The divine life in three treatises

2. And as our Belief in the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier, engageth us to acknowledge our Original sin and misery, so doth it engage us to magnify his renewing work of grace, and be convinced of the necessity of it, and to confess the insufficiency of corrupted nature to its own renovation. As no man must dishonour the work of our Creator; and therefore our faculties of Reason and natural Freewill are not to be denied or reproached: so must we be as careful that we dishonour not the works of our Redeemer or Sanctifier: and therefore the ⟨p. 102⟩viciousness and ill disposedness of these faculties, and the thraldom of our wills to their own misinclinations, and to concupiscence, must be confessed; and the need of Grace to work the cure. It is not ingenuous for us, when God made it so admirable a part of his work in the world, to Redeem us, and save us from our sin and misery, that we should hide or deny our diseases, and make our selves believe that we have but little need of the Physician, and so that the cure is no great matter, and consequently deserveth no great praise. I know the Church is troubled by men of dark yet self-conceited minds, that in these points are running all into extremes. One side denying the Sapiential method, and the other the Omnipotential way of God in our recovery. One plainly casting our sin and misery principally on God; and the other as plainly robbing the Redeemer and holy Spirit of the honour of our recovery. But it is the latter that my subject leadeth me now to speak to. I beseech you take heed of any conceit that would draw you to extenuate the honour of our Sanctifier. Dare you contend against the Holy Ghost for the integrity of your natures, or the honour of your cure? surely he that hath felt the power of this renewing grace, and found how little of it was from himself, nay how much he was an enemy to it, will be less inclined to extenuate the praise of grace then unexperienced men will be. Because the case is very weighty, give me leave by way of Question to propound these considerations to you.

2. And as our Belief in the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier, engageth us to acknowledge our Original sin and misery, so doth it engage us to magnifie his renewing work of grace, and be convinced of the necessity of it, and to confess the insufficiency of corrupted nature to its own renovation. As no man must dishonour the work of our Creator; and therefore our faculties of Reason and natural Freewill are not to be denyed or reproached: so must we be as careful that we dishonour not the works of our Redeemer or Sanctifier: and therefore the