out of (John 3:8) the Holy Ghost is compared to the wind, that blows where it pleases.

3. It is the property of every Spirit to move with exceeding great force and strength, and with much vehemency, so that it far exceeds the strength of any body. Therefore in (Isaiah 31:3) speaking of the strength of the Egyptians, he says, that they are flesh, and not spirit: as if he should say; all flesh is weak, but the spirit is strong. Therefore you see, the Devils, that are spirits, what strength they have; and the man in the Gospel, that was possessed, it is said that he could break the strongest bonds, and you see it commonly in those that are possessed, and you read, how he threw down the house over Job's children. This is the strength of the spirit exceeding the strength of any body.

4. It insinuates itself, and enters into any bodily substance, without all penetration of dimension; that is, it is not held out of any place, by reason of a body, that is in it; it may be in it, though the place be otherwise full: as, you see, the soul is in the body, you shall find nowhere an empty place, the body is everywhere whole; yet the Spirit insinuates itself in every part, and no body can keep it out. And so is God; he is invisible, not seen by any eye, he moves himself, and all things in the world, as he pleases; and he does what he does with exceeding great strength; and then, he fills every place, both heaven and earth; whatever bodies are there, yet he may be there notwithstanding. And thus you see in what sense this is to be understood, God is a Spirit.

Now we will come to apply this.

Use 1. If God be a Spirit, first then this we may gather from it:

1. That his eye is chiefly upon the spirits of men. There are many things in the world, which his hand has made: but that which he chiefly looks to, is the mind, and spirit of man. Whereas a man consists of two parts, a body and a spirit, it is the spirit that is like to God: and in regard of the spiritual substance of the soul, it is said to be made after his Image, and therefore in Hebrews 12, God is called, the Father of Spirits: Why? He is the Father of the body also, he made that, but the meaning is, that he is [illegible], Father over them, because he guides and nurtures them, being most like to himself: as the son is like the father, so they are like to him, and therefore he most regards the spirits of men. As you may see when Samuel went to anoint David King, and all the sons of Jesse came before him, those that were much more proper than David, God tells him, that he did not look upon the persons of men, nor upon their outward appearance, he heeds them not; what does he then? He sees the soul and spirit of man; the Lord looks upon the heart, and according to that he judges of them (1 Samuel 16:7).

Now, if his eye be chiefly upon the spirit, you should labor to let your eye be chiefly still upon your spirit, and so you shall most please him. Let your eye be upon your soul, to keep it clean, that it may be fit for communion with him, who is a spirit. This should teach you to look to the fashion of your souls within, because they are most like to him, and carry his image in them; he is a father of them in a special manner, and they are that whereby you may have communion with him, in that which is most proper to him, in spiritual exercises and performances.

Object. But, you will say, what is it that you would have us to do to our spirits, to have them fit for the Lord, that he may regard them, and that they may be like to him?

Answer. First, you must scour and cleanse them from all filthiness. (2 Corinthians 7:1) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. There is a pollution, which the Apostle speaks of, which pollution he divides into two kinds, of the flesh, of the spirit: both of these, you must labor to be cleansed from, but especially that of the spirit, if you would have it fit to have the Lord to delight in: for he being a Spirit, does most regard those actions which are done by the Spirit, and therefore that is the thing that mainly you should look to.

Object. But what is that pollution of spirit, or what is that which does defile it?

Answer. Every thing in the world defiles the spirit, when it is lusted after. (2 Peter 1:4) Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust: that is, the world, and all things in the world, and all the parts of it, they do then corrupt the spirit, defile, and soil it, when the soul of man has a lust after them. You might meddle with all things in the world, and not be defiled by them, if you had pure affections, but when you have a lust after any thing, then it defiles your spirit; therefore in (Titus 1:15) the Apostle speaks of a conscience defiled. And in (Matthew 15:19) says our Savior: out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulterers, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man. He does not speak only of actual adultery, or murder, but even of the sinful dispositions of the soul: even these are things that defile the spirit in God's sight, who looks upon them as you do upon outward filthiness with the eyes of your body: So that every inordinate lusting of the soul, does defile the soul.

