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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

28.

So we find in the Old Testament all or nearly all the counsels and precepts which Christ introduces with the words "But I say unto you." Against anger it is written, "Mine eyes troubled because of anger;" ¹ and again, "Better is he that conquers his anger, than he that taketh a city." ² Against hard words, "The stroke of a whip maketh a wound; but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones." ³ Against adultery in the heart, "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife." ⁴ It is not, "Thou shall not commit adultery;" but, "Thou shall not covet." The apostle, in quoting this, says: "I had not known lust, unless the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." ⁵ Regarding patience in not offering resistance, a man is praised who "giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him, and who is filled full with reproach." ⁶ Of love to enemies it is said: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink." ⁷ This also is quoted by the apostle. ⁸ In the Psalm, too, it is said, "I was a peace maker among them that hated peace;" ⁹ and in many similar passages. In connection also with our imitating God in refraining from taking revenge, and in loving even the wicked, there is a passage containing a full description of God in this character; for it is written: "To Thee alone ever belongeth great strength, and who can withstand the power of Thine arm? For the whole world before Thee is as a little grain of the balance; yea, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth. But Thou hast mercy upon all, for Thou canst do all things, and winkest at the sins of men, because of repentance. For Thou lovest all things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made; for never wouldest Thou have made anything if Thou hadst hated it. And how could anything have endured, if it had not been Thy will? or been preserved, if not called by Thee? But Thou sparest all; for they are Thine, O Lord, Thou lover of souls. For Thy good Spirit is in all things; therefore chastenest Thou them by little and little that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended, that learning their wickedness, they may believe in Thee, O Lord." ¹⁰ Christ exhorts us to imitate this long-suffering goodness of God, who maketh the sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust; that we may not be careful to revenge, but may do good to them that hate us, and so may be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. ¹¹ From another passage in these ancient books we learn that, by not exacting the vengeance due to us, we obtain the remission of our own sins; and that by not forgiving the debts of others, we incur the danger of being refused forgiveness when we pray for the remission of our own debts: "He that revengeth shall find vengeance from the Lord, and He will surely keep his sin in remembrance. Forgive thy neighbor the hurt that he hath done to thee; so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest. One man beareth hatred against another, and doth he seek pardon of the Lord? He showeth no mercy to a man who is like himself; and doth he ask forgiveness of his own sins? If he that is but flesh nourishes hatred, and asks for favor from the Lord, who will entreat for the pardon of his sins?" ¹²

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

28.

Itaque vel omnia vel paene omnia, quae monuit seu praecepit, ubi adiungebat: ego autem dico vobis, inveniuntur et in illis veteribus libris. Ibi contra iram dictum est: Turbatus est prae ira oculus meus, et: Melior est, qui vincit iram quam qui capit civitatem. Ibi contra verbum durum: Plaga flagelli livorem faciet; plaga autem linguae confringet ossa; ibi contra moechiam cordis: Ne concupiscas uxorem proximi tui. Non enim ait: Ne adulteres, sed: Ne concupiscas. p. 530,14 Unde apostolus hoc ex lege commemorat dicens: Nam concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi lex diceret:‛ non concupisces’. Ibi de patientia non resistendi laudatur vir praebens percutienti se maxillam et saturatus opprobiis. Ibi de inimico diligendo dicitur: Si esurierit inimicus tuus, ciba illum; si sitit, potum da illi, - hinc enim hoc commemoravit apostolus -, et illud in psalmo: Cum his, qui oderant pacem, eram pacificus, et alia multa. Quod autem temperando a vindicta et diligendo etiam malos deum imitemur, habes ibi de ipso deo id agente copiosum locum; ibi namque scriptum est: Multum enim valere tibi soli super[er]at semper, et virtuti brachii tui quis contra stabit? p. 530,26 Quoniam tamquam momentum staterae sic ante te est orbis terrarum, et tamquam gutta roris antelucani, quae descendit in terram. Sed misereris omnium, quoniam omnia potes et dissimulas peccata hominum propter paenitentiam. Diligis enim omnia, quae sunt, et nihil odisti horum, quae fecisti; nec enim odio habens aliquid constituisses. Quomodo ergo posset aliquid permanere, nisi tu voluisses, aut quod a te vocatum non esset, conservaretur? Parcis autem omnibus, quoniam tua sunt, domine, qui animas amas. Bonus enim spiritus tuus est in omnibus; propter quod eos, qui exerrant, partibus corripis et de quibus peccant admonens alloqueris, ut relicta malitia credant in te, domine. Ad hanc benignam patientiam dei, qui facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos, nos imitandam Christus hortatur, ut vindicare nostras iniurias neglegamus et benefaciamus his, qui nos oderunt, ut simus perfecti, sicut pater noster caelestis perfectus est. p. 531,17 Valere autem nobis et ad remittenda debita peccatorum nostrorum, quod aliis ista ultionum debita relaxamus, et cavendum esse, ne si hoc non fecerimus, nec nobis deprecantibus peccati obligatio remittatur, sic in illis libris veteribus scriptum est: Qui vindicari vult, inveniet vindictam a deo et peccata illius confirmans confirmabit. Relinque proximo tuo nocenti te, et tunc deprecanti tibi peccata solventur. Homo homini reservat iram et a domino quaerit medelam carnis? In hominem similem sibi non habet misericordiam et pro peccatis suis deprecatur dominum? Et ipse dum caro sit, reservat iram et repropitiationem petit a domino? Et quis exorabit pro peccatis illius?