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Augustine, Sermones 146-153 (Classis I, de Scripturis)

Sermon CLIII

Judae, peccatum Judaeorum, peccatum cujusque alterius hominis: cum audias: Eum qui non noverat peccatum, peccatum pro nobis fecit? Quis? quem? Deus Christum. Deus Christum fecit pro nobis peccatum. Non dixit, Fecit pro nobis peccantem; sed, fecit eum peccatum. Si nefas est dicere peccasse Christum, quis f⟨e⟩rat peccatum esse Christum? Et tamen non possumus Apostolo contradicere. Non ei possumus dicere: Quid est quod loqueris? Si enim hoc Apostolo dixerimus, ipsi Christo dicimus. Ait enim alio loco: An vu⟨l⟩tis experimentum ejus accipere, qui in me loquitur Christus (II Cor. XIII, 3)?

of Judas, the sin of the Jews, the sin of any other man: when you hear: Him Who had not known sin, He made sin for us? Who? Whom? God, Christ. God made Christ sin for us. He did not say, He made Him sinning for us; but, He made Him sin. If it is wicked to say that Christ sinned, who would endure [hearing] that Christ is sin? And yet we cannot contradict the Apostle. We cannot say to him: What is this that you are saying? For if we say this to the Apostle, we say it to Christ Himself. For he says in another place: Or do you wish to receive proof of Him Who speaks in me, Christ (2 Cor. 13:3)?

11. Verior interpretatio Apostoli. Christus peccatum factus quomodo. Quid igitur est? Intendat Charitas vestra magnum altumque mysterium. Felices eritis, si intellectum dilexeritis, et ad dilectum perveneritis. Prorsus, prorsus Christus Dom⟨i⟩nus noster, Jesus Salvator noster, Redemptor noster peccatum factus est, ut nos essemus justitia Dei in ipso. Quomodo? Audite Legem. Qui noverunt, sciunt quod dico: et qui non noverunt, legant, vel audiant. In Lege peccata vocabantur etiam sacrificia, quae pro peccatis offerebantur. Habes, cum victima pro peccato adduceretur, dicit Lex, Ponant manus suas sacerdotes super peccatum (Levit. IV); id est, super victimam pro peccato. Et quod est aliud quam Christus sacrificium pro peccato? Sicut et Christus, inquit, dilexit vos, et tradidit semetipsum pro vobis oblationem et hostiam Deo in odorem suavitatis (Ephes. V, 2). Ecce de quo peccato damnavit peccatum: de sacrificio quod factus est pro peccatis, inde damnavit peccatum. Ipsa est Lex spiritus vitae, quae liberavit te a lege peccati et mortis. Quia lex illa altera, lex litterae, lex jubens, bona est quidem; Mandatum, sanctum, et justum, et bonum: sed infirmabatur per carnem; et quod jubebat, in nobis impleri non poterat. Alia ergo lex, ut dicere coeperam, tibi ostendat peccatum, alia tollat: ostendat peccatum lex litterae, tollat peccatum lex gratiae.

11. The truer interpretation of the Apostle. How Christ was made sin. What then is it? Let your Charity attend to a great and deep mystery. You will be happy, if you love what you have understood, and arrive at what you love. Truly, truly Christ our Lord, Jesus our Saviour, our Redeemer was made sin, so that we might be the justice of God in Him. How? Hear the Law. Those who know it, know what I am saying: and those who do not know it, let them read, or listen. In the Law the sacrifices which were offered for sins were also called sins. You have it: when a victim for sin was being brought forward, the Law says, Let the priests place their hands upon the sin (Lev. 4); that is, upon the victim for sin. And what else is Christ but a sacrifice for sin? As Christ also, he says, loved you, and delivered Himself up for you as an offering and a victim to God for an odour of sweetness (Eph. 5:2). Behold by what sin He condemned sin: by the sacrifice which He was made for sins, by that He condemned sin. This is the Law of the spirit of life, which has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For that other law, the law of the letter, the law that commands, is indeed good; The commandment is holy, and just, and good: but it was weak through the flesh; and what it commanded could not be fulfilled in us. So let one law, as I had begun to say, show you sin, another take it away: let the law of the letter show sin, let the law of grace take sin away.

SERMO CLIII. De verbis Apostoli, Rom. VII, 5-13, Cum essemus in carne, passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti, etc. Contra Manichaeos aperte, et tacite contra Pelagianos.

Sermon 153. On the words of the Apostle, Rom. 7:5-13, When we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death, etc. Against the Manichaeans openly, and tacitly against the Pelagians.

