▪Of Grace.
▪Of Grace.
The grace of Christ, or the Holy Spirit given by him, takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh. And although he makes those who have no will for good things to will them, and those who would will evil things not to will them, yet nevertheless he does not force the will.1 Therefore, when someone sins, they can't excuse themselves from blame or condemnation by claiming they sinned unwillingly or under compulsion.
Read the original English
THe Grace of Christ, or the holie Ghost by him geuen dothe take awaie the stonie harte, & geueth an harte of fleshe. And although, those that haue no wil to good thinges, he maketh them to wil: and those that woulde euyll thinges, hee maketh them not to wille the same: Yet neuertheles he ēforceth not the wil. And therfore no man when he sinneth, can excuse himself, as not worthye to be blamed or condemned, by alleging that he sinned vnwillingly, or by compulsion.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'ēforceth not the wil' is rendered 'does not force the will' (does not compel), preserving the grace-without-coercion claim.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit