Remains of that reverend and learned divine, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in…Remaines of that reverend and learned divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in…

Fourthly, consider that it is an immortal soul: why do you labour for the meat that perisheth, in the ¹use of it; that is, why do you dote upon the outward man that perisheth in the getting, which perisheth in the using, that will stand you in no stead if you keep it? and why do you not rather labour for the meat that perisheth not? why do you not labour to get the strength of the inward man which is of an immortal substance that will never fade nor perish in the use: you have built a Temple here, which is in it self a good work, but I say, except you build also in your souls the Temple of the inward man, all your labour, all your pains and all your cost is but lost labour: it will perish and stand you in no stead when you shall need it. And this is one main drift of the Scripture to show you the vanity of earthly things, that you should not set your affections upon them, because they perish in the use, and that you should not lay out money for that which profiteth not, as the Prophet speaks. Consider therefore that it is a spirit, and again borne and infused into this body to bear rule there, and the body to be but a servant ⟨p. 80⟩to the inward man. But that you be not deceived, there is a natural strength whereby some men will go very far, and there is a moral strength, and yet take heed you rest not in that: not that I speak against natural strength, because it comes from God and is good. For I say, we do not take away those affections, but we alter and change them, and therefore I beseech you look that you do not content your selves with them, but labour to strengthen the Inward man. And here a question ariseth, seeing that there is a natural and spiritual strength, how shall a man come to know whether the strength which he hath, be a natural, moral, or spiritual strength: yet as I said, we do not destroy natural strength, but we use it as men do wild Horses and beasts, they tame them, to make them fit for service; so we should use these as means to carry us unto their right ends. We will therefore come to show the differences betwixt the natural and spiritual strength.

Fourthly, consider that it is an immortall soule: why doe you labour for the meat that perisheth, in the ¹use of it; that is, why doe you dote upon the outward man that perisheth in the getting, which perisheth in the using, that will stand you in no stead if you keepe it? and why doe you not rather labour for the meate that perisheth not? why doe you not labour to get the strength of the inward man which is of an immortall substance that will never fade nor perish in the use: you have built a Temple heere, which is in it selfe a good worke, but I say, except you build also in your soules the Temple of the inward man, all your labour, all your paines and all your cost is but lost labour: it will perish and stand you in no stead when you shall need it. And this is one maine drift of the Scripture to shew you the vanity of earthly things, that you should not set your affections upon them, because they perish in the use, and that you should not lay out money for that which profiteth not, as the Prophet speakes. Consider therefore that it is a spirit, and againe borne and infused into this body to beare rule there, and the body to be but a servant