Chapter 15.—The Apostle Meets the Question by Leaving It Unsolved.

Since in the case of those two twins we have without a doubt one and the same case, the difficulty of the question why the one died in one way, and the other in another, is solved by the apostle as it were by not solving it; for, when he had proposed something of the same kind about two twins, seeing that it was said (not of works, since they had not as yet done anything either of good or of evil, but of Him that calleth), “The older shall serve the younger,” 119    Rom. ix. 11. and, “Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated;”120    Rom. ix. 11. and he had prolonged the horror of this deep thing even to the point of saying, “Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardeneth:”121    Rom. ix. 18. he perceived at once what the trouble was, and opposed to himself the words of a gainsayer which he was to check by apostolical authority. For he says, “You say, then, unto me, “Why doth He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will?” And to him who says this he answered, “O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Doth the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power of the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?”122    Rom. ix. 19. Then, following on, he opened up this great and hidden secret as far as he judged it fit that it should be disclosed to men, saying, “But if God, willing to show His wrath and to demonstrate His power, endured in much patience the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, even that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He has prepared for glory.”123    Rom. ix. 22, 23. This is not only the assistance, but, moreover, the proof of God’s grace—the assistance, namely, in the vessels of mercy, but the proof in the vessels of wrath; for in these He shows His anger and makes known His power, because His goodness is so mighty that He even uses the evil well; and in those He makes known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, because what the justice of a punisher requires from the vessels of wrath, the grace of the Deliverer remits to the vessels of mercy. Nor would the kindness which is bestowed on some freely appear, unless to other equally guilty and from the same mass God showed what was really due to both, and condemned them with a righteous judgment. “For who maketh thee to differ?”124    1 Cor. iv. 7. says the same apostle to a man as it were boasting concerning himself and his own benefits. “For who maketh thee to differ” from the vessels of wrath; of course, from the mass of perdition which has sent all by one into damnation? “Who maketh thee to differ?” And as if he had answered, “My faith maketh me to differ,—my purpose, my merit,”—he says, “For what hast thou which thou hast not received? But if thou hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou receivedst it not?”—that is, as if that by which thou art made to differ were of thine own. Therefore He maketh thee to differ who bestows that whence thou art made to differ, by removing the penalty that is due, by conferring the grace which is not due. He maketh to differ, who, when the darkness was upon the face of the abyss, said, “Let there be light; and there was light, and divided”—that is, made to differ—“between the light and the darkness.”125    Gen. i. 2. For when there was only darkness, He did not find what He should make to differ; but by making the light, He made to differ; so that it may be said to the justified wicked, “For ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.”126    Eph. v. 8. And thus he who glories must glory not in himself, but in the Lord. He makes to differ who—of those who are not yet born, and who have not yet done any good or evil, that His purpose, according to the election, might stand not of works, but of Himself that calleth—said, The older shall serve the younger, and commending that very purpose afterwards by the mouth of the prophet, said, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”127    Mal. i. 2. Because he said “the election,” and in this God does not find made by another what He may choose, but Himself makes what He may find; just as it is written of the remnant of Israel: “There is made a remnant by the election of grace; but if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace.”128    Rom. xi. 5. On which account you are certainly foolish who, when the Truth declares, “Not of works, but of Him that calleth, it was said,” say that Jacob was loved on account of future works which God foreknew that he would do, and thus contradict the apostle when he says, “Not of works;” as if he could not have said, “Not of present, but of future works.” But he says, “Not of works,” that He might commend grace; “but if of grace, now is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace.” For grace, not due, but free, precedes, that by it good works may be done; but if good works should precede, grace should be repaid, as it were, to works, and thus grace should be no more grace.

