Part 4
N WHICH AUGUSTINE ARGUES AGAINST SUCH AS SAT THAT IN THE PRESENT
LIFE THERE ARE, HAVE BEEN, AND WILL BE, MEN WHO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SIN AT ALL. HE LAYS DOWN FOUR PROPOSITIONS ON THIS HEAD, AND
TEACHES,— FIRST, THAT A MAN MIGHT POSSIBLY LIVE IN THE PRESENT LIFE WITHOUT SIN, BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND HIS OWN FREE WILL ; HE NEXT SHOWS THAT NEVERTHELESS IN FACT THERE IS NO MAN WHO LIVES QUITE FREE FROM SIN IN THIS LIFE ; THIRDLY, HE SETS FORTH THE REASON OF
THIS,—BECAUSE THERE IS NO MAN WHO EXACTLY CONFINES HIS WISHES WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE JUST REQUIREMENT OF EACH CASE, WHICH
JUST REQUIREMENT HE EITHER FAILS TO PERCEIVE, OR IS UNWILLING TO CARRY OUT IN PRACTICE ; IN THE FOURTH PLACE, HE PROVES THAT THERE
IS NOT, NOR HAS BEEN, NOR EVER WILL BE, A HUMAN BEING;—EXCEPT THE ONE MEDIATOR, CHRIST—WHO IS FREE FROM ALL SIN.
Chap. 1. [i.] What has thus far been dwelt on; and what is to be treated in this book. WE have, my dearest Marcellinus, discussed at sufficient length, I think, in the former book the "baptism of infants,—how that it is given to them not only for an entrance into the kingdom of God, but also for attaining salvation and eternal life, which none can have out of the kingdom of God, and without that union with the Saviour Christ, to which He has redeemed us by His blood. I undertake in the present book to discuss and explain the question, Whether there lives in this world, or has yet lived, or ever will live, a man without any sin whatever, except "the one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for
1—and this I will do with as much care and ability as He may Himself vouchsafe to me. And should there occasionally all;" arise in this discussion, either casually or inevitably from the argument, any question about the baptism or the sin of infants,
I must neither be surprised nor be induced to shrink from giving the best answer I can, at such emergencies, to whatever point challenges my attention.
1 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.
CHAP. III.] THE SIXLESSNESS OF CHRIST. 73
Chap. 2. [n.] Some persons attribute too much to the freedom of man's will; its ignorance and infirmity. A solution is extremely necessary of this question about man's life being unassailed by any surreptitious or sudden preoccupation of sin, in consequence even of our daily prayers for there are some persons who presume so much upon the absolute freedom of man's will, as to suppose that it need not sin, and that we require no divine assistance,—attributing this freedom of the will to our own natural power. An inevitable consequence of this is, that we need not pray " not to enter into temptation,"—in other words, not to be overcome of temptation, either when it deceives and surprises us in our ignorance of its approach, or when it presses and importunes us in our weakness to resist it. Now how hurtful this is, and how fatally opposed to our salvation in Christ, and how violently adverse to the very religion with which we are impressed, and to the piety whereby we worship God, it cannot but be for us not to beseech the Lord for the attainment of such a benefit, but be rather led to think that petition of the Lord's
Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation,"
1 to be a vain and useless insertion, it is beyond my ability to express in words.
Chap. 3. [in.] In what way God commands nothing impossible. Works of mercy means of wiping out sins. Now these people imagine that they say a sharp thing (as if none among us knew anything like it) to this effect, that
" if we have not the will, we commit no sin ; nor would God command man to do what was impossible for human volition." But they do not see this important fact, that in order to overcome certain things, which are the objects either of an evil desire or an ill-conceived fear, men need the strenuous efforts, and sometimes even all the energies, of the will, which [the Holy Ghost] foresaw that we should only imperfectly employ in every instance, when He willed so true an utterance to be spoken by the prophet : " In Thy sight shall no man living be justified." 2 The Lord, foreseeing that such would be our character, was pleased to provide and endow with efficacious virtue certain healthful remedies against the guilt and bonds even of sins committed after baptism,— for instance, the works
1 Matt. vi. 13. 2 Ps. cxliii. 2.
74 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
of mercy,—as when he says : " Forgive, and ye shall be for-
1 For who given; give, and it shall be given unto you."
could quit this life with any hope of obtaining eternal salvation, with that sentence impending : " Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
2 if it did not soon after follow : " So speak ye, and so do, all," as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty : for he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy and mercy rejoiceth against judgment ? " 3
Chap. 4. [iv.] Concupiscence, howfar in us; the baptized are not injured by concupiscence, but only by consent therewith; the three last petitions of tlie Lord's Prayer.
Concupiscence, therefore, as the law of sin which remains in the members of this body of death, is born with infants in baptized infants it is deprived of guilt ; it is left for the struggle [of life] ; such infants as die before the struggle begins it does not pursue with any condemnation ; unbaptized infants it binds as guilty and as children of wrath, and even if they die in infancy it involves them in condemnation. In baptized adults, however, endowed with reason, whatever consent their mind gives to this concupiscence for the commission of sin is an act of their own will. After all sins have been blotted out, and that guilt has been cancelled which by nature 4 bound men in a conquered condition, concupiscence still remains,—but not to hurt in any way those who yield no assent to the commission of improper actions,—and it will remain until death is swallowed up in victory, and until, in that perfection of peace, nothing is left to be conquered. Such, however, as yield assent to it for the commission of sinful deeds, it holds as guilty still ; and unless, through the medicine of repentance, and through the works of mercy, by the intercession in our behalf of the heavenly High Priest, these sins be healed, then [this concupiscence] conducts us to the second death and utter condemnation. It was on this account that the Lord, when instructing us in prayer, advised us, besides other petitions, to say : " Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
