As, therefore, the first man did not receive this gift of God, — that is, perseverance in good, — but it was left in his choice to persevere or not to persevere, his will had such strength, — inasmuch as it had been created without any sin, and there was nothing in the way of concupiscence of himself that withstood it, — that the choice of persevering could worthily be entrusted to such goodness and to such facility in living well. But God at the same time "foreknew what he would do in unrighteousness; foreknew, however, but did not compel him to this; but at the same time He knew what He Himself would do in righteousness concerning him. But now, since that great freedom has been lost by the desert of sin. our weakness has remained to be aided by still greater gifts. For it pleased God, in order most effectually to quench the pride of human presumption, "that no flesh should glory in His presence" — that is, "no man."' But whence should flesh not glory in His presence, save concerning its merits? Which, indeed, it might have had, but lost; and lost by that very means whereby it might have had them, that is, by its free will; on account of which there remains nothing to those who are to be delivered, save the grace of the Deliverer. Thus, therefore, no flesh glories in His presence. For the unrighteous do not glory, since they have no ground of glory; nor the righteous, because they have a ground from Him, and have no glory of theirs, but Himself, to whom they say, " My glory, and the lifter up of my head." ^.•\nd thus it is that what is written pertains to every man, " that no flesh should glory in His presence."
To the righteous, however, pertains that Scripture: " He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." 3 For this the apostle most manifestly showed, when, after saying " that no flesh should glory in His presence," lest the saints should suppose that they had been left without any glory, he presently added, " But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wnsdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." ■* Hence it is that in this abode of miseries, where trial is the life of man upon the earth, " strength is made perfect in weakness." 5 What strength, save '• that he that glorieth should glory in the Lord "?
CHAP.;^S. — WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE GIFT OF PERSEVER.ANCE THAT IS NOW GIVEN 10 THE SAINTS.
And thus God willed that His saints should not — even concerning perseverance in goodness itself — glory in their own strength, but in Himself, who not only gives them aitl such as He gave to the first man, without which they cannot persevere if they will, but causes in them also the will; that since they will not persevere unless they both can and will, both the cajxability and the will to persevere should be bestowed on them by the liberality of divine grace. Because by the Holy Spirit their will is so much enkindled that they therefore can, because they so will; and they therefore so will, because God works in them to will. F'or if in so much weakness of this life (in which weakness, however, for the sake of checking pride, stren^h behoved to be perfected) their own will should be left to themselves, that they might, if they willed, continue in the help of (lod, without which they could not persevere, and God should not work in them to will, in the midst of so many and so great weaknesses their will itself would give way, and they would not be able to persevere, for the reason that failing from infirmity they would not will, or in the weakness of will they would not so will that they would be able. Therefore aid is brought to the infirmity of human will, so that it might be unchangeably and invincibly'' influenced by divine grace; and thus, although weak, it still might not fail, nor be overcome by any adversity. Thus it happens that man's will, weak and incapable, in good as yet small, may j^ersevere by God's strength; while the will of the first man, strong and healthful, having the power of free choice, did not persevere in a greater good; because although God's help was not wanting, without which it could not persevere if it would, yet it was not such a help as that by which God would work in man to will. Certainly to the strongest He yielded and permitted to do what He willed; to those that were weak He has reserved that by His own gift they should most invincibly will what is good, and most invincibly refuse to forsake this. Therefore when Christ says, " I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not," ^ we may understand that it was said to him who is built upon the rock..And thus the man of God, not only because he has obtained mercy to be faithful, but also because faith itself does not fail, if he glories, must glory in the Lord.
CH.AP. 39 [XIII.] — THE NUMBER OF THE PREDES- TIN.ATED IS CERTAIN AND DEFINED.
I speak thus of those who arc predestinated to the kingdom of God, whose number is so certain that one can neither be added to them nor taken from them; not of those who, when He had Co r. I 29.
* I Cor. i. 30.
^ I Cor. i. 31.
* " InsuperahilHer" the reading of the best MSS. tions re.iil " insepnrabiliter" in a ilogmatic interest. ' Luke xxii. 32.
Some edi' [Chap. 40.
announced and spoken, were multiplied beyond number. For they may be said to be called but not chosen, because they are not called according to the purpose. But that the number of the elect is certain, and neither to be increased nor diminished, — although it is signified by John the Baptist when he says, " Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham," ' to show that they were in such wise to be cut off if they did not produce fruit, that the number which was promised to Abraham would not be wanting, — is yet more plainly declared in the Apocalypse: " Hold fast that which thou hast, lest another take thy crown." ^ For if another would not receive unless one should have lost, the number is fixed.
CH-^P. 40. — NO ONE TS CERTAIN AND SECURE OF HIS OWN PREDESTINATION AND SALVATION.
