7. This conflict none
experience in themselves, save such as war on the side of the
virtues, and war down the vices: nor doth any thing storm the evil
of lust, save the good of Continence. But there are, who, being
utterly ignorant of the law of God, account not evil lusts among
their enemies, and through wretched blindness being slaves to them,
over and above think themselves also blessed, by satisfying them
rather than taming them. But whoso through the Law have come to
know them, (“For through the Law is the knowledge of sin,”1823
and,
“
Lust,” saith he, “I knew not, unless the
Law should say,
Thou shalt not
lust after,”
1824
and yet are overcome by their
assault, because they
live under the
Law, whereby what is good is
commanded, but not also given: they
live not under
Grace, which
gives through the
Holy Spirit what is commanded through the
Law:
unto these the
Law therefore entered, that in them the offense
might abound. The prohibition increased the
lust, and made it
unconquered:
1825
that there
might be
transgression also, which without the
Law was not,
although there was
sin, “For where there is not
Law, neither is
there
transgression.”
1826
Thus the
Law,
Grace not helping,
forbidding
sin, became over and above the
strength of
sin; whence
the
Apostle saith, “The
Law is the
strength of
sin.”
1827
Nor is it
to be wondered at, that man’s
weakness even from the good
Law
added
strength to
evil, whilst it
trusts to
fulfill the
Law itself
of its own
strength. Forsooth being ignorant of the
righteousness
of
God,
1828
which He
gives unto the
weak, and wishing to establish his own, of which the
weak is
void, he was not made subject to the
righteousness of
God,
reprobate and
proud. But if the
Law, as a schoolmaster, lead unto
Grace one made an offender, as though for this purpose more
grievously
wounded, that he may desire a
Physician; against the
baneful sweetness, whereby
lust prevailed, the
Lord gives a
sweetness that worketh good, that by it Continence may the more
delight, and “our
land giveth her fruit,”
1829
whereby the soldier is fed, who by
the help of the Lord wars down sin.
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