1 Luke vi. 37, 38. 2 Jas. ii. 10. 3 Jas. ii. 12.
4 Originalited, i.e. owing to birth-sin.
CHAP. V.] REMEDIES AGAINST CONCUPISCENCE. 75
1 For evil remains in our flesh, not by reason of from evil."
the nature in which man was created by divine power and wisdom, but owing to that fault into which he fell of his own will, and in which, since he has lost its powers of choice, he is not healed with the same facility of will as that with which which he was wounded. Of this evil it is the apostle says: "I know that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing;" and it is likewise to the same evil that he counsels us to give no obedience, when he says : " Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to obey the lusts thereof."
3 When, there-" fore, we have by an unlawful inclination of our will yielded assent to the lustful desires of the flesh, we say, with a view to the cure of this fault, " Forgive us our debts ;" 4 and we at the same time apply the remedy of a work of mercy, in that we add, " As we forgive our debtors." When, however, we yield no such assent, we pray for assistance, and say,
" Lead us not into temptation,"—not that God ever Himself tries any one with such kind of temptation, " for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man ;" 5 [but the purport of our prayer is,] that whenever we happen to feel the rising of temptation from our concupiscence, we should not be deserted by His help, in order that thereby we may be strong enough to conquer, and not be carried away by the attraction of lust. We then add our request for that which is to be perfected at the last, " when mortality shall be swallowed up of life:"
6 "But deliver us from evil."
7 For then there will exist no longer a concupiscence with which we must struggle, and from which we must be bidden to withhold our consent. The whole substance, accordingly, of these three petitions may be thus briefly expressed : " Forgive us those things in which we have been drawn aside (by)concupiscence help us against the temptations of concupiscence ; take away from us all concupiscence."
Chap. 5. [v.] The will of man requires the help of God. Now for the commission of sin we get no help from God but to do justly, and to fulfil the law of righteousness in every part thereof, we have no ability whatever, except as God shall
1 Matt. vi. 12, 13. 2 Rom. vii. 18. 3 Rom. vi. 12. * Matt. vi. 12. 5 Jas. i. 13. e 2 Cor. v. 4. " Matt vi. 13.
76 ON FORGIVENESS. OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
help us. For as the bodily eye is not assisted by the light that it may turn away therefrom shut and averted, but gets the assistance of the light in order that it may see,—being wholly incapable of vision without such help,—so God, who is the light of the inner man, aids our mental sight, in order that we do some good, not after our own, but according to
His righteousness. Whenever we turn away from Him , it is our own act ; we then show carnal wisdom, we then give our consent to the unholy promptings of fleshly concupiscence. When we turn to Him, God helps us ; when we turn away from Him, He forsakes us. But then He helps us even to turn to Him,—an action which that [divine] light of which we speak certainly does not show to the eyes of our body. When, therefore, He commands us in the words, " Turn
1 and we say to Him, "Turn us, God of our salvation," ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,"
2 and again, "Turn us, God of hosts ;" 3 what else do we in fact say than, " Give us what Thou commandest ?" 4 When, also, He commands us,
5 and we say to Him, " Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments;" saying, "Understand now, ye simple among the people,"
6 what else do we really say than,
" Give us what Thou commandest ?" So when He commands
7 and we say to Him,
us, saying, "Go not after thy lusts,"
" We know that no man can be continent, except God enable him;"
8 what do we indeed say to Him, but "Give us,
Lord, what Thou commandest ?" When, again, He commands
9 and we say to Him, "Teach me Thy judgments, Lord;" us, saying, "Keep judgment, and do justice,"
10 what else do we say in fact than, " Give us, Lord, what Thou commandest?"
In like manner, when He says : " Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled," 11 from whom ought we to seek for the meat and drink of righteousness, but from Him who promises His fulness to such as hunger and thirst after it ?
I Zech. i. 3. 2 Ps. lxxxv. 4. 3 Ps. lxxx. 3, 4,
4 Da quod jubes ; see the Confessiojis, Book x. chap. 26.
5 Ps. xciv. 8. 6 Ps. cxix. 73. 7 Ecclus. xviii. 30.
8 Wisd. viii. 21. • Isa. lvi. 1. 10 Ps. cxix. 108.
II Matt. v. 6.
CHAP. VI.] THE HEART'S EESPONSE TO GOD'S COMMAND. 77
Chap. 6.— Wherein the Pharisee sinned when he thanked God; to God's grace must be added the exertion of our own will.
Let us then refuse to lend an ear or to give heed to those who assert that, after the choice of our own free will has been accepted, we are not bound to pray that God would help us not to sin. By such darkness as this even the Pharisee was not blinded ; for although he erred in thinking that he needed no addition to his righteousness, and supposed himself to be endowed with an absolute sufficiency thereof, he yet thanked God that he was not "like other men, unjust, extortioners, adulterers, or even as the publican ; for he fasted twice in
1 He the week, he gave tithes of all that he possessed."
wished, indeed, for no addition to his own righteousness ; but then, by giving thanks to God, he allowed that all he had he had in fact received from Him ; and yet he was not approved, both because he asked for no further aliments of righteousness, as if he already had enough, and because he arrogantly and ostentatiously preferred himself to the publican, who was hungering and thirsting after righteousness. What, then, is to be said of those who, whilst acknowledging that they have no righteousness, or no fulness thereof, presume to pray for its acquisition from themselves simply, not from their
Creator, in whom lies its store and fountain ? And yet this is not a question about prayers alone ; there must be superadded a consideration of the efficacy of our own will in its co-operation [with prayer]. 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 we were mere stones, without sensibility, or creatures in whose nature He had placed neither reason nor will. Why, however, He helps one man, but not another ; or why one man so much, and another not to the same extent; or why one man in one way, and another in another way,—are points which He reserves to Himself according to the method of His own most secret judgment, and to the excellency of His power.
