to his own righteousness; but yet, by giving thanks to God, he confessed that all he had he had received from Him. Notwithstanding, he was not approved, both because he asked for no further food of righteousness, as if he were already filled, and because he arrogantly preferretl himself to the publican, who was hungering and thirsting after righteousness. \\'hat, then, is to be said of those who, whilst acknowledging that they have no righteousness, or no fulness thereof, yet imagine that it is to be had from themselves alone, not to be besought from their Creator, in whom is its stora and its fountain? And yet this is not a question about prayers alone, as if the energy of our will also should not be strenuously added. God is said to be " our Helper; " '^ but nobody can be helped who does not make some effort of his own accord. For God does not work our salvation in us as if he were working in insensate stones, or in creatures in whom nature has placed neither reason nor will. ^Vhy, however. He helps one man, but not another; or why one man so much, and another so much; or why one man in one way, and another in another, — He reserves to Himself according to the method of His own most secret justice, and to the excellency of His power.
CHAP. 7 [VI.] — FOUR QUESTIONS ON THE PER- FECTION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: (l.) WHETHER A MAN CAN BE WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.
Now those who aver that a man can exist in this life without sin, must not be immediately opposed with incautious rashness; for if we should deny the possibility, we should derogate both from the free will of man, who in his wish desires it, and from the power or mercy of God, who by His help effects it. But it is one question, whether he could exist; and another question, whether he does exist. Again, it is one question, if he does not exist when he could exist, why he does not exist; and another question, whether such a man as had never sinned at all, not only is in existence, but also could ever have existed, or can ever exist. Now, if in the order of this fourfold set of interrogative propositions, I were asked, [i^/,] Whether it be possible for a man in this life to be without sin? I should allow the possibility, through the grace of God and the man's own free will; not doubting that the free will itself is ascribable to God's grace, in other words, to the gifts of God, — not only as to its existence, but also as to its being good, that is, to its conversion to doing the commandments of God. Thus it is that God's grace not only shows what ought to be done, but also helps to the possibility of doing what it shows. "What •i Ps. xl. 17, Ixx. 5.
I Chap. 9.]
I Chap. 9.]
indeed have we that we have not received? " ' Whence also Jeremiah says: " I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man to walk and direct his steps." ^ Accordingly, when in the Psalms one says to God, " Thou hast commanded me to keep Thy precepts diligently," ^ he at once adds not a word of confidence concerning himself but a wish to be able to keep these precepts: " O that my ways," says he, " were directed to keep Thy statutes! Then should I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all Thy commandments." •♦ Now who ever wishes for what he has already so in his own power, that he requires no further help for attaining it? To whom, however, he directs his wish, — not to fortune, or fate, or some one else besides God, — he shows with sufficient clearness in the following words, where he says: " Order my steps in Thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." 5 From the thraldom of this execrable dominion they are liberated, to whom the Lord Jesus gave power to become the sons of God.^ From so horrible a domination were they to be freed, to whom He says, " If the Son shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed." ^ From these and many other like testimonies, I cannot doubt that God has laid no impossible command on man; and that, by God's aid and help, nothing is impossible, by which is wrought what He commands. In this way may a man, if he pleases, be without sin by the assistance of God.
CHAP. 8 [vil.] — (2) WHETHER THERE IS IN THIS WORLD A MAN WITHOUT SIN.
[2«c/.] If, however, I am asked the second question which I have suggested, — whether there be a sinless man, — I believe there is not. For I rather beheve the Scripture, which says: " Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." ^ There is therefore need of the mercy of God, which " exceedingly rejoiceth against judgment," 9 and which that man shall not obtain who does not show mercy.9 And whereas the prophet says, " I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart," '° he yet immediately adds, " For this shall every saint pray unto Thee in an acceptable time."" Not indeed every sinner, but " every saint; " for it is the voice of saints which says, " If we say that we have no sin, we * John i. 12.
^ John viii. 36.
° P-s. cxliii. 2.
'^ Jas. ii. 13. '° Ps. xxxii. 5. '' Ps. xxxii. 5.