Object. But is not this rule too strict? We are commanded not to murder, nor to commit adultery: this is the commandment: and why should you say, that every disordered affection does defile the soul, and that it is more regarded by God than the outward actions?

Answer. You must know that the tenth commandment does strike against these abominations: You shall not lust, and so it is translated: (Romans 7) so that these lustings of the spirit, are those that defile the soul. You see that God has spent a whole commandment against them. And indeed, all the actual sins committed by us simply considered in themselves, as committed by the body, are not so hated of God, as the pollution of the spirit is. Indeed, I dare be bold to say, that the act of adultery, and murder, is not so abominable in God's eyes, as the filthiness of the spirit; this is more abominable in the sight of God, who is a spirit, than the act of the body; for it is the spirit that he mainly looks to. Indeed the act contracts the guilt; because the lust is then grown up to a height, so that it is come to an absolute will and execution. Therefore, if these lustings do press into the soul, we should put them out again, and reject them with shame and grief: for God is a Spirit, and beholds the continual behavior of your spirit.

Again, the injury which you offer to others, though in itself it be a great sin, yet that inward brooding of it in your heart, plotting mischief, that boils within you, while it hatches rancor and revenge, this is that which he hates, though you should never commit any actual sin this way. (James 4:5) you have this phrase used, The lust of the spirit to envy: that is, the bent of the spirit, and inclination of the mind, which looks upon the gifts of others, whereby it outshines them, so that they lust to have that light put out, that their candle might appear above it; though they act nothing, yet this is abominable to him.

And that I might not deliver this without ground, consider:

There is nothing so pleasing to God as a broken heart (Isaiah 57). Now the breaking of the heart is nothing else, but the severing between the heart and sin. As when you see an artificer's work, wherein many parts are glued together; if it should fall down, or the glue be dissolved, then they all break to pieces: and when the lusts that are in our souls are thus severed, this pleases the Lord; not that the affliction of a man's spirit is pleasing to the Lord, but the separation of sin from his soul, when the solder that joins a sinful action and the heart together, when this is dissolved, this does please the Lord. And by the rule of contraries, if this be true, then it is true, on the other side, that when the spirit is glued by any lust to any inordinate thing, it is most hateful to God: for the stronger the lust is, the stronger is the glue; and therefore a man the more he is tied to this world, and has such strong lusts, the more he has this uncleanness and pollution of spirit. And therefore as a broken heart is most acceptable to God: so a spirit that is knit to any inordinate object, by the thing, that it cleaves to, it becomes most hateful and abominable to him.

Consider, that although a lust left at liberty, when God has taken off the chain, and suffers it to do what it will, does contract more guilt, and does indeed more hurt to mankind; yet he that has a heart as full of lust, and filthiness, is no less abominable, and odious in God's sight. Take a wolf, that runs up and down, and kills the sheep, that wolf is abominable, and every one cries out against him; but a wise man that sees a wolf tied up in a chain, hates that as much as he did the other: for he knows that he has the same nature, and would do as much hurt if he were let loose. So we may say of men, whose hearts are full of lusts, God it may be, has tied them up, so that they break not forth; yet these lusts are abominable and hateful in his sight, though they do not so much hurt, nor break so many commandments. Therefore let them consider this, that live under good families, good tutors, or in good company, commonly they are as wolves tied up, they cannot break forth so into outward acts, it may be, they are restrained by reason of some bodies favor that they would not lose, or the like, but yet they give way to the spirit within, that ranges and lusts up and down; and this is therefore defiled in God's sight.

