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

Now I say, it doth not only cure the diseases of the soul, but it elevates, and raiseth common nature to do more then that which otherwise it could do. That is, herein the power of grace is seen, that it makes you able to do that which no man else can do, and that which thou thy self couldest never do before. As for example, for a man to delight in the commandments of God, it is more then any natural man in the world can do: because delight (as we say,) ariseth from a suitableness in the subject to the object. Now unless there be a suitableness ⟨p. 197⟩between the ways of God and the heart of a man, there cannot possibly be any delight in the ways of God. It is one thing to approve the ways of God, and another thing to delight in them. Other men that are but civil men may approve the ways of God, but they cannot delight in them; this is more then a natural man can reach unto. If therefore thou find this in thee, be assured the strength of grace is there. So, to love God, we find that peculiar to the Saints, that is more then any hypocrite in the world can do, if any man therefore find that grace so strong in him that it makes his heart cleave to the Lord wholly, and long after him that he loves him, and seeks his face: that he loves him not for other respects, but beholding him in his person, in his attributes, and in all his excellencies he can love him above all things, this no man by nature can attain to. And so to hate sin; no man by nature can hate sin, but by the power of grace, for all hatred ariseth from contrary, and only grace is contrary to sin; it is grace that makes a man a sin hater.

Now I say, it doth not onely cure the diseases of the soul, but it elevates, and raiseth common nature to do more then that which otherwise it could do. That is, herein the power of grace is seen, that it makes you able to do that which no man else can do, and that which thou thy self couldest never do before. As for example, for a man to delight in the commandments of God, it is more then any natural man in the world can do: because delight (as we say,) ariseth from a suitableness in the subject to the object. Now unless there be a suitableness ⟨p. 197⟩between the wayes of God and the heart of a man, there cannot possibly be any delight in the wayes of God. It is one thing to approve the wayes of God, and another thing to delight in them. Other men that are but civil men may approve the wayes of God, but they cannot delight in them; this is more then a natural man can reach unto. If therefore thou find this in thee, be assured the strength of grace is there. So, to love God, we find that peculiar to the Saints, that is more then any hypocrite in the world can do, if any man therefore find that grace so strong in him that it makes his heart cleave to the Lord wholly, and long after him that he loves him, and seekes his face: that he loves him not for other respects, but beholding him in his person, in his attributes, and in all his excellencies he can love him above all things, this no man by nature can attain to. And so to hate sin; no man by nature can hate sin, but by the power of grace, for all hatred ariseth from contrary, and onely grace is contrary to sin; it is grace that makes a man a sin hater.