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

Again I say, it makes us perform duties, not only in a holy, but in a lively manner; for grace is the life of the soul. Where this life is not, we may do duties, but they are but dead works. Vital actions are only proper to grace, because only grace works life: a man never comes to perform a work that is a living work, but so far as it comes from grace; grace is the fire of the holy Ghost. Grace is to the soul as the lively and natural heat is in the body, which only acts it, and makes it to do the works thereof. So grace in the soul is that only which begets liveliness in duties wherewith they are to be performed.

Again I say, it makes us perform duties, not onely in a holy, but in a lively manner; for grace is the life of the soul. Where this life is not, we may do duties, but they are but dead works. Vital actions are onely proper to grace, because onely grace works life: a man never comes to perform a work that is a living work, but so far as it comes from grace; grace is the fire of the holy Ghost. Grace is to the soul as the lively and natural heat is in the body, which onely acts it, and makes it to do the works thereof. So grace in the soul is that onely which begets livelinesse in duties wherewith they are to be performed.

Lastly, I add, it makes us perform them in a holy, lively and substantial manner, that is, to do them to some purpose. Take another man, he doth these duties, but to what purpose are they? when we come to pray, and to do these duties, they are then done as they should be, when the end is obtained, then every business is done, when the end of it is effected, otherwise it is not done; we do not say a thing is done, because a man hath been about it, but because he hath obtained that end for which he took the business in hand. Consider now what is the end of the duties you do, what is the end of your praying, what is the end of your hearing? is the end of your hearing edification? is the end of your praying to be strengthened in grace? prayer is a lost prayer except the heart be strengthened by prayer, except the heart be made better, and more composed into communion with God, you pray not in the holy Ghost. Now then examine your selves by this; grace only enableth a man so to pray that he shall grow more heavenly in every prayer: whensoever any other prayer is made without this power of grace, it is lip-labour, it doth the heart no good. And so for keeping