Consider that these lusts of the spirit, are full of the spawn, and eggs of sin; that is, they are the mother sin: it is pregnant with actual sin. From where come wars and fightings among you? (James 4:1) Come they not here, even of your lusts that war in your members? Concupiscence is but as the lust of the spirit, which concupiscence is full of actual sins, and brings them forth when occasion is given (James 1:15). And therefore it is more hated than an act is, which is but one, which has not so much spawn in it: and therefore you ought to cleanse your spirit from this pollution.

Question: But how shall we do this, to get our spirits thus cleansed?

Answer 1: You must search out the pollution of the spirit. For the spirit of a man is a deep thing, and hidden, full of corners and crannies, a lust and pollution will easily hide itself in [reconstructed: there]; therefore you must find it out and confess it. Do as [reconstructed: David did], go to God, and say, Lord search, and try me, see if there be any wickedness in me — as if he should say, if I could, I would search my own heart, but I cannot do it enough, therefore do you come and do it; I will open the doors, as a man uses to say to the officers that come to look for a traitor, Do you come in, and search if there be any here, I will set open my doors; so says David here. So, when a man would cleanse his heart from the pollutions of his spirit, let him do in that manner; remember, that to hide a traitor is to be a traitor himself; therefore labor to find it; and, when it is found, confess it to the Lord, and lay a just weight upon it. What though it never breaks forth into outward actions? say to the Lord, O Lord, I know that you look to the spirit, and are conversant about it: to have a polluted spirit, is an abomination to you. This is a thing that we would do, and we are oftentimes to blame in this, in our prayers: for we confess our actual sins, and do not confess the pollution of our spirits to the Lord.

Question: But you will say, We would fain have some directions to find out this uncleanness of our spirits.

Answer: Consider, what arises in your spirit, when it is stirred at any time, and there you shall find what the pollution of the spirit is. Set a pot on the fire, and put flesh into it; while it is cold, there is nothing but water and meat: but set it boiling, and then the scum arises. It is a simile used in (Ezekiel 24:11-12). I say, observe what arises in your spirit, at any time, when there is some commotion, when your spirit is stirred more than ordinary, now every temptation is, as it were, a fire to make the pot boil, any injury that is offered to us, this makes the scum to arise, now see what arises out there, and when any object comes to allure you to sin, see what thoughts arise in your heart, as the thoughts of profit or preferment, so that when such an opportunity comes, it stirs the spirit, and sets it on boiling; consider what then arises in your heart, and you shall see what your spirit is. And that which you are to do, when you find it, is to confess it to the Lord, and suffer it not to come into outward act; cast it out, suffer it not to boil in (Ezekiel 24:13).

When you have done this, you must not stay here: but you must labor to loathe and hate that pollution of spirit. There are two things to be hated by us; the sin, that we look upon as a pleasant thing; but there is besides, your inclination to that thing, and that is the pollution of your spirit, and that you must hate and loathe; you must not only hate the object that is offered to you, but yourself also, and the uncleanness of your spirit. Thus it is with every one, whose heart is right (Ezekiel 36:21), that is, when a man begins to look upon his sin, and see the pollution of the spirit in it, he begins to grow to an indignation against it, (as that is the fruit of godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7),) he finds his heart so disposed, that he begins to quarrel with his heart, and to fall out with it; and to say; What? Have I such a heart that will carry me to sin? That will not only carry me to sin, but to hell? He begins to loathe himself, he would not own his own self, if he could; he would go out of himself, he is weary of his own heart: such a hatred and loathing you must have of this pollution of spirit that is in you. And this you shall do, if you will but consider, what evil this pollution does bring you, and what hurt filthiness has done to you: a man can hate the disease of the body, and cry out of it; and why should not men do so of the soul? It is our sin that is the cause of all evil; it is not poverty, or disgrace, or sickness, but it is sin in your poverty, sin in your disgrace, sin in your sickness: so that if a man could look upon sin as the greatest evil, and that does him the greatest mischief, he would hate that above all things. And here remember not only to do it in general, but to pitch your hatred chiefly upon your beloved sin. Be ready to say in this case, as Haman of Mordecai; what avails it me, if Mordecai yet live? If we could do so with our beloved lusts, and come to such a hatred of them as Haman had of Mordecai, to hate that beloved pollution, which cleaves so fast to your spirit, this were a blessed thing.