C⟨A⟩PUT PRIMUM. — 1. Locus Apostoli exponendus quam difficilis. Audivimus, concorditerque respondimus, et Deo nostro consona voce cantavimus: Beatus vir quem tu erudieris, Domine, et ex lege tua docueris eum (Psal. XCIII, 12). Silentium si praebeatis, audietis. Non invenit locum sapientia, ubi non est patientia. Nos loquimur, sed erudit Deus: nos loquimur, sed Deus docet. Non enim beatus dictus est quem docet homo, sed quem tu erudieris, Domine. Nos

Chapter I. — 1. How difficult is the passage of the Apostle to be expounded. We have heard, and responded in concord, and sung to our God with harmonious voice: Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt instruct, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of Thy law (Ps. 93:12). If you grant silence, you will hear. Wisdom finds no place where there is no patience. We speak, but God instructs: we speak, but God teaches. For it is not he whom man teaches who is called blessed, but he whom Thou shalt instruct, O Lord. We

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Ms. cor., pervenietis.

Manuscript cor.: "pervenietis" [you will arrive].

(*) ‹anchor: SERMO CLIII› · call in col 825 Castigatus ad a. bn. cl. cb. f. fs. g. lr. m. pr. rm. vd. Am. Er. Par. Lov.

Corrected against a. bn. cl. cb. f. fs. g. lr. m. pr. rm. vd. [manuscript sigla] and the Amerbach, Erasmus, Paris and Louvain [editions].

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(a) ‹anchor: SERMO CLIII› · call in col 825

Alias, de Verbis Apostoli 4.

Elsewhere numbered: On the Words of the Apostle 4.

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(b) ‹anchor: contra Pelagianos› · call in col 825

Citat Beda ad Rom. VII, ibique totum fere transcripsit Florus. Hujus etiam meminit ipse Augustinus in sermone sequenti, postridie apud Carthaginem pronuntiato.

Bede cites it on Rom. 7, and there Florus copied out almost the whole of it. Augustine himself also mentions it in the following sermon, delivered the next day at Carthage.

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plantare possumus et rigare: sed Dei est incrementum dare (I Cor. III, 7). Qui plantat et qui rigat, forinsecus operatur: qui dat incrementum, intrinsecus opitulatur. Quae nobis lectio de sancti Apostoli Epistola proposita sit ad loquendum, quam difficilis, quam latebrosa, quam (si non intelligatur aut male intelligatur) periculosa; puto, fratres, imo scio, quia nobiscum recitaretur, audistis; et fluctuastis, si advertistis; aut si aliqui et intellexistis, quam sit arduum sine dubitatione vidistis. Hanc itaque lectionem totumque ipsum molestum et obscurum, sed intelligentibus salubrem Epistolae Apostoli locum suscepimus, adjuvante misericordia Dei, exponere disserendo. Charitati vestrae debitores nos esse scio, exactores vos esse sentio. Quemadmodum nos, ut ista percipiatis, oramus: sic et vos orate, ut ea vobis explicare valeamus. Si enim oratio nostra concordet; et vos faciet Deus idoneos auditores, et nos debiti hujus fidelissimos redditores.

can plant and water, but it is God's to give the increase (1 Cor. 3:7). He who plants and he who waters works from outside; He who gives the increase helps from within. How difficult, how obscure, how dangerous (if it is not understood or is misunderstood) is the reading from the Epistle of the holy Apostle that has been set before us to speak on, I think, brothers, indeed I know, you heard, since it was read out with us; and you wavered, if you paid attention; or if some of you also understood, you have seen without doubt how hard it is. This reading, then, and this whole passage of the Epistle of the Apostle, troublesome and obscure but wholesome to those who understand, we have undertaken, with the help of God's mercy, to expound by discourse. I know that we are debtors to your Charity; I sense that you are exacting the debt. Just as we pray that you may grasp these things, so you too pray that we may be able to unfold them to you. For if our prayer is in agreement, God will make both you fit hearers and us most faithful repayers of this debt.

CAPUT II.—2. Hoc loco abutuntur Manichaei.—Cum enim essemus in carne, ait Apostolus, passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti. Hic videtur (quod non intelligentibus primum et grande periculum est) Apostolus reprehendere et culpare legem Dei. Dicit aliquis, Absit hoc ab animo qualiscumque christiani: quis hoc vel insanus audeat de Apostolo suspicari? Et tamen, fratres mei, verba ista male intellecta, fomitem insaniae furori Manichaeorum subministrarunt. Manichaei enim legem Dei per Moysen datam, dicunt non a Deo datam, et eam Evangelio contrariam esse contendunt. Et quando cum eis agitur, his testimoniis apostoli Pauli quae non intelligunt, conantur convincere, quid dicam, catholicos non intelligeutes, et non potius negligentes? Non enim multum est, si quis velit esse diligens, post calumnias ab haeretico auditas, saltem considerare in codice circumstantiam lectionis. Quod si fecerit; ibi mox inveniet unde adversarium loquacem redarguat, unde hostes Legis rebellesque prosternat. Etsi enim tardus est ad intelligenda verba Apostoli, manifesta ibi laus est expressa legis Dei.

