Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Again there is a knowledge of the spirit or experimental, which is an operative knowledge and goes along with this other knowledge, and bends it to Sanctification, and is practical: but yet you must know, I say before you can be strong, there must be some proportion between the spiritual knowledge and the spiritual strength, as for example, one man eats and is fat and lusty, another man eats and is still lean: so some have as much as others have, and yet are not so strong as others. And yet we say not but as the lean man is strengthened by the meat he eats: so he that hath weaker knowledge is strengthened by it: but where the Lord works by his spirit the greatest knowledge, accordingly strength is increased. Therefore I beseech you labour for a full measure of saving knowledge, that is, for a working, purging, operative and powerful knowledge, And this I do not only speak unto you that are weak, but also unto you that are strong, that you be careful to add unto your knowledge, for what is the reason that you do not grow in grace, but because you are not careful to add more knowledge unto that which you have?

Again there is a knowledge of the spirit or experimental, which is an operative knowledge and goes along with this other knowledge, and bends it to Sanctification, and is practical: but yet you must know, I say before you can be strong, there must be some proportion between the spiritual knowledge and the spiritual strength, as for example, one man eates and is fat and lusty, another man eates and is still lean: so some have as much as others have, and yet are not so strong as others. And yet we say not but as the lean man is strengthened by the meat he eates: so he that hath weaker knowledge is strengthened by it: but where the Lord works by his spirit the greatest knowledge, accordingly strength is increased. Therefore I beseech you labour for a full measure of saving knowledge, that is, for a working, purging, operative and powerful knowledge, And this I do not onely speak unto you that are weak, but also unto you that are strong, that you be careful to adde unto your knowledge, for what is the reason that you do not grow in grace, but because you are not careful to adde more knowledge unto that which you have?

It may be you pick some good thing from some Sermons, or from some good book, but presently you forget them, you do not make it your own by Meditation, it slips out of your memory again, and so doth you no good: but if you would be careful to add unto it, you would grow stronger in the inward man then you do. And here is the misery of us that are spiritual Builders other Builders when they have built a house, the owner looks to it himself, and keeps it in reparations: but when we have done what we can to build up in the inward man, and think that you will put to your hands your selves; when we are to further the work of grace, you begin to pull down your buildings again your selves by your ignorant and loose lives, That is by following your pleasure, your sporting and gaming, and profaning the Lords day. Therefore you must labour to grow in