Wesley Corpus

“They that are after the flesh”--who are still guided by corrupt nature--“mind the things of the flesh;” have their thoughts and affections fixed on such things as gratify cor rupt nature; “but they that are after the Spirit”--who are under his guidance--“mind the things of the Spirit;” (verse 5;) think of, relish, love the things which the Spirit hath re vealed; which he moves us to, and promises to give us. “For to be carnally minded”--to mind the things of the flesh, of our corrupt nature--“is death;” the sure mark of spiritual death, and the way to death everlasting: “But to be spirituall minded”--to mind the things of the Spirit--“is life; ” (vers 6;) the sure mark of spiritual life, and the way to life even lasting; and attended with the “peace” of God, and peac with God, which otherwise can have no place. “Because th carnal mind”--the mind, taste, inclination, the whole bias our evil nature--“is enmity against God; for it is not sub ject to the law of God, neither indeed can be ; ” (verse 7 being as opposite thereto as hell to heaven. “So then the that are in the flesh”--still unrenewed by the Spirit, sti following the bent of corrupt nature--“cannot please God. (Verse 8.) Every man may see now whether this passag does not strongly illustrate the depravity of our nature. 9. The last proof of this part of the proposition is: “Go saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, an that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was on evil continually.” (Gen. vi. 5.) And below: “The earth wi corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. (Verse 11.) (Page 122.) “Mankind,” you say, “was universally debauched in lust and sensuality, rapine and violence.” And how can this universal wickedness, if all mankind were quite uprigl by nature? You answer, “They had corrupted themselves So the text, (verse 12,) ‘All flesh had corrupted his wa upon the earth.’” This expression does not necessaril imply any more than that all flesh, all men, were corrupte But taking it literally, I ask, How came all flesh to corrul themselves? O, “by Seth's posterity intermarrying with th Cainites.” But how came all the Cainites to corrupt them selves; and all the Sethites to follow, not reform, them?