Chapter II.—2. The Manichaeans misuse this passage.—For when we were in the flesh, says the Apostle, the passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death. Here the Apostle seems (and for those who do not understand this is the first and great danger) to censure and blame the law of God. Someone says: Far be this from the mind of any Christian whatever: who, even if insane, would dare to suspect this of the Apostle? And yet, my brothers, these words, badly understood, have supplied the tinder of insanity to the frenzy of the Manichaeans. For the Manichaeans say that the law of God given through Moses was not given by God, and they contend that it is contrary to the Gospel. And when the matter is argued with them, with these testimonies of the apostle Paul, which they do not understand, they try to convict catholics who do not understand, what shall I say, or rather who are careless? For it is no great thing, if anyone is willing to be diligent, after hearing the calumnies of a heretic, at least to consider in the book the context of the reading. And if he does so, he will soon find there the means to refute a talkative adversary, to lay low the enemies and rebels of the Law. For even if he is slow to understand the words of the Apostle, the praise of the law of God is clearly expressed there.

3. Manichaeorum calumnia refellenda ex consequentibus. Videte enim prius et advertite. Cum enim essemus in carne, ait, passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur. Hic jam Manichaeus erigit cervicem, exaltat cornua, impetit te, facit impetum: Ecce, inquit. passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt. Quomodo bona est Lex, per quam in nobis sunt passiones peccatorum, et operantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferant morti? Lege, aliquantum progredere, totum audi patienter, etsi non intelligenter. Hoc enim quod ait, Passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, multum est ut intelligas: sed prius esto mecum Legis laudator, et tunc fieri mereberis intellector. Clausum cor habes, et clavem accusas? Ecce interim quod non intelligimus, paululum seponamus, ad laudem Legis quae aperta

3. The calumny of the Manichaeans to be refuted from what follows. For see first and pay attention. For when we were in the flesh, he says, the passions of sins which are through the Law were at work. Here now the Manichaean raises his neck, lifts up his horns, assails you, makes an attack: Look, he says, the passions of sins which are through the Law. How is the Law good, through which the passions of sins are in us and work in our members so as to bear fruit for death? Read, go on a little further, hear the whole patiently, even if not with understanding. For this that he says, The passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, is a great thing for you to understand; but first be with me a praiser of the Law, and then you will deserve to become an understander. You have a closed heart, and do you accuse the key? See, let us meanwhile set aside for a little what we do not understand, and to the praise of the Law, which is plain,

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Lov., Abit hoc ab animo qualicumque christiani. Er. Lugd. Ven. secuti sumus. M.

Louvain: "Abit hoc ab animo qualicumque christiani" [this departs from the mind of any Christian whatever]. We have followed Erasmus, Lyons, Venice. M.

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est veniamus. Passiones, inquit, peccatorum, quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti. Nunc ergo evacuati sumus a Lege mortis, in qua detinebamur, ita ut serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae. Adhuc videtur Legem arguere, culpare, improbare, detestari : sed non intelligentibus. Cum enim dicit, Cum essemus in carne, passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti. Nunc ergo evacuati sumus a Lege mortis, in qua detinebamur, ita ut serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae, quasi utique videtur Legem accusare atque culpare. Vidit hoc et ipse, vidit, sensit se non intelligi, et contra obscuritatem verborum suorum cogitationes hominum commoveri : sensit quid possis dicere, sensit quid possis contradicere ; et prior hoc voluit dicere, ut tu non invenias quod diceres.

let us come. The passions of sins, he says, which are through the Law, were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death. But now we have been emptied out from the Law of death, in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. He still seems to be arguing against the Law, blaming it, disapproving of it, detesting it: but only to those who do not understand. For when he says, When we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death. But now we have been emptied out from the Law of death, in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, he certainly seems, as it were, to accuse and blame the Law. He himself saw this too; he saw, he perceived that he was not understood, and that people's thoughts were being stirred up against the obscurity of his words. He perceived what you might say, he perceived what you might say against him; and he chose to say it first, so that you would not find anything to say.

CAPUT III. — 4. Apostolus ipse Legis reprehensores ibidem damnat.— Quid ergo dicemus, inquit? Hoc sequitur. Quid ergo dicemus ? Lex peccatum est ? Absit. Uno verbo Legem absolvit, Legis accusatorem damnavit. Auctoritatem Apostoli contra me proferebas, o Manichaee, et dicebas mihi, cum Legem reprehenderes, Ecce audi Apostolum, lege Apostolum : Passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti. Nunc ergo evacuati sumus a Lege mortis, in qua detinebamur, ita ut serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae. Jactabas te, clamabas, dicebas, audi, lege, vide : ista dixeras, et jam verso tergo ire cupiebas. Exspecta, audivi te, audi me : imo nec ego te, nec tu me ; sed ambo simul audiamus Apostolum, qui solvit se, et alligat te. Quid ergo dicemus, inquit ? Lex peccatum est ? Hoc dicebas, Lex peccatum est, hoc nempe dicebas. Ecce audisti quod dicebas, audi quod dicas. Legem Dei peccatum esse dicebas, quando eam caecus et improvidus reprehendebas. Errasti : vidit Paulus errorem tuum. Quod dicebas, ipse dixit. Quid ergo dicemus ? Lex peccatum est ? Quod dicebas, hoc dicimus ? Lex peccatum est ? Absit. Si Apostoli sequebaris auctoritatem, appende verbum, et cape inde consilium. Audi, Lex peccatum est ? Absit. Audi, Absit. Si Apostolum sequeris, si ejus auctoritatem plurimi pendis, audi, Absit : et quod sentiebas, a te absit. Quid ergo di⟨c⟩emus ? Quid dicemus ? quia dixi, Passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt, operabantur in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent morti ; quia dixi, Evacuati sumus a Lege mortis, in qua de⟨t⟩inebamar ; quia dixi, Serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae : Lex peccatum est ? Absit. Quare ergo, Apostole, tanta illa dixisti ?

