64. It is then clear that the Holy Spirit is also
the Author of the grace of the Spirit, since we are created according
to God, that we may be made the sons of God. So when He has taken
us into His kingdom by the adoption of holy regeneration, do we deny
Him that which is His? He has made us heirs of the new birth from
above, do we claim the heritage and reject its Author? But the
benefit cannot remain
when its
Author is shut out; the Author is not without the gift, nor the gift
without the Author. If you claim the grace, believe the power; if
you reject the power, do not ask for the grace. He who has denied
the Spirit has at the same time denied the gift. For if the
Author be of no account how can His gifts be precious? Why do we
grudge the gifts we ourselves receive, diminish our hopes, repudiate
our dignity, and deny our Comforter?