Chapter 13 [VIII.]—The Fifth Calumny,—That It is Said that Paul and the Rest of the Apostles Were Polluted by Lust.

He says, “They say that even the Apostle Paul, even all the apostles, were always polluted by immoderate lust.” What man, however profane he may be, would dare to say this? But doubtless this man thus misrepresents because they contend that what the apostle said, “I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not,”31    Rom. vii. 18. and other such things, he said not of himself, but that he introduced the person of somebody else, I know not who, who was suffering these things. Wherefore that passage in his epistle must be carefully considered and investigated, that their error may not lurk in any obscurity of his. Although, therefore, the apostle is here arguing broadly, and with great and lasting conflict maintaining grace against those who were boasting in the law, yet we do come upon a few matters which pertain to the matter in hand. On which subject he says: “Because by the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all them that believe. For there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”32    Rom. iii. 20. And again: “Where is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No; but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law.”33    Rom. iii. 27. And again: “For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but by the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression.”34    Rom. iv. 13, etc. And in another place: “Moreover, the law entered that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded grace did much more abound.”35    Rom. v. 20. In still another place: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law, but under grace.”36    Rom. vi. 14. And again in another place: “Know ye not, brethren (for I speak to them that know the law), that the law hath dominion over a man so long as he liveth? For the woman which is under a husband is joined to her husband by the law so long as he liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is freed from the law of her husband.”37    Rom. vii. 1, 2. And a little after: “Therefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should belong to another, who has risen from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh the passions of sins which are by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death, but now we are delivered from the law of death in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”38    Rom. vii. 4 ff. With these and such like testimonies that teacher of the Gentiles showed with sufficient evidence that the law could not take away sin, but rather increased it, and that grace takes it away; since the law knew how to command, to which command weakness gives way, while grace knows to assist, whereby love is infused.39    On the Spirit and the Letter, 6. And lest any one, on account of these testimonies, should reproach the law, and contend that it is evil, the apostle, seeing what might occur to those who ill understand it, himself proposed to himself the same question. “What shall we say, then?” said he. “Is the law sin? Far from it. But I did not know sin except by the law.”40    Rom. vii. 7. He had already said before, “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” It is not, therefore, the taking away, but the knowledge of sin.

CAPUT VIII.

13. Quinta calumnia, Paulum et caeteros Apostolos libidine pollutos fuisse dici.---Apostolum etiam Paulum, inquit, vel omnes apostolos dicunt semper immoderata libidine fuisse pollutos. Quis hoc vel profanus audeat dicere? Sed nimirum iste propterea sic calumniatur , quia contendunt id quod dixit Apostolus, Scio quia non habitat in me, hoc est in carne mea, bonum; velle enim adjacet mihi, perficere autem bonum non invenio (Rom. VII, 18); et caetera talia, non eum dixisse de se ipso, sed nescio cujus alterius, qui illa pateretur, induxisse personam: propter quod locus ipse in ejus Epistola diligenter considerandus est et scrutandus, ne in ejus aliqua obscuritate delitescat error istorum. Quamvis ergo latius hinc Apostolus disputet, et magno diuturnoque conflictu gratiam defendens adversus eos qui gloriabantur in lege; tamen ad rem pertinentia pauca contingimus. Unde ait: Quia non justificabitur ex lege omnis caro coram illo. Per legem enim cognitio peccati. Nunc autem sine lege justitia Dei manifestata est, testificata per Legem et Prophetas: justitia autem Dei per fidem Jesu Christi, in omnes qui credunt. Non est enim distinctio. Omnes enim peccaverunt, et egent gloria Dei; justificati gratis per gratiam ipsius, per redemptionem quae est in Christo Jesu. Et iterum: Ubi est gloriatio ? Exclusa est. Per quam legem? factorum? Non, sed per legem fidei. Arbitramur enim justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis (Id. III, 20-28). Et iterum: Non enim per legem promissio Abrahae aut semini ejus , ut haeres esset mundi, sed per justitiam fidei. Si enim qui per legem, haeredes sunt; exinanita est fides, et evacuata 0557 est promissio. Lex enim iram operatur. Ubi enim non est lex, nec praevaricatio (Rom. IV, 13-15). Et alio loco: Lex autem subintravit, ut abundaret delictum: ubi autem abundavit delictum, superabundavit gratia (Id. V, 20). Item alio loco: Peccatum enim vobis non dominabitur, non enim estis sub lege, sed sub gratia (Id. VI, 14). Itemque alio loco: An ignoratis, fratres, (scientibus enim legem loquor), quia lex dominatur homini in quantum tempus vivit? Mulier enim sub viro, viro marito juncta est legi: si autem mortuus fuerit vir ejus, evacuata est a lege viri. Et paulo post: Itaque, fratres mei, et vos mortui estis legi per corpus Christi, ut sitis alterius, qui ex mortuis resurrexit, ut fructificemus Deo. Cum enim essemus in carne, passiones peccatorum, quae per legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti: nunc vero evacuati sumus a lege mortis, in qua detinebamur, ita ut serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae. His atque hujusmodi contestationibus Doctor ille Gentium satis evidenter ostendit, legem non potuisse auferre, sed potius auxisse peccatum, quod auferat gratia: quoniam lex jubere novit, cui succumbit infirmitas; gratia juvare, qua infunditur charitas. Ne quis enim propter haec testimonia vituperet legem, et malam esse contendat, vidit Apostolus male intelligentibus quid posset occurrere, et eamdem sibi ipse proposuit quaestionem: Quid ergo dicemus, inquit? Lex peccatum est? Absit: sed peccatum non cognovi nisi per legem. Hoc jam superius dixerat, Per legem enim cognitio peccati. Non ergo ablatio , sed cognitio.