De Duodecim Abusionum Gradibus [Incertus]

ON THE TWELVE GRADES OF ABUSES, ONE BOOK. FIRST GRADE. A wise man without works. The first grade of abuse is if a wise man lives without good works and is proclaimed: who neglects to fulfill in deeds what he teaches in speech. For hearers of doctrine scorn to do what is said, when they see that the preacher’s works differ from the words of his preaching. For the authority of the preacher is never effective unless he has fixed it in the heart of the hearer by the effect of his work; especially since the teacher himself, if he has fallen into the love of vices, thinks little of applying another teacher’s remedy to his own wounds. Hence the Lord Himself in the Gospel, wishing to instruct the disciples concerning both doctrine and good work, warned what caution they should have in these matters, saying: “But if the salt has lost its savor, with what shall it be salted?” (Matt. 5:13). That is, if the teacher has erred, by what other teacher will he be corrected? And, “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great will the darkness itself be?” (Matt. 6:23). For if the eye has ceased from its office of seeing, who will demand that office from the hand, or the foot, or the rest of the body? Therefore let teachers consider, lest they be subject to greater vengeance, if they provide more abundantly the occasion of perdition to many. For Solomon himself, while he incurred the transgression of much wisdom, brought about the dispersion of the kingdom of the whole Israelite people by his own merit alone.

Therefore, those to whom many things are entrusted lose greater things if they do not rightly administer the gifts of their ruler which they have received. For to whom more is entrusted, from him more is demanded. And a servant who understands the will of his master and does not do it will be beaten with harsher whips and more severe punishments (Luke 12:47). SECOND GRADE. An old man without religion. Two things in a man that do not grow old. The second grade of abuse is if an old man is found to be without religion: he whose limbs of the outer man grow old, while the strengths of the spirit, that is, the limbs of the inner man, do not receive increases of strength. For it is fitting that old men, whom the flourishing age of the present world has left behind, should devote themselves to religion more than all others. For just as in trees a reprobate tree appears which, after its flowers, does not offer its cultivator the best fruits, so also in men is that man reprobate whom the flower of youth has left, and yet in the old age of his body he disdains to bring forth the mature fruits of good works. For what more foolish can happen, if the mind does not hasten to perfection, when the whole habit of the body, worn out by old age, hastens to its end?

The eyes grow dim, the ears hear with difficulty, the hair falls out, the face turns pale, the teeth become fewer in number as they fall out, the skin dries up, the breath does not smell sweet, the chest is choked, a cough cackles, the knees tremble, swelling inflates the ankles and feet; and the inner man, who does not grow old, is weighed down by all these things. And all these things soon foretell that the house of the body is about to fall. What then remains, except that, as the decline of this life draws near, each old man should desire to think of nothing else but how the entrance to the future life may be quickly seized? For an uncertain end of this life threatens the young, but for the old a more timely departure from this light is at hand. Therefore, a man must beware of two parts which do not grow old in his flesh, namely the heart and the tongue: because the heart never ceases to devise new thoughts, and the tongue speaks without rest whatever it perceives the heart has devised. Let old age therefore beware, lest these youthful parts deceive its whole harmony and mock the gravity of the rest of the body through unsuitable matters. For each one must consider what is worthy of his advanced age: so that he may do that which renders neither his life, nor his age, nor his ministry base.

GRADE III. The adolescent without obedience. A father is spoken of in four ways. The third grade of abuse is the adolescent without obedience, by which the world is corrupted from the right order of reason. For how will he hope to have service rendered to him in old age, who in his youth disdains to show obedience to his elders? Whence also there is a saying in the old proverb: That he cannot rule, who has previously disdained to render service to someone. For this reason also the Lord Jesus, in the times of his flesh, while he had not yet reached the lawful age of a teacher, obediently showed service to his parents (Luke 2:51). Therefore, just as sobriety and perfection of character are required in the elderly, so also in adolescents, compliance, subjection, and obedience are rightly due. For this reason also, in the commandments of the Law, first among those things which pertain to men, the honoring of father and mother is commanded (Exodus 20:12): because, although a carnal father may not have survived, or may have been unworthy, it is shown that paternal honor is to be rendered by sons to some worthy and living father until a perfect and worthy age. For fathers are called in four ways through the divine Scriptures; that is, by nature, by nation, by instruction, and by age. For concerning the natural father, Jacob speaks to Laban: "If the fear of my father Isaac had not been present, you would have taken away all that is mine" (Genesis 31:42).