Chapter III. 4. The Apostle himself condemns, in that very place, those who find fault with the Law. What then shall we say? he says. This follows. What then shall we say? Is the Law sin? Far from it. With one word he acquitted the Law and condemned the Law's accuser. You used to bring forward the authority of the Apostle against me, O Manichaean, and you used to say to me, when you found fault with the Law: Look, hear the Apostle, read the Apostle: The passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death. But now we have been emptied out from the Law of death, in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. You boasted, you shouted, you said: Hear, read, see. You had said these things, and, turning your back, you were already wanting to go away. Wait: I have heard you, hear me. Or rather, neither I you nor you me; but let us both together hear the Apostle, who releases himself and binds you. What then shall we say? he says. Is the Law sin? This is what you used to say, The Law is sin; this, surely, is what you used to say. See, you have heard what you used to say; hear what you should say. You used to say that the Law of God was sin, when, blind and heedless, you found fault with it. You were mistaken: Paul saw your error. What you used to say, he himself said: What then shall we say? Is the Law sin? Do we say what you used to say? Is the Law sin? Far from it. If you followed the authority of the Apostle, weigh the word, and take counsel from it. Hear: Is the Law sin? Far from it. Hear: Far from it. If you follow the Apostle, if you set the highest value on his authority, hear: Far from it; and let what you used to think be far from you. What then shall we say? What shall we say? Because I said, The passions of sins which are through the Law were at work in our members, so as to bear fruit for death; because I said, We have been emptied out from the Law of death, in which we were held; because I said, Let us serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter: is the Law sin? Far from it. Why then, Apostle, did you say all those things?

CAPUT IV.—5. Lex concupiscere malum prohibens, non est mala. Lex absit ut sit peccatum : Sed peccatum, i⟨n⟩quit, non cognovi, nisi per Legem. Nam concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi Lex diceret, Non concupisces. Jam modo interrogo te, Manichaee, modo te int⟨e⟩rrogo, responde

Chapter IV. 5. The Law, forbidding to covet evil, is not evil. Far be it that the Law should be sin: But I did not know sin, he says, except through the Law. For I would not have known covetousness, had the Law not said, You shall not covet. Now then I question you, Manichaean, now I question you, answer

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Mss., ubique.

The manuscripts: "ubique" [everywhere].

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Er. Lugd. Ven. sic legunt : Quare ergo, Apostole, post tanta illa dixisti, Lex absit ut sit peccatum, etc. M.

Erasmus, Lyons, Venice read thus: "Why then, Apostle, after such great things did you say, 'Far be it that the Law should be sin,'" etc. M.

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mihi. Mala est Lex quae dicit, Non concupisces? Hoc nec luxuriosus mihi et nequam aliquis responderit. Etenim et ipsi homines flagitiosi quando reprehenduntur, erubescunt; et quando sunt inter castos, lascivire non audent. Si ergo malam dicis esse Legem quae dicit, Non concupisces; impune vis concupiscere; accusas Legem, quia percutit libidinem. Fratres mei, si non audiremus Apostolum dicentem, Lex peccatum est? Absit; sed tantummodo verba Legis commemorantem, ubi dictum est, Non concupisces: etiam Legem illo non laudante, nos tamen laudare deberemus: illam laudare, nos accusare. Ecce Lex, ecce desuper tuba divina clamat homini, Non concupisces. Non concupisces, reprehende si potes; fac, si reprehendere non potes. Audisti, Non concupisces, reprehendere non audes. Quia bonum est quod dixit, Non concupisces; malum est concupiscere. Malum culpat Lex, a tuo malo te prohibet Lex. Ergo concupiscere malum culpat Lex, a tuo malo te prohibet Lex. Ergo fac quod jubet Lex, noli facere quod vetat Lex, noli concupiscere.