You must yet go a step further, that is, to get it mortified, to get it utterly cast out, slain and killed, not to suffer it to live with you: you must do with such a pollution of your spirit, as you do with your utter enemy, whom you follow to death, and will have the law upon him, and will be content with nothing but his life: So when you have found out your sin, then go this step further, to have it out before the Lord, and cry against it, and say, that it is his enemy, and your enemy, and an enemy to his grace; it has sought your life, and you will have the life of it before you have done: this you should do, to get it utterly cast out, to get an utter separation between your soul and it; so that if there should come a temptation to be again, if there should be pleasure on the one hand, and threatenings on the other, then you should say, rather anything than this sin, than this lust, it is my greatest enemy, that has done me thus much mischief; so that your soul does not only loathe it, but you will not suffer it to live in you; this is that which we ought to do, if we would cleanse our spirits.

When a man has done all this, you must go to God, and beseech him that he would melt that solder, as it were, that he would make a dissolution, that he would sever your soul, and the lust that cleaves so fast to it. That which made the soul, and the object to cleave so fast together is lust, that is the solder: which like solder must be melted with fire: (Isaiah 4:4) When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of wisdom, and by the spirit of burning: that is, the Holy Ghost, who is as fire, that melts the solder, and loosens it; and also the word (Jeremiah 23:24), and so also in (Malachi 3), Christ there is compared to fire, and to Fuller's soap, and all to express the diverse ways that the Lord has to cleanse our spirits from sin. Sin cleaves to the soul as dross to the gold: now the spirit of burning cleanses and purifies it; indeed it does it violently; and therefore it is said to be a hammer also in Jeremiah. Again, sin sinks in as a deep stain, therefore Christ is as soap to cleanse it. And therefore go, and say to God, Rather than I should not be cleansed, Lord cleanse me with the fire of affliction, as it is also called (Zechariah 13:9), And I will bring the third part, says the Lord, through the fire, and will refine them, as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. It were best, my beloved, if you would yield to the Spirit, and the Word, that they may cleanse you before his sight: For if that will not do, he will come with the fire of affliction, and it is better that you should be dealt so with, than that your souls, being still unclean, should perish forever.

