Now the Spirit guides us not immediately, but it works a habit in us, as we call it, it works somewhat in us to dispose us to that which is good. And when that is wrought, the Spirit guides us to every particular action. These things that the Spirit works in us are called graces : because they come from out of ourselves by the Spirit. So wisdom is called grace, because it comes from the Spirit. The Spirit comes from Christ, and Christ hath grace, not only grace in himself, but he infuseth grace into us. He hath not only abundance, but redundance ; not only grace flowing in himself, but redundant, overflowing to all his members. This St Paul means, when he saith, ' We have had our conversation by the grace of God,' that is, by such blessed habits of wisdom, faith, love, &c., as are wrought by the Spirit of God ; which Spirit is given us by Jesus Christ our head.
Hence we learn, that everything that is necessary to bring us to heaven, it is a grace, that is, it comes from without us. Adam had it within him. He was trusted with his riches himself. But now in Jesus Christ we have all of grace : we have all out of ourselves. Christ is the Sun. We have all our jbeams from him, all our light, all our life from him. He is the head. All our motion is from him. And this is not only true of habits, as we call them, that is, a constant work, or disposition wrought in God's children, which for the most part they carry about with them; but like- wise in all the particular passages of their hfe. They have need of grace for every particular action. And herein the soul is like to the air. The air stands in need of light, and if it be not enlightened by the sun, it is presently dark. So a man is no wiser in particular actions than God will make him on the sudden. Put case he be a man of a wise spirit for the most part, that he passeth for an understanding man, and is so : yet except he have the grace of God's Spirit, except he have wisdom to guide him in particular, he is no wiser than God at that time will make him to be. You see all motion in the body it comes from the head. Let the spirits in the head be obstructed never so little, and there follows an apoplexy, there will be no motion. So all our wisdom, all the direction that we have to lead our lives as becomes Christians, it comes from Christ, it comes from gi-ace ; not only the disposition, but likewise every particular action. For we need grace continually to assist us, to excite and stir up our powers, and to strengthen them against oppositions ; and if the opposition be strong, we have need of a stronger grace.
There is never a good work that we do, but it is opposed from within ns, from without us. From within us, by carnal wisdom, as I said before, and by carnal passions and atiections. From without us, by Satan, by the world, and by men that are led by the spirit of the devil. There- fore there is need of a strength above our own. Besides the grace that is in us ordinarily, there needs a new particular strength and light, to parti- cular actions.
Use. Doth all come from God and from his grace ? Let us take heed when we have anything, of sacrilegious affections, of attributing anything
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to oui-sclvos, to our own wisdom, and let us give all presently to gi*ace. Mark the phrase of St Paul here, ' Not by fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God.' Ho doth not say, by any habit in myself. He doth not say, by any wisdom that is in me. But ho chooscth tliat 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 (ww) ; 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, love, temperance, sobriety. Grace is a fitter word than 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 ditfer in grace and favour. He gives more light, he opens the understanding of one more than another. Therefore St 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. xv. 10, ' 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 om-selves we are men, we are what we are, and we do what we do, by our souls, by our reason and ixnderstanding. So it is with spiritual grace. We are what we are out of ourselves 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 con- fused 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 as a grace.