me. Is the Law evil which says, You shall not covet? Not even some dissolute and worthless man would answer me so. For indeed even shameful men themselves, when they are reproached, blush; and when they are among the chaste, they do not dare to behave wantonly. If then you say that the Law which says, You shall not covet, is evil, you want to covet with impunity; you accuse the Law because it strikes at lust. My brothers, if we did not hear the Apostle saying, Is the Law sin? Far from it; but only recalling the words of the Law, where it is said, You shall not covet: even without his praising the Law, we nevertheless ought to praise it: to praise it, and to accuse ourselves. Behold the Law, behold, from above the divine trumpet cries out to man, You shall not covet. You shall not covet: find fault with it if you can; do it, if you cannot find fault with it. You have heard, You shall not covet; you do not dare to find fault with it. Because what it said is good, You shall not covet; to covet is evil. The Law blames what is evil; the Law forbids you your own evil. Therefore the Law blames coveting as evil; the Law forbids you your own evil. Therefore do what the Law commands, do not do what the Law forbids: do not covet.

CAPUT V. — 6. Concupiscentiae malum ante Legem ignotum. Sed quid ait Apostolus? Concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi Lex diceret, Non concupisces. Ibam enim post concupiscentiam meam, et qua trahebat currebam, ejusque illecebras blandas, et ex carnali suavitate jucundas magnam felicitatem arbitrabar. Laudatur enim peccator, ait Lex, in desideriis animae suae; et qui iniqua gerit, benedicitur (Psal. IX, 3). Invenis hominem concupiscentias suas carnales sectantem, totumque se illis servum donantem, aucupari undique voluptates, fornicari, inebriari; non dico amplius; fornicari, inquam, inebriari. Haec dixi quae licite committuntur, sed non Dei legibus. Quis enim aliquando ad judicem ductus est, quia meretricis lupanar intravit? Quis aliquando in publicis tribunalibus accusatus est, qnia per suas lyristrias lascivus immundusque defluxit? Quis aliquando habens uxorem, quia ancillam suam vitiavit, crimen invenit? Sed in foro, non in coelo; in lege mundi, non in lege Creatoris mundi. Luxuriosus autem, immundus atque lascivus felix dicitur abundare voluptatibus, frui deliciis. Jamvero si se etiam vino ingurgitet, si bibat mensuras sine mensura; parum est quia non invenit crimen, etiam viri fortis accipit nomen: tanto nequior, quanto sub poculo invictior. Cum laudantur ista, et dicitur, Felix est, magnus est, bene est illi; et non solum hoc non putatur esse peccatum, sed etiam putatur vel Dei donum, vel certe suave, blandum et licitum bonum: procedit lex Dei, et dicit, Non concupisces. Ille homo qui putabat magnum bonum esse, magnamque felicitatem existimabat, ea quae posset, suae concupiscentiae non negare, sequi qua trahit; audit, Non concupisces; et cognoscit esse peccatum. Deus dixit, homo audivit, Deo credidit, peccatum suum vidit; quod bonum putabat, malum esse cognovit: voluit frenare concupiscentiam, non ire post eam, strinxit se, conatus est, victus est. Qui fuit antea nescius malorum suorum, factus est doctus, et pejus est victus: coepit esse non solum peccator, sed

Chapter V. — 6. The evil of concupiscence unknown before the Law. But what does the Apostle say? I did not know concupiscence, unless the Law had said, You shall not covet. For I went after my concupiscence, and ran where it drew me, and I reckoned its allurements, alluring and pleasant from carnal sweetness, a great happiness. For the sinner is praised, says the Law, in the desires of his soul; and he who does wicked things is blessed (Ps. 9:3). You find a man pursuing his carnal desires and giving himself up wholly as their slave, hunting pleasures on every side, fornicating, getting drunk; I say no more; fornicating, I say, getting drunk. I have named these things which are committed lawfully, but not by the laws of God. For who has ever been brought before a judge because he entered a harlot's brothel? Who has ever been accused in the public courts because, wanton and unclean, he dissipated himself among his lyre-girls? Who, having a wife, has ever incurred a charge because he violated his slave-girl? But [this is] in the forum, not in heaven; in the law of the world, not in the law of the Creator of the world. Rather, the dissolute, unclean and wanton man is called happy to abound in pleasures, to enjoy delights. Indeed, if he even gorges himself with wine, if he drinks measures without measure, it is not enough that he incurs no charge: he even receives the name of a strong man: the more worthless, the more unconquered over the cup. When these things are praised, and it is said, He is happy, he is great, it goes well with him; and not only is this not thought to be sin, but it is even thought to be either a gift of God, or at least a sweet, alluring and lawful good: the law of God comes forth and says, You shall not covet. That man who thought it a great good, and reckoned it a great happiness, not to deny his concupiscence whatever he could, to follow where it draws: he hears, You shall not covet; and he recognizes that it is sin. God spoke, man heard, he believed God, he saw his sin; what he thought good, he recognized to be evil: he wanted to rein in concupiscence, not to go after it; he restrained himself, he strove, he was conquered. He who before was ignorant of his evils was made learned, and was conquered worse: he began to be not only a sinner, but