To fit your spirit for the Lord, that is a spirit, and the father of spirits, you must go yet one step further; you must labor to beautify it, to seek to adorn it by a spiritual excellency. Now if you would beautify it by anything, seek not for outward excellencies, as clothes, or fine apparel, or adorning in the sight of men, but seek such an excellency as is suitable to the spirit: seek not other things; for they are such things that God regards not. So that, as every man seeks some excellency or other, that which you are to seek is, to get spiritual excellency, such as may beautify your heart, for that which is outward, God regards not. You shall see an excellent place for this (Isaiah 66:2): All these things has my hand made, says the Lord, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word. When the Lord looks upon all things here below, they are all at his command, (my hand has made them, says he, and I can dispose of them as I will) but what is it, of all them, that I do esteem? A spirit that is fashioned, and beautified with inward ornaments, so that it trembles at my word, that is the thing which I regard. So (1 Peter 3:3), you have a comparison there of outward excellencies, and of the spiritual decking of the inward man, which the Apostle prefers, because that is a thing that is esteemed by God. Whose adorning, says the Apostle, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. So it is said of wisdom (Proverbs 3:22): It shall be life to your soul, and grace to your neck: that is, wisdom adorns the soul in the sight of God, therefore that is the excellency that is chiefly to be sought by us, even thus to adorn the soul. And there is good reason for it: for, if you consider what your body is, and what your spirit is, you shall see, that all these things that do adorn the outward man, are not the excellencies to be sought after. Indeed there are diverse kinds of those excellencies; they are of three sorts. First, excellency of clothes, and building, and such gaudy things, which children and vain men and women are sensible of. Secondly, great titles, and honors, and great rewards, which a higher sort of men are capable of. Thirdly, the excellency of learning, and knowledge, and skill in arts and sciences; and this also is but an outward excellency: for though it be seated in the spirit, yet it enables only to outward things. These are not the excellencies that you should seek for: but it is an excellency of the spirit, you are to regard: look to your spirit what that is: for as the spirit is, such is the man. Spiritus est perfectio hominis, this is the proper excellency: the body is but, as it were, the sheath for the soul; a man is said to be more excellent, as his soul is excellent. Other excellency is but an outward excellency, this excellency is that which is intrinsical to a man; the other are but adventitious, they are not proper, it is not that which makes the difference. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor: There is a difference of honor, but all these are but accidental differences: the essential difference is the spirit, and that is it which God regards and by this you excel your neighbor. All other excellencies are but as when a mule or an ass having goodly trappings, should boast itself against the horse, which is a goodly creature, because it has goodly trappings; or as if a mud-wall, that the sun shines upon, should boast itself against a wall of marble that stands in the shadow. Therefore consider of this, that so you may labor to beautify your spirit; if there were no other reason, but that he is a Spirit, and that he beholds the excellency of the spirit, this were sufficient. Take all other excellencies in the world, they make you only excellent in the sight of man; but this makes you excellent before God, this is a solid thing, all the glory of the world is but [illegible], empty glory; but that which makes you excellent before God, is this. As it is (James 2:5): Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him? As if he should say, that which makes men glorious, is their faith and holiness within, that is the thing that makes us excellent in God's sight, and enables us to do higher works: all other things enable us but to the things of this life, but grace makes you strong, and makes you to serve the Lord with fear and reverence (Hebrews 12:28). And therefore this is to be sought of us (Philippians 4:8). The world seeks other things after their own fancy, but seek you these things, this is the excellency that we should seek; for this adorns your spirit. And now if I should ask any man, whether is it not better to have God's image renewed in him, and to be like to him, than to have the excellency of human knowledge? Every one would say, that to have God's image renewed in them, were the best: but then why do you not busy yourself about it? Why do you not labor for it? Why do you study much, and pray so little? So if I should ask another, whether grace, or outward excellency were better? He would say, grace: but then why do you not bestow some time about it, to get it? It is a great sign that the heart is right, when we can judge rightly of the excellency, that is to be sought by us. 2 Corinthians 5: It is made a sign of a new creature, that he does judge rightly of spiritual things. James 1:10: It is made a sign of a man converted to God, when he is brought low, that is, he is drawn from that high esteem of outward excellency, which before he had; when he sees that they are but fading flowers, things of no worth: and thus the soul gets strength to itself.

