Chapter 31 [XVI.]—Why God Proceeds to Create Human Beings, Who He Knows Will Be Born in Sin.

Let us now look at those three clauses of his, than which three, he says, nothing more profane could possibly be uttered: “Either God did not make man, or else He made him for the devil; or, at any rate, the devil framed God’s image, that is, man.” Now, the first and the last of these sentences, even he himself must allow, if he be not reckless and perverse, were never uttered by us. The dispute is confined to that which he puts second between the other two. In respect of this, he is so far mistaken as to suppose that we had said that God made man for the devil; as if, in the case of human beings whom God creates of human parents, His care and purpose and provision were, that by means of His workmanship the devil should have as slaves those whom he is unable to make for himself. God forbid that any sort of pious belief, however childish, should ever entertain such a sentiment as this! Of His own goodness God has made man—the first without sin, all others under sin—for the purposes of His own profound thoughts. For just as He knew full well what to do with reference to the malice of the devil himself, and what He does is just and good, however unjust and evil he is, about whom He takes His measures; and just as He was not unwilling to create him because He foresaw that he would be evil; so in regard to the entire human race, though not a man of it is born without the taint of sin, He who is supremely good Himself is always working out good, making some men, as it were, “vessels of mercy,” whom grace distinguishes from those who are “vessels of wrath;” whilst He makes others, as it were, “vessels of wrath,” that He may make known the riches of His glory towards the vessels of mercy.205    Rom. ix. 23. Let, then, this objector go and contest the point against the apostle, whose words I use; nay, against the very Potter, whom the apostle forbids us answering again, in the well-known words: “Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God! Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” 206    Rom. ix. 20, 21. Well now, will this man contend that the vessels of wrath are not under the dominion of the devil? or else, because they are under this dominion, are they made by another creator than He who makes the vessels of mercy? Or does He make them of other material, and not out of the self-same lump? Here, then, he may object, and say: “Therefore God makes these vessels for the devil.” As if God knew not how to make such a use of even these for the furtherance of His own good and righteous works, as He makes of the very devil himself.

CAPUT XVI.

31. Jam nunc illa tria videamus, quorum trium quodlibet dixerimus, nihil ait dici posse profanius: quod hominem Deus aut non fecerit, aut diabolo fecerit, aut certe diabolus Dei sit imaginem, hoc est, hominem fabricatus. Horum trium primum et novissimum non dici a nobis, etiam ipse, si non sit excors aut nimium pervicax, confitetur. De illo quaestio est, quod secundo medioque loco posuit, ubi sic fallitur, ut a nobis hoc existimet dici, quod diabolo Deus hominem fecerit, tanquam in hominibus quos Deus ex hominibus parentibus creat, hoc intendat, hoc curet, hoc sui operis ratione provideat, ut habeat diabolus servos, quos ipse sibi facere non potest. Absit ut hoc qualiscumque vel puerilis pietas suspicetur. Bonitate sua Deus facit homines, et primos sine peccato, et caeteros sub peccato, in usus profundarum cogitationum suarum. Sicut enim de ipsius diaboli malitia novit ille quid agat, et quod agit justum est et bonum, quamvis sit de quo agit injustus et malus, nec eum propterea creare noluit, quia malum futurum esse praescivit: ita de universo genere humano, quamvis nullus hominum sine peccati sorde nascatur, bonum ille qui summe bonus est operatur; alios faciens tanquam vasa misericordiae, quos gratia discernat ab eis qui vasa sunt irae; alios tanquam vasa irae, 0455 ut notas faciat divitias gloriae suae in vasa misericordiae. Eat iste nunc, et adversus Apostolum, cujus ista sententia est, argumentetur; imo adversus ipsum figulum, cui respondere prohibet Apostolus, dicens: O homo, tu quis es qui respondeas Deo? Numquid dicit figmentum ei qui se finxit, Quare sic me fecisti? Annon habet potestatem figulus luti ex eadem massa facere aliud vas in honorem, aliud in contumeliam (Rom. IX, 20-23)? Numquid ergo vasa irae negat iste esse sub diabolo? aut quia sub diabolo sunt, alius ea quam ipse facit, qui vasa misericordiae facit? aut aliunde et non ex eadem massa facit? Hic itaque dicat, Ergo Deus vasa diabolo facit: quasi nesciat Deus sic eis uti ad opera sua justa et bona, sicut ipso utitur diabolo.