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." '^ Accordingly we read, in the Apocalypse of the same Apostle, of " the hundred and forty and four thousand " saints, " which were not defiled with women; for they continued virgins: and in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault." '3 " Without fault," indeed, they no doubt are for this reason, — because they truly found fault with themselves; and for this reason, '' in their mouth was discovered no guile," — "because if they said they had no sin, they deceived themselves, and the truth was not in them." '^ Of course, where the truth was not, there would be guile; and when a righteous man begins a statement by accusing himself, he verily utters no falsehood.
CHAP. 9. THE BEGINNING OF RENEWAL; RES- URRECTION CALLED REGENERATION; THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD WHO LEAD LIVES SUITABLE TO NEWNESS OF LIFE.
And hence in the passage, " Whosoever is born of God doth not sin, and he cannot sin, for His seed remaineth in him," '■* and in every other passage of like import, they much deceive themselves by an inadequate consideration of the Scriptures. For they fail to observe that men severally become sons of God when they begin to live in newness of spirit, and to be renewed as to the inner man after the image of Him that created them. '5 For it is not from the moment of a man's baptism that all his old infirmity is destroyed, but renovation begins with the remission of all his sins, and so far as he who is now wise is spiritually wise. All things else, however, are accomphshed in hope, looking forward to their being also realized in fact,'^ even to the renewal of the body itself in that better state of immortality and incorruption with which we shall be clothed at the resurrection of the dead. For this too the Lord calls a regeneration, — though, of course, not such as occurs through baptism, but still a regeneration wherein that which is now begun in the spirit shall be brought to perfection also in the body. "In the regeneration," says He, " when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." '^ For however entire and full be the remission of sins in baptism, nevertheless, if there was wTOught by it at once, an entire and full change of the man into his everlasting newness, — I do not mean change in his body, which is now most clearly tending evermore to the old corruption and to death, after which it is to be renewed into 12 I John i. 8.
•3 Rev. xiv. 3-5.
'^ I John lii. 9.
'5 See Col. iii. lo.
"> Donee etiam in re f.ant.
" Matt. xix. 28.
[Book IL a total and true newness, — but, the body being excepted, if in the soul itself, which is the inner man, a perfect renewal was wrought in baptism, the apostle would not say: " Even though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.'" Now, undoubtedly, he who is still renewed day by day is not as yet wholly renewed; and in so far as he is not yet wholly renewed, he is still in his old state. Since, then, men, even after they are baptized, are still in some degree in their old condition, they are on that account also still children of the world; but inasmuch as they are also admitted into a new state, that is to say, by the full and perfect remission of their sins, and in so far as they are spiritually-minded, and behave correspondingly, they are the children of God. Internally we put off the old man and put on the new; for we then and there lay aside lying, and speak truth, and do those other things wherein the apostle makes to consist the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.^ Now it is men who are already baptized and faithful whom he exhorts to do this, — an exhortation which would be unsuitable to them, if the absolute and perfect change had been already made in their baptism. And yet made it was, since we were then actually saved; for " He saved us by the laver of regeneration." ^ In another passage, however, he tells us how this took place. " Not they only," says he, " but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." "* CHAP. lO [VIII.] — PERFECTION, WHEN TO BE REALIZED.
Our full adoption, then, as children, is to happen at the redemption of our body. It is therefore the first-fruits of the Spirit which we now possess, whence we are already really become the children of God; for the rest, indeed, as it is by hope that we are saved and renewed, so are we the children of God. But inasmuch as we are not yet actually saved, we are also not yet fully renewed, nor yet also fully sons of God, but children of the world. We are therefore advancing in renewal and holiness of life, — and it is by this that we are children of God, and by this also we cannot commit sin; — until at last the ' 2 Cor. iv. i6.
2 Eph. iv. 24.
3 Tit. iii. 5.
< Rom. viii. 23-25.
whole of that by which we are kept as yet children of this world is changed into this; — for it is owing to this that we are as yet able to sin.
