"  In  Christ  Jesus,  neither  circumcision  availeth  any  thing,  nor  uncircum-
cision."  *  "  The  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life."  *  "  Meat  com-
mendeth  us  not  to  God  ;  for  neither  if  we  eat  are  we  the  better,  nor  if  we
eat  not  are  we  the  worse ; "  ^  "  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and
drink." '  Such  were  the  words  in  which  St.  Paul  expressed  the  great
truth,  that  religion  is  not  a  matter  of  outward  ceremonies,  but  of  inward
life.  But  these  heretics  caught  up  the  words,  and  inferred  that  all  out-
ward acts  were  indifferent,  and  none  could  be  criminal.  They  advocated
the  most  unrestrained  indulgence  of  the  passions,  and  took  fjr  their
maxim  the  worst  precept  of  Epicurean  atheism,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink,
for  to-morrow  we  die."  It  is  in  the  wealthy  and  vicious  cities  of  Rome
and  Corinth  that  we  find  these  errors  first  manifesting  themselves ;  and
in  the  voluptuous  atmosphere  of  the  latter  it  was  not  unnatural  that  there
should  be  some  who  would  seek  in  a  new  religion  an  excuse  for  their  old
vices,  and  others  who  would  easily  be  led  astray  by  those  "  evil  communi-
cations" whose  corrupting  influence  the  Apostle  himself  mentions  as  the
chief  source  of  this  mischief.
