An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…

That it is a sign of an evil heart, or a lean soul, to intend the flesh, or to study the satisfying of the bodily appetite. A carnal man gives himself to deliciousness; his greatest labour is about that, for which Christ forbids our labour, The meat that perisheth (John 6.27.) This covering of our selves with fatness, and makings collops of fat, the Apostle reproves in those, Whose God was their belly (Phil. 3.19.) and in those who served not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly (Rom. 16.18.) They who serve their belly, as they should serve God, make a god of it; and they who serve their belly at all do not serve Christ at all. We may provide for the belly, but we must not serve it; and they who do so, deserve rather to be called Epicures then Christians. That's sinful fatness which is got upon terms of slavery, or service to the belly: yea, a man that is intentive upon that question, What shall I eat? and careful how to feed his flesh, though he do not grow fat by it, yet he shows himself full of sin by it. The design of such is for the flesh, though their flesh do not thrive under that design. As a man may be very covetous though he continue poor and lean in purse; so a man may be very luxurious, and a great servant to Bacchus, and Belly-cheer, though he continue lean and poor in body.

That it is a signe of an evill heart, or a leane soule, to intend the flesh, or to study the satisfying of the bodily appetite. A carnall man gives himselfe to deliciousnesse; his greatest labour is about that, for which Christ forbids our labour, The meat that perisheth (John 6.27.) This covering of our selves with fatnesse, and makings collops of fat, the Apostle reproves in those, Whose God was their belly (Phil. 3.19.) and in those who served not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their owne belly (Rom. 16.18.) They who serve their belly, as they should serve God, make a god of it; and they who serve their belly at all doe not serve Christ at all. We may provide for the belly, but we must not serve it; and they who doe so, deserve rather to be called Epicures then Christians. That's sinfull fatnesse which is got upon termes of slavery, or service to the belly: yea, a man that is intentive upon that question, What shall I eate? and carefull how to feed his flesh, though he doe not grow fat by it, yet he shewes himselfe full of sin by it. The designe of such is for the flesh, though their flesh doe not thrive under that designe. As a man may be very covetous though he continue poor and leane in purse; so a man may be very luxurious, and a great servant to Bacchus, and Belly-cheare, though he continue leane and poore in body.