Doth all come from God, and from his Grace? Let us take heed (when we have any thing) of sacrilegious affections, of attributing any thing to 1our selves, to our own wisdom, and let us give all presently to Grace. Mark the phrase of S. Paul here, Not by fleshly wisdom, but by the Grace of God: he doth not say, by any habit in my self; he doth not say, by any wisdom that is in me, but he chooseth that which is in God, Grace, and favour; because he would not rob God of any honour. It was a proud term the Philosophers had, as I said, sometimes they called their moral virtues habits: and if we consider them merely as they are in the person, they are habits; but indeed they are graces: the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term, Grace; those things that we guide our lives by, as Wisdom, ⟨p. 299⟩Love, Temperance, Sobriety. Grace is a fitter word then habit, because then we consider them as they come from God freely: they are graces, they come from grace and favour. And when men differ one from another in wisdom, they differ in grace and favour; he gives more light, he opens the understanding of one more then another. Therefore S. Paul was wise, and careful this way, when he speaks of that he had done himself, lest he should rob God, Not I, oh not I, 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me; that was all in all: For indeed we are what we are, and we do what we do by Grace. Even as by our selves we are men; we are what we are, and we do what we do, by our souls, by our reason and understanding: so it is with spiritual grace, we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace, and we do what we do by spiritual grace. And when that ceaseth, when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us, alas, we are dark; a man is a confused creature, he is at a loss, he is in darkness for the particular managing of his life; he knows not what to do, he knows not what to speak, he is puzzled in every particular action. And therefore when he hath spoken, or done that which is fit, he should consider it is a grace.
Doth all come from God, and from his Grace? Let us take heed (when we have any thing) of sacrilegious affections, of attributing any thing to 1our selves, to our own wisdome, and let us give all presently to Grace. Mark the phrase of S. Paul here, Not by fleshly wisdome, but by the Grace of God: he doth not say, by any habit in my self; he doth not say, by any wisdome that is in me, but he chooseth that which is in God, Grace, and favour; because he would not rob God of any honour. It was a proud term the Philosophers had, as I said, sometimes they called their moral vertues habits: and if we consider them meerly as they are in the person, they are habits; but indeed they are graces: the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term, Grace; those things that we guide our lives by, as Wisdome, ⟨p. 299⟩Love, Temperance, Sobriety. Grace is a fitter word then habit, because then we consider them as they come from God freely: they are graces, they come from grace and favour. And when men differ one from another in wisdome, they differ in grace and favour; he gives more light, he opens the understanding of one more then another. Therefore S. Paul was wise, and careful this way, when he speaks of that he had done himself, lest he should rob God, Not I, oh not I, 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me; that was all in all: For indeed we are what we are, and we do what we do by Grace. Even as by our selves we are men; we are what we are, and we do what we do, by our soules, by our reason and understanding: so it is with spiritual grace, we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace, and we do what we do by spiritual grace. And when that ceaseth, when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us, alas, we are dark; a man is a confused creature, he is at a losse, he is in darknesse for the particular managing of his life; he knowes not what to do, he knowes not what to speak, he is puzzled in every particular action. And therefore when he hath spoken, or done that which is fit, he should consider it is a grace.
- 1Use. Not to ascribe any thing to our selves.
