11.—The Same Continued.

But how this judgment is to be accomplished, it is not easy to understand from Holy Scripture; for there are many modes therein of describing that which is to come to pass only in one mode. In one place the Lord declares that He will “shut the door” against those whom He does not admit into His kingdom; and that, on their clamorously demanding admission, “Open unto us, . . . we have eaten and drunk in Thy presence,” and so forth, as the Scripture describes, “He will say unto them in answer, I know you not, . . . all ye workers of iniquity.”25    Luke xiii. 25–27. In another passage He reminds us that He will command “all which would not that He should reign over them to be brought to Him, and be slain in His presence.”26    Luke xix. 27. In another place, again, He tells us that He will come with His angels in His majesty; and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another; some He will set on His right hand, and after enumerating their good works, will award to them eternal life; and others on His left hand, whose barrenness in all good works He will expose, will He condemn to everlasting fire.27    Matt. xxv. 33. In two other passages He deals with that wicked and slothful servant, who neglected to trade with His money,28    Luke xix. 20–24. and with the man who was found at the feast without the wedding garment,—and He orders them to be bound hand and foot, and to be cast into outer darkness.29    Matt. xxii. 11–13. And in yet another scripture, after admitting the five virgins who were wise, He shuts the door against the other five foolish ones.30    Matt. xxv. 1–10. Now these descriptions,—and there are others which at the instant do not occur to me,—are all intended to represent to us the future judgment, which of course will be held not over one, or over five, but over multitudes. For if it were a solitary case only of the man who was cast into outer darkness for not having on the wedding garment, He would not have gone on at once to give it a plural turn, by saying: “For many are called, but few are chosen;” 31    Matt. xxii. 14. whereas it is plain that, after the one was cast out and condemned, many still remained behind in the house. However, it would occupy us too long to discuss all these questions to the full. This brief remark, however, I may make, without prejudice (as they say in pecuniary affairs) to some better discussion, that by the many descriptions which are scattered throughout the Holy Scriptures there is signified to us but one mode of final judgment, which is inscrutable to us,—with only the variety of deservings preserved in the rewards and punishments. Touching the particular point, indeed, which we have before us at present, it is sufficient to remark that, if Pelagius had actually said that all sinners whatever without exception would be punished in an eternity of punishment by everlasting fire, then whosoever had approved of this judgment would, to begin with, have brought the sentence down on his own head. “For who will boast that he is pure from sins?”32    Prov. xx. 9. Forasmuch, however, as he did not say all, nor certain, but made an indefinite statement only,—and afterwards, in explanation, declared that his meaning was according to the words of the Gospel,—his opinion was affirmed by the judgment of the bishops to be true; but it does not even now appear what Pelagius really thinks on the subject, and in consequence there is no indecency in inquiring further into the decision of the episcopal judges.

11. Quomodo autem fiet hoc judicium, difficile in Scripturis sanctis comprehendi potest: modis enim multis significatur, quod uno modo futurum est. Namque aliquando dicit Dominus adversus eos quos in suum regnum non recipit, ostium se clausurum , clamantibusque illis et dicentibus, Aperi nobis; in nomine tuo manducavimus et bibimus, et caetera quae 0326 illos dicere scriptum est, se responsurum, Nescio vos, qui operamini iniquitatem (Luc. XIII, 26, 27). Aliquando jussurum se commemorat, ut hi qui noluerunt eum regnare, sibi adducantur, et interficiantur coram illo (Id. XIX, 27). Aliquando venturum se dicit cum Angelis suis in majestate sua, ut congregentur ante eum omnes gentes, et dividat eas, et alios ponat ad dexteram, quorum bona opera commemorans, reportet in vitam aeternam; alios ad sinistram, quibus bonorum sterilitatem imputans, eos aeterno igne condemnet (Matth. XXV, 31-46). Aliquando servum nequam et pigrum, qui pecuniam ejus neglexit impendere (Luc. XIX, 22-24), vel etiam hominem inventum in convivio non habentem vestem nuptialem, jubet ligatis manibus et pedibus mitti in tenebras exteriores. Aliquando susceptis quinque prudentibus, ostium contra stultas alias quinque virgines claudit (Matth. XXV, 10-12). Haec, et si quid est aliud quod in praesentia non occurrit, de judicio dicuntur futuro, utique non in uno vel quinque, sed in multis exercendo. Nam si unus esset qui de convivio, quod non habebat vestem nuptialem, in tenebras jussus est mitti; non continuo sequeretur, et diceret Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi (Id. XXII, 11-14): cum potius uno projecto atque damnato, multi in domo remansisse videantur. Sed de his omnibus nunc quantum satis est disputare perlongum est. Hoc tamen breviter possum dicere, sine praejudicio (quod in pecuniariis rationibus dici solet), melioris discussionis, unum aliquem judicii modum, qui est inscrutabilis nobis, servata duntaxat in praemiis et poenis diversitate meritorum, multis per Scripturas sanctas significari modis. Quod autem huic causae, de qua nunc agitur, satis est: si dixisset Pelagius, omnes omnino peccatores aeterno igne et aeterno supplicio puniendos; quisquis id judicium approbasset, in se ipsum primitus sententiam protulisset. Quis enim gloriabitur se mundum esse a peccatis (Prov. XX, 9, sec. LXX)? Quia vero nec omnes dixit, nec quosdam, sed indefinite posuit , et hoc secundum Evangelium se dixisse respondit: vera quidem sententia episcopali est confirmata judicio; sed adhuc quid sentiat Pelagius non apparet, et post hoc etiam episcopale judicium non impudenter inquiritur.