This is shown by experience. How many are there at this day who live according to the precepts of the Decalogue, and the other precepts of the Lord, from a religious principle? And how many are there at this day who desire to look their own evils in the face and perform actual repentance, and thus enter upon worship which is of the life? Or who, among those who practise piety, perform any other repentance than that of the mouth and speech, confessing themselves to be sinners, and praying from the doctrine of the Church that God the Father, Who from compassion on account of the Son Who suffered upon the cross for their sins, took away their damnation and atoned for them with His blood, would mercifully forgive their transgressions so that they might stand unspotted before His judgment-seat? Who does not see that this worship is of the lungs only, not of the heart thus, external, not internal? For in such worship a man prays for remission of sins, and yet is not conscious of a single sin in himself; and if he should know of any, he would envelop it with favour and indulgence, or with a faith supposedly purifying and absolving, without any works on his part. But this may be compared to a servant who, approaching his master with his face and clothes bedaubed with soot and filth, should say to him:

"Master, wash me." Would not his master say to him: "Thou foolish servant, what are you saying? See, there is water, soap and a towel. Have you not hands, and can you not use them? Wash yourself." So also, would not the Lord God say: "There are from Me the means of purification; from Me also you have will and power. Wherefore, use these gifts of Mine and these talents of your own, and you will be purified." Consider also another example by way of illustration. Suppose you should pray a thousand times at home and in church that God the Father, for the sake of His Son, would preserve you from the devil, and yet you did not keep yourself from evil and so from the devil by that freedom of will in which you are perpetually kept by the Lord, you could not then be preserved even by legions of angels sent by the Lord. For the Lord cannot act contrary to His own Divine order, which is that a man should examine himself, discover his evils and resist them, and this as of himself, although from the Lord. This, indeed, does not appear at this day to be the gospel; nevertheless, it is so; for the gospel is that we are saved by the Lord. The reason why the worship of the mouth is accepted by the Lord only so far as it accords with worship which is of the life, is because man's speech before God and before His angels sounds from the affection of his love and faith, and these two are in man according to his life. Wherefore, if the love of God and faith in Him are in your life, the sound of your voice will be like that of a dove. But if self-love and self-confidence are in your life, the sound of your voice will be like that of an owl, however you may attempt to imitate the turtle-dove. The spiritual quality, which is within the sound, effects this.