Chapter VIII.—He Argues Against the Same as to the Reason of Offences.

15. Can it at any time or place be an unrighteous thing for a man to love God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind, and his neighbour as himself?130    Deut. vi. 5, and Matt. xxii. 37–39. Therefore those offences which be contrary to nature are everywhere and at all times to be held in detestation and punished; such were those of the Sodomites, which should all nations commit, they should all be held guilty of the same crime by the divine law, which hath not so made men that they should in that way abuse one another. For even that fellowship which should be between God and us is violated, when that same nature of which He is author is polluted by the perversity of lust. But those offences which are contrary to the customs of men are to be avoided according to the customs severally prevailing; so that an agreement made, and confirmed by custom or law of any city or nation, may not be violated at the lawless pleasure of any, whether citizen or stranger. For any part which is not consistent with its whole is unseemly. But when God commands anything contrary to the customs or compacts of any nation to be done, though it were never done by them before, it is to be done; and if intermitted it is to be restored, and, if never established, to be established. For if it be lawful for a king, in the state over which he reigns, to command that which neither he himself nor any one before him had commanded, and to obey him cannot be held to be inimical to the public interest,—nay, it were so if he were not obeyed (for obedience to princes is a general compact of human society),—how much more, then, ought we unhesitatingly to obey God, the Governor of all His creatures! For as among the authorities of human society the greater authority is obeyed before the lesser, so must God above all.

16. So also in deeds of violence, where there is a desire to harm, whether by contumely or injury; and both of these either by reason of revenge, as one enemy against another; or to obtain some advantage over another, as the highwayman to the traveller; or for the avoiding of some evil, as with him who is in fear of another; or through envy, as the unfortunate man to one who is happy; or as he that is prosperous in anything to him who he fears will become equal to himself, or whose equality he grieves at; or for the mere pleasure in another’s pains, as the spectators of gladiators, or the deriders and mockers of others. These be the chief iniquities which spring forth from the lust of the flesh, of the eye, and of power, whether singly, or two together, or all at once. And so do men live in opposition to the three and seven, that psaltery “of ten strings,”131    Ps. cxliv. 9. “St. Augustin (Quæst in Exod. ii. qu. 71) mentions the two modes of dividing the ten commandments into three and seven, or four and six, and gives what appear to have been his own private reasons for preferring the first. Both commonly existed in his day, but the Anglican mode appears to have been the most usual. It occurs in Origen, Greg. Naz., Jerome, Ambrose, Chrys. St. Augustin alludes to his division again, Serm. 8, 9, de x.Chordis, and sec. 33 on this psalm: ‘To the first commandment there belong three strings because God is trine. To the other, i.e., the love of our neighbour, seven strings. These let us join to those three, which belong to the love of God, if we would on the psaltery of ten strings sing a new song.’”—E.B.P. Thy ten commandments, O God most high and most sweet. But what foul offences can there be against Thee who canst not be defiled? Or what deeds of violence against thee who canst not be harmed? But Thou avengest that which men perpetrate against themselves, seeing also that when they sin against Thee, they do wickedly against their own souls; and iniquity gives itself the lie,132    Ps. xxvii. 12, Vulg. either by corrupting or perverting their nature, which Thou hast made and ordained, or by an immoderate use of things permitted, or in “burning” in things forbidden to that use which is against nature;133    Rom. i. 24–29. or when convicted, raging with heart and voice against Thee, kicking against the pricks;134    Acts ix. 5. or when, breaking through the pale of human society, they audaciously rejoice in private combinations or divisions, according as they have been pleased or offended. And these things are done whenever Thou art forsaken, O Fountain of Life, who art the only and true Creator and Ruler of the universe, and by a self-willed pride any one false thing is selected therefrom and loved. So, then, by a humble piety we return to Thee; and thou purgest us from our evil customs, and art merciful unto the sins of those who confess unto Thee, and dost “hear the groaning of the prisoner,”135    Ps. cii. 20. and dost loosen us from those fetters which we have forged for ourselves, if we lift not up against Thee the horns of a false liberty,—losing all through craving more, by loving more our own private good than Thee, the good of all.

