CH.'^P. 1 1 [VII.] — THEY WHO H.4VE NOT RE- CEIVED THE GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE, AND HAVE RELAPSED INTO MORTAL SIN AND HAVE DIED THEREIN, MUST RIGHTEOUSLY BE CONDEMNED.
If, then, these things be so, we still rebuke those, and reasonably rebuke them, who, although they were living well, have not persevered therein; because they have of their own will been changed from a good to an evil life, and on that account are worthy of rebuke; and if rebuke should be of no avail to them, and they should persevere in their ruined life until death, they are also worthy of divine condemnation for ever. Neither shall they excuse themselves, saying, — as now they say, " Wherefore are we rebuked? " — so then, "Wherefore are we condemned, since indeed, that we might return from good to evil, we did not receive that perseverance by which we should abide in good? " They shall by no means deliver themselves by this excuse from righteous condemnation. For if, according to the word of ^ Nearly all MSS t " even as I am holy " ^ Cyprian, Treathe on the Lcrd'a Prayer, ch. 12; see TJie Ante-N icene Father i, vol. v. p. 450.
truth, no one is delivered from the condemnation which was incurred through Adam except through the faith of Jesus Christ, and yet from this condemnation they shall not deliver themselves who shall be able to say that they have not heard the gospel of Christ, on the ground that "faith cometh by hearing," ^ how much less shall they deliver themselves who shall say, " We have not received perseverance! " For the excuse of those who sav, " We have not received hearing," seems more equitable than that of those who say, " AVe have not received perseverance; " since it may be said, O man, in that which thou hadst heard and kept, in that thou mightest persevere if thou wouldest; but in no wise can it be said. That which thou hadst not heard thou mightest believe if thou wouldest.
CHAP. 12. THEY WHO HAVE NOT RECEFVED PER- SEVERANCE ARE NOT DISTINGUISHED FROM THE MASS OF THOSE THAT ARE LOST.
And, consequently, both those who have not heard the gospel, and those who, having heard it and been changed by it for the better, have not received perseverance, and those who, having heard the gospel, have refused to come to Christ, that is, to believe on Him, since He Himself says, " No man cometh unto me, except it were given him of my Father," ^ and those who by their tender age were unable to believe, but might be absolved from original sin by the sole laver of regeneration, and yet have not received this laver, and have perished in death: are not made to differ from that lump which it is plain is condemned, as all go from one into condemnation. Some are made to differ, however, not by their own merits, but by the grace of the Mediator; that is to say, they are justified freely in the blood of the second Adam. Therefore, when we hear, " For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou hast not received? Now, if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? "^ we ought to understand that, from that mass of perdition which originated through the first Adam, no one can be made to differ except he who has this gift, which whosoever has, has received by the grace of the Saviour. And this apostolical testimony is so great, that the blessed Cyprian writing to Quirinus put it in the place of a tide, when he says, " That we must boast in nothing, since nothing is our own." 9 CHAP. 13. — ELECTION IS OF GR.\CE, NOT OF MERIT.
Whosoever, then, are made to differ from that original condemnation by such bounty of divine 9 Cyprian, Testiiiiom'es, Book iii. ch. 4; see The Anle-Niicne Fathert, vol. v. pp. 52S and 53J.
/ Chap. 15.]
grace, there is no doubt but that for such it is provided that they should hear the gospel, and when they hear they believe, and in the faith which worketh by love they jjersevere unto the end; and if, perchance, they deviate from the way, when they are rebuked they are amended; and some of them, although they may not be j rebuked by men, return into the path which they | had left; and some who have received grace in I any age whatever are withdrawn from the perils 1 of this life by swiftness of death. For He work- 1 eth all these things in them who made them vessels of mercy, who also elected them in His Son before the foundation of the world by the election of grace: " And if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace." ' For they were not so called as not to be elected, in respect of which it is said, " For many are called but few are elected; " ^ but because they were called according to the purpose, they are of a certainty also elected by the election, as it is said, of grace, not of any precedent merits of theirs, because to them grace is all merit.
i_ 14. — NONE OF THE ELECT AND PREDES- TINATED CAN PERISH.