When you have cleansed your spirit, when you have adorned it with such spiritual beauty, so that God is delighted in you — then you must go yet further: you must let it have rule and dominion; you must let it have the upper hand of the body in all things. Let your spirit be still advanced — that is, let it not be drowned with the body, but be emergent still above it, kept from all base affections; let it be clear from all corporal dross, that is, from those bodily affections of meat, drink, uncleanness, sports, pastime, etc., with which the body is delighted. For this spirit is the most excellent thing in you, therefore it is fitting that it should have dominion — that it should not be brought into subjection, no, not by any spiritual lust that arises from the spirit that the body is not capable of; much more then a shame is it to be brought into subjection by any bodily lust, that wrongs the Father of spirits. (1 Corinthians 6:12-13) All things are lawful to me, says the Apostle, but I will not be brought under the power of anything. Meat is for the belly, and the belly for meat, but God shall destroy both it and them. His meaning is this: I see that it is not convenient for me to eat flesh; I do not deny but that I have a desire to eat flesh as well as others, but because it is not convenient, therefore I will bridle that appetite. For, Meat is for the belly, and the belly for meat, but God shall destroy both it and them. If that appetite should prevail, the body would rule over the soul — but that I will not suffer, that my spirit should be brought into subjection by any bodily appetite. And consider, what an unreasonable thing it is, that the spirit should be brought under the body. There are but two parts of a man, and they draw us two ways: the spirit draws us upward to the Father of spirits (as it is a spirit), and the body draws us downward. Now consider which should have the upper hand — they will not go both together. Now know this: that if the spirit be under the body, it will breed confusion. It is so in other things; look into the commonwealth, if you should see servants riding and princes going on foot; look into nature, if the fire and air should be below, and the water and earth above — what confusion would there be? So is it in this case. The Apostle compares them to brute beasts (2 Peter 2:12), and the wise man compares them to a city whose walls are broken down, so that there is an utter ruin. Says the Apostle Peter, in the place aforementioned, that they as natural brute beasts made to be taken and to be destroyed, who speak evil of the things they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption — that is, if a man will come to this, to suffer such a confusion as this, they shall even be served as brute beasts are. No, beloved, if it were with us as it is with beasts, we might give liberty for these corporal appetites to rule over the soul. As, take a horse — if he has no rider, then you blame him not, though he run and kick up and down, for he is a beast, and has no rider to sit him; but when he is under the bridle, then, if he does not do that which he should do, then you blame him. But a man has reason to guide him, and he has grace to guide reason — now to cast off both these is more than brutish. Consider, that all things, the more refined they are, the better they are; for they come nearer to the spirit. So then do you look upon yourself, and say with yourself: the more that spirit within me is advanced, the more it is suffered to rule without impediment, it is the better for me. To give you an instance or two, that you may see the practice of the saints in this case: Job says, I esteemed your word as my appointed meals, etc. I will rather restrain my body in this, than I will suffer my soul to want that which belongs to it. As he says for eating and drinking, so says David for sleep: rather than my soul should not do its duty, I will deprive my body of sleep, says he. So Jesus Christ (John 4:34): Jesus says to them, my meat is to do the will of my Father, and to finish his work — that is, I will be content to neglect my body, to do that which is the work of my spirit, the work of my Father. And such is his own advice: seek not the loaves, says he, nourish not your bodies, labor not for the meat that perishes — but look that your soul gets the better in all things.

Objection: But how shall I know this, whether my soul does rule or not?

Answer: When the bodily appetite and inclination shall arise so high as to rule the stern of the soul and the actions of it, then the body gets rule over the soul; but when these shall be subdued, and ruled, and guided by the soul, when they shall be brought to that measure which the spirit within shall set down, then the spirit rules over the body.

Objection: But my inclinations are strong, and I cannot rule them — what must I do then?

You must do in this case as Saint Paul did, who kept under his body by violence, as men use to tame horses; we should keep it down, we must take heed of carnal lusts, they will keep the body too high, as a horse may be too lusty for his rider: yet so, as on the other side it must not be kept too low, for the body is the instrument of the soul: but only the soul must have dominion over it, it should always be subject to the principal agent, as it is said of a servant, that he should not be Supra negotium, nor infra negotium, but par negotio, not above, nor below, but fit for his business: so ought the body to be the soul's servant. Beloved, consider this, do but think what your souls are, that you should suffer them to be thus in subjection, think what a shame it is, that these bodily affections should so overrule the spirit that is made like to God, the soul, that shall live forever, the soul for which Christ died, that is better than all the world beside; think I say, with yourselves, what a senseless and unreasonable thing it is, that this soul should be kept under by the body, and that the body should rule over it? Are not men in this kind, like to beasts, subject to sensuality, that eat that they may play, and play that they may eat? And the soul is not considered all this while, how it is a spirit, that is like to God himself, who is a spirit. Alas, what is the body to it? It is in it as in a prison: such is the body to the soul, not to be regarded in comparison of it. Therefore add this to the other, that the soul may still be advanced, and that it suffer not bodily actions to bring it into subjection, lest you be as brute beasts, subject to sensuality, made to be taken, and to be destroyed.

FINIS.