But "father" is said in a familial sense when the Lord, speaking to Moses from the bush, said, "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob" (Exod. 3:6). And "father" is said in terms of age and admonition when Moses speaks in the Song of Deuteronomy: "Ask your father, and he will tell you; ask your elders, and they will tell you" (Deut. 32:7). Therefore, if the natural father is no longer alive, or is unworthy, obedience must still be shown by the adolescent to the elder who admonishes. For how will he appear honored in old age who did not endure the labor of discipline in adolescence? For whatever a man has labored, that he will also reap. Indeed, every discipline does not seem to be a matter of joy in the present, but of sorrow; afterward, however, it will render the most peaceful fruit of exercised righteousness through it (Heb. 12:11). Therefore, just as fruit is not found on a tree in which a shoot or flower has not first appeared, so too will he not be able to attain legitimate honor in old age who has not labored in the exercise of some discipline in adolescence. Therefore, how can discipline exist without obedience? Thus, the adolescent without obedience is an adolescent without discipline; since obedience itself, which is the mother of all disciplines, requires great exercise, which took its standard of effort from Christ the Lord, who, obedient to the Father unto death, willingly endured the shame of the cross (Phil. 2:8).

GRADE IV. The Rich Person Without Alms. Things that cannot return love are not to be loved. The fourth grade of abuse is the rich person without alms, who stores up his superfluous goods, which are to be kept for the future, and does not distribute them to the needy and those who have nothing. By this it comes about that while he guards with diligent care what he has sought on earth, he loses the everlasting treasure of the heavenly homeland. To this treasure the Lord Jesus, answering the rich young man who had questioned him about perfection, invited him, saying: "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Matt. 19:21). This treasure no man can ever have, except he who provides comforts to the poor, or who is himself poor. Therefore, let nothing that could benefit the poor lie idle in your treasures. For a rich person, even if he has amassed much, can by no means enjoy it alone; because the nature of one man does not require many things. What, then, is more foolish than to lose all the joy of the heavenly kingdom and to undergo the eternal torments of hell without the prospect of consolation, for the sake of one man's food and clothing? Therefore, what must at some time be lost out of necessity is to be distributed voluntarily for the sake of eternal reward. For all things that are seen are temporal; but those that are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

For as long as we are temporal, temporal things serve temporal ends; and when we have passed from here, eternal consolations will be provided for eternal things. Therefore we ought not to love those things which we will not always have, especially since the covetous rich man, devoid of reason, is shown by his treasure, his fields, and everything he possesses; because he loves with the whole gaze of his heart those things which never love themselves. For if someone loves gold or silver, fields, garments, foods, metals, and brute animals, the very nature of things shows that all these cannot return the love to him. What, then, is further from reason than to love that which cannot love you, and to neglect Him who provides everything to your authority with love? For this reason, therefore, the world is not to be loved, but the neighbor is commanded to be loved by God (Matthew 22:39): because the neighbor can return the love for himself, which the world is undoubtedly unable to do. For the Lord commanded that even an enemy be loved (Matthew 5:44), so that that love may turn the enemy into a friend. Therefore any covetous rich man, if he wishes to have eternal riches, should lose the transitory ones in the meantime by distributing them to the poor. For if he does not sell what he loves, no one can buy what he desires. For the avaricious are called accursed in judgment by the most just judge: because those who passed by their dwellings did not say, "The blessing of the Lord upon you, we have blessed you in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 128:8).

