Chapter 13 [VIII.]—Keeping the Law; The Jews’ Glorying; The Fear of Punishment; The Circumcision of the Heart.

Then comes what I mentioned above; then he shows what the Jew is, and says that he is called a Jew, but by no means fulfils what he promises to do. “But if,” says he, “thou callest thyself a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and triest the things that are different, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou art thyself a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore who teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. Circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”38    Rom. ii. 17–29. Here he plainly showed in what sense he said, “Thou makest thy boast of God.” For undoubtedly if one who was truly a Jew made his boast of God in the way which grace demands (which is bestowed not for merit of works, but gratuitously), then his praise would be of God, and not of men. But they, in fact, were making their boast of God, as if they alone had deserved to receive His law, as the Psalmist said: “He did not the like to any nation, nor His judgments has He displayed to them.”39    Ps. cxlvii. 20. And yet, they thought they were fulfilling the law of God by their righteousness, when they were rather breakers of it all the while! Accordingly, it “wrought wrath”40    Rom. iv. 15. upon them, and sin abounded, committed as it was by them who knew the law. For whoever did even what the law commanded, without the assistance of the Spirit of grace, acted through fear of punishment, not from love of righteousness, and hence in the sight of God that was not in the will, which in the sight of men appeared in the work; and such doers of the law were held rather guilty of that which God knew they would have preferred to commit, if only it had been possible with impunity. He calls, however, “the circumcision of the heart” the will that is pure from all unlawful desire; which comes not from the letter, inculcating and threatening, but from the Spirit, assisting and healing. Such doers of the law have their praise therefore, not of men but of God, who by His grace provides the grounds on which they receive praise, of whom it is said, “My soul shall make her boast of the Lord;”41    Ps. xxxiv. 2. and to whom it is said, “My praise shall be of Thee:”42    Ps. xxii. 25 but those are not such who would have God praised because they are men; but themselves, because they are righteous.

Chapter 14.—In What Respect the Pelagians Acknowledge God as the Author of Our Justification.

“But,” say they, “we do praise God as the Author of our righteousness, in that He gave the law, by the teaching of which we have learned how we ought to live.” But they give no heed to what they read: “By the law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God.”43    Rom. iii. 20. This may indeed be possible before men, but not before Him who looks into our very heart and inmost will, where He sees that, although the man who fears the law keeps a certain precept, he would nevertheless rather do another thing if he were permitted. And lest any one should suppose that, in the passage just quoted from him, the apostle had meant to say that none are justified by that law, which contains many precepts, under the figure of the ancient sacraments, and among them that circumcision of the flesh itself, which infants were commanded to receive on the eighth day after birth; he immediately adds what law he meant, and says, “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.”44    Rom. iii. 20. He refers then to that law of which he afterwards declares, “I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known lust except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”45    Rom. vii. 7. For what means this but that “by the law comes the knowledge of sin?”

CAPUT VIII.

13. Observatio legis. Judaeorum gloriatio qualis. Timor poenae. Circumcisio cordis. Pelagiani in quo Deum nostrae justificationis auctorem agnoscunt. Inde sunt quae supra commemoravi. Inde est quod Judaeum arguit, eumque dicit Judaeum cognominari, et nequaquam id quod profitetur implere. Si autem tu, inquit, Judaeus cognominaris, et requiescis in lege, et gloriaris in Deo, et nosti voluntatem , et probas distantia , instructus ex lege, confidis te ipsum ducem esse caecorum, lumen eorum qui in tenebris, eruditorem insipientium, magistram infantium, habentem formam scientiae et veritatis in lege. Qui ergo alium doces, te ipsum non doces? qui praedicas non furandum, furaris? qui dicis non adulterandum, adulteras? qui abominaris idola, sacrilegium facis? qui in lege gloriaris, per praevaricationem legis Deum inhonoras? Nomen enim Dei per vos blasphematur in Gentibus, sicut scriptum est. Circumcisio quidem prodest, si legem custodias; si autem praevaricator legis sis, circumcisio tua praeputium facta est. Si igitur praeputium justitias legis custodiat, nonne praeputium ejus in circumcisionem reputabitur, et judicabit quod ex natura est praeputium legem perficiens , te qui per litteram et circumcisionem praevaricator legis es? Non enim qui in manifesto Judaeus est, neque quae 0208 in manifesto in carne est circumcisio; sed qui in abscondito Judaeus est, et circumcisio cordis in spiritu , non littera, cujus laus non ex hominibus, sed ex Deo est (Rom. II, 17-29). Hic manifestavit quemadmodum dixerit, gloriaris in Deo. Nam utique si vere talis Judaeus gloriaretur in Deo, eo modo quo postulat gratia, quae non operum meritis, sed gratuito datur, ex Deo esset laus ejus, non ex hominibus. Sed ita gloriabantur in Deo, velut qui soli meruissent legem ejus accipere, secundum illam vocem Psalmi, qua dictum est, Non fecit sic ulli genti, et judicia sua non manifestavit eis (Psal. CXLVII, 20). Quam tamen Dei legem sua justitia se arbitrabantur implere, cum magis ejus praevaricatores essent. Unde illis iram operabatur (Rom. IV, 15), abundante peccato, quod ab scientibus perpetrabatur. Quia et quicumque faciebant quod lex jubebat, non adjuvante spiritu gratiae, timore poenae faciebant, non amore justitiae: ac per hoc coram Deo non erat in voluntate, quod coram hominibus apparebat in opere: potiusque ex illo rei tenebantur, quod eos noverat Deus malle, si fieri posset impune, committere. Circumcisionem autem cordis dicit, puram scilicet ab omni illicita concupiscentia voluntatem: quod non fit littera docente et minante, sed spiritu adjuvante atque sanante. Ideo laus talium non ex hominibus, sed ex Deo est, qui per suam gratiam praestat unde laudentur, de quo dicitur, In Domino laudabitur anima mea (Psal. XXXIII, 3); et cui dicitur, Apud te laus mea (Psal. XXI, 26): non quales illi sunt qui Deum laudari volunt quod homines sunt, se autem quod justis unt.

14. «Sed laudamus,» inquiunt, «et Deum nostrae justificationis auctorem, in eo quod legem dedit, cujus intuitu noverimus quemadmodum vivere debeamus.» Nec audiunt quod legunt, Quia non justificabitur ex lege omnis caro coram Deo. Potest enim fieri coram hominibus, non autem coram illo qui cordis ipsius et intimae voluntatis inspector est, ubi videt, etiamsi aliud faciat qui legem timet, quid tamen mallet facere, si liceret. Ac ne quisquam putaret hic Apostolum ea lege dixisse neminem justificari, quae in sacramentis veteribus multa continet figurata praecepta, unde etiam ipsa est circumcisio carnis, quam die octavo accipere parvuli jussi sunt (Levit. XII, 3); continuo subjunxit quam legem dixerit, et ait, Per legem enim cognitio peccati. Illa igitur lex est, de qua postea dicit, Peccatum non cognovi nisi per legem. Nam concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi lex diceret, Non concupisces (Rom. VII, 7). Nam quid est aliud, Per legem enim cognitio peccati?