Page:The Eternal Priesthood (4th ed).djvu/205

Rh 1. This law of liberty is, first, the law of God written upon our heart in our regeneration. By our first birth we were born in the bondage of sin and death. The knowledge of the law of God, and even of the existence of God, was obscured in us. By our regeneration we received from the Holy Ghost the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Baptism was called, and the baptised illuminated. The knowledge of God and of His law was restored to us. The will, which was wounded and weakened by original sin, was liberated from the bondage of weakness and restored to its liberty. It was this that God promised, when He said: "This is the testament which I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will give My laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."

By our regeneration we are made sons of God. By the infusion and indwelling of the Holy Ghost the will is elevated and empowered to do the will of God. By our first birth it was deprived of the Holy Ghost. By our second birth the will is invested once more with supernatural power. "As many as received Him to them He gave power to become sons of God." The weakness of the will and the strength of passion