Chapter 2 [II.]—The Examples Apposite.

Here, perhaps, you will say to me in answer, that the things which I have instanced as not having been realized, although capable of realization, are divine works; whereas a man’s being without sin falls in the range of a man’s own work,—that being indeed his very noblest work which effects a full and perfect righteousness complete in every part; and therefore that it is incredible that no man has ever existed, or is existing, or will exist in this life, who has achieved such a work, if the achievement is possible for a human being. But then you ought to reflect that, although this great work, no doubt, belongs to human agency to accomplish, yet it is also a divine gift, and therefore, not doubt that it is a divine work; “for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”7    Phil. ii. 13.

Chapter 3.—Theirs is Comparatively a Harmless Error, Who Say that a Man Lives Here Without Sin.

They therefore are not a very dangerous set of persons and they ought to be urged to show, if they are able, that they are themselves such, who hold that man lives or has lived here without any sin whatever. There are indeed passages of Scripture, in which I apprehend it is definitely stated that no man who lives on earth, although enjoying freedom of will, can be found without sin; as, for instance, the place where it is written, “Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified.”8    Ps. cxliii. 2. If, however, anybody shall have succeeded in showing that this text and the other similar ones ought to be taken in a different sense from their obvious one, and shall have proved that some man or men have spent a sinless life on earth,—whoever does not, not merely refrain from much opposing him, but also does not rejoice with him to the full, is afflicted by extraordinary goads of envy. Moreover, if there neither is, has been, nor will be any man endowed with such perfection of purity (which I am more inclined to believe), and yet it is firmly set forth and thought there is or has been, or is to be,—so far as I can judge, no great error is made, and certainly not a dangerous one, when a man is thus carried away by a certain benevolent feeling; provided that he who thinks so much of another, does not think himself to be such a being, unless he has ascertained that he really and clearly is such.

Chapter 4.—Theirs is a Much More Serious Error, Requiring a Very Vigorous Refutation, Who Deny God’s Grace to Be Necessary.

They, however, must be resisted with the utmost ardor and vigor who suppose that without God’s help, the mere power of the human will in itself, can either perfect righteousness, or advance steadily towards it; and when they begin to be hard pressed about their presumption in asserting that this result can be reached without the divine assistance, they check themselves, and do not venture to utter such an opinion, because they see how impious and insufferable it is. But they allege that such attainments are not made without God’s help on this account, namely, because God both created man with the free choice of his will, and, by giving him commandments, teaches him, Himself, how man ought to live; and indeed assists him, in that He takes away his ignorance by instructing him in the knowledge of what he ought to avoid and to desire in his actions: and thus, by means of the free-will naturally implanted within him, he enters on the way which is pointed out to him, and by persevering in a just and pious course of life, deserves to attain to the blessedness of eternal life.

CAPUT II.

2. Error eorum qui dicunt vivere hic hominem sine peccato, minus perniciosus. Error negantium gratiam necessariam gravior et acerrime confutandus. Hic fortasse respondeas, ista quae commemoravi facta non esse et fieri potuisse, opera esse divina; ut autem sit homo sine peccato, ad opus ipsius hominis pertinere, idque opus esse optimum, quo fiat plena et perfecta et ex omni prorsus parte absoluta justitia: et ideo non esse credendum, neminem vel 0202 fuisse, vel esse, vel fore in hac vita qui hoc opus impleverit, si ab homine impleri potest. Sed cogitare debes, quamvis ad hominem id agere pertineat, hoc quoque munus esse divinum, atque ideo non dubitare opus esse divinum. Deus est enim qui operatur in vobis, ait Apostolus, et velle et operari, pro bona voluntate (Philipp. II, 13).

3. Proinde non multum molesti sunt, et instandum est eis, ut si possunt, ostendant ita esse, qui dicunt vivere hic hominem, sive vixisse sine ullo omnino peccato. Nam si testimonia Scripturarum, quibus existimo definitum, nullum hominem hic viventem, quamvis utatur libero arbitrio, inveniri sine peccato, sicuti est, Ne intres in judicium cum servo tuo, quoniam non justificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens (Psal. CXLII, 2), et caetera talia quisquam docere potuerit aliter accipienda quam sonant, et demonstraverit aliquem vel aliquos sine ullo hic vixisse peccato; qui non ei, non solum minime adversatus, verum etiam plurimum gratulatus fuerit, non mediocribus invidentiae stimulis agitatur. Quin etiam si nemo est, aut fuit, aut erit, quod magis credo, tali puritate perfectus, et tamen esse, aut fuisse, aut fore defenditur et putatur, quantum ego judicare possum, non multum erratur, nec perniciose, cum quadam quisque benevolentia fallitur: si tamen qui hoc putat, se ipsum talem esse non putet, nisi revera ac liquido talem se esse perspexerit.

4. Sed illis acerrime ac vehementissime resistendum est, qui putant sine adjutorio Dei per se ipsam vim voluntatis humanae vel justitiam posse perficere, vel ad eam tenendo proficere: et cum urgeri coeperint, quomodo id praesumant asserere fieri sine ope divina, reprimunt se, nec hanc vocem audent emittere, quoniam vident quam sit impia, et non ferenda. Sed aiunt, ideo ista sine ope divina non fieri, quia et hominem Deus creavit cum libero voluntatis arbitrio, et dando praecepta ipse docet quemadmodum homini sit vivendum; et in eo utique adjuvat, quod docendo aufert ignorantiam, ut sciat homo in operibus 0203 suis quid evitare, et quid appetere debeat; quo per liberum arbitrium naturaliter insitum, viam demonstratam ingrediens, continenter et juste et pie vivendo ad beatam eamdemque aeternam vitam pervenire mereatur.