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

It is Godliness that is required of every man, that is only acceptable to the Lord. We gave you the reasons of it, and made some Use of it. And before we come to the other point, or to some further Use that we should make of this, we will add a word or two to that which we pressed ⟨p. 250⟩in the morning, that we should not content our selves with any thing but godliness. For we are apt to be deceived in this case, to mistake, and to think that our common care of serving God, and that moral virtues and civility are godliness. But it is enough for you to know that the Lord accepts nothing but that which is more then nature, that which himself hath wrought in us by his holy Spirit. Aristotle himself, though a Heathen man, was able to say, that natural virtues are very like the true, they come so near it, that there is nothing more like. As ¹natural meekness will do as much as the best moral meekness; nay as much as any spiritual meekness: stupidity will do as much as Christian courage, and natural temperance and ability in a man to rule and govern himself. There are many of these natural virtues, which for the outside (for I speak of that) and for the show, for some kind of performance, may go as far as those that are spiritual. But there is a great difference between them; because the one sort proceed but from nature, and they look but to a mans self. And you shall find they alway have this property, they are done without difficulty, without resistance, without any reluctancy, therefore they are not praise-worthy, there is no thanks for any man to do such an action.

It is Godliness that is required of every man, that is only acceptable to the Lord. We gave you the reasons of it, and made some Use of it. And before we come to the other point, or to some further Use that we should make of this, we will add a word or two to that which we prest ⟨p. 250⟩in the morning, that we should not content our selves with any thing but godliness. For we are apt to be deceived in this case, to mistake, and to think that our common care of serving God, and that moral vertues and civility are godliness. But it is enough for you to know that the Lord accepts nothing but that which is more then nature, that which himself hath wrought in us by his holy Spirit. Aristotle himself, though a Heathen man, was able to say, that natural vertues are very like the true, they come so near it, that there is nothing more like. As