mandments. It instinctively and promptly and fully does what the law constrains the unwilling to do.
S. John says: "Whosoever is born of God committeth no sin, for His seed abideth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God."[1] That is, the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, dwells and reigns in him; and his whole new nature, which is spiritual and supernatural, revolts at sin in all its forms and fascinations. Without violence, and a violation of his whole mind, he could not sin: it would not be against God only, but against his own will. If it were put before such a will to commit a mortal sin or to die, it would willingly die. If it had to choose between a deliberate venial sin or to die, it would rather die. If it were bidden to choose a lot in life with equal hope of salvation, the one without the Cross, the other with the Cross, it would choose the Cross out of a desire of greater conformity to our Divine Master, and from gratitude for His sufferings for us, and from generosity of love to Him.
The law of liberty, then, is the law which moved God liberrimo consilio by His most free counsel of wisdom, to create us,[2] and to give His Son for our redemption. It moved the Son to take upon Him
- ↑ 1 S. John iii. 9.
- ↑ Concil. Vat. Const. Dogm. De Fide Cat. c. i.
