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

First, to this I answer; that holy men may have pits ¹wherein they may be fallen, I say they may have dross as well as gold, and hence they may be driven through a strong passion and lust, not justly to scale sins aright, whence ariseth remissness, and neglect, both in doing good and resisting evil; But this in a regenerate man I call but a passion, because it continues not; for prayer and the Preaching of the pure word will recover this again: that is it will recover his strength, and make him zealous against sins. But if you see a man (what profession soever he makes of Christ) that can wink at sin and not be moved at it, and the word nor prayer do not kindle this holy fire in him, Then plainly that man is a dead man, there ⟨p. 92⟩is no spark of holiness in him; Therefore I may say to every such holy man, as they were wont to say to Hannibal, that he hath fire in him, but he wants blowing; so I say unto you: if you have the spirit you have heat in you: but if this heat do not appear at all times or at sometime, it is because it wants blowing: for when they have just occasion to exercise the strength of the inward man for Gods glory, they will show that they have zeal in them, and are hot, and lively to good and not dead in sin, As for example: this is the difference between a man that is dead and a man that is in a swoon: the man that is in a swoon; if strong waters and rubbing of his joints do not recover him, it is a sign that he is dead: so if the word will not work in you, but you remain senseless and dead without spiritual heat in you, it is a sign that you are more then in a swoon, that is you are already dead in the Inward man. It is said of the Adamant, that it will not be heated with fire: so I say of you if the word will not heat you when you are rubbed with it, it is a sign that you are like the Adamant dead unto grace.

First, to this I answer; that holy men may have pits ¹wherin they may be faln, I say they may have dross as well as gold, and hence they may be driven through a strong passion and lust, not justly to scale sins aright, whence ariseth remissness, and neglect, both in doing good and resisting evil; But this in a regenerate man I call but a passion, because it continues not; for prayer and the Preaching of the pure word will recover this again: that is it will recover his strength, and make him zealous against sins. But if you see a man (what profession soever he makes of Christ) that can wink at sin and not be moved at it, and the word nor prayer do not kindle this holy fire in him, Then plainly that man is a dead man, there