15. Nobis in duobus istis geminis unam procul dubio habentibus causam, difficultatem quaestionis cur alius sic, alius vero sic mortuus est, velut non solvendo solvit Apostolus: qui cum et ipse de duobus geminis tale aliquid proposuisset, propter quod non ex operibus, quia nondum operati fuerant aliquid boni vel mali, sed ex vocante dictum est, Major serviet minori; et, Jacob dilexi, Esau autem odio habui: et hujus profunditatis horrorem usque ad hoc perduxisset, ut diceret, Ergo cujus vult miseretur, et quem vult obdurat: sensit continuo quid moveret, et sibi verba contradicentis, quae apostolica auctoritate coerceret, opposuit. Ait enim: Dicis itaque mihi, Quid adhuc conqueritur? nam voluntati ejus quis resistit? Responditque ista dicenti: 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 quidem vas in honorem, aliud in contumeliam? Deinde secutus, tam magnum abditumque secretum, quantum aperiendum esse hominibus judicavit, aperuit dicens: Si autem volens Deus ostendere iram, et demonstrare potentiam suam, attulit in multa patientia vasa irae, quae perfecta sunt in perditionem, et ut notas faceret divitias gloriae suae in vasa misericordiae, quae praeparavit in gloriam (Rom. IX, 11-23). Hoc est gratiae Dei, non solum adjutorium verum etiam documentum: adjutorium 0582 scilicet in vasis misericordiae; in vasis autem irae documentum: in eis enim ostendit iram, et demonstrat potentiam suam, quia tam potens est bonitas ejus, ut bene utatur etiam malis; et in eis notas facit divitias gloriae suae in vasa misericordiae, quoniam quod ab irae vasis exigit justitia punientis, hoc vasis misericordiae dimittit gratia liberantis: nec beneficium quod quibusdam gratis tribuitur, appareret, nisi Deus aliis ex eadem massa pariter reis justo supplicio condemnatis, quid utrisque deberetur, ostenderet. Quis enim te discernit? ait idem apostolus, homini tanquam de semetipso et de suo proprio bono glorianti : Quis enim te discernit? utique ab irae vasis, a massa perditionis, quae per unum omnes misit in damnationem. Quis te discernit? Et tanquam respondisset, Discernit me fides mea, propositum meum, meritum meum. Quid enim habes, inquit, quod non accepisti? Si autem et accepisti, quid gloriaris quasi non acceperis (I Cor. IV, 7)? hoc est, quasi de tuo sit, unde discerneris. Ergo ille discernit, qui unde discernaris impertit, poenam debitam removendo, indebitam gratiam largiendo: ille discernit, qui cum tenebrae essent super abyssum, dixit, Fiat lux, et facta est lux, et divisit, hoc est discrevit, inter lucem et tenebras (Gen. I, 3, 4). Non enim cum solae essent tenebrae, quid discerneret invenit: sed lucem faciendo discrevit; ut justificatis impiis dicatur, Fuistis enim aliquando tenebrae, nunc autem lux in Domino (Ephes. V, 8): ac sic qui gloriatur, non in se ipso, sed in Domino glorietur (II Cor. X, 17). Ille discernit, qui de nondum natis neque qui aliquid egerant boni aut mali, ut secundum electionem propositum ejus maneret, non ex operibus, sed ex se ipso vocante dixit, Major serviet minori (Gen. XXV, 23): atque idipsum commendans postea per prophetam; Jacob, inquit, dilexi, Esau autem odio habui (Malach. I, 2). Electionem quippe dixit, ubi Deus non ab alio factum quod eligat invenit, sed quod inveniat ipse facit: sicut de reliquiis Israel scriptum est, Reliquiae per electionem gratiae factae sunt. Si autem gratia, jam non ex operibus; alioquin gratia, jam non est gratia (Rom. XI, 5, 6). Propter quod profecto desipitis, qui dicente veritate, Non ex operibus, sed ex vocante dictum est; vos dicitis, Ex futuris operibus, quae Deus illum facturum esse praesciebat, Jacob fuisse dilectum: atque ita contradicitis Apostolo dicenti, Non ex operibus: quasi non posset dicere, Non ex praesentibus, sed futuris operibus. Sed ait, Non ex operibus, ut gratiam commendaret: Si autem gratia, jam non ex operibus; alioquin gratia jam non est gratia. Praecedit namque, non debita, sed gratuita gratia, ut per illam fiant bona opera: ne si praecesserint bona opera, tanquam operibus reddatur gratia, ac sic gratia jam non sit gratia.