Of such says the apostle, " We know that to those that love God He worketh together all things for good, to them who are called according to His purpose; because those whom He before foreknew. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified." 3 Of these no one perishes, because all are elected. And they are elected because they were called according to the purpose — the purpose, however, not their own, but God's; of which He elsewhere says, " That the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth, it was said unto her that the elder shall serve the younger." * And in another place he says, " Not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace." 5 When, therefore, we hear, " Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called," ^ we ought to acknowledge that they were called according to His purpose; since He thence began, saying, " He worketh together all things for good to those who are called according to His purpose," and then added, " Because those whom He before foreknew, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born ■ Rom xi. 6. * Rom. IX, II.
among many brethren." And to these promises He added, " Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called." He wishes these, therefore, to be understood whom He called according to His purpose, lest any among them should be thought to be called and not elected, on account of that sentence of the Lord's: " Many the called but few are elected." ^ For whoever are elected are without doubt also called; but not whosoever are called are as a con.setiuence elected. Those, then, are elected, as has often been said, who are called according to the purpose, who also are predestinated and foreknown. If any one of these perishes, God is mistaken; but none of them perishes, because God is not mistaken. If any one of these perish, God is overcome by human sin; but none of them perishes, because God is overcome by nothing. Moreover, they are elected to reign with Christ, not as Judas was elected, to a work for which he was fitted. Because he was chosen by Him who well knew how to make use even of wicked men, so that even by his damnable deed that venerable work, for the sake of which He Himself had come, might be accomplished. When, therefore, we hear, " Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? '-' 7 we ought to understand that the rest were elected by mercy, but he by judgment; those to obtain His kingdom, he to shed His blood! ^ CHAP. 15. — PERSEVERANCE IS GIVEN TO THE END.
Rightly follows the word to the kingdom of the elect: " If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how has He not also with Him given us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? God who justifieth? Who condemneth? Christ who died? yea, rather who rose again also, who is at the right hand of God, who also soliciteth on our behalf? " ^ And of how stedfast a perseverance even to the end they have received the gift, let them follow on to say: " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written. Because for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that hath loved us. For I am certain, that neither death, nor life, nor angel, nor principality, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ^ John ' Rom. viii. 31 ff 9 Rom. viii. 35 ff.
[Chap. i6.
CHAP. 1 6. WHOSOEVER DO NOT PERSEVERE ARE NOr DISTINGUISHED FRO.M THE MASS OF PERDI- TION BY PREDESTINATION.
Such as these were they who were signified to Timothy, where, when it had been said that Hymenaeus and Philetus had subverted the faith of some, it is presently added, " Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord has known them that are His." ' The faith of these, which worketh by love, either actually does not fail at all, or, if there are any whose faith fails, it is restored before their life is ended, and the iniquity which had intervened is done away, and perseverance even to the end is allotted to them. But they who are not to persevere, and who shall so fall away from Christian faith and conduct that the end of this life shall find them in that case, bevond all doubt are not to be reckoned in the number of these, even in that season wherein they are living well and piously. For they are not made to differ from that mass of perdition by the foreknowledge and predestination of God, and therefore are not called according to God's purpose, and thus are not elected; but are called among those of whom it was said, •' Many are called," not among those of whom it was said, " But few are elected." And yet who can deny that they are elect, since they believe and are baptized, and live according to God? Manifestly, they are called elect by those who are ignorant of what they shall be, but not by Him who knew that they would not have the perseverance which leads the elect forward into the blessed life, and knows that they so stand, as that He has foreknown that they will fall.
CHAP. I 7 [VIII. j — WHY PERSEVERANCE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ONE AND NOT ANOTHER IS IN- SCRUTABLE.
Here, if I am asked why God should not have given them perseverance to whom He gave that love by which they might live Christianly, I answer that I do not know. For I do not speak arrogantly, but with acknowledgment of my small measure, when I hear the apostle saying, " O man, who art thou that repliest against God?"^ and, " O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways untraceable! " ^ So far, therefore, as He condescends to manifest His judgments to us, let us give thanks; but so far as He thinks fit to conceal them, let us not murmur against His counsel, but believe that this also is the most wholesome for us. But whoever you are that are hostile to His grace, and thus ask, what do you yourself say? it is well that you do not deny yourself to be a * 2 xim iq ^ Rom. ix 2o.
