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

To help you to this, we will apply the point, That the property of grace is to make a man strong; Now this power of grace is seen in three things.

First, the power and strength of grace is seen in this, That it heals corrupt nature, and it elevates and helps us ¹to do more then common nature can reach to; for there are two things in every natural man; corrupt nature, which is contrary to grace, and common nature, which is beneath ²grace. Now when saving and sanctifying grace is come into the heart, it heals corrupt nature, and enableth to do more then common nature can do. Consider therefore whether this grace cure those hereditary diseases which we have received from Adam, those diseases which breed in the heart: Take any thing besides grace, if the Sire, and the Dam trot, it is a hard thing to work the contrary in the off-spring; but grace is able to heal those diseases that are hereditary. If you bring a man to a Physician, and say such a man hath a hereditary disease which he hath received from his parents, he will presently give him over as a desperate Patient; but grace can cure those natural and hereditary diseases. Therefore in James 4. 5. saith he, The spirit that is in us lusteth after envy, that is, there is this natural disease in every man, that his spirit is lusting; the word there used i [Greek or Hebrew] it is still boiling, or bubbling forth, it is still lusting after envy; But how shall we do to help it? saith he, the Scripture offers more grace, that is, the Scripture gives grace that can do more then nature can do; it is able to heal that very l••ing whatsoever it be. That is, you must not think when a man hath a strong natural infirmity hanging upon him, that all the vows and resolutions and purposes in the world can help him, it is beyond natural help, but it is not past the help of grace. When Naaman the Assyrian could not be healed, he inquired ⟨p. 193⟩