This Heavenly Father of whom you speak will not give His holy
spirit to those who ask Him. He does not, as one of your Collects says,
put into men's minds good desires--they come to a man entirely from
outside a man, from his early teaching, his youthful impressions, as they
are called now-a-days. He does not either give men grace and power to
put these desires into practice. That depends entirely on the natural
strength of a man's character; and that, again, depends principally on
the state of his brain. So, says the world, if you wish your own
character to improve, you must improve it yourself, for God will not
improve it for you. But, after all, why should you try to improve? why
not be content to be just what you are? you did not make yourself, and
you are not responsible for being merely what God has chosen to make you.
This is what worldly men say, or at least what they believe and act on;
and this is the reason why there is so little improvement in the world,
because men do not ask God to improve their hearts and stir up their
wills.
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