Unhappy, therefore, are the avaricious rich, who because of transitory things fall into eternal damnation; and on the contrary, blessed are the merciful, since they themselves will obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). The merciful person is happy, for in this virtue God requires not substance, but affection. GRADE V. A woman without chastity. Chastity is twofold: of the body, of the mind. The fifth grade of abuse is a woman without chastity. For just as prudence procures and preserves all good conduct in men, so in women chastity nourishes, fosters, and preserves all honorable acts. For chastity guards chastity, restrains avarice, avoids quarrels, mitigates anger, occupies lust, tempers desire, chastises lasciviousness, shuns drunkenness, does not multiply words, fights against the desires of gluttony, and altogether condemns theft. What more? It restrains all vices; and it nourishes all virtues and whatever is praiseworthy before God and good men. An unchaste life expects neither praise from men in the present age nor reward from God in the future. A chaste life, however, possesses a good reputation among men and rejoices in the hope of future blessedness. It makes itself imitable to the present, and leaves a lovable memory to posterity. It always delights in and consents to good conduct, and nourishes the soul with constant meditations and utterances of the Scriptures. It preserves the examples of good predecessors, and weaves inseparable companionship with the perfect.

The practice of true chastity consists, therefore, in two ways: in the habit and outward appearance of the body, and in the internal affection of the soul. Through the external mode, according to the Apostle, we set examples before men; through the internal mode, we provide good works before God. For chastity of the body is: not to covet the possessions of others, and to avoid all uncleanness; not to wish to taste before the proper hour; not to provoke laughter; not to speak vain and false words; to have a habit altogether orderly, and a seemly arrangement both of hair and garments as is fitting; not to enter into fellowship with the unworthy; to look at no one with a haughty gaze; not to permit the eyes to wander; not to walk with a pompous and alluring gait; not to appear inferior to anyone in a good work once begun; to inflict insult or shame upon no one; to blaspheme no one; not to envy the good; not to mock the old; not to dispute with a better; not to treat of things you do not know; and not to utter all that you know. For these things render a man lovable to his neighbors and acceptable to God.

Chastity of the soul, however, is to do all good things more for the eyes of God than of men, to restrain the appetites of base thoughts, to esteem everyone better than oneself, to envy no one, to trust nothing to oneself, to commit all things always to the help of God, to place oneself before the eyes of God, not to stain one’s mind with heretical depravity, to agree with Catholics in all things, to cleave to God alone, to offer the chastity of the inner mind to the Lord Jesus Christ, to end all good works begun only at the limit of death, to make light of present tribulations with fortitude of spirit, to love nothing on earth except one’s neighbors, to place the treasury of all one’s love in heaven, and to hope for the reward of every good deed from God in the heavens. Chastity is the ornament of the noble, the exaltation of the humble, the nobility of the ignoble, the beauty of the base, the prosperity of those who labor, the solace of the grieving, the increase of all beauty, the glory of religion, the defense against crimes, the multiplication of merits, the friendship of God the creator of all.

GRADE VI. A Lord Without Virtue. Three things are necessary for those who rule. Among those in positions of dignity, some become better, others worse. The sixth grade of abuse is a lord without virtue: because it is of no avail to have the power of ruling if the lord himself does not possess the rigor of virtue. But this rigor of virtue requires not so much external fortitude, which is also necessary for secular lords, as it ought to be exercised by the internal fortitude of the soul through good morals; for often the virtue of ruling is lost through negligence of the soul, as is proven to have happened in the case of the priest Eli; who, because he did not restrain his sinning sons through the severity of judgment, the Lord, as if consenting, did not spare him in their punishment (1 Sam. 2:27-36). Therefore, it is necessary that those who rule possess three things: namely, terror, and order, and love. For unless the lord is both loved and feared, his order can by no means stand. Therefore, through benefits and affability he should procure that he be loved; and through just vengeances, not of his own injury, but of the law of God, he should strive to be feared. For this reason also, while many depend on him, he himself ought to cleave to God: who established him in leadership, who strengthened him as if stronger to bear the burdens of many. For a peg, unless it is well fixed and made firm, and cleaves to something stronger, everything that hangs on it quickly falls; and it itself, loosened from the rigor of its firmness, falls to the ground together with the burdens.

