The Soul's Conflict with Itself

We see likewise hence a necessity of having something in the soul above it ¹self, it must be partaker of a diviner nature then it self; otherwise, when the most refined part of our souls, the very spirit of our minds is out of frame, what shall bring it in again? Therefore we must conceive in a godly man, a double self, one which must be denied, the other which must deny; one that breeds all the disquiet, and another that stilleth what the other hath raised. The way to still the soul, as it is under our corrupt self, is not to parley with it, and divide government for peace sake, as if we should gratify the flesh in something, to redeem liberty to the spirit in other things; for we shall find the flesh will be too encroaching. We must strive against it, ⟨p. 111⟩not with subtlety and discourse, so much, as with peremptory violence silence it and vex it: An enemy that parleys will yield at length. Grace is nothing else but that blessed power, whereby as spiritual, we gain upon our selves as carnal. Holy love is that which we gain of self-love; and so joy, and delight, &c. Grace labours to win ground of the old man, until at length it be all in all; Indeed we are never our selves perfectly, till we have wholly put off our selves. Nothing should be at a greater distance to us then our selves. This is the reason why carnal men that have nothing above themselves but their corrupt self, sink in great troubles, having nothing within to uphold them, whereas a good man is wiser then himself, holier then himself, stronger then himself, there is something in him more then a man. There be evils that the spirit of man alone out of the goodness of nature cannot bear, but the spirit of man assisted with an higher spirit, will support and carry him through. It is a good ⟨p. 112⟩trial of a mans condition to know what he esteems to be himself. A godly man counts the inner man, the sanctified part, to be himself, whereby he stands in relation to Christ and a better life. Another man esteems his contentment in the world, the satisfaction of his carnal desires, the respect he finds from men by reason of his parts, or something without him, that he is master of, this he counts himself, and by this he values himself, and to this he makes his best thoughts and endeavours serviceable;