“For as the good fruit is not the cause that the tree is good, but the tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit; so the good deeds of man are not the cause that maketh man good, but he is first made good by the Spirit and grace of God, that effectually worketh in him, and afterward he bringeth forth good fruits.” (cf. Matthew 7:15-20).
Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) recorded in The Church of England: Quarterly Review 1842: 154.