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…

The fifth difference betwixt the natural and spiritual strength, is this, that which proceeds ¹from the spirit is always joined with reluctancy of the will, but in the natural strength there, as no reluctancy, because there is no contraries, but in the spiritual man there is two contraries, the flesh, and the spirit, and you know these can never agree, but they are still opposing one another as for example, a man that is going up a hill, he is in labour and pain, but a man that is going down a hill goes with much ease: so there is much labour and pain, which a spiritual man takes to subdue the flesh, but the natural man hath no reluctancy at all: he hath no fighting and struggling with corruption, but he goes without pain because he is but one, and one man cannot be divided against it self, but in every spiritual man there are two men, the old man, and the new man, the flesh and the spirit, and hence grows that spiritual combat, ⟨p. 94⟩Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, that they cannot do the things that they would: these two men in a regenerate man strive for masteries, and so hinder one the other. Yet know also that in the natural man there may be reluctancy in the will against some particular sin, as covetousness may strive against pride, and pride against nigardnesse, yet not fight against it as it is a sin, but as it crosseth and thwarteth his pride. Again, know that a natural man may have reluctancy in some part of the soul, as in the conscience, which is sensible of sin; and hence it may convince the man and the rest of the faculties, notwithstanding they are at peace: but where this spiritual strength is, it is in all parts not one faculty against another but all are fighting against sin in the whole man: now the reason that there is not this reluctancy against sin in every faculty in the natural man, is, because he wants saving grace; grace is not in the faculty opposite unto the corruption that is in it: but in the holy man there, is and therefore he is like Rebekah; they have two in them, Jacob and Esau: the flesh and the spirit, and Paul complains of so much, Rom. 7. I find another law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind, that is, I find ²