nger
am in want of anything, except of faith to believe that this is so.
For such a Father, then, who has overwhelmed me with these inestimable
riches of His, why should I not freely, cheerfully, and with my whole
heart, and from voluntary zeal, do all that I know will be pleasing to
Him and acceptable in His sight? I will therefore give myself as a sort
of Christ, to my neighbour, as Christ has given Himself to me; and will
do nothing in this life except what I see will be needful, advantageous,
and wholesome for my neighbour, since by faith I abound in all good
things in Christ.

Thus from faith flow forth love and joy in the Lord, and from love
a cheerful, willing, free spirit, disposed to serve our neighbour
voluntarily, without taking any account of gratitude or ingratitude,
praise or blame, gain or loss. Its object is not to lay men under
obligations, nor does it distinguish between friends and enemies, or
look to gratitude or ingratitude, but most freely and willingly spends
itself and its goods, whether it loses them through ingratitude, or
gains goodwill. For thus did its Father, distributing all things to all
men abundantly and freely, making His sun to rise upon the just and the
unjust. Thus, too, the child does and endures nothing except from the
free joy with which it delights through Christ in God, the Giver of such
great gifts.

You see, then, that, if we recognize those great and precious gifts, as
Peter says, which have been given to us, love is quickly diffused in
our hearts through the Spirit, and by love we are made free, joyful,
all-powerful, active workers, victors over all our tribulations,
servants to our neighbour, and nevertheless lords of all things. But,
for those who do not recognise the good things given to them through
Christ, Christ has been born in vain; such persons walk by works, and
will never attain the taste and feeling of these great things. Therefore
just as our neighbour is in want, and has need of our abundance, so we
too in the sight of God were in want, and had need of His mercy. And as
our heavenly Father has freely helped us in Christ, so ought we freely
to help our neighbour by our body and works, and each should become to
other a sort of Christ, so that we may be mutually Christs, and that
the same Christ may be in all of us; that is, that we may be truly
Christians.

Who then can comprehend the riches and glory of the Christian life? It
can do all things, has all thin