1 Luke xviii. 11, 12. 9 Ps. xl. 17, lxx. 5.
73 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK IT.
Chap. 7. [vi.] Four questions on the perfection of rigJiteousness : (1.) 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 opposed all out of hand with incautious temerity ; for if we should deny the possibility, we should derogate both from man's free will, who in his wish desires this [sinlessness], and from the power or mercy of God, who effects it by His help. But it is one question, whether there could exist such a sinless man ; and another question, whether he docs exist. Again, it is one question, why (on the supposition of the possibility of such a man's existence, but in face of the fact that there is none such) he does not exist ; and another question, whether such a man as. had never sinned at all, not only is in existence, but also has been able to exist [at any former time], or could exist [at any future time]. Now, if in the order of this fourfold set of interrogative propositions, I were asked, [1st,] 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 ; for I should have no doubt that the free will itself is ascribable to God's grace,—in other words, has its place amongst the gifts of God,—not only as to its existence, but also in respect of its goodness ; that is to say, [it is a gift of God] that it applies itself to doing the commandments of God. Thus it is that God's grace not only shows a man what he ought to do, but also gives him such assistance as secures the possibility of that being done which His grace points out to be done. " What indeed have we that we have not received?"
Whence Jeremiah says : " I know, Lord, that the way of man is not in himself ; it is not in man that walketh to direct
2 Accordingly, when in the Psalms one says to his steps."
God, " Thou hast commanded me to keep Thy precepts dili-
3 he at once adds a disclaimer of his own ability, and gently," only wishes to be able to keep these precepts : " 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."
4 Now who ever wishes for what he has already so entirely in his own power, that he requires no further help
1 1 Cor. iv. 7. 2 Jer. x. 23. 3 Ps. cxix. 4. 4 Ps. cxix. 5, 6.
chap, viil] man's co-operation with god's geace. 79 for effecting his purpose ? To whom, however, he should look for the fulfilment of his wish,—not to fortune, or fate, or any one else but 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."
From the thraldom of this execrable dominion they are liberated, to whom, on their receiving Him, the Lord Jesus gave power to become the sons of God.
2 From so horrible a tyranny were they to be freed, to whom He says, " If the Son
3 From shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed."
these and many other like testimonies, I cannot doubt that God has laid no impracticable command on man ; and that, by
God's grace and help, everything which He commands is able to be brought to good effect. In this way may a man, if he pleases, be without sin by the assistance of God.
Chap. 8. [vn.] Second question : Whether there is in this world a man without sin.
If, however, I am asked the second question which I have suggested,—whether there be a sinless man,—I believe there is no such person. For I have perfect confidence in the
Scripture, which says : " Enter not into judgment with Thy servant ; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." 4
There is therefore need of the mercy of God, which " rejoiceth against judgment," 5 and which that man shall not obtain who
6 And whereas the prophet says, " I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the displays it not in his own conduct.
7 he yet immediately adds, "For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in an acceptable time." 8 " Every one"—not indeed every sinner, but every saint; for it is the voice of
Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart," saints which says, " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
9 Accordingly we read,
ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
in the Apocalypse of the same Apostle John, 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."
10 " Without
1 Ps. cxix. 133. * John i. 12. 3 j^ yjjj, 36< 4 ps CxJiii. 2. 5 Jas. ii. 13. 6 Jas. ii. 13. 7 ps . ^xxiL 5. 8 ps< xxxa, q. 9 1 John i. 8. 10 Ptev. xiv. 3-5.
80 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
fault," indeed, they no doubt are, because they really and truly enough found fault in themselves ; and " in their mouth was discovered no guile or deception, because if they said they had no sin, they deceived themselves, and the truth was not; 1 and of course, where the truth was not, there would be lying and guile. When a righteous man begins a in them statement by accusing himself, he verily utters no falsehood.
Chap. 9. The beginning of renewal ; resurrection 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 commit sin, and cannot commit sin, for His seed remaineth in him,"
2 and in every other passage of like import, they find much to deceive themselves by an inadequate consideration of the [gist 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.
For it is not from the moment of a man's baptism that all his old infirmity is destroyed. Eenovation rather begins with the remission of all his sins, and so far as he who is now wise shows spirituality of wisdom. All things else, indeed, are accomplished in hope, with the view of their being also real-
4 even to the renewal of the very body in that ized in fact, better state of immortality and incorruption with which we shall be clothed at the resurrection of the dead. For even this 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." 5 For however entire and full be the remission of sins which takes place in baptism, there is yet continually going on an entire and full change of the man towards his everlasting renovation. I do not mean the change in his body, which is most clearly tending evermore to the old corruption and to death, after which there is to be a renewal,
1 1 John i. 8. s 1 John iii. 9. 3 See CoL iii. 10.