Christian and boast of being a catholic. If, therefore, you confess that to persevere to the end in good is God's gift, I think that equally with me you are ignorant why one man should receive this gift and another should not receive it; and in this case we are both unable to pene- | trate the unsearchable judgments of God. Or i if you say that it pertains to man's free will — | which you defend, not in accordance with God's grace, but in opposition to it — that any one should persevere in good, or should not persevere, and it is not by the gift of God if he persevere, but by the performance of human will, why will you strive against the words of Him who says, " I have prayed for thee, Peter, that thy faith fail not"?"* Will you dare to say that even when Christ prayed that Peter's faith might not fail, it would still have failed if Peter had willed it to fail; tliat is, if he had been unwilling that it should continue even to the end? As if Peter could in any measure will otherwise than Christ had asked for him that he might will. For who does not know that Peter's faidi would then have perished if that will by which he was faithful should fail, and that it would have continued if that same will should abide? But because " the will is prepared by the Lord," s therefore Christ's petition on his behalf could not be a vain petition. When, then, He prayed that his faith should not fail, what was it that he asked for, but that in his faith he should have a most free, strong, invincible, persevering will! Behold to what an extent the freedom of the will is defended in accordance with the grace of God, not in opposition to it \ because the human will does not attain grace by freedom, but rather attains freedom by grace, and a delightful constancy, and an insuperable fortitude that it may persevere.
CHAP. 1 8. — SOINIE INSTANCES OF GOD'S AMAZING JUDGMENTS.
It is, indeed, to be wondered at, and greatly to be wondered at, that to some of His own children — whom He has regenerated in Christ — to whom He has given faith, hope, and love, God does not give perseverance also, when to children of another He forgives such wickedness, and, by the bestowal of His grace, makes them His own children. Who would not wonder at this? Who would not be exceedingly astonished at this? But, moreover, it is not less marvellous, and still true, and so manifest that not even the enemies of God's grace can find any means of denying it, that some children of His friends, that is, of regenerated and good believers, departing this life as infants without baptism, — although He certainly might provide the grace 5 Prov. viii 35.
Chap. 20.]
of this laver if He willed, since in His power are all things, — He alienates from His kingdom into which He introduces their parents; and some children of His enemies He causes to come into the hands of Christians, and by means of this laver introduces into the kingdom, from which their parents are aliens; although, as well to j the former infants there is no evil deserving, I as to the latter there is no good, of tiieir own! proper will. Certainly, in this case the judg- j ments of God, because they are righteous and deep, may neither be blamed nor penetrated. Among these also is that concerning {)erseverance, of which we are now discoursing. Of both, therefore, we may exclaim, " O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments! " ' CHAP. 19. — god's ways past FINDING OUT.
Nor let us wonder that we cannot trace His unsearchable ways. For, to say nothing of innumerable other things which are given by the Lord God to some men, and to others are not given, since with Him is no respect of persons; such things as are not conferred on the merits of will, as bodily swiftness, strength, good health, and beauty of body, marvellous intellects and mental natures capable of many arts, or such as fall to man's lot from without, such as are wealth, nobility, honours, and other things of this kind, which it is in the ])ower of God alone that a man should have; not to dwell even on the baptism of infants (which none of those objectors can say does not pertain, as might be said of those other matters, to the kingdom of God), why it IS given to this infant and not given to that, since both of them are equally in God's power, and without that sacrament none can enter into the kingdom of God; — to be silent, then, on these matters, or to leave them on one side, let men consider those very special cases of which we are treating. For we are discoursing of such as have not perseverance in goodness, but die in the decline of their good will from good to evil. Let the objectors answer, if they!
can, why, when these were living faithfully and | piously, God did not then snatch them from the | perils of this life, " lest wickedness should change their understanding, and lest deceit should beguile their souls "? ^ Had He not this in His power, or was He ignorant of their future sinfulness? Assuredly, nothing of this kind is said, except most perversely and insanely. ^Vhy, then, did He not do this? Let them reply who mock at us when in such matters we exclaim, " How inscrutable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! " ' For eitner God giveth this to whom He will, or certainly that Scripture is ' Rom. XI 33 2 Wisd. IV. 11.
wrong which says concerning the immature death of the righteous man, " He was taken away lest wickedness should change his understanding, or lest deceit should beguile his soul." ^ Why, then, does God give this so great benefit to some, and not give it to others, seeing that in Him is no unrighteousness 3 nor acceptance of persons,-* and that it is in His power how long every one may remain in this life, which is called a trial upon earth? 5 As, then, they are constrained to confess that it is God's gift for a man to end this life of his before it can be changed from good to evil, but they do not know why it is given to some and not given to others, so let them confess with us that perseverance in good is God's gift, according to the Scriptures, from which I have already set down many testimonies; and let them condescend with us to be ignorant, without a murmur against God, why it is given to some and not given to others.
CHAP. 20 [iX.J — SOME ARE CHILDREN' OF GOD ACCORDING TO GR.ACE TEMPORALLY RECEIVED, SOiME ACCORDING TO GOD'S ETERNAL FORE- KNOWLEDGE.