But, moreover, that such things as these are so spoken to saints who will persevere, as if it were reckoned uncertain whether they will persevere, is a reason that they ought not otherwise to hear these things, since it is well for them "not to be high-minded, but to fear." ^ For who of the multitude of believers can presume, so long as he is living in this mortal state, that he is in the number of the predestinated? Because it is necessary that in this condition that should be kept hidden; since here we have to beware so much of pride, that even so great an apostle was buffeted by a messenger of Satan, lest he should be lifted up.-i Hence it was said to the apostles, "If ye abide in me; " s and this He said who knew for a certainty that they would abide; and through the prophet, " If ye shall be willing, and will hear me," ^ although He knew in whom He would work to will also. And many similar things are said. For on account of the usefulness of this secrecy, lest, perchance, any one should be lifted up, but that all, even although they are running well, should fear, in that it IS not known who may attain, — on account of the usefulness of this secrecy, it must be believed that some of the children of perdition, who have not received the gift of perseverance to the end, begin to live in the faith which worketh by love, and live for some time faithfully and righteously, and afterwards fall away, and are not taken away from this life before this happens to them. If this had happened to none of these, men would have that very wholesome fear, by which the sin of presumption is kept down, only so long as until they should attain to the grace of Christ by which to live piously, and afterwards would for time to come be secure that they would never fall away from Him. And such presumption in this condition of trials is not fitting, where there is so great weakness, that security may engender pride. Finally, this also shall be the case; but it shall be at that time, in men also as it already is in the angels, when there cannot be any pride. Therefore the number of the saints, by God's grace predestinated to God's kingdom, with the gift of perseverance to the end bestowed on them, shall be guided thither in its completeness, and there shall be at length without end preserved in its fullest completeness, most blessed, the mercy of their Saviour still cleaving to them, whether in their conversion, in their conflict, or in their crown!
CHAP. 41. — EVEN IN JUDGMENT GOD'S MERCY WILL BE NECESSARY TO US.
For the Holy Scripture testifies that God's mercy is then also necessary for them, when the Saint says to his soul concerning the Lord its God, " Who crowneth thee in mercy and compassion." ^ The Apostle James also says: "He shall have judgment without mercy who hath showed no mercy; " * where he sets forth that even in that judgment in which the righteous are crowned and the unrighteous are condemned, some will be judged with mercy, others without mercy. On which account also the mother of the Maccabees says to her son, " That in that mercy I may receive thee with thy brethren." ^ " For when a righteous king," as it is written, " shall sit on the throne, no evil thing shall oppose itself to him. Who will boast that he has a pure heart? or who will boast that he is pure from sin? " '° And thus God's mercy is even then necessary, by which he is made " blessed to whom the Lord has not imputed sin." " But at that time even mercy itself shall be allotted in righteous judgment in accordance with the merits of good works. For when it is said, " Judgment without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy," it is plainly shown that in those in whom are found the good works of mercy, judgment shall be executed with mercy; and thus even that mercy itself shall be returned to the merits of good works. It is not so now; when not only no good works, but many bad works precede. His mercy anticipates a man so that he is delivered from evils, — as well from evils which he has done, as from those which he would have done if he were not controlled by the grace of God; and from those, too, which he would have suffered for ever if he were not plucked from the power of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of God's love.'^ Nevertheless, since even that life eternal * Matt. iii. 8, 9.
* 2 Cor. xii. 7.
* Rev. iii. II. 5 John XV. 7.
7 Ps. ciii. 4. JO Prov. XX. 8.
8 las. ii. 13. " Ps. xxxii.
Chap. 45.]
itself, which, it is certain, is given as due to good works, is called by so great an apostle the grace of God, although grace is not rendered to works, but is given freely, it must be confessed without any doubt, that eternal life is called grace for the reason that it is rendered to those merits which grace has conferred upon man. Because that saying is rightly understood which in the gospel is read, "grace for grace,"' — that is, for those merits which grace has conferred.
CHAP. 42. — THE REPROBATE ARE TO P.E PUNISHED FOR MERITS OF A DIFFERENT KIND, But those who do not belong to this number of the predestinated, whom — whether that they have not yet any free choice of their will, or with a choice of will truly free, because freed by grace itself — the grace of God brings to His kingdom, — those, then, who do not belong to that most certain and blessed number, are most righteously judged according to their deservings. For either they lie under the sin which they have inherited by original generation, and depart hence with that inherited debt which is not put away by regeneration, or by their free will have added other sins besides; their will, I say, free, but not freed, — free from righteousness, but enslaved to sin, by which they are tossed about by divers mischievous lusts, some more evil, some less, but all evil; and they must be adjudged to diverse punishments, according to that very diversity. Or they receive the grace of God, but they are only for a season, and do not persevere; they forsake and are forsaken. For by their free will, as they have not received the gift of perseverance, they are sent away by the righteous and hidden judgment of God.