Hence it comes to pass that " whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; " s and as well, " if we were to say that we have no sin, we should deceive ourselves, and the truth would not be in us." ^ There shall be then an end put to that within us which keeps us children of the flesh and of the world; whilst that otlier shall be perfected which makes us the children of God, and renews us by His Spirit. Accordingly the same John says, " Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." 7 Now what means this variety in the expressions, "we are,'^ and "we sha/l de," but this — we are in \\o\>e, we shall de in reality? For he goes on to say, " We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 7 We have therefore even now begun to be like Him, having the first-fruits of the Spirit; but yet we are still unlike Him, by reason of the remainders of the old nature. In as far, then, as we are like Him, in so far are we, by the regenerating Spirit, sons of God; but in as far as we are unlike Him, in so far are we the children of the flesh and of the world. On the one side, we cannot commit sin; but, on the other, if we say that we have no sin, we only deceive ourselves, — until we pass entirely into the adoption, and the sinner be no more, and you look for his place and find it not.^ CHAP. II [iX.] AN OBJECTION OF THE PELAGI- ANS: WHY DOES NOT A RIGHTEOUS MAN BEGET A RIGHTEOUS MAN? 9 In vain, then, do some of them argue: " If a sinner begets a sinner, so that the guilt of original sin must be done away in his infant son by his receiving baptism, in like manner ought a righteous man to beget a righteous son." Just as if a man begat children in the flesh by reason of his righteousness, and not because he is moved thereto by the concupiscence which is in his members, and the law of sin is applied by the law of his mind to the purpose of procreation. His begetting children, therefore, shows that he still retains the old nature among the children of this world; it does not arise from the fact of his promotion to newness of Hfe among the children of God. For " the children of this world beget and are begotten." '° Hence also what is born of them is like them; for " that which is born of the flesh is flesh." " Only the children 5 I John iii. 9.
6 I John i. 8.
7 I John iii. 2.
^ Ps x.\.\vi. 10.
9 [See below, c. 25; also De Nuptiis, i. 18; also contra yuliaiiiiiu, \\. 5. ] '■^ Luke XX. 34. " John iii. 6.
Chap. 14.]
of God, however, are righteous; but in so far as they are the children of God, they do not carnally beget, because it is of the Spirit, and not of the flesh, that they are themselves begotten. But as many of them as become parents, beget children from the circumstance that they have not yet put off the entire remains of their old nature in exchange for the perfect renovation which awaits them. It follows, therefore, that every son who is born in this old and infirm condition of his father's nature, must needs himself partake of the same old and infirm condition. In order, then, that he may be begotten again, he must also himself be renewed by the Spirit through the remission of sin; and if this change does not take place in him, his righteous father will be of no use to him. For it is by the Spirit that he is righteous, but it is not by the Spirit that he begat his son. On the other hand, if this change does accrue to him, he will not be damaged by an unrighteous father: for it is by the grace of tlie Spirit that he has passed into the hope of the eternal newness; whereas it is owing to his carnal mind that his father has wholly remained in the old nature.
CHAP. 1 2 [X.] — HE RECONCILES SOME PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.
The statement, therefore, " He that is born of God sinneth not," ' is not contrary to the passage in which it is declared by those who are born of God, " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." ^ For however complete may be a man's present hope, and however real may be his renewal by spiritual regeneration in that part of his nature, he still, for all that, carries about a body which is corrupt, and which presses down his soul; and so long as this is the case, one must distinguish even in the same individual the relation and source of each several action. Now, I suppose it is not easy to find in God's Scripture so weighty a testimony of holiness given of any man as that which is ^^Titten of His three servants, Noah, Daniel, and Job, whom the Prophet Ezekiel describes as the only men able to be delivered from God's impending wrath. 3 In these three men he no doubt prefigures three classes of mankind to be deli\ered: in Noah, as I suppose, are represented righteous leaders of nations, by reason of his government of the ark as a type of the Church; in Daniel, men who are righteous in continence; in Job, those who are righteous in wedlock; — to say nothing of any other view of the passage, which it is unnecessary now to consider. It is, at any rate, clear from this testimony of the prophet, and from other inspired ■ I John lii. 9 Statements, how eminent were these worthies in righteousness. Yet no man must be led by their history to say, for instance, that drunkenness is not sin, although so good a man was overtaken by it; for we read that Noah was once drunk,'* but God forbid that it should be thought that he was an habitual drunkard.
