Chapter 44.—Exhortation to Wisdom, Though Wisdom is God’s Gift.

Now, to say nothing more of continency, and to argue in this place of wisdom alone, certainly the Apostle James above mentioned says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, inestimable, without simulation.”110    Jas. iii. 17. Do you not see, I beseech you, how this wisdom descends from the Father of Lights, laden with many and great benefits? Because, as the same apostle says, “Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights.”111    Jas. iii. 17. Why, then—to set aside other matters—do we rebuke the impure and contentious, to whom we nevertheless preach that the gift of God is wisdom, pure and peaceable; and are not afraid that they should be influenced, by the uncertainty of the divine will, to find in this preaching more of despair than of exhortation; and that they should not be stirred up by the incentives of rebuke rather against us than against themselves, because we rebuke them for not having those things which we ourselves say are not produced by human will, but are given by the divine liberality? Finally, why did the preaching of this grace not deter the Apostle James from rebuking restless souls, and saying, “If ye have bitter envying, and contentions are in your hearts, glory not, and be not liars against the truth. This is not the wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, animal, devilish; for where envying and contention are, there are inconstancy and every evil work”?112    Jas. iii. 14. As, therefore, the restless are to be rebuked, both by the testimony of the divine declarations, and by those very impulses of ours which they have in common with ourselves; and is it no argument against this rebuke that we declare the peaceful wisdom, whereby the contentions are corrected and healed, to be the gift of God; unbelievers are in such wise to be rebuked, as those who do not abide in the faith, without any hindrance to that rebuke from the preaching of God’s grace, although that preaching commends that very grace and the continuance in it as the gifts of God. Because, although wisdom is obtained from faith, even as James himself, when he had said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given,”113    Jas. i. 5. immediately added, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering:” it is not, nevertheless, because faith is given before it is asked for by him to whom it is given, that it must therefore be said not to be the gift of God, but to be of ourselves, because it is given to us without our asking for it! For the apostle very plainly says, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”114    Eph. vi. 23. From whom, therefore, are peace and love, from Him also is faith; wherefore, from Him we ask not only that it may be increased to those that possess it, but also that it may be given to those that possess it not.

44. Ecce, ut de continentia taceamus, et de sola in hoc loco sapientia disputemus; nempe supra memoratus apostolus Jacobus dicit, Quae desursum est sapientia, primum quidem pudica est, deinde pacifica, modesta, suadibilis, plena misericordia et fructibus bonis , inaestimabilis, sine simulatione (Jacobi III, 17). Cernitisne, obsecro, a Patre luminum sapientia quam multis et magnis bonis referta descendat? Omne quippe datum optimum, sicut idem dicit, et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum (Id. I, 17). Cur ergo, ut omittam caetera, corripimus impudicos et contentiosos, quibus tamen praedicamus donum Dei esse sapientiam, pudicam, atque pacificam; nec timemus ne permoti divinae voluntatis incerto, plus in hac praedicatione desperationis quam exhortationis inveniant; nec correptionis 1021 stimulis adversus se ipsos, sed potius adversus nos excitentur, quia eos corripimus haec non habentes, quae ipsi dicimus non humana voluntate proferri, sed divina largitate donari? Cur denique ipsum apostolum Jacobum hujus gratiae praedicatio non deterruit corripere inquietos, et dicere, Si zelum amarum habetis, et contentiones sunt in cordibus vestris, nolite gloriari et menduces esse adversus veritatem: non est ista sapientia desursum descendens; sed terrena, animalis, diabolica: ubi enim zelus et contentio, ibi inconstantia, et omne opus pravum (Jacobi III, 14-16)? Sicut ergo corripiendi sunt inquieti, et divinis eloquiis testibus, et ipsis quos nobiscum isti communes habent actibus nostris; neque hanc impedit correptionem, quod sapientiam pacificam, qua contentiosi corriguntur atque sanantur, donum Dei esse praedicamus: ita corripiendi sunt infideles, vel in fide non permanentes, non impediente istam correptionem praedicatione gratiae Dei, quae fidem quoque ipsam et in ea permansionem dona Dei esse commendat. Quia etsi ex fide impetratur sapientia, sicut ipse Jacobus cum dixisset, Si quis vestrum indiget sapientia, postulet a Deo, qui dat omnibus affluenter, et non improperat, et dabitur ei; mox addidit, Postulet autem in fide, nihil haesitans (Id. I, 5, 6): non tamen quoniam fides datur priusquam postuletur ab illo cui datur, ideo dicenda est non esse donum Dei, sed esse a nobis, quia data est nobis, non petentibus nobis. Apostolus enim apertissime dicit: Pax fratribus et charitas cum fide a Deo Patre et Domino Jesu Christo (Ephes. VI, 23). A quo ergo pax et charitas, ab illo est et fides, propter quod ab illo eam non solum augeri habentibus, verum etiam non habentibus poscimus dari.