Chapter 82 [LXVIII.]—How to Exhort Men to Faith, Repentance, and Advancement.

If, therefore, we wish “to rouse and kindle cold and sluggish souls by Christian exhortations to lead righteous lives,”220    This passage, and others in this and the following chapters, are marked as quotations, apparently cited from Pelagius by Augustin. we must first of all exhort them to that faith whereby they may become Christians, and be subjects of His name and authority, without whom they cannot be saved. If, however, they are already Christians but neglect to lead holy lives, they must be chastised with alarms and be aroused by the praises of reward,—in such a manner, indeed, that we must not forget to urge them to godly prayers as well as to virtuous actions, and furthermore to instruct them in such wholesome doctrine that they be induced thereby to return thanks for being able to accomplish any step in that holy life which they have entered upon, without difficulty,221    For the “difficulty,” which is one of the penal consequences of sin, see last chapter, about its middle. and whenever they do experience such “difficulty,” that they then wrestle with God in most faithful and persistent prayer and ready works of mercy to obtain from Him facility. But provided they thus progress, I am not over-anxious as to the where and the when of their perfection in fulness of righteousness; only I solemnly assert, that wheresoever and whensoever they become perfect, it cannot be but by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When, indeed, they have attained to the clear knowledge that they have no sin, let them not say they have sin, lest the truth be not in them;222    1 John i. 8. even as the truth is not in those persons who, though they have sin, yet say that they have it not.

CAPUT LXVIII.

82. Quomodo adhortandi ad fidem, ad poenitentiam, ad profectum. Si ergo volumus animos ad recte vivendum frigidos et pigros christianis exhortationibus excitare et accendere; primitus exhortemur ad fidem, qua christiani fiant, et ejus nomini subjiciantur, sine quo salvi esse non possunt. Si autem jam christiani sunt, et recte vivere negligunt; verberentur terroribus, et praemiorum laudibus erigantur: ita sane, ut non solum ad bonas actiones, verum etiam ad pias orationes eos exhortari meminerimus, atque hac instruere sanitate doctrinae, ut et illinc gratias agant, cum instituerint bene vivere, quod aliquid sine difficultate fecerint; et ubi difficultatem aliquam sentiunt, fidelissimis et perseverantissimis precibus et misericordiae promptis operibus facilitatem a Domino impetrare persistant. Sic autem proficientes, ubi et quando plenissima justitia perficiantur, non nimis curo: ubicumque autem et quandocumque perfecti fuerint, nonnisi gratia Dei per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum perfici posse confirmo. Sane quando liquido cognoverint nullum peccatum se habere, non se dicant habere peccatum , ne veritas in eis non sit: sicut in eis veritas non est, qui cum habeant, non habere se dicunt.