4 Donee etiam in refant. 5 Matt. xix. 28.
CHAP. X.] THE RESURRECTION A REGENERATION. 81 which shall consist of an absolutely perfect newness of condition. I therefore now omit consideration of the body. Taking, however, the soul, which is the inner man, [the change which it is undergoing is, I say,, a progressive one ; for] if it were a perfect renewal thereof which takes place in baptism, the apostle would not say : " But though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." * Now, undoubtedly, he who is renewed day by day is not as yet wholly renewed ; and inasmuch as he is not yet wholly renewed, he is so far 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 [in baptism], and in so far as they are spiritually-minded, and cherish a disposition suitable to that spiritual mind, 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 [cultivate] those other qualities 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
2 Now it is men who are
righteousness and true holiness.
already baptized and faithful whom he exhorts to do all this, an exhortation which would be unsuitable to them, if the absolute and perfect change had been already made in their baptism ; and yet [in one sense] made it was, since we were then actually saved ; for " He saved us by the laver of re-
3 In another passage, however, he tells us how generation."
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." 4
Chap. 10. [vm.] Perfection, ivhen to be realized.
Our full adoption, then, as children, is to happen at the re-
1 2 Cor. iv. 16. 2 Eph. iv. 24. 3 Tit. iii. 5. 4 Rom. viii. 23-25.
82 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
demption 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 [thus far] are we the children of God. But inasmuch as we are not yet actually saved, we are for that reason not yet fully renewed, nor yet fully also sons of God, but children of this world. We are therefore advancing in renewal and holiness of life, in that we are children of God, and hereby also we cannot commit sin. [And this progress in holiness, with its attendant inability to sin, will go on] until our whole condition be changed,—even that which keeps us still children of this world ; for it is owing to this [remainder of evil in us] that we are even yet able to commit sin. Hence it comes to pass that " whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin j" 1 and "if we were to say that we have no sin, we should deceive ourselves, and the truth would not be in us."
2 There shall be then an end put to the state within us which keeps us children of the flesh and of the world ; whilst that other condition shall be perfected which makes us the children of God, and renews us by His
Spirit. Accordingly the same [Apostle] John says, " Beloved, now are we the sons of God ; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be."
3 Now what means this variety in the expressions, " now are we," and " what we shall he" but this we are in hope, we shall he 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." 4 We have therefore even now begun to be like Him, as we have the first-fruits of the
Spirit ; but yet even now we are unlike Him, by reason of the old nature which leaves its remains in us. 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 this 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. [And so it must be,] until our entire state pass into the adoption, and there be not a sinner more, and you look for his place and find it not.5
1 1 John iii. 9. 2 1 John i. 8. 3 1 John iii. 2.
4 1 John iii. 2. 6 Ps. xxxvi. 10.
CHAP. XI.] PROGRESS TOWARD PERFECTION. 83
Chap. 11. [ix.] An objection of the Pelagians— Why does not a righteous man beget a righteous man ? x
In vain, then, do some of them argue : " Since the sinner begat a sinner, so that the guilt of this birth-sin must in his infant son be done away by his receiving baptism, in like manner ought the righteous man to have begotten 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 because 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 progress to newness of life among the children of God. For " the children of this world [marry and are given in marriage], beget children and
2 And their offspring is like themselves ; for are begotten."
" that which is born of the flesh is flesh."
3 Only the children 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 prejudiced or damaged by having an unrighteous father : for it is by the grace of the Spirit that he has passed into the hope of the eternal regeneration ; whereas it is owing to his carnal mind that his father has whollv remained in the old nature.
[See below, c. 25 ; also De Nuptiis, i. 18 ; also contra Julianum, vi. 5.]
* Luke xx. 34. 3 John iii. 6.
84 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
Chap. 12. [x.]—He reconciles some passages of Scripture ; in Noah, Daniel, and Job, three classes of men are represented.
The statement, therefore, " He that is born of God sinneth
1 is not contrary to the passage in which it is declared by not," those who are born of God, " If we say that we have no sin,: For howwe deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
ever 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 what is the tendency of each several action, and from what source it is said to arise. Now, I suppose it is not easy tc find in God's Scripture so weighty a testimony of holiness given of any man as that which is written of His three servants, Noah, Daniel, and Job, whom the Prophet Ezekia describes as the only men able to be delivered from God'd
3 In these three men he no doubt prefigure: impending wrath.
three classes of mankind to be delivered : in Noah, as I sup pose, are represented righteous leaders of nations, by reasoi of his government of the ark as a type of the Church ; iii
Daniel, men who are holy in continence ; in Job, those whj are holy in wedlock ;—to say nothing of any other view whicl may be entertained of the passage, but which it is unnecessary for me now to consider. It is, at any rate, clear from thi, testimony of the prophet, and from other inspired statement!
how eminent were these worthies in righteousness. Yet n man must be led by any statement in their history to say, fo instance, that there is no sin in drunkenness, although so goo a man as one of these was surprised into it ; for we read ttfj
4 but God forbid that it should I
Noah was once drunk, thought that he was an habitual drunkard.
Chap. 13.—^4 subterfuge of the Pelagians.
Daniel, indeed, after the prayer which he poured out befoj
God, actually says respecting himself, " Whilst I was prayiil and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people, before tl
5 This is the reason, if I am not mistake,!
Lord my God."
l 1 John iii. 9. 2 1 John i. 8. 3 Ezek. xiv. 14.
