Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/272

220 neutral is used because it does not dispose to virtue more than to vice, or the contrary.

Further, it is to be noted that there is an immediate distinction between human works, because whether they are virtuous or vicious is manifest, for, if a man is vicious and does something, then he acts viciously; and if he is virtuous and does something, then he acts virtuously, for just as vice, which is called crime or mortal sin, infects the acts of the whole man, so virtue gives life to all the acts of a virtuous man, in so far as that, living in grace, he is said to be meritorious and pray even in sleeping or in doing anything whatsoever, as the holy doctors say, especially St. Augustine, Gregory, Jerome and others. And this statement is founded in the words of Jesus Christ our Saviour: "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light," that is, if thy purpose be good and in grace unto the doing of good works, then "thy whole body," that is, the sum of all thy works, "will be full of light," because they are pure in the sight of God. "But if thine eye be evil," that is, thy purpose be bad, tainted and incriminate with vice, "thy whole body," that is, the sum of thy works, "will be full of darkness," that is, will be vicious. Hence, the doctor of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul, teaches thus: "Do all to the glory of God," II Cor. 10:31, and, "Let all your things be done in love," I Cor. 16:14. Therefore, the whole mode of living in love is virtuous, and the whole mode of a man's living without love is vicious.

From this it is clear that, as no one may be neutral, so far as virtue and vice go, since it must needs be that one is in the grace of Almighty God or outside it, so no conduct of any man may be neutral. In the case of virtuous commands, therefore, the superior is to be obeyed, but of vicious commands he is to be boldly withstood. These things having been stated [, on Obedience], every one of Christ's faithful ought truly to be on his guard lest he be-