Thus also a prince, unless he clings persistently to his Creator, both he himself and everything he contains quickly perishes. For some, through the office of ruling, draw nearer to God; others, by the honor of dignity imposed upon them, become worse. For Moses, having received the leadership of the people, enjoyed more familiar converse with God (Exod. 33:11). Saul, the son of Kish, after he took up the scepter of the kingdom, offended God through the pride of disobedience (1 Sam. 15:11). King Solomon, after he obtained the throne of his father David, God endowed him beyond all mortals with the gift of wisdom for the governance of a countless people (1 Kings 3:12); but on the contrary, Jeroboam, the servant of Solomon, after he seized part of the kingdom of the house of David, turned the ten tribes of Israel that were in the region of Samaria to the worship of idols (1 Kings 12:27-30). Through these examples it is clearly shown that some in a higher station grow to greater perfection, while others, through the arrogance of domination, decline to worse things. By both of these it is understood that those who ascend to better things can do so through strength of mind and the help of God; and those who are turned to worse things err through weakness of mind and likewise negligence. Hence it is not fitting for a lord to be without virtue, which virtue he has in no way without the help of God.

For he who protects nothing, if he does not have strength of mind, is unable to act: because great things are accustomed to labor under great attacks or adversities. Therefore, everyone who is in authority should first of all attend with the whole intention of his mind that he never doubt the help of God in all things. For if he begins to have the Lord of lords as his helper in his actions, no man will be able to hold his dominion in contempt: for there is no power except from God (Rom. 13:1). For He raises the needy from the dunghill and makes him sit with the princes of his people (Ps. 112:7): He deposes the powerful from their seat and exalts the humble (Luke 1:52), so that the whole world may be subject to God, and all glory may need God. GRADE VII. The contentious Christian. Causes of contention. Whether anything in the world ought to be loved. The seventh grade of abuse is the contentious Christian: who, having received a share in the name of Christ through faith and Baptism, loves the fleeting delights of the world contrary to Christ's words and purpose. For everything about which contention arises is sought either for the sake of the love of the thing itself which is in question, or for the sake of the love of something else which lies hidden under a hateful appearance: just as, for example, war, with the spirited conflict of combatants, although it is a hateful thing, is carried on for the love of victory and freedom; and many other beloved species are sought with sufficient contentiousness under hateful labor or fear.

Hence it is clearly understood that nothing can be striven for except on account of love, namely, the hoped-for and subsequent lovable reward. Therefore, whoever contends for the present world for any reason clearly shows that he loves it. How then do the words of the Holy Spirit through John forbid loving the world, when he says, "Do not love the world, nor those things that are in the world" (1 John 2:15)? For love of the world and love of God cannot dwell together in one heart, just as the same eyes cannot behold heaven and earth at the same time. But it must be inquired whether there is truly anything in the world that ought to be loved, and what that world is which divine words forbid to be loved. Therefore, the earth with its offspring, metals, animals, the beauty of garments, the delights of foods, and those things that pertain to these, are not commanded to be loved; but the neighbor, for whose sake all these things were made, is commanded to be loved. For all these aforementioned things, as not enduring, cannot accompany those journeying to the heavenly homeland; but neighbors, as co-heirs of the enduring king, may freely love one another. Therefore, what does not always remain in the world and will perish along with the world, and the world itself, is commanded not to be loved. But the neighbor, who is a part of the heavenly kingdom on earth and among the lowest elements, is not unfittingly loved by those who seek the kingdom of heaven, since in that highest homeland he will be held as a co-heir forever.