4 Gen. ix. 21. 5 Dan. ix. 20.
CHAP. XIV.] REPRESENTATIVE MEN IN SCTJPTUKE. 85
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 con-
For although tend for in opposition to the Lord's Prayer : that prayer was offered by the apostles, after they became holy and perfect, and had no sin whatever of their own, 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 our," they say,
"in order to show that in one and the same body are contained both those who still have sins, and themselves, who are now altogether free from sin." Now this certainly cannot be said in the case of Daniel, who being (as I suppose) a prophet endued with a foresight of this presumptuous opinion, after so often saying in his prayer, " "We have sinned," put no such construction on his words or their purport, as if we must suppose him to have said, " Whilst I was praying and confessing to my God, the sins of my people," [with no reference to his own ;] nor yet did he confound the distinct objects of his supplication, so as to leave it uncertain whether he had in view the fellowship of one body by using such words as, 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 : " My sins" says he, " and 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 oucrht to think ? o
CnAP. 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." 2 And shortly afterwards he asks : " Who shall resist His judgment ? Even if I should seem righteous, my mouth will speak profanely."
And again, further on, he says : " I know He will not leave
1 Ezek. xxviii. 3. 2 Job ix. 2, 3 (Sept.). 3 Vers. 19, 20.
8G ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
me unpunished. But since I 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
1 In another of his discourses he says : u For Thou hast filth."
written evil things against me, and hast compassed me with the sins of my youth ; and Thou hast placed my foot in the stocks. Thou 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 but 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, and 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
2 Then a little afterwards he
should his life last but a day."
says : " Thou hast numbered all my devices and necessities ; and not one of my sins hath escaped Thee. Thou hast sealed up my transgressions in a bag, and hast marked whatever I
3 See how Job confesses his sins,
have done unwillingly."
and says indeed 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 that there was nothing in him which He could condemn, he would be unable to comply with His injunctions, 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 to them, " Why will ye contend with me in judgment V
4 This [the Psalmist] averts, saying, " Enter not into judgment with Thy servant ; for in i Job ix. 30 (Sept.). 2 Job xiii. 26, to xiv. 5 (Sept.).
3 Job xiv. 16, 17 (Sept.). 4 Jer. ii. 29.
CHAP. XV.] CARNAL GENERATION SINFUL. 87
Thy sight shall no man living be justified."
1 In accordance with which, 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 rule of righteousness proves me to be unholy, 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 the absolute weakness, or rather condemnation, of our carnal generation from the transgression of original sin, when, treating of his own sins, he shows, as it were, their very 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 involved, as the apostle says, "We are by nature," that is, by our original sin, "children
2 inasmuch as all are children of carnal desire and of the world ? He further shows that to this wrath also of wrath," pertains, as its consequence, the death of man. For after saying, " 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 devices and 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 to a man which he commits through no allurement of mere pleasure, but for the sake of avoiding some trouble, or pain, or death ? Kow these sins, too, are said to be committed under some
1 Ps. cxliii.
88 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
stress of necessity, whereas they ought all to be overcome by the love and pleasure of righteousness. Again, what he said in the clause, "Thou hast marked whatever I have done unwillingly," may evidently be connected with what was said [by the apostle] : " For what I would, that I do not ; but what I hate, that do I."
Chap. 16. Job foresaw that Christ would come to suffer ; the way of humility in those that are perfect. Now it is remarkable
2 that the Lord Himself, after bestowing on Job the testimony which is expressed in Scripture, that is, by the Spirit of 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 Lord?" 4 Now no man is fairly rebuked unless there be in him something which deserves rebuke.
[xl] And what sort of rebuke is that which is understood to proceed from the person of Christ our Lord ? He recounts to him all the operations which indicated His divine power, rebuking him under this idea ; so that He seems to say to him, " Canst thou effect all these mighty works as I can ?
But to what purpose is all this but to teach Job wisdom (for this instruction was divinely inspired into him, that he might foreknow Christ's coming to suffer), that he might understand how patiently 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
5 Why was he displeased with himself in this so ashes."
deep and profound a manner ? 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
1 Rom. vii. 15. 2 Quid quod. 3 Job i. 2£.
4 Job xxxix. 34 (Sept.). 6 Job xlii. 5, 6.
CHAP. XVII.] COMPARATIVE PERFECTION IN SAINTS. 89
Thine own hands." * It was indeed in view of that righteousness, in which he had discovered his own unrighteousness, 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. 3
Chap. 17. [xn.] No one righteous in all things ; Job not afflicted because of his sins. 4
That illustrious testimony, therefore, in which Job is commended, is not contrary to the passage in which it is said,
" In Thy sight shall no man living be justified;" 5 for it does not lead us to suppose that in him there was nothing at all which, might either by himself really or by God rightly be blamed, although at the same time he might with no untruth be said to be a holy man, and a sincere worshipper of God, and one who kept himself from every evil work. For these are God's words concerning him : " Hast thou diligently considered my servant Job ? For there is none like him on the earth, a man blameless, holy, a true worshipper of God, who
6 First, he is here praised
abstains from everything evil."
for his excellence in comparison with all men on earth. He therefore excelled all who were at that time able to be righteous upon earth ; and yet, because of this superiority over others in righteousness, he was not therefore altogether without sin. He is next said to be * blameless "—no one could fairly bring an accusation against him in respect of his conduct ; " holy "— he had advanced so greatly in moral probity, that no man could be mentioned on a par with him
" a true worshipper of Goal "—because he sincerely and humbly confessed his own sins; a man "who abstained from every evil thing "—it would have been wonderful and strange, however,
1 Ps. exxxviii. 8.
2 Qua se noverat injustum. Several mss. have justum [q. d. "had discovered what his own righteousness was," i.e. nothing].