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etiam praevaricator. Peccator enim et antea erat: sed antequam Legem audiret, peccatorem se esse nesciebat. Legem audivit, peccatum vidit; conatus est vincere, superatus atque prostratus est; factus est et Legis praevaricator, qui fuit antea nescius peccator. Hoc dicit Apostolus: Lex peccatum est? Absit. Sed peccatum non cognovi, nisi per Legem. Nam concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi Lex diceret, Non concupisces.

also a transgressor. For he was a sinner even before; but before he heard the Law, he did not know that he was a sinner. He heard the Law, he saw sin; he tried to conquer, he was overcome and laid low; he became also a transgressor of the Law, he who before was a sinner unaware. This is what the Apostle says: Is the Law sin? Far from it. But I did not know sin except through the Law. For I did not know concupiscence, unless the Law had said, You shall not covet.

7. Concupiscentia per Legem aucta, non victa. — Occasione autem accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam. Minor erat concupiscentia, quando ante Legem securus peccabas, nunc autem oppositis tibi obicibus Legis, fluvius concupiscentiae quasi frenatus est paululum, non siccatus: sed increscente impetu qui te ducebat obicibus nullis, obruit te obicibus ruptis. Concupiscentia tua minor erat, quando tuam movebat libidinem, omnis est autem quando transcendit et Legem. Vis nosse quam magna sit? Vide quid ruperit: Non concupisces. Non homo dixit, Deus dixit, Creator dixit, Judex aeternus dixit, non quicumque dixit. Fac ergo quod dixit. Non facis? observa judicantem qui dixit. Sed quid facias, o homo? Ideo non vicisti, quia de te praesumpsisti.

7. Concupiscence increased through the Law, not conquered. — But sin, taking occasion, worked in me through the commandment all concupiscence. Concupiscence was lesser when before the Law you sinned without a care; but now, with the barriers of the Law set against you, the river of concupiscence was as it were reined in a little, not dried up: but with its force swelling, that force which used to carry you along when there were no barriers, it has overwhelmed you with the barriers broken. Your concupiscence was lesser when it stirred your lust; but it is entire when it passes beyond even the Law. Do you wish to know how great it is? See what it has broken through: You shall not covet. No man said it; God said it, the Creator said it, the eternal Judge said it; no mere anyone said it. Do, then, what He said. You do not do it? Watch out for the Judge Who said it. But what are you to do, O man? You have not conquered for this reason: because you relied on yourself.

CAPUT VI. — 8. Praesumens de se ipso vincitur. Attende ergo nunc verba superiora, quae videbantur obscura: Cum enim essemus in carne. Verba quae superiora diximus, unde coepit lectio quae obscura videbatur, attendite: Cum enim essemus in carne, passiones peccatorum quae per Legem sunt. Unde per Legem sunt? Quia eramus in carne. Quid est, quia eramus in carne? Praesumebamus de carne. Num enim qui loquebatur Apostolus, jam exierat de ista carne, aut eis loquebatur qui jam exierant morte de ista carne? Non utique; sed secundum hujus vitae modum, et qui loquebatur, et quibus loquebatur, in carne erant. Quid ergo est, Cum essemus in carne; nisi, cum de carne praesumeremus, hoc est, de nobis consideremus? Homini enim dictum est, et de hominibus dictum est, Videbit omnis caro salutare Dei (Isai. XL, 5; Luc. III, 6). Quid est, Videbit omnis caro; nisi, videbit omnis homo? Et quid est, Verbum caro factum est (Joan. I, 14); nisi, Verbum homo factum est? Non enim Verbum et caro erat, et anima ibi non erat: sed carnis nomine homo significatus est, in eo quod legitur, Verbum caro factum est. Ergo Cum essemus in carne, id est, in concupiscentiis carnis versaremur, ibique totam spem nostram tanquam in nobis poneremus: passiones peccatorum, quae per legem sunt, auctae sunt per legem. Prohibendo enim fecerunt legis praevaricatorem; quia ille qui praevaricator est factus, Deum non habuit adjutorem. Operabantur ergo in membris nostris, ut fructum ferrent, cui, nisi morti? Si damnandus erat peccator quam spem habet praevaricator?

Chapter VI. — 8. He who relies on himself is conquered. Attend, then, now to the earlier words, which seemed obscure: For when we were in the flesh. The words which we quoted earlier, where the reading began that seemed obscure, attend to them: For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which are through the Law. Why are they through the Law? Because we were in the flesh. What is "because we were in the flesh"? We relied on the flesh. For had the Apostle who was speaking already departed from this flesh, or was he speaking to those who had already departed from this flesh by death? Certainly not; but according to the manner of this life, both he who was speaking and those to whom he was speaking were in the flesh. What, then, is When we were in the flesh, except "when we relied on the flesh", that is, "trusted in ourselves"? For it was said to man, and it was said of men, All flesh shall see the salvation of God (Isa. 40:5; Luke 3:6). What is All flesh shall see, except "every man shall see"? And what is The Word was made flesh (John 1:14), except "the Word was made man"? For it was not that there was the Word and flesh, and the soul was not there: but by the name of flesh man is signified, in what we read, The Word was made flesh. Therefore, When we were in the flesh, that is, when we were engaged in the concupiscences of the flesh, and placed all our hope there as though in ourselves: the passions of sins, which are through the law, were increased through the law. For by prohibiting they made a transgressor of the law; because he who became a transgressor did not have God as his helper. They were at work, then, in our members, to bear fruit, to whom, if not to death? If the sinner was to be condemned, what hope has the transgressor?

