Chapter 5 (127): 1. He Treats More Fully Chaste And Servile Fear, Touching Also
140 | THE SENTENCES, BOOK 3
not done well.
... No one does good unwillingly, even if he does that which is good."'° Chapter 5 (127)
1. HE TREATS MORE FULLY CHASTE AND SERVILE FEAR, TOUCHING ALSO
ON INITIAL FEAR.—AUGUSTINE, IN HOMILY 9, ON THE EPISTLE OF JOHN.
He discusses these same fears more broadly, saying: "Someone begins to believe in the day of judgement. If he begins to believe, he also begins to fear. But one who still fears does not yet have confidence in the day of judgement, and perfect charity is not yet in him." "If perfect charity were in him, he would not fear. For perfect charity would make perfect justice, and he would have no reason to fear, but would rather have reason to desire that iniquity pass away and God's kingdom come. (HERE HE
TOUCHES ON INITIAL FEAR.) And so, there is no fear in charity.' But in what charity? Not in initial charity. In which one, then? In the perfect one, as he says: Perfect charity casts out fear.' And so let fear begin, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is as if fear prepares a place for charity, but once charity has begun to dwell, the fear which prepared the place for it is expelled. For in proportion as charity increases, fear decreases, and as charity comes to be within, fear is cast out. Greater charity, less fear; less charity, greater fear.'"®
2. AN ANALOGY OF SERVILE FEAR IS PRESENTED. "But if there is no fear, there is no way for charity to enter. Just as we see when something is sewn, the thread is introduced through a bristle; the bristle enters first, but if it does not come out, the thread does not enter. In the same way, fear first occupies the mind, but the fear does not remain there, because it entered in order to introduce charity."
3. AN APPARENT CONTRADICTION WITH WHAT HAS BEEN SAID. "But
there is another sentence, which seems contrary to this one, if it does not find a pious interpreter. For it is said in the Psalm: The fear of the Lord is chaste, perduring forever and ever.® This shows us an eternal fear, but a "Ordinary gloss, on Rom. 8, 15, in part from Augustine, De spiritu et littera, c32 n56, and Confessiones, bk 1 c12 n19. The text is actually taken from Prosper of Aquitaine,
Sententiae, n172 (173).
'Cia Ine4elae "Augustine, /n I Ioannis 4, 17, tr. 9 n2.
1nd 18.
"Tbid.
Ps, 110, 10; Bech. 1, 16P Prov 197- °Augustine, /n J Ioannis 4, 18, tr. 9 n4.
Ibid.
Phy, KR. IO):