For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die
Such persons are dead, whilst they live, and shall die a second
or an eternal death, if grace prevent not. It may be asked,
whether one that has received the grace of God in truth, can live
after the flesh; flesh, or corrupt nature, though still in such a
person, has not the dominion over him: to live in sin, or in a
continued course of sinning, is contrary to the grace of God; but
flesh may prevail and greatly influence the life and
conversation, for a while; how long this may be the case of a
true believer, under backslidings, through the power of
corruptions and temptations, cannot be known; but certain it is,
that it shall not be always thus with him. It may be further
inquired, whether such an one may be so left to live after the
flesh, as to die and perish eternally; Christ expressly says,
such shall not die that live and believe in him; grace, which is
implanted in their souls, is an incorruptible and never dying
seed; grace and glory are inseparably connected together; but
then such persons may die with respect to their frames, their
comforts and the lively exercise of grace, which seems to be here
intended; as appears from the next clause,
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, ye
shall live.
This is not to be understood of the mortification of the body
itself; nor does it design any maceration or afflicting of it by
any severities of life; nor of the destruction of the body of sin
by Christ: or of the being and principles of sin in the saints by
the Spirit of Christ; which is contrary to Scripture, to the
experience of the saints, who find it in them, alive in them, and
to their expectations, whilst in this world: nor is this
mortification to be considered as a part of regeneration, which
by some divines is made to consist in a sense of sin, grief for
it, and hatred of it, in avoiding it, and in an expulsion of
vicious habits and inclinations; but it should be observed, that
the apostle is writing to persons that were already regenerate;
nor does he ever exhort persons to regenerate themselves, which
he would do here, if this was the sense; regeneration is a work
of the Spirit of God, in which men are passive, whereas in the
mortification here spoken of the saints are active, under the
influence of the Spirit of God; besides, regeneration is done at
once, and does not admit of degrees; and in and by that, sin, as
to its being and principle, is so far from being destroyed, that
it seems rather to revive in the sense and apprehension of
regenerated persons: but it is a mortification of the outward
actings of sin in the conversation, called, "the deeds of the
body": and in the Claromontane exemplar, and in the Vulgate Latin
version, "the deeds of the flesh": or as the Syriac version
renders it, (ykpwh) , "the
conversations", or manners of it, and so the Ethiopic version;
that is, its outward course of life: and it signifies a subduing
and weakening the vigour and power of sin in the lives and
conversations of the saints, to which the grace and assistance of
the Spirit are absolutely necessary; and such who are enabled to
do so, "shall live" comfortably; they shall have communion with
Christ here, and shall live a life of glory with him hereafter.
Such a way of speaking as this is used by the Jews; say they
F1,
``what shall a man do that he may live? it is replied, (wmue) (tymy) , "he shall mortify himself";''which the gloss explains by "he shall humble himself"; walk humbly before God and men, in his life and conversation.