CAPUT VII. — 9. Confidendum non in se, sed in Deo. Ergo, o homo, vicit te concupiscentia tua; vicit, quia in malo loco te invenit: invenit te in carne, ideo te vicit. Migra inde: quid expavescis? Non tibi dixi ut moriaris. Noli expavescere, quia dixi, Migra de carne. Non tibi dixi ut moriaris, imo audeo dicere, dixi ut

Chapter VII. — 9. One must trust not in oneself, but in God. So, O man, your concupiscence has conquered you; it conquered because it found you in a bad place: it found you in the flesh, therefore it conquered you. Move out from there: why are you terrified? I did not tell you to die. Do not be terrified because I said, Move out of the flesh. I did not tell you to die; nay, I dare to say, I told you to

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moriaris. Si mortui estis cum Christo, quae sursum sunt quaerite. In carne vivens, noli esse in carne. Omnis caro fenum, Verbum autem Domini manet in aeternum (Isai. XL, 6). Dominus fiat refugium tuum. Instat concupiscentia, urget te, magnas vires accepit adversum te, prohibitione Legis grandior facta est, majorem hostem pateris: sit Dominus refugium tuum, turris fortitudinis a facie inimici (Psal. LX, 4). Noli ergo esse in carne, in spiritu esto. Quid est in spiritu esto? In Deo spem pone. Nam si posueris spem in ipso spiritu quo homo es, iterum spiritus tuus in carnem relabitur, quia non dedisti eum illi a quo suspendatur. Non se continet, si non continetur. Noli remanere in te, transcende et te: in illo te pone qui fecit te. Nam si spem in te habueris, accepta Lege praevaricator eris. Invenit te hostis nudum refugio, invadit te: vide ne forte rapiat, velut leo, et non sit qui eruat (Psal. XLIX, 22). Attende verba Apostoli Legem laudantis, se accusantis, reum se sub Lege facientis, et personam forte tuam in se transfigurantis, et dicentis tibi: Peccatum non cognovi, nisi per Legem. Nam concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi Lex diceret, Non concupisces. Occasione autem accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam. Sine lege enim peccatum mortuum est. Quid est, mortuum est? Latet, non apparet omnino, tanquam sepultum ignoratur. Adveniente autem mandato, peccatum revixit. Quid est, revixit? Apparere coepit, sentiri coepit, rebellare adversum me coepit.

die. If you have died with Christ, seek the things that are above. Living in the flesh, do not be in the flesh. All flesh is hay, but the Word of the Lord abides for ever (Isa. 40:6). Let the Lord become your refuge. Concupiscence presses on, it urges you, it has received great strength against you, it has been made greater by the prohibition of the Law, you are enduring a greater enemy: let the Lord be your refuge, a tower of strength from the face of the enemy (Ps. 60:4). Do not, then, be in the flesh; be in the spirit. What is "be in the spirit"? Place your hope in God. For if you place your hope in the very spirit by which you are a man, your spirit slips back again into the flesh, because you have not given it to Him from Whom it may hang. It does not hold itself together if it is not held together. Do not remain in yourself; go beyond even yourself: place yourself in Him Who made you. For if you have your hope in yourself, once you have received the Law you will be a transgressor. The enemy finds you bare of refuge, he attacks you: see that he does not perhaps seize you, like a lion, and there be none to rescue (Ps. 49:22). Attend to the words of the Apostle praising the Law, accusing himself, making himself guilty under the Law, and perhaps transferring your person into himself, and saying to you: I did not know sin, except through the Law. For I did not know concupiscence, unless the Law had said, You shall not covet. But taking occasion, sin worked in me through the commandment all concupiscence. For without the law sin is dead. What is "is dead"? It lies hidden, it does not appear at all, like something buried it is not known. But when the commandment came, sin revived. What is "revived"? It began to appear, it began to be felt, it began to rebel against me.

