those who act unjustly would not have had so great fear of the laws hanging over them."Vol. 1. p. 16. They attribute to the heavenly bodies the causes of those things which depend upon every one's choice, I mean the habits of virtue or vice." Vol. 1. p. 56. "If the origin of vicious and virtuous actions be not in ourselves, but there is an innate necessity, there is no need of legislators to prescribe what we are to do and what we are to avoid; there is no need of judges to honour virtue and to punish wickedness. For it is not the injustice of the thief or of the murderer, who could not restrain his hand even if he would, because of the insuperable necessity which urges him to the actions."Vol. 1. p. 56. "There are virtues belonging to us according to nature, with which the soul is familiar, not from instruction of men, but from Nature herself. For as no reasoning teaches us to hate illness, but we have a spontaneous dislike of the things which give us pain, so there is in the soul a certain untaught declination from evil."-Vol. 1. p. 83. "The Lord will take away strength from a sinful people, but he gives strength to those who act justly. For unto every one that hath, shall be given; given (y);' but he who is enabled to do good works becomes worthy of a blessing from God." Vol. 1. p. 123. "God by his own will gives life to every one; but every one treasures up for himself wrath, in the day of wrath, and of revelation, and of the just judgement of God."-Vol. 1. 127. "It is not difficult for us, if we be willing, to love righteousness, and to hate injustice. For God has suitably given every faculty to the rational soul, as of love, so likewise of hatred, that, being directed by reason, we may love virtue and hate wickedness."—Vol. 1. P. 166. "It is impossible that we should be capable of divine grace, if we have not expelled the wicked passions which took possession of our souls."Vol. 1. p. 196. "What then does he say? That secretly within every one of us a certain balance is provided by our Creator, by which we may discriminate the nature of things. I have set before thee life and good; death and evil (x);' two natures opposite to each other. Weigh them in your own private tribunal; consider accurately, which is more profitable for you, whether to choose pleasure for a time, and through it to have everlasting death; or choosing affliction in the exercise of virtue, (y) Matt. c. 25. V. 29. (z) Deut. c. 30. v. 15. virtue, to be introduced by it to everlasting enjoyment. Men are liars, having corrupt judgements in their minds, whom the Prophet pities, saying, Woe unto them that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (a).' Present things, says a person, are within my reach, but who knows what will be hereafter? You weigh things ill in preferring bad things to good, vain things to true, temporal things to eternal, in choosing transitory pleasures, rather than continued and endless joys. The sons of men are deceitful in the balance of injustice. They injure first themselves, then their neighbours; being bad counsellors to themselves in their own conduct, and a miserable example to others. You will not be allowed to say in the day of judgement, I did not know what was good. You are furnished with your own balance, which affords you a sufficient discrimination between good and evil. Bodily weights are estimated by scales; but what is eligible in life, we discern by the free-will of our minds, which is called a balance, because it is capable of inclining either way."-Vol. 1. p. 197. . "Every rational creature is capable of virtue, and of vice."-Vol. 1. p. 297. "Animals are created with a natural forma (a) Is, c. 5. v. 20. tion tion suited to them, and they enter upon life provided with limbs, but they become diseased when perverted to an unnatural use. For they lose their health either through a bad diet, or from any other cause which brings on illness. Therefore God made the body, but not illness. And so God made the soul, but not sin; but the soul became disordered when turned from its natural state. What then was its chief good? An adherence to God, and union with him through love; failing in which, it became disordered with various infirmities. But why was it at all capable of evil? Because of its free-will, which is particularly suited to a rational nature. For being exempt from all necessity, and enjoying a freewill from its Creator, being made in the image of God, it understands what is good, and knows the enjoyment of it; and while it continues in the contemplation of what is good, and the enjoyment of intellectual things, it has power to preserve its life, agreeably to nature; but it has also a power to decline from what is good."-Vol. 2. p. 78. "You well know, that both our good will towards you, and the co-operation of God, depend upon your own wills, which being directed to that which is right, God will be present with you as an assistant, whether called upon or not." Vol. 3. p. 432. "Above all things I exhort you to remember the faith of the Fathers, and not to be shaken by those who would disturb you in your retreat; knowing that neither correctness of life of itself, unless enlightened by faith towards God, is profitable, nor that a right confession of faith without good works will be able to recommend you to the Lord; but both must concur, that the man of God may be perfect, and that our life may not be defective in any respect; for the faith which saves us, as the Apostle says, worketh by love (b)." Vol 3. p. 433. "We exhort you to remember the Lord, and having always before your eyes your departure out of this world, so to regulate your life, of which you must give an account to an infallible Judge, that you may have confidence in good works, before him who will reveal the secrets of your hearts, in the day of his visitation."-Vol. 3. p. 434. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUM-A. D. 370. "How great ought the contest to be considered by us, the salvation of whose blessed and immortal souls is at stake, which will be eternally punished (b) Gal. c. 5. v. 6. |