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WHOEVER then strives to reach the perfection of evangelical teaching,
this man living under grace is not oppressed by the dominion of sin, for to
be under grace is to do those things which grace commands. But whoever will
not submit himself to the complete requirements of evangelical perfection,
must not remain ignorant that, although he seems to be baptized and to be a
monk, yet he is not under grace, but is still shackled by the chains of the
law, and weighed down by the burden of sin. For it is the aim of Him, who
by the grace of adoption accepts all those by whom He has been received,
not to destroy but to build upon, not to abolish but to fulfil the Mosaic
requirements. But some knowing nothing about this, and disregarding the
splendid counsels and exhortations of Christ, are so emancipated by the
carelessness of a freedom too hastily assumed, that they not only fail to
carry out the commands of Christ as if they were too hard, but actually
scorn as antiquated, the commands given to them as beginners and children
by the law of Moses, saying in this dangerous freedom of theirs that which
the Apostle execrates: "We have sinned, because we are not under the law
but under grace." He then who is neither under grace, because he has
never climbed the heights of the Lord's teaching, nor under the law,
because he has not accepted even those small commands of the law, this man,
ground down beneath a twofold rule of sin, fancies that he has received the
grace of Christ, simply and solely for this, that by this dangerous liberty
of his he may make himself none of His, and falls into that state, which
the Apostle Peter warns us to avoid, saying: "Act as free, and not having
your liberty as a cloak of wickedness." The blessed Apostle Paul also says:
"For ye, brethren, were called to liberty," i.e., that ye might be free
from the dominion of sin, "only use not your liberty for an occasion of the
flesh," i.e., believe that the doing away with the commands of the law
is a licence to sin. But this liberty, the Apostle Paul teaches us is
nowhere but where the Lord is dwelling, for he says: "The Lord is the
Spirit, but where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." Wherefore
I know not whether I could express and explain the meaning of the blessed
Apostle, as those know how, who have experience; one thing I do know, that
it is very clearly revealed even without anyone's explanation to all those
who have perfectly acquired praktikh`, i.e., practical training. For they
will need no effort to understand in discussion what they have already
learnt by practice.
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