Therefore, the present world is commanded not to be loved, lest anyone who loves the world become estranged from the love of God. Hence, one should not strive for what is not permitted to be loved. Therefore, a Christian who holds the likeness of Christ's name ought also to hold the likeness of his conduct. For no one is rightly called a Christian unless he is equal to Christ in conduct. Now concerning Christ, it is written through the prophet: "Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my chosen one, in whom my soul has taken delight. I will place my spirit upon him. He will not strive, nor will he shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets" (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:18). Behold, Christ did not strive, nor did he shout: and you, if you wish to retain the likeness of Christ's conduct, do not strive; lest you become an abusive Christian in the Church. For Christ commanded his followers, "Do not call yourselves rabbi; for your only teacher is Christ: and do not call anyone father on earth; for your only Father is in heaven. For you are all brothers" (Matthew 23:8-9). To them, he commanded in prayer, saying, "Thus you shall pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name'" (Matthew 6:9), and so forth. For it is in vain that one who professes to have a father and a fatherland in heaven strives to have a father on earth: no one becomes a possessor of that fatherland unless he is considered secure from striving for an earthly fatherland.

The Eighth Grade: The Proud Pauper. The poor in spirit, the humble pauper. The noble pauper. The eighth grade of abuse is the proud pauper, who, having nothing, is puffed up with pride: whereas even the rich of this world are commanded by the Apostle Paul not to think proudly (1 Tim. 6:17). What, therefore, can be more foolish than that he who, by reason of his lowly misery, ought to walk cast down upon the earth, lowly and sorrowful, should raise up his mind, swollen with the tumor of haughty pride, against God? Through which vice fell those who were created at the highest summit of heaven. What, then, does he mean to do, strutting proudly as if powerful on earth, who ought to appear humble before all men? But lest the poor be saddened by their poverty, let them attend to what the poor are to receive from God: for He Himself says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). For by a just dispensation, the merciful judge entrusts the kingdom of heaven to those from whom he has taken away participation in earthly kingdoms among mortals: so that he who procures nothing at all on earth may appear rich in the seat of heaven. Therefore, the poor must beware lest, while through want and necessity they lose an earthly kingdom, they also, through imprudence of mind, lose the kingdoms of heaven. For since by God's dispensation they have received necessary poverty, it depends on their own choice whether they are poor in spirit.

For not to any poor people whatsoever are the kingdoms of heaven promised, but only to those in whom poverty of riches is accompanied by humility of spirit. For a humble pauper is called poor in spirit; who, though he appears needy outwardly, is never lifted up in pride: because for seeking the kingdoms of heaven, humility of mind avails more than the temporal poverty of present riches. Indeed, the humble who possess riches well can be called poor in spirit; but the proud who have nothing are undoubtedly deprived of the blessedness of poverty. Concerning both of these, holy Scripture speaks thus: "He is as if rich, though he has nothing, and he is as if poor, though he has many riches; he is rich, humble in spirit; and having nothing, he is as if rich, he is a pauper proud in his mind's affection." Therefore, noble poverty is humility of mind, and inept riches are enormity of souls. Therefore, care must be taken for the poor, that they understand themselves to be what they are: and because they cannot attain by means of wealth what they grasp at, they should cease to be proud with the swelling of their mind.

NINTH GRADE: An unjust king. The justice of a king. How many evils from an unjust king. How many goods from a just king. The ninth grade of abuse is an unjust king. For a king ought not to be unjust, but a corrector of the unjust. Hence he ought to preserve in himself the dignity of his name: for the name of king intellectually retains this, that he should procure the office of ruler for all his subjects. But how will he be able to correct others, who does not correct his own morals, if they are unjust? Because the throne is exalted in the justice of a king, and the reins of the peoples are strengthened in the truth of the king. The justice of a king, however, is: to oppress no one unjustly through power, to judge without acceptance of persons between a man and his neighbor, to be a defender of strangers, orphans, and widows, to restrain thefts, to punish adulteries, not to exalt the unjust, not to nourish the shameless and actors, to destroy the impious from the land, not to allow parricides and perjurers to live.

