But that these perversely compassionate persons may see what is the purport of these words, "How great is the abundance of Thy sweetness, Lord, which Thou hast hidden for them that fear Thee."(4)let them read what follows:" "And Thou hast perfected it for them that hope in Thee." For what means, "Thou hast hidden it for them that fear Thee, "Thou hast perfected it for them that hope in Thee," unless this, that to those who through fear of punishment seek to establish their own righteousness by the law, the righteousness of God is not sweet, because they are ignorant of it? They have not tasted it.For they hope in themselves, not in Him; and therefore God's abundant sweetness is hidden from them.They fear God, indeed, but it is with that servile fear "which is not in love; for perfect love casteth out fear."(5)Therefore to them that hope in Him He perfecteth His sweetness, inspiring them with His own love, so that with a holy fear, which love does not cast out, but which endureth for ever, they may, when they glory, glory in the Lord.For the righteousness of God is Christ, "who is of God made unto us," as the apostle says, "wisdom, and righteousness, and 'sanctification, and redemption: as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."(6) This righteousness of God, which is the gift of grace without merits, is not known by those who go about to establish their own righteousness, and are therefore not subject to the righteousness of God, which is Christ.(7) But it is in this righteousness that we find the great abundance of God's sweetness, of which the psalm says, "Taste and see how sweet the Lord is."(8) And this we rather taste than partake of to satiety in this our pilgrimage.We hunger and thirst for it now, that hereafter we may be satisfied with it when we see Him as He is, and that is fulfilled which is written, "I shall be satisfied when Thy glory shall be manifested."(9) It is thus that Christ perfects the great abundance of His sweetness to them that hope in Him.
But if God conceals His sweetness from them that fear Him in the sense that these our objectors fancy, so that men's ignorance of His purpose of mercy towards the wicked may lead them to fear Him and live better, and so that there may be prayer made for those who are not living as they ought, how then does He perfect His sweetness to them that hope in Him, since, if their dreams be true, it is this very sweetness which will prevent Him from punishing those who do not hope in Him? Let us then seek that sweetness of His, which He perfects to them that hope in Him, not that which He is supposed to perfect to those who despise and blaspheme Him; for in vain, after this life, does a man seek for what he has neglected to provide while in this life.
Then, as to that saying of the apostle, "For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that He may have mercy upon all,"(10) it does not mean that He will condemn no one; but the foregoing context shows what is meant.The apostle composed the epistle for the Gentiles who were already believers; and when he was speaking to them of the Jews who were yet to believe, he says, "For as ye in times past believed not God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy."Then he added the words in question with which these persons beguile themselves: "For God concluded all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all." All whom, if not all those of whom he was speaking, just as if he had said, "Both you and them?"God then concluded all those in unbelief, both Jews and Gentiles, whom He foreknew and predestinated to be comformed to the image of His Son, in order that they might be confounded by the bitterness of unbelief, and might repent and believingly turn to the sweetness of God's mercy, and might take up that exclamation of the psalm, "How great is the abundance of Thy sweetness, O Lord, which Thou hast hidden for them that fear Thee, but hast perfected to them that hope," not in themselves, but "in Thee." He has mercy, then, on all the vessels of mercy.And what means "all?" Both those of the Gentiles and those of the Jews whom He predestinated, called, justified, glorified: none of these will be condemned by Him; but we cannot say none of all men whatever.
CHAP.25.--WHETHER THOSE WHO RECEIVED HERETICAL BAPTISM, AND HAVE AFTERWARDSFALLEN AWAY TO WICKEDNESS OF LIFE; OR THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED CATHOLICBAPTISM, BUT HAVE AFTERWARDS PASSED OVER TO HERESY AND SCHISM; OR THOSE WHOHAVE
REMAINED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WHICH THEY WERE BAPTIZED, BUT HAVECONTINUED
TO LIVE IMMORALLY,--MAY HOPE THROUGH THE VIRTUE OF THE SACRAMENTS FORTHE
REMISSION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.
But let us now reply to those who promise deliverance from eternal fire, not to the devil and his angels (as neither do they of whom we have been speaking), nor even to all men whatever, but only to those who have been washed by the baptism of Christ, and have become partakers of His body and blood, no matter how they have lived, no matter what heresy or impiety they have fallen into.But they are contradicted by the apostle, where he says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variances, emulations, wrath, strife, heresies, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and the like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, for they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."(1) Certainly this sentence of the apostle is false, if such persons shall be delivered after any lapse of time, and shall then inherit the kingdom of God.But as it is not false, they shall certainly never inherit the kingdom of God.And if they shall never enter that kingdom, then they shall always be retained in eternal punishment;for there is no middle place where he may live unpunished who has not been admitted into that kingdom.