Nor let it disturb us that to some of His children God does not give this perseverance. Be this far from being so, however, if these were of those who are predesdnated and called according to His purpose, — who are truly the children of the promise. For the former, while they live piously, are called children of God; but because they will live wickedly, and die in that impiety, the foreknowledge of God does not call them God's children. For they are children of God whom as yet we have not, and God has already, of whom the Evangelist John says, " that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God which were scattered abroad; " ^ and this certainly they were to become by believing, through the preaching of the gospel. And yet before this had happened they had already been enrolled as sons of God with unchangeable stedfastness in the memorial of their Father..And, again, there are some who are called by us children of God on account of grace received even in temporal things, yet are not so called by God; of whom the same John says, " They went out from us, but they were not of us, because if they had been of us they would, no doubt, have continued with us."? He does not say, " They went out from us, but because they did not abide with us they are no longer now of us; " but he says, " They went out from us, but they were not of us," — that is to say, even when they appeared among us, they were not of us. And as if it were said to him. Whence * Rom ii. II. 7 1 John li. 19.
5 Job vii. I.
48o [Chap. 21.
do you prove this? he says, " Because if they had been of us, they would assuredly have continued with us." ' It is the word of God's children; John is the speaker, who was ordained to a chief place among the children of God. When, therefore, God's children say of those who had not perseverance, "^ They went out from us, but they were not of us," and add, " Because if they had been of u§. they would assuredly have continued with us'," what else do they say than that they were not children, even when they were in the profession and name of children? Not because they simulated righteousness, but because they did not continue in it. For he does not say, " For if they had been of us, they would assuredly have maintained a real and not a feigned righteousness with us; " but he says, " If they had been of us, they would assuredly have continued with us." Beyond a doubt, he wished them to continue in goodness. Therefore they were in goodness; but because they did not abide in it, — that is, they did not persevere unto the end, — he says. They were not of us, even when they were with us, — that is, they were not of the number of children, even when they were in the faith of children; because they who are truly children are foreknown and predestinated as conformed to the image of His Son, and are called according to His purpose, so as to be elected. For the son of promise does not perish, but the son of perdition.^ CHAP. 21. — WHO MAY BE UNDERSTOOD AS GIVEN TO CHRIST.
Those, then, were of the multitude of the called, but they were not of the fewness of the elected. It is not, therefore, to His predestinated children that God has not given perseverance, for they would have it if they were in that number of children; and what would they have which they had not received, according to the apostolical and true judgment? ^ And thus such children would be given to Christ the Son just as He Himself says to the Father, " That all that Thou hast given me may not perish, but have eternal life." '♦ Those, therefore, are understood to be given to Christ who are ordained to eternal life. These are they who are predestinated and called according to the purpose, of whom not one perishes. And therefore none of them ends this life when he has changed from good to evil, because he is so ordained, and for that purpose given to Christ, that he may not perish, but may have eternal life. And again, those whom we call His enemies, or the infant children of His enemies, whomever of them He will so regenerate that they may end this life in that faith which worketh by love, are already, and before this is done, ' Rom. viii. 29 * Matt. XX. 16.
2 John xvii. 12.
^ I Cor. iv. 7.
in that predestination His children, and are given to Christ His Son, that they may not perish, but have everlasting life.
CHAP. 22. TRUE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE TRUE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST.
Finally, the Saviour Himself says, " If ye continue in my word, ye are indeed my disciples." s Is Judas, then, to be reckoned among them, since he did not continue in His word? Are they to be reckoned among them of whom the gospel speaks in such wise, where, when the Lord had commanded His flesh to be eaten and His blood to be drunk, the Evangelist says, " These things said He in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Many, therefore, of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were murmuring at it, said to them. Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascending where He was before? It is the Spirit that quickeneth, but the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and life.
But there are some of you who believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the believing ones, and who should betray Him; and He said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man cometh unto me except it were given of my Father. From this time many of His disciples went away back from Him, and no longer walked with Him."^ Are not these even in the words of the gospel called disciples? And yet they were not truly disciples, because they did not continue in His word, according to what He says: " If ye continue in my word, then are ye indeed my disciples." s Because, therefore, they possessed not perseverance, as not being truly disciples of Christ, so they were not truly children of God even when they appeared to be so, and were so called. We, then, call men elected, and Christ's disciples, and God's children, because they are to be so called whom, being regenerated, we see to live piously; but they are then truly what they are called if they shall abide in that on account of which they are so called. But if they have not perseverance, — that is, if they continue not in that which they have begun to be, — they are not truly called what they are called and are not; for they are not this in the sight of Him to whom it is known what they are going to be, — that is to say, from good men, bad men.
