Chap. XXI.—Of the Anger of God and Man.

There remains one question, and that the last. For some one will perhaps say, that God is so far from being angry, that in His precepts He even forbids man to be angry. I might say that the anger of man ought to be curbed, because he is often angry unjustly; and he has immediate emotion, because he is only for a time.141    Temporalis.   Therefore, lest those things should be done which the low, and those of moderate station, and great kings do in their anger, his rage ought to have been moderated and suppressed, lest, being out of his mind,142    Mentis impos, i.e., not having possession of his mind, opposed to “mentis compos.” Some editions add, “in bile.”   he should commit some inexpiable crime. But God is not angry for a short time,143    Ad præsens.   because He is eternal and of perfect virtue, and He is never angry unless deservedly. But, however, the matter is not so; for if He should altogether prohibit anger, He Himself would have been in some measure the censurer of His own workmanship, since He from the beginning had inserted anger in the liver144    As supposed to be the seat of the passions.   of man, since it is believed that the cause of this emotion is contained in the moisture of the gall. Therefore He does not altogether prohibit anger, because that affection is necessarily given, but He forbids us to persevere in anger. For the anger of mortals ought to be mortal; for if it is lasting, enmity is strengthened to lasting destruction. Then, again, when He enjoined us to be angry, and yet not to sin,145    [Ps. iv. 4, Vulgate, and Ephes., as below.]   it is plain that He did not tear up anger by the roots, but restrained it, that in every correction we might preserve moderation and justice. Therefore He who commands us to be angry is manifestly Himself angry; He who enjoins us to be quickly appeased is manifestly Himself easy to be appeased: for He has enjoined those things which are just and useful for the interests of society.146    Rebus communibus.    

But because I had said that the anger of God is not for a time147    Temporalem.   only, as is the case with man, who becomes inflamed with an immediate148    Præsentaneâ. The word is applied to a remedy which operates instantaneously.   excitement, and on account of his frailty is unable easily to govern himself, we ought to understand that because God is eternal, His anger also remains to eternity; but, on the other hand, that because He is endued with the greatest excellence, He controls His anger, and is not ruled by it, but that He regulates it according to His will. And it is plain that this is not opposed to that which has just been said. For if His anger had been altogether immortal, there would be no place after a fault for satisfaction or kind feeling, though He Himself commands men to be reconciled before the setting of the sun.149    See Eph. iv. 26.   But the divine anger remains for ever against those who ever sin. Therefore God is appeased not by incense or a victim, not by costly offerings, which things are all corruptible, but by a reformation of the morals: and he who ceases to sin renders the anger of God mortal. For this reason He does not immediately150    Ad præsens.   punish every one who is guilty, that man may have the opportunity of coming to a right mind,151    Resipiscendi.   and correcting himself.  

CAPUT XXI. De ira Dei et hominis.

Superest una et extrema quaestio. Nam dixerit fortasse 0139B quispiam, adeo non irasci Deum, ut etiam in praeceptis hominem irasci vetet. Possem dicere, quod ira hominis refraenanda fuerit, quia injuste saepe irascitur; et praesentem habet motum, quia temporalis est. Itaque ne fierent ea, quae faciunt per iram et humiles, et mediocres, et magni reges, temperari debuit furor ejus, et comprimi, ne mentis impos aliquod inexpiabile facinus admitteret. Deus autem non ad praesens irascitur, quia aeternus est perfectaeque virtutis; et nunquam nisi merito irascitur. Sed tamen non ita res se habet. Nam si omnino prohiberet irasci, ipse quodammodo reprehensor opificii sui fuisset, 0140A qui a principio iram jecori hominis indidisset: siquidem creditur, causam hujus commotionis in humore fellis contineri. Non igitur in totum prohibet irasci, quia is affectus necessario datus est: sed prohibet in ira permanere. Ira enim mortalium debet esse mortalis; nam si maneat, confirmantur inimicitiae ad perniciem sempiternam. Deinde rursus cum irasci quidem, sed tamen non peccare praecepit, non utique evellit iram radicitus, sed temperavit: ut in omni castigatione modum ac justitiam teneremus. Qui ergo irasci nos jubet, ipse utique irascitur: qui placari celerius praecipit, est utique ipse placabilis; ea enim praecepit, quae sunt justa, et rebus utilia communibus.

Sed quia dixeram non esse iram Dei temporalem, 0140B sicut hominis, qui praesentanea commotione fervescit, nec facile regere se potest propter fragilitatem; intelligere debemus, quia sit aeternus Deus, iram quoque ejus in aeternum manere: sed rursum, quia virtute sit maxima praeditus, in potestate habere iram suam; nec ab ea regi, sed ipsum illam, quemadmodum velit, moderari: quod utique non repugnat superiori. Nam si prorsus immortalis fuisset ira ejus, non esset satisfactioni aut gratiae post delictum locus; cum ipse homines ante solis occasum reconciliari jubeat. Sed ira divina in aeternum manet adversus eos, qui peccant in aeternum. Itaque Deus 0141A non thure, non hostia, non pretiosis muneribus, quae omnia sunt corruptibilia, sed morum emendatione placatur; et qui peccare desinit, iram Dei mortalem facit. Idcirco enim non ad praesens noxium quemque punit, ut habeat homo resipiscendi et corrigendi sui facultatem.