A55752:235
Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…
Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity and duty of Gods children by the late Reverend and Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston ...Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity and duty of Gods children by the late Reverend and Faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston ...
London: printed by J.T., 1658
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The first means to strengthen the Inward man, is to abound in spiritual knowledge, because the more knowledge the more strength; for the spirit of Divine truth is the strength of the soul▪ for as the soul is unto the body, so is the word unto the Inward man: the body is dead without the soul, not able to do any thing, so the Inward man without the spiritual strength, which is wrought in the soul by the saving knowledge of the word is nothing 1but weakness. Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow by it, That is knowledge in the word will make you grow strong in Christ; The contrary to this we see the 2Apostle upbraids the Corinthians with: 1 Cor. 3. 1. And in the Heb. 5. 13. because they were weak in knowledge he calls them babes; for saith he, He that is not expert in the Word of Righteousness, he is a Babe. Therefore labour to abound in spiritual knowledge that you may be strong in the Inward man: I press this the more, because I fear many of you are weak, because you are ignorant, That is you want this spiritual knowledge; you know in our ordinary talk we count ignorance folly, That is, when a man doth any thing that he should not do, or would not do, if he did but understand himself; we say that man is weak in judgement, or it is folly: surely this weakness in the Inward man is folly indeed, and a man cannot show his weakness more then to be weak in spiritual knowledge. And yet you must know that a man may have much knowledge, that is worldly knowledge, and the notional or speculative knowledge of Divine truths, and yet be but weak in the inward man, for there is an artificial knowledge which fills the brain, but the spirit goes no further and descends no lower, That is, it doth not sanctify that knowledge in the heart, and the inward man.
The first means to strengthen the Inward man, is to abound in spiritual knowledge, because the more knowledge the more strength; for the spirit of Divine truth is the strength of the soul for as the soul is unto the body, so is the word unto the Inward man: the body is dead without the soul, not able to do any thing, so the Inward man without the spiritual strength, which is wrought in the soul by the saving knowledge of the word is nothing