Again I answer, though it be a quality, and that our strength is from God immediately, yet God will have 1us to use means, and instruments, wherein he himself helps us to do. For it is true, if any man will trust to this habitual grace, which I say is an inherent quality wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost, if any man will grow careless in the strength of this grace, and say, well, I am now a man grown strong, I have now gotten some good measure of grace, therefore now I will venture upon occasions of sin, &c. Here a man makes flesh his arm, though he do trust to grace: for he ought not so to do, he ought to look up to God, for another transient exciting and assisting grace: besides this inherent quality which I speak of to have a dependence upon him; and yet not altogether to rest in that, for then a man should not be bound to increase in grace, and to grow in it, which every man is bound to do, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Therefore there is a use of that, you must make account you are so much the stronger by it: for no man will labour for a thing but he will know some end of it. As we see in other things, a man may use the strength of horses, and of men, he may use means and friends; but still it is required that he remember how he useth them, that his eye be still upon the Lord as him that giveth the strength. It is he that keeps that grace ⟨p. 189⟩in being, it is he that must act it, and stir it up to do the works we are to do from time to time.
Again I answer, though it be a quality, and that our strength is from God immediately, yet God will have 1us to use means, and instruments, wherein he himself helps us to do. For it is true, if any man will trust to this habitual grace, which I say is an inherent quality wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost, if any man will grow careless in the strength of this grace, and say, well, I am now a man grown strong, I have now gotten some good measure of grace, therefore now I will venture upon occasions of sin, &c. Here a man makes flesh his arm, though he do trust to grace: for he ought not so to do, he ought to look up to God, for another transient exciting and assisting grace: besides this inherent quality which I speak of to have a dependance upon him; and yet not altogether to rest in that, for then a man should not be bound to increase in grace, and to grow in it, which every man is bound to do, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Iesus Christ. Therefore there is a use of that, you must make account you are so much the stronger by it: for no man will labour for a thing but he will know some end of it. As we see in other things, a man may use the strength of horses, and of men, he may use means and friends; but still it is required that he remember how he useth them, that his eye be still upon the Lord as him that giveth the strength. It is he that keeps that grace ⟨p. 189⟩in being, it is he that must act it, and stir it up to do the works we are to do from time to time.
- 1We must use means of strength.We must use meanes of strength.
