LETTER LXXVIII. 

In this letter S. Ambrose shews, that we, like Abraham, are justified by faith, through which we are sons of the freewoman; that circumcision derived all its efficacy from Christ, and was abolished, after He had undergone it in His own person, by Him. Righteousness is therefore only to be looked for from faith, which if it be perfect, is never destitute of charity.

AMBROSE TO HORONTIANUS.

1. If  Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, and that which is accounted for righteousness passes from unbelief to faith, then are we justified by faith, not by the works of the Law. Now Abraham himself had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, one of the bondwoman, the other of the freewoman; and it was told him that he should cast out the bondwoman and the son of the bondwoman, for that the son of the bondwoman should not be his heir. We therefore are children not of the bondwoman but of the free woman, in that liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. Hence it follows that they are specially Abraham's sons, who are so by faith, for the heirs of faith excel heirs by natural birth. The Law is our schoolmaster, faith is free; let us therefore cast away the works of bondage, let us preserve the grace of liberty, let us leave the shade, and follow the Sun, let us desert Jewish rites.

2. The circumcision of one member is of no avail. For the Apostle says,  Behold I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing, not because He cannot, but because He judges those unworthy of His benefits who desert His ways.

3. And Zipporah of old had circumcised her child, and driven off the danger which hung over him; but then Christ profited while perfection was still deferred. While the people of believers were small, the Lord Jesus came, not as small, but as perfect in all things. He was circumcised first, according to the Law, that He might not break the Law, afterwards by the Cross, that He might fulfil the Law. Thus that which is in part has ceased, because  that which is perfect has come; for in Christ the Cross has circumscised not one member only, but the superfluous pleasures of the whole body.

4. But perhaps it may still be asked why He Who had come to declare to us perfect circumcision should choose to be circumcised in part. Concerning this however we need not deliberate long. For if He was made sin that He might expiate our sins, if He was made a curse for us that He might annul the curses of the Law, for the same reason He was also circumcised for us, that being about to bestow salvation by the Cross, He might abolish the circumcision of the Law.

5. The Apostle therefore declares that it is from faith that our hope of righteousness in the spirit is to be derived, and that though called to liberty we are not  to use our liberty for an occasion to the flesh. For neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision ;  but faith which worketh by love. And therefore it is written,  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. Now he who loves also believes, and in believing each man begins to love. Abraham believed, and so began to love, and he believed not in part, but entirely. For otherwise he would not have perfect charity, for it is written,  Charity believeth all things. If it believe not all things, charity does not seem to be perfect. Perfect charity then has all faith.

6. But I would not lightly assert that all faith has immediately perfect charity, for the Apostle says,  Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. A Christian man has three principal virtues,  faith hope and charity, but the greatest of these is charity. 

7. On the other hand I conceive the Apostle was led to say this by the tenor of his argument, for I cannot see how  he who has all faith, so that he could remove mountains, can be destitute of charity; nor how such can be the case with that man who  understands all mysteries and all knowledge; especially as John says,  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and the same Apostle had said before,  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. Whence we infer that if he who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and he who is born of God sins not, then he who believes that Jesus is the Christ sins not. But if any man sin, he believes not, and he that believes not loves not, and he that loves not is subject to sin. So then he who sins loves not,  for  charity shall cover the multitude of sins. But if charity exclude the desire of sin, it excludes also fear, charity then is full of perfect faith.

8. The Apostles too, who came to be His friends, said,  Increase our faith, begging the good Physician to strengthen their failing faith. Their faith must indeed still have been weak, when even to Peter it could be said,  O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Thus faith as the herald of charity preoccupies the mind, and prepares the ways of coming love. Thus where is the perfection of charity there is also all faith.

9. For this reason I conceive it is said that  charity believeth all things, that is, leads faith to believe them all, and that a soul of this kind possesses all faith; and hence wherever is perfect charity there is all faith. Moreover, as it believes all things so also it is said to  hope all things. And it is on this account the greatest, because it includes the other two.

10. He that has this charity fears nothing, for charity  casteth out fear; and fear being thus banished and thrown aside, charity  beareth all things, endureth all things. He who by charity endures all things, cannot fear martyrdom; and so in another place he speaks as a conqueror at the end of his course,  The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

Farewell, my son; love me for I also love you.

EPISTOLA LXXVIII.

 Abrahae instar nos ex fide justificari, qua sumus filii liberae: circumcisionem tantum per Christum vim habuisse, quam ipse in semet passus antiquavit: justitiam ergo non exspectandam nisi ex fide, quae, si perfecta sit, numquam charitate destituitur. 

AMBROSIUS HORONTIANO.

1.  Si Abraham credidit Deo, et reputatum est ei ad justitiam (Gen. XV, 6), quod autem reputatur ad justitiam,  1267D ex incredulitate ad fidem est: utique ex fide justificamur, non ex operibus legis. Abrahae autem ipsi duo filii Ismael et Isaac, unus de ancilla, alter de libera (Gal. IV, 22 et seq.). Et responsum hujusmodi, ut expelleret ancillam, et filium ancillae; non enim haeredem fore ancillae filium: et ideo non ancillae  1268A nos filios esse, sed liberae, qua libertate nos Christus liberavit. Unde colligitur quod ii magis Abrahae filii, qui ex fide; praestant enim fidei quam generationis haeredes. Lex pedagogus est, fides libera: abjiciamus ergo opera servitutis, teneamus gratiam libertatis: deseramus umbram, solem secuti: ritus Judaicos deseramus (Galat. III, 24).

