The Saints Spirituall flrength. ftrength of the inward man , becaufe it wants the ground of all ftrength which is the Spirit : and therefore you may have a flafh or a fceming power of ftrength, fuch as the Virgins had, cytatth. 25. Matth. 15, that fecmed to be ft rong in the inward man, but it was buta Pained ftrength becaufe they had not the Spirit : it is the Spirit that muff give you affurance of falvation and happinefie. And I have chofen this point efpecially in regard of the prefent oc- cafion, the receiving of the Sacrament, before which you are efpecially to examine your felves whether you have this or no, which if you have not, then you have neither ftrength in the inward man, nor any right or intereft unto Chrift : For I may well follow the Apoftles rule, that they that are Chrifls have the Spirit, r Cor, a,to. The Spirit z cor.:. Io. rearcheth the deepe things of God, which bee hathre- -vealed unto us by his Spirit : Ephe f 1. 13. Tou were Eph.'' 13. fealed with the Spirit of promife, Rom. 8. i I. That Rom.8. it. tkey fbould bee ra fed by the Spirit that dwelleth in '4' them: and againe, as many w are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fonnes of God : thus you fee that it (tauds you up an to examine your felves whe- ther y.tu have the Spirit, but above all places, there arc two places , which prove the neceffitie of having the Spirit , the one is this place which is my text, That you may be flrengthned by the Spirit in the inward man, and the other is the place which Saint lohn bath in I John 3.4. 4 By this wee know T lob ;.T4. that we are tranf Zated from death unto life, becaufe we love the brethren: it is a ligne to jadgctot your f fciriruall
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