Remains of that reverend and learned divine, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in…Remaines of that reverend and learned divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in…

The second way how the Spirit strengthens ¹grace is this, when he hath set up the building, and swept every corner of the soul, then he enables the soul to do more then it could do by nature, by putting new habits and qualities in the soul: ⟨p. 129⟩as first, when a man can do more then a natural man can do by nature, then the Spirit hath added new habits; as for example, any hand can cut with a Chisel or the like instrument, but if he can by it make a picture, this is a work above nature because no man can do it unless he hath been raught it. So when the Spirit comes into the heart, then it makes a man to do more then naturally he can do: water you know the nature of it is cold, but if you would have it of another quality, then you must put a quality of fire into it. So the soul is dead, and cold by nature, but if a quality of the fire of the spirit be added unto it, then it will be able to do more then it naturally can do: therefore examine what new habits and qualities be in you: whether you have a new habit of patience, love, hope, and experience, that is; as patience begets experience, and experience hope, so where the spirit is, it doth beget new habits, and qualities in the soul, by which it is able to do more then naturally it can do: as I said, it first builds the house, and sweeps the rooms and then it fits, and furnishes the rooms with new habits and qualities of grace.

The second way how the Spirit strengthens ¹grace is this, when he hath set up the building, and swept every corner of the soule, then he inables the soule to doe more then it could doe by nature, by putting new habits and qualities in the soule: ⟨p. 129⟩as first, when a man can doe more then a naturall man can doe by nature, then the Spirit hath added new habits; as for example, any hand can cut with a Chissell or the like instrument, but if he can by it make a picture, this is a worke above nature because no man can doe it unlesse he hath beene raught it. So when the Spirit comes into the heart, then it makes a man to doe more then naturally he can doe: water you know the nature of it is cold, but if you would have it of another quality, then you must put a quality of fire into it. So the soule is dead, and cold by nature, but if a quality of the fire of the spirit be added unto it, then it will be able to do more then it naturally can doe: therefore examine what new habits and qualities be in you: whether you have a new habit of patience, love, hope, and experience, that is; as patience begets experience, and experience hope, so where the spirit is, it doth beget new habits, and qualities in the soule, by which it is able to doe more then naturally it can doe: as I said, it first builds the house, and sweepes the roomes and then it fits, and furnishes the roomes with new habits and qualities of grace.