3 Phil. iii. 6-8. * See below, chap. 23. 5 Ps. cxliii. 2. 6 Job i. 8.
90 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [LOOK II.
if this abstinence had extended to every evil word and thought. How great a man indeed Job was, we are not told ; but we know that he was a just man ; we know, too, that in the endurance of terrible afflictions and trials he was great ; and we know that it was not on account of his sins, but for the purpose of demonstrating his righteousness, that he had to bear so much suffering. But the language in which the Lord commends Job might also be applied to him who " delights in the law of God after the inner man, whilst he sees another law in his members warring against the law of his mind ;" 1 especially as he says, " The good that I would I do not : but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now, if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
2 Observe how he too after the inward man abstains from every evil work, because such work he does not himself me."
effect, but the evil which dwells in his flesh ; and yet, although he derives that very ability to delight in the law of God only from the grace of God, he still exclaims in conscious yearning after deliverance, " wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? God's grace, through
Jesus Christ our Lord." 3
Chap. 18. [xiii.]—Man's perfect righteousness is imperfect. There are then on earth righteous men, great men, wise, chaste, patient, pious, merciful, who endure all kinds of temporal evil with an even mind for righteousness' sake. If, however, there is truth—nay, because there is truth—in these words, " If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," 4 and in these, " In Thy sight shall no man living be justified," even these worthies are not without sin ; nor is there one among them so proud and foolish as not to feel how needful to him is the Lord's Prayer, by reason of his manifold sins, of whatever kind.
Chap. 19. Zacharias and Elisabeth. Now what must we say of Zacharias and Elisabeth, who are often alleged against us in discussions on this question ?
All we can say is, that there is clear evidence in the Scripture that Zacharias was a man of eminent holiness among the
1 Rom. vii. 22, 23. 2 Rom. vii. 19, 20. 3 Rom. vii. 24, 25.
4 1 John i. 8. 6 Luke i. 6-9.
CHAP. XX.] ALL PRIESTS SINFUL BUT ONE. 91 chief priests, whose duty it was to offer up the sacrifices of the Old Testament. "VVe also read, however, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in a passage which I have already quoted in my previous book,
1 that Christ was the only High Priest who had no need, as those high priests are said to have had, to offer daily—first for Himself, and then for the people—sacrifices for sin. " For such a High Priest," says [the apostle],
" became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
2 Amongst the high priests here referred to was Zachasins."
rias, amongst them was Phinehas, yea, Aaron himself, in whom this priesthood had its beginning, and whatever others there were whose lives were worthy of commendation for their righteous discharge of their priestly functions ; and yet all these were under the necessity, first of all, of offering sacrifice for their own sins,—Christ, of whose future coming they were an earnest and a type, being the one only High Priest who had no such necessity, by reason of His freedom from all sinful taint.
Chap. 20. Paul worthy to be the prince of the apostles ; Hie perfect wayfarer on the journey of eternal life. What commendation, however, is bestowed on Zacharias and Elisabeth which is not comprehended in what the apostle has said about himself before he believed in Christ ? He said that, " as touching the righteousness which is in the law, he had been blameless."
3 The same is said also of them : " They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
4 Whatever righteousness they had in them was not a pretence of virtue exhibited before men. Accordingly it is said, " They walked brforc the Lord." But that which is written of Zacharias and his wife in the phrase, in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, the apostle briefly expressed by the words, in the law. For there was not one law for him and another for them previous to the gospel. It was one and the same law which, as we read, was given by Moses to their fathers, and according
1 See above, Book i. c. 50. 2 Hob. vii. 26, 27. 3 Pliil. iii. 6.
4 Luke i. 0. [See also his work, De Gratia ChrLsti, 03.]
92 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
to the prescription of which Zacharias held his priestly office, and offered sacrifices in his course. And yet the apostle, who was then endued with the like righteousness, goes on to say
" But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ; for whose sake I have not only thought all things to be only detriments, but I have even counted them as dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my. own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death ; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrec-. So far, then, is it from being true that we tion of the dead." * should, from the words in which Scripture describes them, suppose that Zacharias and Elisabeth had a perfect righteousness without any sin, that we must not, in fact, even regard the apostle himself as perfect in excellence according to the self-same rule,—[that he lacked perfection] not only in that righteousness of the law which he possessed in common with them, and which he counts as loss and dung in comparison with that most excellent righteousness which is by the faith of Christ, but also in the very gospel itself, wherein he deserved the pre-eminence of his great apostleship. Now I would not venture to say this if I did not deem it very wrong to refuse credence to himself. He extends the passage which we have quoted, and says : " Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect ; but I follow after, if I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ
Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
2 Here he acknowledges that he has not yet attained, and is not yet perfect in that plenitude of righteousness which he longed to obtain in Christ, but that he was pursuing his aim, and, forgetting all that was behind and
1 Phil. iii. 7-11. 2 Phil. iii. 12-14.
CHAP. XXII.] SAINTLY MEN ARE YET SINNERS. 93 past, was reaching out to the things which lay before him. We are sure, then, that what he says elsewhere is true even of himself : " Although our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
1 Although he was a complete and excellent traveller, he had not yet attained the very end of his journey. All such as deserved this character he would fain take with him as companions of his course.
This he expresses in the words which follow our former quotation : " Let as many, then, of us as are perfect, be thus minded : and if ye be yet of another mind, God will reveal even this also to you. Nevertheless, whereunto we have
2 This "walk" is already attained, let us walk by that rule."
not that of the legs, but is accomplished by the affections of the soul and the character of the life, so that they who possess righteousness may arrive at perfection ; advancing in newness of life day by day along the straight path of faith, they have by this time become wayfarers, perfect in the self-same righteousness.
