Slavery

The saints are at their liberty, although they be never so narrowly looked to and shut up in custody. They are victors and vanquishers, howsoever they are bound and oppressed; finally, they enjoy most exquisite pleasures even when they are vexed with most infinite evils. I know that the children of this world mock and scoff at these pleasures and liberty of the faithful believers, as though they were mere dreams and fantasies of very fools and asses; but God soundly pays them home for their scoffs and mockery, not in the world to come only, but also in this present life, while they themselves, like miserable caitiffs, being in extreme captivity, notwithstanding even in that slavery think themselves at liberty and in most absolute felicity. For they serve a filthy service in detestable slavery, making themselves slaves to abominable whoredom, to beastly mad drunkenness, to the wicked mammon, and to other most vile pleasures, wherein they die and rot with endless shame and infamy.

Die to the world, repudiating the madness that is in it. Live to God, and by apprehending Him lay aside your old nature. We were not created to die, but we die by our own fault. Our free will has destroyed us; we who were free have become slaves; we have been sold through sin. Nothing evil has been created by God; we ourselves have manifested wickedness; but we, who have manifested it, are able again to reject it.

This is the property of that eternal and just law of God, that he who would not be ruled with gentleness by God, should be ruled as a punishment by his own self; and that all those who have willingly thrown off the gentle yoke and light burden of charity should bear unwillingly the insupportable burden of their own will.