CHAP. 23. — THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE ALONE ARE PREDESTINATED.
For this reason the apostle, when he had said, " We know that to those who love God He work- 5 John viii. 31.
John ff.
Chap. 24.]
eth all things together for good," — knowing that some love God, and do not continue in that good way unto the end, — immediately added, " to them who are the called according to His purpose." ' For these in their love for God continue even to the end; and they who for a season wander from the way return, that they may continue unto the end what they had begun to be in good. Showing, however, what it is to be called according to His purpose, he presently added what I have already quoted above, " Because whom He did before foreknow, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called," to wit, according to His purpose; " and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified." ^ All those things are already done: He foreknew, He predestinated. He called, He justified; because both all are already foreknown and predestinated, and many are already called and justified; but that which he placed at the end, " them He also glorified " (if, indeed, that glory is here to be understood of which the same apostle says, " When Christ your life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory " ^), this is not yet accomplished. Although, also, those two things — that is, He called, and He justified — have not been effected in all of whom they are said, — for still, even until the end of the world, there remain many to be called and justified, — nevertheless, He used verbs of the past tense, even concerning things future, as if God had already arranged from eternity that they should come to pass. For this reason, also, the prophet Isaiah says concerning Him, " Who has made the things that shall be." •♦ Whosoever, therefore, in God's most providential ordering, are foreknown, predestinated, called, justified, glorified, — I say not, even although not yet born again, but even although not yet born at all, are already children of God, and absolutely cannot perish. These truly come to Christ, because they come in such wise as He Himself says, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will not cast out; " 5 and a little after He says, "This is the will of the Father who hath sent me, that of all that He hath given me I shall lose nothing."^ From Him, therefore, is given also perseverance in good even to the end; for it is not given save to those who shall not perish, since they who do not persevere shall perish.
CHAP. 24. — EVEN THE SINS OF THE ELECT ARE TURNED BY GOD TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.
To such as love Him, God co-worketh with all things for good; so absolutely all things, that even if any of them go astray, and break out of the way, even this itself He makes to avail them for good, so that they return more lowly and more instructed. For they learn that in ^e right way ^ itself they ought to rejoice with trembling; not with arrogation to themselves of confidence of abiding as if by their own strength; not with saying, in their abundance, " We shall not be moved for ever." ^ For wlfich reason it is said to them, " Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling, lest at any time the Lord should be angry, and ye peli^h from the right way." ^ For He does not say, " And ye come not into the right way; " but He says, " Lest ye perish from the right way." And what does this show, but that those who are already walking in the right way are reminded to serve God in fear; that is, " not to be high-minded, but to fear"? '° which signifies, that they should not be haughty, but humble. Whence also He says in another place, " not minding high things, but consenting with the lowly; " " let them rejoice in God, but with trembling; glorying in none, since nothing is ours, so that he who glorieth may glory in the Lord, lest they j)erish from the right way in which they have already begun to walk, while they are ascribing to themselves their very presence in it. These words also the apostle made use of when he says, " \\'ork out your own salvation with fear and trembling." '^ j And setting forth why with fear and trembling, he says, " For it is God that worketh in you, both I to will and to do for His good pleasure." '^ For he had not this fear and trembling who said in his abundance, " I shall not be moved for ever." ^ But because he was a child of the promise, not of perdition, he experienced in God's desertion for a little while what he himself was: " Lord," said he, " in Thy favour Thou gavest strength to my honour; Thou turnedst away Thy face from me, and I became troubled." '■♦ Behold how much better instructed, and for this reason also I more humble, he held on his way, at length see- I ing and confessing that by His will God had endowed his honour with strength; and this he had attributed to himself and presumed to be I from himself, in such abundance as God had afforded it, and not from Him who had given it, and so had said, " I shall not be moved for ever! " Therefore he became troubled so that he found himself, and being lowly minded learnt not only of eternal life, but, moreover, of a pious conversation and perseverance in this life, as that in which hope should be maintained. This might moreover be the word of the Apostle Peter, because he also had said in his abundance, " I will ' Rom vui. 28. * Isa, xlv II.
2 Rom. viii. 29, * John vi. 37.
^ Col. iii. 4. ^ John vi. 39.
8 Ps. XXX 6. " Rom. xii. t6. '■* Ps. XXX. 7.
9 Ps. ii. ji. •- Phil. ii. 12, 13.
[Chap. 25.