CAPUT VIII. Contra Manichaeos dicit quae flagitia semper detestanda, quae facinora.

15. Numquid aliquando aut alicubi injustum est diligere Deum ex toto corde, et ex tota anima, et ex tota mente, et diligere proximum tanquam seipsum? Itaque flagitia quae sunt contra naturam, ubique ac semper detestanda atque punienda sunt, qualia Sodomitarum fuerunt. Quae si omnes gentes facerent, eodem criminis reatu divina lege tenerentur, quae non sic fecit homines ut se illo uterentur modo. Violatur quippe ipsa societas quae cum Deo nobis esse debet, cum eadem natura, cujus ille auctor est, libidinis perversitate polluitur. Quae autem contra mores hominum sunt flagitia, pro morum diversitate vitanda sunt; ut pactum inter se civitatis aut gentis consuetudine vel lege firmatum, nulla civis aut peregrini libidine violetur. Turpis enim omnis pars est suo universo non congruens. Cum autem Deus aliquid contra morem aut pactum quorumlibet jubet, etsi nunquam ibi factum 0690 est, faciendum est: et si omissum, instaurandum; et si institutum non erat, instituendum est. Si enim regi licet in civitate cui regnat, jubere aliquid quod neque ante illum quisquam, nec ipse unquam jusserat; et non contra societatem civitatis ei obtemperatur, imo contra societatem non obtemperatur: generale quippe pactum est societatis humanae obedire regibus suis: quanto magis Deo regnatori universae creaturae suae, ad ea quae jusserit, sine dubitatione serviendum est? Sicut enim in potestatibus societatis humanae, major potestas minori ad obediendum praeponitur; ita Deus omnibus.

16. Item in facinoribus, ubi libido est nocendi, sive per contumeliam, sive per injuriam; et utrumque vel ulciscendi causa, sicut inimico inimicus; vel adipiscendi alicujus extra commodi, sicut latro viatori; vel evitandi mali, sicut ei qui timetur; vel invidendo, sicut feliciori miserior; aut in aliquo prosperatus, ei quem sibi aequari timet aut aequalem dolet; vel sola voluptate alieni mali, sicut spectatores gladiatorum, aut irrisores, aut illusores quorumlibet: haec sunt capita iniquitatis, quae pullulant principandi et spectandi et sentiendi libidine, aut una, aut duabus earum, aut simul omnibus; et vivitur male adversus tria et septem, psalterium decem chordarum decalogum tuum, Deus altissime et dulcissime. Sed quae flagitia in te qui non corrumperis? aut quae adversus te facinora, cui noceri non potest? Sed hoc vindicas quod in se homines perpetrant, quia etiam cum in te peccant, impie faciunt in animas suas, et mentitur iniquitas sibi, sive corrumpendo ac pervertendo naturam suam quam tu fecisti et ordinasti, vel immoderate utendo concessis rebus, vel in non concessa flagrando in eum usum qui est contra naturam; aut rei tenentur, animo et verbis saevientes adversus te, et adversus stimulum calcitrantes; aut cum disruptis limitibus humanae societatis, laetantur audaces privatis conciliationibus aut diremptionibus, prout quidque delectaverit aut offenderit. Et ea fiunt cum tu derelinqueris, fons vitae, qui es unus et verus creator et rector universitatis; et privata superbia diligitur in parte unum falsum. Itaque pietate humili reditur in te, et purgas nos a consuetudine mala, et propitius es peccatis confitentium, et exaudis gemitus compeditorum, et solvis a vinculis quae nobis fecimus, si jam non erigamus adversus te cornua falsae libertatis, avaritia plus habendi, et damno totum amittendi; amplius amando proprium nostrum, quam te omnium bonum.