Augustine: Earlier Writings (continued)
ON FREE WILL igi which were to abide in virtue and justice, but also those that were to sin. He did not make them in order that they might sin, but that whether they willed to sin or not to sin they might be ornaments of his universe. If there were no souls occupying the highest rank in the universe, such as would have power to shake and weaken the universe if they should choose to fall into sin, that would be a great defect in creation. That would be lacking which secures the stability and unity of the universe. Such are the good and holy and sublime souls of the powers celestial and super-celestial, over whom God alone rules, and to whom the whole world is subject. Without their just and perfect offices there can be no universe. Again if there were no souls who, whether by sinning or not sinning, make no difference to the order of the universe, again there would be a grave defect. These are rational souls like in nature to those that are better but unlike in office. Besides these, there are many inferior but praiseworthy degrees of creatures all made by God most high.
33. This is the nature of those who hold the highest rank. The order of the universe would suffer loss if they did not exist and also if they sinned. In the case of those who hold a lower rank the loss would be caused by their non-existence, not by their sinning. To the former is given the potency to keep all things in their proper order, and without that the order of things cannot continue. But they do not continue in the good will because they received that office. Rather they received the office because he who gave it foresaw that they would so continue. Nor do they keep all things in the proper order by their own majesty, but because they cleave to the majesty and devotedly obey the commands of him by whom, through whom and in whom all things are made. To the latter also, if they do not sin, is given the potent office of keeping things in order, but it is not given to them as their own. They must fulfil it in aUiance with the higher beings, because God knows beforehand that they will sin.
Spiritual natures can be joined together without being increased in mass, and separated without being decreased. The higher beings do not have their action made any easier by the assistance of the lower beings, nor does their action become more difficult if the lower beings desert their duty by sinning.
For they are not joined together by space or bodily mass but by similarity of affection. And spiritual creatures can be separated by lack of Ukeness one to another though each possesses its own body.
34. When sin has been committed the soul, which has its
abode by God's order in an inferior and a mortal body, rules its own body not according to its own whim, but as the laws of the universe allow. But such a soul is not inferior to a celestial body, though earthly bodies are inferior to celestial bodies. The ragged garment of a condemned slave is much inferior to the garment of a slave who has deserved well and is held in high honour by his master. But the slave is better than any garment however precious, because he is a man. The soul of higher nature inhabiting a celestial body and enjoying angelic power adheres to God and adorns and rules even an earthly body according to the commands of him whose nod it ineffably observes. But the soul that is burdened with mortal members has difficulty in ruling the body that oppresses it, and yet it adorns it as far as it is able. Other things by which it is surrounded it can affect, as it has the power, but its power is vastly weaker, xii, 35. The conclusion is that even the lowest corporeal creature would not have lacked a fitting ornament, even if no soul had willed to sin. That which can rule the whole also rules the part; but that which has less power certainly cannot exercise more abundant power. The perfect physician can efficaciously cure the scab. But one who can give useful advice in a case of the scab cannot forthwith heal every disease of mankind. If there is any certain reason why there ought to have been creatures which have never sinned nor ever will, it will also make clear that they refrained from sin by their own free will. They were not compelled not to sin. They remained sinless by choice. But even if they had sinned (but that was impossible because God knew beforehand that they would not) . . . even if they had sinned, God's ineffable power would have been sufficient to rule the universe, to render to all what was right and fitting, and to permit nothing base or dishonourable throughout his whole dominion. Even if all the powers he created to help him failed him, even if angelic nature had sinned and rebelled against his commandments, he would still by his own majestyrule all things honourably and perfectly. He would not grudge existence to spiritual creatures, who has made corporeal creatures though they are far inferior even to sinful spiritual creatures. So great is his goodness that no one can reasonably view the heaven and the earth, and all visible natures in their kinds, measured, formed, ordered, and beheve that there is any other creator of all these things but God, or refuse to confess that he is to be ineffably praised. There is no better way of ordering the universe than that angelic nature