Churches to defend, the poor to support with alms, to place just men over the affairs of the kingdom, to have old, wise, and sober counselors, not to attend to the superstitions of magicians, soothsayers, and pythonesses, to defer anger, to defend the homeland bravely and justly against adversaries, to trust in God in all things, not to be elated in spirit by prosperity, to bear all adversities patiently, to have the Catholic faith in God, not to allow his sons to act impiously, to persist in prayers at fixed hours, not to taste food before suitable hours. For woe to the land whose king is a child, and whose princes eat in the morning (Eccl. 10:16). These things bring prosperity to the kingdom in the present, and lead the king to the better celestial realms. But he who does not administer the kingdom according to this law undoubtedly endures many adversities of rule. For this reason the peace of peoples is often broken, offenses are also stirred up against the kingdom, the fruits of the earth are diminished, and the services of the peoples are hindered, many and various plagues infect the prosperity of the kingdom, the deaths of dear ones and children bring sorrow, incursions of enemies lay waste the provinces on all sides, beasts tear apart the herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, storms of spring and winter hinder the fertility of the lands and the services of the sea, and sometimes thunderbolts burn up the crops and the flowers of trees and all the vine-shoots.

Above all, the injustice of a king not only darkens the face of his present rule, but also obscures his sons and grandsons, so that they may not hold the inheritance of the kingdom after him. For because of the sin of Solomon, the Lord scattered the kingdom of the house of Israel from the hands of his sons (1 Kings 11:31); and because of the justice of King David, He always left a lamp from his seed in Jerusalem. Behold how much the justice of a king avails in the world, it is plainly clear to those who consider it. For it is the peace of peoples, the protection of the fatherland, the immunity of the common people, the defense of the nation, the care of the sick, the joy of men, the temperateness of the air, the serenity of the sea, the fertility of the land, the solace of the poor, the inheritance of sons, and for himself the hope of future blessedness. Yet let the king know that just as he is established as the first among men on the throne, so also in punishments, if he does not do justice, he will hold the primacy. For all the sinners whom he had under him in the present, he will have above him in an implacable manner in that future punishment.

The tenth step of abuse is a negligent bishop: one who demands the honor of his rank among men, but does not preserve the dignity of his ministry before God, on whose behalf he acts as legate (2 Cor. 5:20). First, it must be asked of a bishop what the dignity of his name entails; for since "bishop" is a Greek name, it is interpreted as "overseer." Why an overseer is placed, and what is required of an overseer, the Lord himself reveals when, through the person of the prophet Ezekiel, he declares the rationale of the bishop's office, saying thus: "I have given you as an overseer to the house of Israel. Hearing the word from my mouth, you will announce it to them from me. But if you see a sword coming, and you do not announce it so that the impious man may turn back from his way, the impious man will indeed die from his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand. But if you announce it, and he does not turn back, he will indeed die in his iniquity, but you have freed your own soul" (Ezek. 3:17-19). Therefore, it befits a bishop, who is placed as an overseer of all, to diligently attend to sins; and after he has attended to them, to correct them by word, if he can, and by action; if he cannot, according to the rule of the Gospel, to shun the workers of evil. For if, says the Lord in the Gospel, your brother has sinned against you, correct him between yourself and him.

If he hears you, you have gained your brother; if he does not hear you, bring with you one or two more, so that every word stands on the testimony of two or three. If he does not hear them, tell the Church. If he does not hear the Church, let him be to you as a heathen and a publican (Matt. 18:15-17). By such an order is anyone to be expelled who refuses to adhere to a teacher or bishop. And one who has been expelled by such an order ought not to be received by any other teacher or bishop. For concerning the priest it is written in the law: He shall not take a widow or a divorced woman as wife (Lev. 21:7). Therefore, whoever joins to himself that excommunicated person, without the permission of the Catholic who excommunicated him, exceeds the rights of the holy priesthood, which is the chosen race of Christians. For this reason, the bishop must be attentive to those over whom he is placed in watchfulness. But as to what he ought to be in himself, the apostle Paul sets forth, so that coming to the rank of bishop he should be sober, prudent, chaste, wise, modest, hospitable, having children subject to him with all chastity, bearing good testimony from those who are outside, offering faithful speech of doctrine, having had not more than one wife before the episcopate; not a striker, not double-tongued, not a drunkard, not a neophyte (1 Tim. 3:2-4): so that through these things he himself may show in deed what he teaches others in the speech of doctrine.