CHAP. 43 [XIV.] — REBUKE AND GR.\CE DO NOT SET ASIDE ONE ANOTHER.
Let men then suffer themselves to be rebuked when they sin, and not conclude against grace from the rebuke itself, nor from grace against rebuke; because both the righteous penalty of sin is due, and righteous rebuke belongs to it, if it is medicinally applied, even although the salvation of the ailing man is uncertain; so that if he who is rebuked belongs to the number of the predestinated, rebuke may be to him a wholesome medicine; and if he does not belong to that number, rebuke may be to him a penal infliction. Under that very uncertainty, therefore, it must of love be applied, although its result is unknown; and prayer must be made on his behalf to whom it is applied, that he may be healed. But when men either come or return into the way of righteousness by means of rebuke, who is it that worketh salvation in their ' John i. 16.
hearts but that God who givcth the increase, whoever plants and waters, and whoever labours on the fields or shrubs, — that God whom no man's will resists when He wills to give salvation? For so to will or not to will is in the power of Him who willeth or willeth not, as not to hinder the divine will nor o\'ercome the divine power. For even concerning those who do what He wills not, He Himself does what He will.
CHAP. 44. IN WHAT WAY GOD WILLS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED.
And what is written, that " He wills all men to be saved," ^ while yet all men are not saved, may be understood in many ways, some of which I have mentioned in other wTitings^ of mine; but here I will say one thing: " He wills all men to be saved," is so said that all the predestinated may be understood by it, because every kind of men is among them. Just as it was said to the Pharisees, " Ye tithe every herb; " •* where the expression is only to be understood of every herb that they had, for they did not tithe every herb which was found throughout the whole earth. According to the same manner of speaking, it was said, " Even as I also please all men in all things." 5 For did he who said this please also the multitude of his persecutors? But he pleased every kind of men that assembled in the Church of Christ, whether they were already established therein, or were to be introduced into it.
CHAP. 45. SCRIPTURAL INSTANCES WHEREIN IT IS PROVED THAT GOD HAS MEN'S WILLS MORE IN HIS POWER THAN THEY THEMSELVES HAVE.
It is not, then, to be doubted that men's wills cannot, so as to prevent His doing what he wills, withstand the w'ill of God, " who hath done all things whatsoever He pleased in heaven and in earth," ^ and who also "has done those things that are to come; " ^ since He does even concerning the wills themselves of men what He will, when He will. Unless, perchance (to mention some things among many), when God willed to give the kingdom to Saul, it was so in the power of the Israelites, as it certainly was placed in their will, eidier to subject themselves or not to the man in question, that they could even prevail to withstand God. God, however, did not do this, save by the will of the men themselves, because he beyond doubt had the most omnipotent power of inclining men's hearts whither it pleased Him. For thus it is written: " And Samuel sent the people away, and every one went away unto his own place. And Saul went away to his house in Gibeah: and there went away 103; City of God, xxii S I Cor. X. 33.
[Chap. 46.
with Saul mighty men, whose hearts the Lord touched. And pestilent children said, Who shall save us? This man? And they despised him, and brought him no presents." ' Will any one say that any of those whose hearts the Lord touched to go with Saul would not have gone with him, or that any of those pestilent fellows, whose hearts He did not touch to do this, would have gone? Of David also, whom the Lord ordained to the kingdom in a more prosperous succession, we read thus: " And David continued to increase, and was magnified, and the Lord was with him." ^ This having been premised, it is said a httle afterwards, "And the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said. We are thine, O David, and we will be with thee, O son of Jesse: Peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; because the Lord has helped thee." ^ Could he withstand the will of God, and not rather do the will of Him who wrought in his heart by His Spirit, with which he was clothed, to will, speak, and do thus? Moreover, a little afterwards the same Scripture says, " All these warlike men, setting the battle in array, came with a peaceful heart to Hebron to establish David over all Israel." ^ By their own will, certainly, they appointed David king. Who cannot see this? Who can deny it? For they did not do it under constraint or without good-will, since they did it with a peaceful heart. And yet He wrought this in them who worketh what He will in the hearts of men. For which reason the Scripture premised, " And David continued to increase, and was magnified, and the Lord Omnipotent was with him." And thus the Lord Omnipotent, who was with him, induced these men to appoint him king. And how did He induce them? Did He constrain thereto by any bodily fetters? He wrought within; He held their hearts; He stirred their hearts, and drew them by their own wills, which He Himself wrought in them. If, then, when God wills to set up kings in the earth, He has the wills of men more in His power than they themselves have, who else causes rebuke to be wholesome and correction to result in the heart of him that is rebuked, that he may be established in the kingdom of heaven?
CHAP. 46 [XV.] — REBUKE MUST BE V.ARIED AC- CORDING TO THE VARIETY OF FAULTS. THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT IN THE CHURCH GREATER THAN EXCOMMUNICATION.
