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

The use of this stands thus: If the spirit be the only means to strengthen the inward man, then it will follow ¹that whosoever hath not the Holy Ghost, hath not this strength, And whatsoever strength a man may seem to have to himself: if it proceed not from the spirit, it is no true strength, but a half and counterfeit seeming strength; For a man may thus argue from the cause to the effect: That that is the true cause of strength must needs ⟨p. 87⟩bring forth strong effects, And on the contrary, That which is not the true cause of strength, cannot bring forth the effects of strength; so that no natural thing can bring forth the strength of the inward man, because it wants the ground of all strength which is the spirit: And therefore you may have a flash, or a seeming power of strength, such as the foolish virgins had in Matth. 25. which ²seemed to be strong in the inward man, but it was but a feigned strength, because they had not the spirit: It is the spirit, that must give you assurance of salvation, and happiness, And I have chosen this point in regard of the present occasion, the receiving of the Sacrament, before which you are especially to examine your selves whether you have this or no, which if you have not then you have neither strength in the inward man, nor any right or interest unto Christ. for I may well follow the Apostles rule. It is the sign of those that are Christs, they have the spirit: In the 1 Cor. 2. 10. The spirit searcheth the deep things of God, ³which he hath revealed unto us by his spirit. And in the Ephesians 1. You were sealed with the spirit of Promise; and ⁴in the Rom. 8. That they should be raised by the spirit which dwelleth in them, and again, As many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Thus you see that it stands you upon to examine your slves whether you have the spirit, but above all places there are 2. places which prove the necessity of having the spirit. The one is this place which is my Text: That you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man; and the other place is that which Saint John hath in the