Chapter XLIII.—Other Discrepancies Exposed and Refuted Respecting the Evil in Matter Being Changed to Good.

On the subject of motion I would make this further remark.  Following the simile of the boiling caldron, you say that motion in Matter, before it was regulated, was confused,454    Concretus. restless, incomprehensible by reason of excess in the commotion.455    Certaminis. Then again you go on to say, “But it waited for the regulation456    Compositionem: “arrangement.” of God, and kept its irregular motion incomprehensible, owing to the tardiness of its irregular motion.” Just before you ascribe commotion, here tardiness, to motion. Now observe how many slips you make respecting the nature of Matter. In a former passage457    See above, ch. xxxvii. p. 498. you say, “If Matter were naturally evil, it would not have admitted of a change for the better; nor would God have ever applied to it any attempt at arrangement, for His labour would have been in vain.” You therefore concluded your two opinions, that Matter was not by nature evil, and that its nature was incapable of being changed by God; and then, forgetting them, you afterwards drew this inference: “But when it received adjustment from God, and was reduced to order,458    Ornata. it relinquished its nature.” Now, inasmuch as it was transformed to good, it was of course transformed from evil; and if by God’s setting it in order it relinquished459    Cessavit a. the nature of evil, it follows that its nature came to an end;460    Cessavit. now its nature was evil before the adjustment, but after the transformation it might have relinquished that nature.

CAPUT XLIII.

De motu et illud notaverim. Nam, secundum ollae similitudinem, sic erat , inquis, materiae motus, 0236A antequam disponeretur, concretus, inquietus, inapprehensibilis, prae nimietate certaminis. Dehinc subjicis: Stetit autem in Dei compositionem, et inapprehensibilem habuit conditum motum, prae tarditate inconditi motus. Supra certamen motui adscribis, hic tarditatem. Nam de natura materiae quoties cadas, accipe . Supra dicis: Si autem esset materia natura mala, non accepisset translationem in melius, nec Deus aliquid compositionis accommodasset illi; in vacuum enim laborasset. Finisti igitur duas sententias, nec materiam natura malam, nec naturam ejus a Deo potuisse converti. Horum immemor, postea infers : At ubi accepit compositionem a Deo et ornata est, cessavit a natura. Si in bonum reformata est, utique de malo reformata est; Et si 0236B per compositionem Dei cessavit a natura mali, natura cessavit ergo, et mala fuit natura ante compositionem, et desinere potuit a natura post reformationem.