8. Walk in the Spirit, i. e. Fulfil the counsels and advices of the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Every renewed soul is the Scene and Stage, wherein the two mightiest Contraries in the world, the Spirit and the Flesh, i. e. light and darkness, life and death, heaven and hell, good and evil, Michael and his Angels, and the Dragon with his, are perpetually combating hand to hand. And well is it for a Christian that the holy Spirit is lusting in him against the flesh, [Greek or Hebrew], God takes thy part, Christian,1 the spirit of the Lord of Hosts is with thee, if thou dost not sin and grieve him away. Follow but thy Leader, be prompt and ready to start at the Divine signal, when the holy Ghost displays his Ensigns, then [Greek or Hebrew], March presently forth under those mighty and victorious banners, and thou shalt become Invincible. * When a Christian goeth out thus to warfare, following the Almighty conduct of his God, he must needs proceed conquering and to conquer. My soul followeth hard after thee (saith David) thy right hand upholds me, Psal. 63.8. The Original is [Greek or Hebrew], My soul cleaves after thee: As if he had said, Go, lead on my God, behold I follow as near, as close as I can, è vestigiò, I would not leave any distance, but pursue thy footsteps, step by step, leaning upon thine everlasting arms, that are underneath me, and following thy maunduction. Lot had almost perished in Sodom, for lingering when his God hastened him away, Gen. 19.16. But Sampson (till then invincible) awoke too late from the bosom of his Delilah, when the Philistines had shaved his seven locks: And he thought to go out and shake off their cords wherewith they bound him, as at other times, but the Lord was departed from him, and they took him and put out both his eyes, Judg. 16.20, 21. A Christian is more then a man when he acts in concurrence with his God, •sal. 27.1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear, the Lord ⟨p. 88⟩is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? But if he resists the holy Ghost, he doth not only grieve him, but will if he go on resisting, quench him, and then he is all alone, & becomes heir to the curse of Reuben, Gen. 49.3, 4. he who was a while since, the excellency of dignity, & the excellency of power, is now weak as water, and cannot excel.
8. Walke in the Spirit, i. e. Fulfill the counsels and advices of the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Every renewed soul is the Scean and Stage, wherein the two mightiest Contraries in the world, the Spirit and the Flesh, i. e. light and darknesse, life and death, heaven and hell, good and evill, Michael and his Angels, and the Dragon with his, are perpetually combating hand to hand. And well is it for a Christian that the holy Spirit is lusting in him against the flesh, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, God takes thy part, Christian,1 the spirit of the Lord of Hosts is with thee, if thou dost not sinne and grieve him away. Follow but thy Leader, be prompt and ready to start at the Divine signall, when the holy Ghost displays his Ens•gns, then 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, March presently forth under those mighty and victorious banners, and thou shalt become Invincib•e. * When a Christian goeth out thus to warfare, following the Almighty conduct of his God, he must needs proceed conquering and to conquer. My soul followeth hard after thee (saith David) thy right hand upholds me, Psal. 63.8. The Original is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, My soul cleaves after thee: As if he had said, Go, lead on my God, behold I follow as neer, as close as I can, è vestigiò, I would not leave any distance, but pursue thy footsteps, step by step, leaning upon thine everlasting arms, that are underneath me, and following thy maunduction. Lot had almost perisht in Sodom, for lingring when his God hastned him away, Gen. 19.16. But Sampson (till then invincible) awoke too late from the bosome of his Delilah, when the Philistines had shaved his seven locks: And he thought to go out and shake off their cords wherewith they bound him, as at other times, but the Lord was departed from him, and they took him and put out both his eyes, Judg. 16.20, 21. A Christ•an is more then a man when he acts in concurrence with his God, •sal. 27.1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I feare, the Lord ⟨p. 88⟩
- 1[Greek or Hebrew], &c. Arian in Epictet. l. 2. c. 17.〈non-Latin alphabet〉, &c. Arrian in Epictet. l. 2. c. 17.
