Chapter 4 [IV.]—Concupiscence, How Far in Us; The Baptized are Not Injured by Concupiscence, But Only by Consent Therewith.

Concupiscence, therefore, as the law of sin which remains in the members of this body of death, is born with infants. In baptized infants, it is deprived of guilt, is left for the struggle [of life],243    See above, Book i. chap. 70 (xxxix.) but pursues with no condemnation, such as die before the struggle. Unbaptized infants it implicates as guilty and as children of wrath, even if they die in infancy, draws into condemnation. In baptized adults, however, endowed with reason, whatever consent their mind gives to this concupiscence for the commission of sin is an act of their own will. After all sins have been blotted out, and that guilt has been cancelled which by nature244    Originaliter, i.e. owing to birth-sin. bound men in a conquered condition, it still remains,—but not to hurt in any way those who yield no consent to it for unlawful deeds,—until death is swallowed up in victory245    1 Cor. xv. 54. and, in that perfection of peace, nothing is left to be conquered. Such, however, as yield consent to it for the commission of unlawful deeds, it holds as guilty; and unless, through the medicine of repentance, and through works of mercy, by the intercession in our behalf of the heavenly High Priest, they be healed, it conducts us to the second death and utter condemnation. It was on this account that the Lord, when teaching us to pray, advised us, besides other petitions, to say: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into tempation, but deliver us from evil.”246    Matt. vi. 12, 13. For evil remains in our flesh, not by reason of the nature in which man was created by God and wisdom, but by reason of that offence into which he fell by his own will, and in which, since its powers are lost, he is not healed with the same facility of will as that with which he was wounded. Of this evil the apostle says: “I know that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing;”247    Rom. vii. 18. and it is likewise to the same evil that he counsels us to give no obedience, when he says: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to obey the lusts thereof.”248    Rom. vi. 12. When, therefore, we have by an unlawful inclination of our will yielded consent to these lusts of the flesh, we say, with a view to the cure of this fault, “Forgive us our debts;”249    Matt. vi. 12. and we at the same time apply the remedy of a work of mercy, in that we add, “As we forgive our debtors.” That we may not, however, yield such consent, let us pray for assistance, and say, “And lead us not into temptation;”—not that God ever Himself tempts any one with such temptation, “for God is not a tempter to evil, neither tempteth He any man;”250    Jas. i. 13. but in order that whenever we feel the rising of temptation from our concupiscence, we may not be deserted by His help, in order that thereby we may be able to conquer, and not be carried away by enticement. We then add our request for that which is to be perfected at the last, when mortality shall be swallowed up of life:251    2 Cor. v. 4. “But deliver us from evil.”252    Matt. vi. 13. For then there will exist no longer a concupiscence which we are bidden to struggle against, and not to consent to. The whole substance, accordingly, of these three petitions may be thus briefly expressed: “Pardon us for those things in which we have been drawn away by concupiscence; help us not to be drawn away by concupiscence; take away concupiscence from us.”

CAPUT IV.

4. Concupiscentia quatenus in nobis. Baptizatis non ipsa concupiscentia, sed solus in eam consensus nocet. Concupiscentia igitur tanquam lex peccati manens in membris corporis mortis hujus, cum parvulis nascitur, in parvulis baptizatis a reatu solvitur, ad agonem relinquitur, ante agonem mortuos nulla damnatione persequitur: parvulos non baptizatos reos innectit, et tanquam irae filios, etiamsi parvuli moriantur, ad condemnationem trahit. In grandibus autem baptizatis, in quibus jam ratione utentibus quidquid eidem concupiscentiae mens ad peccandum consentit, propriae voluntatis est; deletis peccatis omnibus, soluto 0153 etiam reatu, quo vinctos originaliter detinebat, ad agonem interim manet, non sibi ad illicita consentientibus nihil omnino nocitura, donec absorbeatur mors in victoriam (I Cor. XV, 54), et pace perfecta nihil quod vincatur existat. Consentientes autem sibi ad illicita reos tenet, et nisi per medicinam poenitentiae et opera misericordiae per coelestem sacerdotem pro nobis interpellantem sanentur, ad secundam mortem damnationemque perducit. Propter hoc et Dominus orare nos docens, inter caetera monuit ut dicamus, Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inferas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo (Matth. VI, 12 et 13). Manet enim malum in carne nostra, non natura in qua divinitus creatus est homo, sed vitio quo voluntate prolapsus est, ubi amissis viribus, non ea qua vulneratus est, voluntatis facilitate sanatur. De hoc malo dicit Apostolus: Scio quoniam non habitat in carne mea bonum (Rom. VII, 18). Cui malo non obedire praecipit, cum dicit: Non ergo regnet peccatum in vestro mortali corpore ad obediendum desideriis ejus (Id. VI, 12). Si ergo his desideriis concupiscentiae carnis illicita voluntatis inclinatione consensimus, ad hoc sanandum dicimus, Dimitte nobis debita nostra: adhibentes remedium ex opere misericordiae, in eo quod addimus, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Ut autem non ei consentiamus, deprecamur adjutorium dicentes, Et ne nos inferas in tentationem: [vel, sicut nonnulli codices habent, ne nos inducas in tentationem .] Non quod ipse Deus tali tentatione aliquem tentet; Nam Deus intentator malorum est, ipse autem neminem tentat (Jacobi I, 13): sed ut si forte tentari coeperimus a concupiscentia nostra, adjutorio ejus non deseramur, ut in eo possimus vincere, ne abstrahamur illecti. Deinde addimus quod perficietur in fine, cum absorbebitur mortale a vita (II Cor. V, 4): Sed libera nos a malo. Tunc enim nulla erit talis concupiscentia, cum qua certare, et cui non consentire jubeamur. Sic ergo totum hoc in tribus beneficiis positum breviter peti potest: Ignosce nobis ea in quibus sumus abstracti a concupiscentia, adjuva ne abstrahamur a concupiscentia, aufer a nobis concupiscentiam.