登陆注册
5214200000384

第384章

But the peace which is peculiar to ourselves we enjoy now with God by faith, and shall hereafter enjoy eternally with Him by sight.But the peace which we enjoy in this life, whether common to all or peculiar to ourselves, is rather the solace of our misery than the positive enjoyment of felicity.Our very righteousness, too, though true in so far as it has respect to the true good, is yet in this life of such a kind that it consists rather in the remission of sins than in the perfecting of virtues.Witness the prayer of the whole city of God in its pilgrim state, for it cries to God by the mouth of all its members, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."(4) And this prayer is efficacious not for those whose faith is "without works and dead,"(5) but for those whose faith "worketh by love."(6) For as reason, though subjected to God, is yet "pressed down by the corruptible body,"(7) so long as it is in this mortal condition, it has not perfect authority over vice, and therefore this prayer is needed by the righteous.For though it exercises authority, the vices do not submit without a struggle.For however well one maintains the conflict, and however thoroughly he has subdued these enemies, there steals in some evil thing, which, if it do not find ready expression in act, slips out by the lips, or insinuates itself into the thought; and therefore his peace is not full so long as he is at war with his vices.For it is a doubtful conflict he wages with those that resist, and his victory over those that are defeated is not secure, but full of anxiety and effort.Amidst these temptations, therefore, of all which it has been summarily said in the divine oracles, "Is not human life upon earth a temptation?"(8)who but a proud man can presume that he so lives that he has no need to say to God, "Forgive us our debts?" And such a man is not great, but swollen and puffed up with vanity, and is justly resisted by Him who abundantly gives grace to the humble.Whence it is said, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."(9) In this, then, consists the righteousness of a man, that he submit himself to God, his body to his soul, and his vices, even when they rebel, to his reason, which either defeats or at least resists them; and also that he beg from God grace to do his duty,(10) and the pardon of his sins, and that he render to God thanks for all the blessings he receives.But, in that final peace to which all our righteousness has reference, and for the sake of which it is maintained, as our nature shall enjoy a sound immortality and incorruption, and shall have no more vices, and as we shall experience no resistance either from ourselves or from others, it will not be necessary that reason should rule vices which no longer exist, but God shall rule the man, and the soul shall rule the body, with a sweetness and facility suitable to the felicity of a life which is done with bondage.And this condition shall there be eternal, and we shall be assured of its eternity; and thus the peace of this blessedness and the blessedness of this peace shall be the supreme good.

CHAP.28.--THE END OF THE WICKED.

But, on the other hand, they who do not belong to this city of God shall inherit eternal misery, which is also called the second death, because the soul shall then be separated from God its life, and therefore cannot be said to live, and the body shall be subjected to eternal pains.And consequently this second death shall be the more severe, because no death shall terminate it.

But war being contrary to peace, as misery to happiness, and life to death, it is not without reason asked what kind of war can be found in the end of the wicked answering to the peace which is declared to be the end of the righteous? The person who puts this question has only to observe what it is in war that is hurtful and destructive, and he shall see that it is nothing else than the mutual opposition and conflict of things.And can he conceive a more grievous and bitter war than that in which the will is so opposed to passion, and passion to the will, that their hostility can never be terminated by the victory of either, and in which the violence of Fain so conflicts with the nature of the body, that neither yields to the other? For in this life, when this conflict has arisen, either pain conquers and death expels the feeling of it, or nature conquers and health expels the pain.But in the world to come the pain continues that it may torment, and the nature endures that it may be sensible of it; and neither ceases to exist, test punishment also should cease.Now, as it is through the last judgment that men pass to these ends, the good to the supreme good, the evil to the supreme evil, I will treat of this judgment in the following book.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 以道止道

    以道止道

    “一本低阶法术,一百灵石,概不还价!”“日子真难过啊......”宁七摸着干瘪的腰包,抱怨道。作为一名老实本分的凡人,宁七初次踏入修仙界,发现仙人也要赚钱养家,没有仙风道骨、两袖清风,没有点石成金、不食烟火,想要修炼,需要自己动手,丰衣足食......
  • 表无表章栖玩记

    表无表章栖玩记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天台八教大意

    天台八教大意

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉耶女经

    玉耶女经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 一叶城秋

    一叶城秋

    一块玉佩,将傅子秋与叶苒紧紧地联系在了一起。却因战乱动荡,世事浮沉,他们奔波流徙,沉沦迷失。当爱变了质,人变了心,你爱的人在话里,爱你的人在心里。什么才是最重要的,名利,还是金钱,或许,失去之后才会知道。我什么都得到了,为什么心里还是空虚,因为只差一个你。
  • 山寨遇故知

    山寨遇故知

    体验古代贵女生活,不想因大龄未嫁流言缠身而被逼寻死;反抗过程中巧嫁郡王,以为从此人生甜甜蜜蜜不料隐患犹在,身不由己;回门时被劫进山寨惊恐不已,贪生怕死的后果是被逼再嫁;忐忑自己的后半生要做山贼婆,不料掀开盖头一看,呦呵,怎么不是脏(衣)乱(发)差(评)的大汉,反而是个白面书生?奇哉怪也。
  • 余身祭山海

    余身祭山海

    这是一个关于成长的故事,两个一同出生身份却天差地别的少女,她们的命运又会去向何方?命运从来都不是只有一种选择,但在选择时,你只会选那一个。为天下苍生,为我所爱之人,愿以余身祭山海!
  • 秋灯对雨寄史近崔积

    秋灯对雨寄史近崔积

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 农门医香之田园致富

    农门医香之田园致富

    大龄剩女一朝睡醒,主任医师变成身了未知时代的软包子村姑。得了极品后娘,还有同样软包子憨实的老爹,下还有聪明的妹妹以及可爱萌娃的弟弟。更惨的是还有一个等着娶亲的断腿未婚夫。家里穷的四面徒壁,就快断粮,面对恶毒的后娘,还有瘫在床上,天天板着棺材脸,活像别人欠了他百八十两的便宜丈夫。且看软包子村姑如何翻身做主,靠着一手精湛的医术,还有源源不绝的致富点子发家。打倒恶毒后娘,给弟妹当靠山,将黑面神的丈夫照顾的服服贴贴,最后成为富甲一方的女富商,以及一代人人称赞的神医。
  • 太上洞神行道授度仪

    太上洞神行道授度仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。