A discourse of the saving grace of God

(7.) It destroys holy Obedience, inwa• and outward. Leaves no place for th• exercise of Grace in the Heart, or wor• truly good in the Conversation. It pluck up these by the roots, taking away h• bitual Regeneration which is the root • them, the exercise of Grace in the acti• of an inward gracious Principle; but the say there is no such Principle planted • the Heart or Will by the Spirit of H• liness; and where the Principle is not, • cannot be acted. There can be no vit• Acts, where there is no vital Principle that which is not alive, cannot put for• ⟨p. 63⟩Acts of life. Or, to use the terms wherein Christ expresses it, the Fruit is not good, unless the Tree be good. No good Acts can be produced by the Heart or Will, till it self be good. It is not, it cannot be good, when there are no good Qualities in it. It had no good, no holy Qualities planted in it by the Spirit of Grace; that, (with them) only acts Morally, and does no more sanctify those that are holy, than those that are profane. So that, if the Will have any goodness, any thing that is holy in it; it has it from it self, not from the Spirit of Holiness. Thus the Fruits of the Spirit will be no other, than the Fruits of Free-will; of Free-will unsanctified, unless it sanctify it self: and the acts of Obedience will be no other, than the acts of natural Morality, such as Mans degenerate Will can produce by its natural Power, without any assistance, but that of Moral or swasive Grace; which begets no good Qualities, gives no inward strength, affords no help of any kind, more to those who do most, than to those who do nothing at all.

(7.) It destroyes holy Obedience, inwa• and outward. Leaves no place for th• exercise of Grace in the Heart, or wor truely good in the Conversation. It pluc up these by the roots, taking away h bitual Regeneration which is the root them, the exercise of Grace in the acti of an inward gracious Principle; but the say there is no such Principle planted the Heart or Will by the Spirit of H liness; and where the Principle is not, cannot be acted. There can be no vit Acts, where there is no vital Principle that which is not alive, cannot put for