Chap. 21. [xiv.]
In like manner, all who are described in the Scriptures as exhibiting in their present life the good-will and the actions of righteousness, and all who have lived like them since, although lacking the same testimony of Scripture ; or all who are even now living, or shall hereafter live, although they are all good and righteous, and are really worthy of all praise,—yet they are by no means without sin : inasmuch as, on the authority of the same Scriptures which supply us with the grounds of our belief in their virtues, we learn that in a God's si^ht no man
3 whence arises our request to Him, that He would " not enter into judgment with His servants ; " 4 so living is justified;" that not only to all faithful people in general, but to each of them in particular, is the Lord's Prayer necessary, which He delivered to His disciples.
CiiAr. 22. [xv.] An objection of the Pelagians; perfection is relative; he is rightly said to be perfect in righteousness who has made much p>rogress therein.
"Well, but the Lord says, " Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,"
6—an injunction which He would
1 2 Cor. iv. 16. " Phil# m 15j 16 3 Ps< cxiiii. 2.
4 Ps. cxiiii. 2. « Matt. vi. 12 ; Luke xi. 4. 6 Matt. v. 48.
94 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
not have given, they say, if He had known that what He enjoined was impracticable. Now the present question is not whether it be possible for any men, during this present life, to be without sin if they receive adequate grace for the pur-
1 but what we have now to consider is, whether any man in fact achieves pose, for this question we have already solved perfection. We have, however, already recognised the fact that no man's will keeps even pace with the just necessity of every circumstance [of duty], as also the testimony of the
Scriptures, which we have quoted so largely above, declares. When, indeed, the perfection of any particular person is mentioned, we must look carefully at the sense in which it is mentioned. For I have just above quoted a passage of the apostle, wherein he confesses that he had not yet made that advance in the attainment of righteousness which he desires but still he immediately adds, " Let as many of us as are perfect be thus minded." Now he would certainly not have uttered these two sentences if there were not a sense in which he was perfect, and another in which he was not perfect. For instance, a man may be perfect as a scholar in the pursuit of wisdom, which could not yet be said of those to whom [the apostle] said, " I have fed you with milk, and not with meat : for hitherto ye have not been able to bear it, neither are ye yet able ;" 2 whereas to the former class he says, " Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect/'—meaning, of course, to understand such as were perfect in the capacity of scholars. It may happen, therefore, as I have said, that a man may be already perfect as a scholar, though not as yet perfect as a teacher of wisdom; may be perfect as a learner, though not as yet perfect as a doer of righteousness may be perfect as a lover of his enemies, though not as yet
3 [Now, taking the case of him] who is so far perfect as to love all men, inasmuch as he perfect in bearing their wrong.
has attained even to the love of his enemies, it still remains a question whether he be perfect in that love,—in other words, whether he feel towards the objects of his love so great a charity as is prescribed to be exercised towards them by the
1 See above, chap. 7. 2 1 Cor. iii. 2.
3 Ut sufferat is his antithesis here to ut diligat.
CHAP. XXIII.] HUMAN PERFECTION RELATIVE. 95 unchangeable love of truth. Whenever, then, we read in the
Scriptures of any man's perfection, it must be carefully considered in what sense the statement is made, since a man is not therefore to be understood as being entirely without sin because he is described as perfect in some particular thing although the term may be, in a general sense, employed to show, not, indeed, that there is no longer any point left for a man to reach in his way to perfection, but that he has in fact advanced a very great way, and on that account may be deemed worthy of the designation. Thus, in the teaching of the law, a man may be said to be perfect, even if there be still considerable omission in his observance of it ; and in the same manner the apostle called men perfect, to whom he said at the same time, " Yet if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule."
Chap. 23. [xyi.]— Why God prescribes what He knows cannot be observed. We must not deny that God lays upon us such an injunction as this,—that we ought to be so perfect in accomplishing righteousness, as to have no sin at alL Xow that cannot be sin, whatever it may be, unless God has enjoined that it shall not be. Why then, they ask, does He command what He knows very well no man living can perform ? On this ground also an objection might be raised by asking, Why He laid an injunction on the first human beings, who were only two, which He knew they would not be able to obey ? For it must not be pretended that He issued His command, that some of us might obey it, if they did not. The prohibition, indeed, that they should not partake of the fruit of the particular tree, God laid entirely on them, and on none besides ; for as He knew what amount of righteousness they would fail to perform, so did He also know what righteous measures He meant Himself to adopt concerning them. In the same way He orders all men to commit no sin, although He knows beforehand that no man will fulfil the command, in order that He may, in the case of all who impiously despise His precepts so as to incur condemnation, Himself execute righteousness in
1 Phil. iii. 15.
96 ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND BAPTISM. [BOOK II.
their condemnation ; and that He may at the same time, in the case of those who obediently and piously keep the way of His commandments, and who, while failing to observe to the utmost all things which He has enjoined, do yet forgive others as they wish to be forgiven themselves, Himself do what is just and good in their sanctification and acquittal. For how can forgiveness be bestowed by God's mercy on the forgiving, when there is no sin ? or how prohibition fail to be given by the justice of God, when there is sin ?
Chap. 24. An objection of the Pelagians. The Apostle Paul was not freefrom the thorn of the flesh so long as he lived.