Let negligent bishops beware, for in the time of vengeance the Lord complains through the prophet, saying: "My shepherds have destroyed my people; and my shepherds did not feed my flock, but fed themselves" (Ezekiel 34:8). Rather, let those whom the Lord has set over his household strive to give them food in due season, the measure of wheat (Luke 12:42)—that is, pure and proven doctrine—so that when the Lord comes, they may deserve to hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:23). GRADE XI. A people without discipline. What discipline is. The eleventh grade of abuse is a people without discipline. When a people does not serve the exercises of discipline, it binds itself with a common snare of perdition; for it does not escape the Lord's anger without the rigor of discipline. And therefore it is proclaimed to an undisciplined people with the words of the Psalmist: "Seize discipline, lest the Lord become angry" (Psalm 2:12). Discipline, indeed, is the orderly correction of morals and the observance of the rules of preceding elders. Concerning this discipline, the apostle Paul speaks thus, saying: "Persevere in discipline; as to sons, God offers himself to you. If you are outside discipline, of which you have all been made partakers, then you are adulterers and not sons" (Hebrews 12:7-8). Therefore, those who are adulterers...

are without discipline, and do not obtain the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom; but if the sons bear the correction of their father's discipline, they do not despair of being able to receive the inheritance at some time. Concerning this discipline, Isaiah also preaches to the undisciplined people, saying: "Cease to act perversely; learn to do good" (Isaiah 1:16-17). And to the same effect, the Psalmist sings with a harmonious voice, saying: "Turn away from evil, and do good" (Psalm 33:15). Unhappy, therefore, is he who casts aside discipline; for he dares to do something beyond the soldiers who crucified the Lord and did not tear His tunic—he who tears the discipline of Christ's Church. For just as the tunic is said to cover the whole body except the head, so discipline protects and adorns the whole Church except Christ, who is the head of the Church and is not under discipline. For that tunic had been woven together throughout from above (John 19:23-24). This discipline of the Church is granted by the Lord from heaven and is read in the law. Concerning it, the Lord, after He ascended to the Father, having risen from the dead, spoke to His apostles, saying: "But you sit in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Therefore, the tunic of the body of Christ is the discipline of the Church; whoever is outside discipline is a stranger to the body of Christ. Let us not, then, tear it, but let us cast lots over whose it is (John

XIX, 24): that is, we should not neglect any of the Lord’s commandments, but each one, in whatever calling he has been summoned, should remain therein with the Lord. There is the TWELFTH GRADE: a lawless people. The twelfth grade of abuse is a lawless people: who, while despising the words of God and the decrees of the laws, fall into the snare of transgression through various paths of error. Concerning these paths, under the figure of a transgressing people, the prophet laments the human race in this way: “But we have wandered like sheep, each one has turned aside to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Concerning these paths, Wisdom also speaks through Solomon: “Many ways seem right to men, and their last end leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). These many paths of perdition are certainly trodden when the one royal way, namely the law of God, which declines neither to the right nor to the left, is abandoned through negligence. Concerning this way, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every believer (Romans 10:4), declares: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). To this way he invites all men in common, saying: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Matthew 11:28). For there is no acceptance of persons with God (Romans 2:11), where there is no Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free, Barbarian and Scythian; but all things in all are Christ: for all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Therefore, since Christ is the end of the law (Rom. 10:4), those who are without the law become without Christ: thus a people without the law is a people without Christ. Therefore, it is an abuse in the times of the Gospel for a people to be without the law, when the gift of preaching was given to the Apostles among all nations (Matt. 28:19), when the thunder of the Gospel has resounded through all parts of the age, when the nations that did not pursue justice have grasped justice (Rom. 9:50), when those who were far off have been made near in the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13), who were once not a people, but now are the people of God in Christ (Rom. 9:25): when it is the acceptable time and the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2) and the times of refreshment in the sight of the Most High, when each nation has a witness of the resurrection, when the Lord Himself testifies, "Behold, I am with you all days until the consummation of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Let us not, therefore, be without Christ in this transitory time, lest Christ begin to be without us in the future.