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JOSEPH: As we premised, the intent of the mind brings a man either
reward or condemnation, according to this passage: "Their thoughts between
themselves accusing or also defending one another, in the day when God
shall judge the secrets of men;" and this too: "But I am coming to gather
together their works and thoughts together with all nations and
tongues." Wherefore it was, as I see, from a desire for perfection that
you bound yourselves with the chain of these oaths, as you then thought
that by this plan it could be gained, while now that a riper judgment has
supervened, you see that you cannot by this means scale its heights. And so
any departure from that arrangement, which may seem to have happened, will
be no hindrance, if only no change in that first purpose follows. For a
change of instrument does not imply a desertion of the work, nor does the
choice of a shorter and more direct road argue laziness on the path of the
traveller. And so in this matter an improvement in a short- sighted
arrangement is not to be reckoned a breach of a spiritual promise. For
whatever is done out of the love of God and desire for goodness, which has
"promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come," even
though it may appear to commence with a hard and adverse beginning, is most
worthy, not only of no blame, but actually of praise. And therefore the
breaking of a careless promise will be no hindrance, if in every case the
end, i.e., the proposed aim at goodness, be maintained. For we do all for
this reason, that we may be able to show to God a clean heart, and if the
attainment of this is considered to be easier in this country the
alteration of the agreement extracted from you will be no hindrance to you,
if only the perfection of that purity for the sake of which your promise
was originally made, be the sooner secured according to the Lord's will.
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