CHAP. 13. — A SUBTERFUGE OF THE PELAGIANS.
Daniel, indeed, after the prayer which he poured out before God, actually says respecting himself, " Whilst I was praying and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people, before the Lord my God." 5 This is the reason, if I am not mistaken, why in the above-mentioned Prophet Ezekiel a certain most haughty person is asked, "Art thou then wiser than Daniel?"^ Nor on this point can that be possibly said which some contend for in opposition to the Lord's Prayer: " For although," they say, " that prayer was offered by the apostles, after they became holy and perfect, and had no sin whatever, yet it was not in behalf of their own selves, but of imperfect and still sinful men that they said, ' Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.' They used the word mir,^' they say, " in order to show that in one body are contained both those who still have sins, and themselves, who were already altogether free from sin." Now this certainly cannot be said in the case of Daniel, who (as I suppose) foresaw as a prophet this presumptuous opinion, when he said so often in his prayer, " We have sinned;" and explained to us why he said this, not so as that we should hear from him, Whilst I was praying and confessing the sins of my people to the Lord, my God; nor yet confounding distinction, so as that it would be uncertain whether he had said, on account of the fellowship of one body. While I was confessing our sins to the Lord my God; but he expresses himself in language so distinct and precise, as if he were full of the distinction himself, and wanted above all things to commend it to our notice: "J/y sins,^'' says he, '■'■ a7id the sins of my people." Who can gainsay such evidence as this, but he who is more pleased to defend what he thinks than to find out what he ought to think?
CHAP. 14. — JOB WAS NOT WITHOUT SIN.
But let us see what Job has to say of himself, after God's great testimony of his righteousness. " I know of a truth," he says, " that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord? For if He should enter into judgment with him, he would not be able to obey Him." 7 And shortly afterwards he asks: " Who shall resist His judgment? Even if I should seem righteous, [Book 11.
my mouth will speak profanely." ' And again, further on, he says: " 1 know He will not leave me unpunished. But since 1 am ungodly, why have I not died? If I should wash myself with snow, and be purged with clean hands, thou hadst thoroughly stained me with filth." ^ In another of his discourses he says: " For Thou hast written evil things against me, and hast compassed me with the sins of my youth; and Thou hast placed my foot in the stocks. Th?)u hast watched all my works, and hast inspected the soles of my feet, which wax old like a bottle, or like a moth-eaten garment. For man that is born of a woman hath l)ut a short time to live, and is full of wrath; like a flower that hath bloomed, so doth he fall; he is gone like a shadow, antl continueth not. Hast Thou not taken account even of him, and caused him to enter into judgment with Thee? For who is pure from uncleanness? Not even one; even should his life last but a day." ^ Then a httle afterwards he says: " Thou hast numbered all my necessities; and not one of my sins hath escaped Thee. Thou hast sealed up my trans-.gressions in a bag, and hast marked whatever I have done unwillingly." ■> See how Job, too, confesses his sins, and says how sure he is that there is none righteous before the Lord.
So he is sure of this also, that if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us. While, therefore, God bestows on him His high testimony of righteousness, according to the standard of human conduct. Job himself, taking his measure from that rule of righteousness, which, as well as he can, he beholds in God, knows of a truth that so it is; and he goes on at once to say, " How shall a mortal man be just before the Lord? For if He should enter into judgment with him, he would not be able to obey Him; " in other words, if, when challenged to judgment, he wished to show tliat nothing could be found in him which He could condemn, " he would not be able to obey him," since he misses even that obedience which might enable him to obey Him who teaches that sins ought to be confessed. Accordingly [the Lord] rebukes certain men, saying, " Why will ye contend with me in judgment? "5 This [the Psalmist] averts, saying, " Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." ^ In accordance with this. Job also asks: " For who shall resist his judgment? Even if I should seem righteous, my mouth will speak profanely; " which means: If, contrary to His judgment, I should call myself righteous, when His perfect ' Job ix. 19, 20.
