There are many persons who more or less understand that Christ has brought us liberty in the matter of righteousness, or the standing of justified men in the sight of God, but they do not know liberty in the daily walk with God. And when I say "many," I mean many Christians, or real saints.
Practical holiness, in such cases, invariably suffers. Where there is, along with this, much conscience, it necessarily takes the legal form of ordinances, restraints and the like. Where souls have not the same internal exercises, it takes the shape of laxity to a greater or lesser extent: that is, they see that they are delivered by the grace of God, and they consider themselves free to use the world and to allow, to no little a degree, the inclinations of nature, because, as they say, there is evil in the nature, and, as they suppose, God, in His tender mercy, makes allowance for it.
Now both these things are totally wrong. One cause of all this mistake lies in the misapprehension of a very important truth-the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." [91