Therefore, let brethren who are subject be rebuked by those who are set over them, with rebukes that spring from love, varied according to the diversity of faults, whether smaller or greater. Because that very penalty that is called condemnation, s which episcopal judgment inflicts, than which there is no greater punishment in the Church, may, if God will, result and be of advantage for most wholesome rebuke. For we know not what may happen on the coming day; nor must any one be despaired of before the end of this life; nor can God be contradicted, that He may not look down and give repentance, and receive the sacrifice of a troubled spirit and a contrite heart, and absolve from the guilt of condemnation, however just, and so Himself not condemn the condemned person. Yet the necessity of the pastoral office requires, in order that the terrible contagion may not creep through the many, that the diseased sheep should be separated from the sound ones; perchance, by that very separation, to be healed by Him to whom nothing is impossible. For as we know not who belongs to the number of the predestinated, we ought in such wise to be influenced by the affection of love as to will all men to be saved. For this is the case when we endeavour to lead every individual to that point where they may meet with those agencies by which we may prevail, to the accomplishment of the result, that being justified by faith they may have peace with God,^ — which peace, moreover, the apostle announced when he said, " Therefore, we discharge an embassage for Christ, as though God were exhorting by us, we pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God." 7 For what is " to be reconciled " to Him but to have peace with Him?
For the sake of which peace, moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said to His disciples, " Into whatsoever house ye enter first, say, Peace be to this house; and if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return to you again." ^ When they preach the gospel of this peace of whom it is predicted, " How beautiful are the feet of those that publish peace, that announce good things! " 9 to us, indeed, every one then begins to be a son of peace who obeys and believes this gospel, and who, being justified by faith, has begun to have peace towards God; but, according to God's predestination, he was already a son of peace. For it was not said, Upon whomsoever your peace shall rest, he shall become a son of peace; but Christ says, " If the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon that house." Already, therefore, and before the announcement of that peace to him, the son of peace was there, as he had been known and foreknown, by — not the evangelist, but — God. For we need not fear lest we should lose it, if in our ignorance he to whom we preach is not a son of peace, for it will return to us again — that is, that preaching will profit us, and not him; but if the peace S Query, Excommunication f Chap. 49.]
proclaimed shall rest upon him, it will profit both us and him.
CHAP. 47. ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF THE APOSTOLIC PASSAGE, "WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED."
That, therefore, in our ignorance of who shall be saved, God commands us to will that all to whom we preach this peace may be saved, and Himself works this in us by diffusing that love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us, — may also thus be understood, that God wills all men to be saved, because He makes us to will this; just as " He sent the Spirit of His Son, crying, Abba, Father; " ' that is, making us to cry, Abba, Father. Because, concerning that same Spirit, He says in another place, " We have received the Spirit of adoption, in whom we cry, Abba, Father! " ^ We therefore cry, but He is said to cry who makes us to cry. If, then, Scripture rightly said that the Spirit was crying by whom we are made to cry, it rightly also says that God wills, when by Him we are made to will. And thus, because by rebuke we ought to do nothing save to avoid departure from that peace which is towards God, or to induce return to it of him who had departed, let us do in hope what we do. If he whom we rebuke is a son of peace, our peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to us again.
CHAP. 48. — THE PURPOSE OF REBUKE.
Although, therefore, even while the faith of some is subverted, the foundation of God standeth sure, since the Lord knoweth them that are His, still, we ought not on that account to be indolent and negligent in rebuking those who should be rebuked. For not for nothing was it said, " Evil communications corrupt good manners; " 3 and, " The weak brother shall perish in thy knowledge, on account of whom Christ died." •♦ Let us not, in opposition to these precepts, and to a wholesome fear, pretend to argue, saying, " Well, let evil communications corrupt good manners, and let the weak brother perish. What is that to us? The foundation of God standeth sure, and no one perishes but the son of perdition." [xvi.] Be it far from us to babble in this wise, and think that we ought to be secure in this negligence. For it is true that no one perishes except the son of perdition, but God says 2 Rom. viii. 15.
3 I Cor. XV. 33.
by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel: 5 " He shall surely die in his sin, but his blood will I require at the hand of the watchman."
Hence, as far as concerns us, who are not able to distinguish those who are predestinated from those who are not, we ought on this very account to will all men to be saved. Severe rebuke should be medicinally applied to all by us that they perish not themselves, or that they may not be the means of destroying others. It belongs to God, however, to make that rebuke useful to them whom He Himself has foreknown and predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. For, if at any time we abstain from rebuking, for fear lest by rebuke a man should perish, why do we not also rebuke, for fear lest a man should rather perish by our withholding it? For we have no greater bowels of love than the blessed apostle who says, " Rebuke those that are unruly; comfort the feeble-minded; support the weak; be patient towards all men.