Chapter XIII.—(31.) The Third Passage. It is One Thing to Depart, and Another Thing to Have Departed, from All Sin. “There is None that Doeth Good,”—Of Whom This is to Be Understood.

He has likewise propounded another question, as we shall proceed to show, but has failed to solve it; nay, he has rather rendered it more difficult, by first stating the testimony that had been quoted against him: “There is none that doeth good, no, not one;”132    Ps. xiv. 3. and then resorting to seemingly contrary passages to show that there are persons who do good. This he succeeded, no doubt, in doing. It is, however, one thing for a man not to do good, and another thing not to be without sin, although he at the same time may do many good things. The passages, therefore, which he adduces are not really contrary to the statement that no person is without sin in this life. He does not, for his own part, explain in what sense it is declared that “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” These are his words: “Holy David indeed says, ‘Hope thou in the Lord and be doing good.’”133    Ps. xxxvii. 3. But this is a precept, and not an accomplished fact; and such a precept as is never kept by those of whom it is said, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” He adds: “Holy Tobit also said, ‘Fear not, my son, that we have to endure poverty; we shall have many blessings if we fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is good.’”134    Tobit iv. 21. Most true indeed it is, that man shall have many blessings when he shall have departed from all sin. Then no evil shall betide him; nor shall he have need of the prayer, “Deliver us from evil.”135    Matt. vi. 13. Although even now every man who progresses, advancing ever with an upright purpose, departs from all sin, and becomes further removed from it as he approaches nearer to the fulness and perfection of the righteous state; because even concupiscence itself, which is sin dwelling in our flesh, never ceases to diminish in those who are making progress, although it still remains in their mortal members. It is one thing, therefore, to depart from all sin,—a process which is even now in operation,—and another thing to have departed from all sin, which shall happen in the state of future perfection. But still, even he who has departed already from evil, and is continuing to do so, must be allowed to be a doer of good. How then is it said, in the passage which he has quoted and left unsolved, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one,” unless that the Psalmist there censures some one nation, amongst whom there was not a man that did good, wishing to remain “children of men,” and not sons of God, by whose grace man becomes good, in order to do good? For we must suppose the Psalmist here to mean that “good” which he describes in the context, saying, “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.”136    Ps. xiv. 2. Such good then as this, seeking after God, there was not a man found who pursued it, no, not one; but this was in that class of men which is predestinated to destruction.137    On this passage Fulgentius remarks (Ad Monimum, i. 5): “In no other sense do I suppose that passage of St. Augustin should be taken, in which he affirms that there are certain persons predestinated to destruction than in regard to their punishment, not their sin: not to the evil which they unrighteously commit, but to the punishment which they shall righteously suffer; not to the sin on account of which they either do not receive, or else lose, the benefit of the first resurrection, but to the retribution which their own personal iniquity evilly incurs, and the divine justice righteously inflicts.” It was upon such that God looked down in His foreknowledge, and passed sentence.

CAPUT XIII.

31. Sic aliam quae sequitur quaestionem proposuit, nec solvit: imo vero auxit, et difficiliorem reddidit, proponendo adversum se prolatum testimonium, Non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum (Psal. XIII, 1, 3); et quasi contraria testimonia referendo, quibus ostenderet esse homines qui faciunt bonum. Quod quidem ostendit: sed aliud est, non facere bonum; aliud, non esse sine peccato, etiamsi homo faciat multa bona. Quapropter ea testimonia quae posuit, non sunt contra illud quod dicitur, non esse in hac vita hominem sine peccato. Ipse autem non ostendit quemadmodum dictum sit, Non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum. Ait enim, inquit, sanctus David, Spera in Domino, et fac bonitatem (Psal. XXXVI, 3). Hoc praeceptum est, non factum: quod praeceptum non utique faciebant de quibus dictum est, Non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad0308unum. Ait etiam dixisse sanctum Tobiam, Noli timere, fili; pauperem vitam gerimus, sed multa bona habebimus, si timuerimus Deum, et recesserimus ab omni peccato, et fecerimus bona (Tob. IV, 23). Verissime tunc erunt homini multa bona, cum recesserit ab omni peccato. Tunc enim ei nulla erunt mala, ut non opus habeat dicere, Libera nos a malo (Matth. VI, 13). Quamvis et nunc omnis qui proficit, recta intentione proficiens, recedit ab omni peccato, et tanto inde fit longinquior, quanto plenitudini justitiae perfectionique propinquior: quia et ipsa concupiscentia, quod est peccatum habitans in carne nostra, etsi manet adhuc in membris mortalibus, minui tamen non desinit in proficientibus. Aliud est ergo, recedere ab omni peccato, quod nunc in opere est; aliud, recessisse ab omni peccato, quod in illa perfectione tunc erit. Sed tamen et qui jam recessit, et qui adhuc recedit, non est negandus facere bonum. Quomodo ergo dictum est, Non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum; quod ille proposuit, et non solutum reliquit: nisi quia populum quemdam psalmus ille culpat, in quo nec unus erat qui faceret bonum, dum volunt remanere filii hominum, et non esse filii Dei, cujus gratia homo fit bonus, ut faciat bonum? De illo enim bono dictum hic debemus accipere, quod ibi ait, Deus de coelo respexit super filios hominum, ut videat si est intelligens aut requirens Deum (Psal. XIII, 1-3). Hoc ergo bonum, quod est requirere Deum, non erat qui faceret, non erat usque ad unum, sed in eo genere hominum, quod praedestinatum est ad interitum . Super hos enim respexit Dei praescientia, protulitque sententiam.