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 fourth means, if you would grow strong in the inward man, is this, you must remove the ¹excuses and those hinderances, which hinder the groweth of the inward man, and these are especially two.

The fourth meanes, if you would grow strong in the inward man, is this, you must remoove the ¹excuses and those hinderances, which hinder the groweth of the inward man, and these are especially two.

1. 14. Means.4. Meanes.

The first hinderance is this, when you spend your strength upon other things, and not in the ¹strengthening of the inward man; this makes you not to grow strong in the inward man: therefore you must be wise to take away from these things, and spend more time, and take more pains in strengthening of the inward man: for this is the reason that you grow not, all your time and affections ⟨p. 120⟩are after the things of the world, and how you may grow strong in that, that you cannot mind heavenly things. Again, you hinder the growth of the inward man, when you set your affections upon base and vile things, this hindereth the growth of the inward man, this man is a weak man in grace; as for example, a man that hath money to bestow at Market, if when he shall come there, he shall bestow it on babbles, and not on the things that he went to buy, this man were a foolish man, especially he knowing, that he shall be called to an account for it, how he hath laid it out: even thus and much more foolish are men, when they spend their time on their pleasures and lust, which are base things, and not on strengthening of the inward man, they befool themselves: and this is that which the Wise man saith, that there is a price in the hand of a fool, but he hath no heart. When men neglect the strengthening of the inward man, they forsake a great price, that would enrich them: but because they want knowledge, because they are weak in the inward man, they are not able to Judge in the inward man of spiritual things: therefore never brag of your strength, except it be the strength of the inward man, and take heed of neglecting the time. Paul would have the gathering for the poor to be before he came, that that might not hinder him from strengthening of the inward man, though that was a holy work: It was a good speech of one, who after that he had spent much time in writing about