But see, say they, how the apostle says, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness ; which it were impossible for him to say if he had any sin. It is for them, then, to explain how he could have said this, when there still remained for him to encounter the great conflict, the grievous and excessive weight of suffering which he had
2 In order to finish his course, was there just said awaited him.
yet wanting only a small thing, when that in fact was still left to suffer wherein would exist a fiercer and more cruel foe ? If, however, he uttered such words of joy from feeling sure and certain, on the ground that the assurance and certainty had been inspired in him by One who had revealed to him the imminence of his suffering, then it was not from absolute realization, but from a very firm hope, that he spoke his famous words ; he assumed beforehand that such an issue was going to happen, just as if he were demonstrating that it had actually come to pass. If, therefore, he had added to those words the further statement, " I have no longer any sin," we must have understood him as even then expressing the idea of a perfection arising from a future prospect, not from an accomplished fact.
For his having no sin pertained to the finishing of his course, because (as they suppose) that course was completed when he spoke these words ; just in the same way that his triumphing over his adversary in the decisive conflict of his passion had also reference to the finishing of his course. And our opponents must needs themselves allow that this completion remained i o Tim. iv. 7. 2 2 Tim. iv. 6.
chap, xxv.] ST. Paul's pekfectiox prospective. 97 yet to be effected, when lie uttered the exclamation which they quote. The whole of this consummation ive in fact declare to have been even then awaiting its accomplishment, at the very moment when the apostle, with his perfect trust in the promise of God, spoke of it all as having been already realized. For it was in reference to the finishing of his course that he actually forgave the sins of those who sinned against him, and prayed that his own sins mierht in like manner be forgiven him ; and it was in his most certain confidence in this promise of the
Lord, [in His Prayer,] that he believed he should commit no sin in his encounter with that last end, which was still future, even when in his trustfulness he spoke of it as already accomplished. Xow, omitting all other considerations, I wonder whether, when he uttered the words in which he seemed to imply that he had passed beyond the commission of sin, that
" thorn of the flesh" had been yet removed out of him, for the withdrawal of which he had three times entreated the
Lord, and had received this answer : " My grace is sufficient for thee ; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 1 For bringing so great a man to perfection, it was needful that there should not be withdrawn from him that " messenger of Satan" by whom he was therefore to be buffeted, " lest he should be unduly exalted by the abundance of his revelations." 2 Is there then any man so bold as either to think or to say, that any one who has to bend beneath the burden of this life is altogether clean from all sin whatever ?
Chap. 25. God punishes both in icrath and in mercy ; there is no punishment but what is deserved by sin; 3 Pelagius' character commendable.
Although there are some men who are so eminent in holiness that God speaks to them out of His cloudy pillar, such as " Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name," 4 the latter of whom is much praised for his piety and purity in the Scriptures of truth, from his earliest childhood, when his mother, to accomplish her vow, placed him in God's temple, and devoted him to the Lord as His servant, yet even of such men it is said,
" Thou, God, wast propitious unto them, though Thou didst
1 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. 2 2 Cor. xii. 7. 3 See above, ch. 17. 4 Ps. xcix. 6.
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l Now the children of wrath God punishes in anger ; whereas it is in mercy that He chastises punish all their devices."
the children of grace; since "whom He loveth He correcteth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." 2 However, there are no punishments, no correction, no scourge of God, but what are owing to sin, except in the case of Him who prepared His back for the smiter, in order that He might undergo all our experience in our likeness without sin, in order that He might be the saintly Priest of saints, making intercession even for saints, who with no sacrifice of truth even say each one for himself, " Forgive us our trespasses, even as we also forgive them that trespass against us."
3 Wherefore even our opponents in this controversy, whilst they are chaste in their life, and commendable in character, and although they do not hesitate to do that which the Lord enjoined on the rich man, who inquired of Him about the attainment of eternal life, and who had told Him, in answer to His first question, that he had already fully kept every commandment in the law, that " if he wished to be perfect, he must sell all that he had and give to the poor, and transfer his treasure to heaven," 4 yet they do not in any one instance venture to say that they are without sin. But this, as we believe, they refrain from saying, with a mind to deceive ; at any rate, when they propound their lies, this is the very point on which they begin either to augment or commit their sin.
Chap. 26. [xvn.] The third question: Why no one in this life is without sin. Two causes of sin, ignorance and infirmity ; in men lies the reason why they are not assisted by God.
Let us now consider the point which I mentioned as our third inquiry. Since man may possibly exist in this life without sin, when God's grace assists the human will, how happens it that there is in fact no such man ? To this question I might return a very easy and truthful answer : Because. men are unwilling ; but if I am asked why they are unwilling, we are drawn into a lengthy statement. And yet, without prejudice to a longer disquisition, I may briefly say this much
Men are unwilling to do what is just and right, either because
1 Ps. xcix. 8 (Sept.). 2 Prov. iii. 12 (Sept.).
3 Matt, vl 12, 14 ; Luke xi. 4. 4 Matt. xix. 12.
CHAP. XXVII.] HINDRANCES OF MAN'S WILL. 99 it is unknown to them, or because it is unpleasant to them.
For we have the stronger desire for a thing, in proportion to the certainty of our knowledge how good it is ; .and in proportion to the warmth of satisfaction which that knowledge occasions . Ignorance, therefore, and infirmity are faults which hinder our will from moving either to the performance of a good work, or to the refraining from an evil one. But in order that what was hidden may come to light, and what was unpleasant may become agreeable, the grace of God operates and assists the wills of men. If in any case men are not assisted by it, the reason is equally due to themselves, not to