Chapter 22 [XV.]—An Objection of the Pelagians; Perfection is Relative; He is Rightly Said to Be Perfect in Righteousness Who Has Made Much Progress Therein.

“Well, but,” they say, “the Lord says, ‘Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,’339    Matt. v. 48.—an injunction which He would not have given, if He had known that what He enjoined was impracticable.” Now the present question is not whether it be possible for any men, during this present life, to be without sin if they receive that perfection for the purpose; for the question of possibility we have already discussed:340    See above, chap. 7.—but what we have now to consider is, whether any man in fact achieves perfection. We have, however, already recognised the fact that no man wills as much as the duty demands, as also the testimony of the Scriptures, which we have quoted so largely above, declares. When, indeed, perfection is ascribed to any particular person, we must look carefully at the thing in which it is ascribed. For I have just above quoted a passage of the apostle, wherein he confesses that he was not yet perfect in the attainment of righteousness which he desired; but still he immediately adds, “Let as many of us as are perfect be thus minded.” Now he would certainly not have uttered these two sentences if he had not been perfect in one thing, and not in another. For instance, a man may be perfect as a scholar in the pursuit of wisdom: and this could not yet be said of those to whom [the apostle] said, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye have not been able to bear it, neither are ye yet able;”341    1 Cor. iii. 2. whereas to those of whom it could be said he says, “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect,”—meaning, of course, “perfect pupils” to be understood. It may happen, therefore, as I have said, that a man may be already perfect as a scholar, though not as yet perfect as a teacher of wisdom; may be perfect as a learner, though not as yet perfect as a doer of righteousness; may be perfect as a lover of his enemies, though not as yet perfect in bearing their wrong. 342    Ut sufferatis his antithesis here to ut diligat. Even in the case of him who is so far perfect as to love all men, inasmuch as he has attained even to the love of his enemies, it still remains a question whether he be perfect in that love,—in other words, whether he so loves those whom he loves as is prescribed to be exercised towards those to be loved, by the unchangeable love of truth. Whenever, then, we read in the Scriptures of any man’s perfection, it must be carefully considered in what it is asserted, since a man is not therefore to be understood as being entirely without sin because he is described as perfect in some particular thing; although the term may also be employed to show, not, indeed, that there is no longer any point left for a man to reach his way to perfection, but that he has in fact advanced a very great way, and on that account may be deemed worthy of the designation. Thus, a man may be said to be perfect in the science of the law, even if there be still something unknown to him; and in the same manner the apostle called men perfect, to whom he said at the same time, “Yet if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule.”343    Phil. iii. 15.

CAPUT XV.

22. Objectio Pelagianorum. Perfectio secundum quiddam. Perfectus in justitia recte dicitur, qui multum in ea profecit.---At enim Dominus ait, «Estote perfecti, sicut et Pater vester coelestis perfectus est» (Matth. V, 48); quod non praeciperet, inquiunt, si sciret fieri non posse quod praecipit. Non nunc quaeritur utrum fieri possit, si istam perfectionem ad hoc accipiunt, ut sine ullo sit quisque peccato, cum hanc agit vitam; jam enim supra respondimus, posse fieri: sed utrum aliquis faciat, hoc nunc quaerimus. Neminem autem esse qui tantum velit, quantum res exigit, ante praecognitum est, sicut Scripturarum, quae supra commemoravi, testimonia tanta declarant. Et tamen cum dicitur cujusque perfectio, qua in re dicatur videndum est. Nam ex Apostolo testimonium paulo ante posui, ubi se fatetur in acceptione justitiae quam desiderat, nondum esse perfectum; et tamen continuo dicit, Quotquot ergo perfecti, hoc sapiamus: quod utrumque non diceret, nisi in alia re perfectus esset, 0165 in alia non esset. Velut si jam sit quisquam sapientiae perfectus auditor, quod nondum erant illi quibus dicebat, Lac vobis potum dedi, non escam; nondum enim poteratis: sed nec adhuc quidem potestis (I Cor. III, 2): eis quippe et illud ait, Sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos (Id. II, 6); utique perfectos auditores volens intelligi: potest ergo fieri, sicut dixi, ut jam sit aliquis sapientiae perfectus auditor, cujus nondum sit perfectus et doctor; potest perfectus esse justitiae cognitor, nondum perfectus effector: potest perfectus esse ut diligat inimicos, qui nondum est perfectus ut sufferat. Et qui perfectus est in eo quod omnes homines diligit, quippe qui etiam ad inimicorum dilectionem pervenerit; quaeritur utrum jam sit in ista dilectione perfectus, id est, utrum quos diligit, tantum diligat, quantum illa incommutabilis regula veritatis diligendos esse praescribit. Cum ergo legitur in Scripturis cujusque perfectio, qua in re dicatur, non negligenter intuendum est: quoniam non ideo quisque prorsus sine peccato esse intelligitur, quia in aliqua re dicitur esse perfectus. Quanquam et in hoc possit ita dici, ut non quia jam non est quo proficiat, sed quia ex maxima parte profecit, hoc nomine dignus habeatur: sicut in doctrina Legis dici potest quisquam perfectus, etiamsi eum aliquid adhuc latet; sicut perfectos dicebat Apostolus, quibus tamen ait, Et si quid aliter sapitis, id quoque vobis Deus revelabit: verumtamen in quod pervenimus, in eo ambulemus.