2 Job ix 30.
3 Job xiii. 26, to xiv. 5. * Job xiv 16, 17.
S Jer. ii. 2^. *> Ps. cxliii 2.
rule of righteousness proves me to be unrighteous, then of a truth my mouth would speak profanely, because it would speak against the truth of God.
CHAP. 15. — CARNAL GENERATION CONDEMNED ON ACCOUNT OF ORIGINAL SIN.
He sets forth that this absolute weakness, or rather condemnation,/of carnal generation is from the transgression of original sin, when, treating of his own sins, he shows, as it were, their causes, and says that " man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of wrath." Of what wrath, but of that in which all are, as the apostle says, " by nature," that is, by origin, " children of wrath," ^ inasmuch as they are children of the concupiscence of the flesh and of the world? He further shows that to this same wrath also pertains the death of man. For after saying, " He hath but a short time to live, and is full of wrath," he added, " Like a flower that hath bloomed, so doth he fall; he is gone like a shadow, and continueth not." He then subjoins: " Hast Thou not caused him to enter into judgment with Thee? For who is pure from uncleanness? Not even one; even should his life last but a day." In these words he in fact says. Thou hast thrown upon man, short-lived though he be, the care of entering into judgment with Thee. For how brief soever be his life, — even if it last but a single day, — he could not possibly be clean of filth; and therefore with perfect justice must he come under Thy judgment. Then, when he says again, " Thou hast numbered all my necessities, and not one of my sins hath escaped Thee: Thou hast sealed up my transgressions in a bag, and hast marked whatever I have done unwillingly; " is it not clear enough that even those sins are justly imputed which are not committed through allurement of pleasure, but for the sake of avoiding some trouble, or pain, or death? Now these sihs, too, are said to be committed under some necessity, whereas they ought all to be overcome by the love and pleasure of righteousness. Again, what he said in the clause, " Tliou hast marked whatever I have done unwillingly," may evidently be connected with thei saying: " For what I would, that I do not; buti whatl hate, that do I."'^ CHAP. 16. — JOB FORESAW THAT CHRIST WOULD COME TO suffer; the way of HUMILITY EST THOSE THAT ARE PERFECT.
Now it is remarkable 9 that the Lord Himself, after bestowing on Job the testimony which is expressed in Scripture, that is, by the Spirit of 7 F.pb. ii. 3.
8 l\om. vii 15.
9 Quid quod.
I Chap. iS.]
God, " In all the things which happened to him he sinned not with his lips before the Lord," ' did yet afterwards speak to him with a rebuke, as Job himself tells us: " Why do I yet plead, being admonished, and hearing the rebukes of the Lonl?"^ Now no man is justly rebuked unless there be in him something which deserves rebuke, [xi.] And what sort of rebuke is this, — which, moreover, is understood to proceed from the person of Christ our Lord? He recounts to him all the divine operations of His power, rebuking him under this idea, — that He seems to sav to him, " Canst thou effect all these mighty works as I can?" But to what purpose is all this but that Job might understand (for this instruction was divinely inspired into him, that he might foreknow Christ's coming to suffer),— that he might understand how patiendy he ought to endure all that he went through, since Christ, although, when He became man for us, He was absolutely without sin, and although as God He possessed so great power, did for all that by no means refuse to obey even to the suffering of death? When Job understood this with a purer intensity of heart, he added to his own answer these words: " I used before now to hear of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but behold now mine eye seeth Thee: therefore I abhor myself and melt away, and account myself but dust and ashes." ^ Why was he thus so deeply displeased with himself? God's work, in that he was man, could not rightly have given him displeasure, since it is even said to God Himself, " Despise not Thou the work of Thine own hands." ■♦ It was indeed in view of that righteousness, in which he had discovered his own unrighteousness, 5 that he abhorred himself and melted away, and deemed himself dust and ashes, — beholding, as he did in his mind, the righteousness of Christ, in whom there could not possibly be any sin, not only in respect of His divinity, but also of His soul and His flesh.
It was also in view of this righteousness which is of God that the Apostle Paul, although as " touching the righteousness which is of the law he was blameless," yet " counted all things " not only as loss, but even as dung.^