2. Circumcisio membri unius nihil prodest. Denique ait Apostolus:  Ecce ego Paulus dico vobis, quoniam si circumcidamini, Christus vobis nihil proderit (Galat. V, 2). Non quia non possit, sed quia indignos beneficiis suis judicet, qui vias ejus deserant.

3. Et quidem ante Sephora circumcidit filium suum, et periculum depulit, quod imminebat (Exod. IV, 25): sed tunc profuit Christus, cum adhuc perfecta  1268B differret. Cum parvulus esset populus credentium, venit non parvulus, sed perfectus in omnibus Dominus Jesus. Circumcisus est primo secundum legem, ne legem solveret: postea per crucem, ut legem impleret (I Cor. XIII, 10). Cessavit ergo quod ex parte est, quia venit quod perfectum est; crux enim in Christo non unum membrum, sed totius circumcidit superfluas corporis voluptates.

4. Fortasse adhuc quaeritur qua ratione circumcidi ex parte voluerit, qui venerat perfectam circumcisionem demonstraturus. De quo non puto esse diutius deliberandum. Nam si peccatum factus est, ut nostra peccata mundaret (II Cor. V, 21): si maledictum pro nobis factus est, ut legis maledicta vacuaret (Galat. III, 13); ea ratione et circumcisus  1268C pro nobis est, ut circumcisionem Legis auferret, daturus salutem crucis.

5. Spiritu igitur ex fide spem justitiae exspectandam nobis asserit apostolus (Galat. V, 5), et in libertatem vocatos, libertatem nostram in occasionem carnis non debere conferre. Siquidem  neque circumcisio aliquid valet, neque praeputium: sed fides quae per charitatem operatur (Ibid., 6). Et ideo scriptum est:  Diliges Dominum Deum tuum (Deut. VI, 4). Qui autem diligit, 1094 utique credit, et credendo unusquisque diligere incipit. Denique Abraham creditit, et sic diligere coepit: et credidit non ex parte, sed per omnia. Aliter enim plenam non poterat habere charitatem; quia scriptum est:  Charitas credit omnia (I Cor. XIII, 7). Si non credit omnia,  1268D non videtur charitas esse perfecta. Ergo perfecta charitas omnem fidem habet.

6. Non tamen facile dixerim, quod continuo omnis fides perfectam charitatem habeat; quia Apostolus dixit:  Si habuero omnem fidem, ita ut montes transferam, charitatem autem non habeam, nihil mihi prodest   1269A (I Cor. XIII, 2). Etenim cum tria sint maxime in viro christiano, spes, fides, charitas: major his est charitas (Ibid., 13).

7. Sed arbitror propositi gratia hoc dixisse Apostolum; neque enim videtur mihi qui habeat omnem fidem, ita ut montes transferat, charitatem non habere; quomodo et illud, si habeat aliquis omnia mysteria, et omnem scientiam; quomodo non habeat charitatem, praesertim cum dicat Joannes:  Quia omnis qui credit quia Jesus Christus est, de Deo natus est (I Joan. IV, 7); et supra ipse dixerit:  Quoniam qui de Deo natus est, non peccat (Ibid., III, 9)? Unde colligitur, si his qui credit quia Jesus Christus est, de Deo natus est; et qui de Deo natus est, non peccat: utique his qui credat quia Jesus  1269B Christus est, non peccat. Si quis autem peccat, non credit: qui autem non credit, nec diligit: qui autem non diligit, peccato obnoxius est. Ergo non diligit, qui peccat; charitas enim multitudinem operit peccatorum (I Pet. IV, 8). Quod si charitas peccandi excludit affectum, quandoquidem etiam timorem excludit foras, plena est utique perfectae fidei charitas.

8. Denique apostoli, qui futuri erant amici, dixerunt:  Adauge nobis fidem (Luc. XVII, 15), petentes a bono medico, ut infirmantem in se fidem sanaret. Infirmabatur adhuc fides in iis, cum audiret etiam Petrus:  Minimae fidei, quare dubitasti (Matth. XIV, 32)? Ergo fides velut praevia charitatis occupat animam, et praeparat semitas venturae dilectioni. Sic omnis fides est, ubi perfectio charitatis.

 1269C 9. Ideo puto dici quia charitas credit omnia (I Cor. XIII, 7), hoc est, facit fidem omnia credere, et habere hujusmodi animam omnem fidem. Ac per hoc ubi perfecta charitas, ibi omnis fides: sicut ubi perfecta charitas, ibi spes omnis. Denique sicut omnia credit, ita scriptum est quia sperat omnia (Ibid.). Ideo major, quia spem, fidemque complectitur.

10. Hanc charitatem habens, nihil timet; quia charitas timorem excludit foras; et ideo ablegato et exuto timore, omnia suffert, omnia sustinet. Qui ergo per charitatem omnia sustinet, non potest timere martyrium. Et ideo quasi victor, alibi in fine ait:  Mihi enim mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo (Galat. VI, 14). Vale, fili, et nos dilige; quia nos te diligimus.