CAPUT VIII.—10. Delectatio legis Dei, et delectatio concupiscentiae. — Ego autem mortuus sum. Quid est, mortuus sum? Praevaricator factus sum, Et inventum est mihi mandatum quod erat in vitam. Videte quia Lex laudatur, mandatum quod erat in vitam. Qualis enim vita est, non concupiscere? O vita dulcis! Dulcis est quidem voluptas concupiscentiae: verum est, nec eam homines sequerentur, nisi dulcis esset. Theatrum, spectaculum, meretrix lasciva, turpissima cantilena, dulcia sunt ista concupiscentiae; dulcia plane, suavia, delectabilia: sed, Narraverunt mihi injusti delectationes, sed non sicut lex tua, Domine (Psal. CXVIII, 85). Suavia sunt, dulcia sunt, delectabilia sunt: sed audi meliora, Narraverunt mihi injusti delectationes, sed non sicut lex tua, Domine F⟨e⟩lix anima quae hujusmodi delectationibus oblectatur, ubi turpitudine nulla inquinatur, et veritatis serenitate purgatur. Quem autem delectat lex Dei, et sic delectat, ut omnes delectationes lasciviae vincat, non sibi arroget istam delectationem: Dominus dabit suavitatem (Psal. LXXXIV, 13). Quam dicam? Domine, da mihi illam suavitatem, vel illam? Suavis es, Domine, et in tua suavitate doce me justitias tuas (Psal. CXVIII, 68). In tua suavitate doce me, et doces me. Tunc disco ut faciam, si in tua suavitate doceas me. Caeterum quamdiu blanditur iniquitas et dulcis est iniquitas, amara est

Chapter VIII.—10. The delight of the law of God, and the delight of concupiscence. — But I died. What is "I died"? I became a transgressor. And the commandment which was unto life was found by me. See that the Law is praised: the commandment which was unto life. For what kind of life is it, not to covet? O sweet life! Sweet indeed is the pleasure of concupiscence: it is true, nor would men follow it, unless it were sweet. The theatre, the show, the wanton harlot, the most shameful song: these things are sweet to concupiscence; sweet plainly, pleasant, delightful: but, The unjust have told me of delights, but not as Thy law, O Lord (Ps. 118:85). They are pleasant, they are sweet, they are delightful: but hear better things: The unjust have told me of delights, but not as Thy law, O Lord. Happy the soul that is delighted with delights of this kind, where it is defiled by no foulness, and is cleansed by the serenity of truth. But let him whom the law of God delights, and delights in such a way that it overcomes all the delights of wantonness, not claim this delight for himself: The Lord will give sweetness (Ps. 84:13). Which shall I speak of? Lord, give me that sweetness, or that one? Sweet art Thou, O Lord, and in Thy sweetness teach me Thy justifications (Ps. 118:68). In Thy sweetness teach me, and Thou dost teach me. Then I learn so as to do, if Thou teach me in Thy sweetness. But as long as iniquity flatters and iniquity is sweet, bitter is

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Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: not visible in the page-foot image› · call in col 830

Codex f., in illo pone ; omissa particula te, pro qua spem, subintelligere licuisset.

Codex f.: "in illo pone" [place in him], with the word "te" [yourself] omitted, in place of which one might have understood "spem" [hope].

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Verbum, vide, abest ab Am. Er. et a Mss., qui sic subsequentia connectunt : Ne forte rapiat velut leo, et non si qui eruat attende, etc.

The word "vide" [see] is absent from the Amerbach and Erasmus [editions] and from the manuscripts, which join what follows thus: "Lest perhaps he seize like a lion, and there be none to rescue, take heed," etc.

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veritas. In tua suavitate doce me : ut suavis sit veritas, dulcedine ⟨t⟩ua contemnatur iniquitas. Multo melior est et suavior veritas, sed sanis suavis est panis. Quid melius et praeclarius pane coelesti? Sed si non obstupefacit dentes iniquitas. Scriptura enim dicit : Sicut ura acerba dentibus noxia est, et fumus oculis ; sic iniquitas utentibus ea (Prov. X, 26). Quid prodest quia panem laudatis, si male vivitis? Quod laudatis non manducatis. Cum ergo audis verbum, cum audis verbum justitiae et veritatis, et laudas ; multo laudabilius est, si facias. Fac ergo quod laudas. An dicturus es : Volo, sed non valeo? Quare non vales? Quia sanitas non est. Unde sanitatem perdidisti, nisi quia peccando Creatorem offendisti? Ergo ut ejus panem, quem laudas, cum suavitate, id est, cum sanitate manduces, dic illi : Ego dixi, Domine, miserere mei ; sana animam meam, quoniam peccavi tibi (Psal. XL, 5). Ergo, inquit, inventum est mihi mandatum quod erat in vitam, hoc esse in mortem. Erat enim sibi antea ignotus peccator, factus est manifestus praevaricator. Ecce inventum est illi in mortem, quod erat in vitam.

truth. In Thy sweetness teach me: so that truth may be sweet, and by its sweetness iniquity may be despised. Truth is far better and sweeter, but bread is sweet to the healthy. What is better and more excellent than heavenly bread? But only if iniquity does not set the teeth on edge. For Scripture says: As a sour grape is harmful to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is iniquity to those who practise it (Prov. 10:26). What does it profit you that you praise the bread, if you live badly? What you praise, you do not eat. So when you hear the word, when you hear the word of justice and truth, and you praise it, it is much more praiseworthy if you do it. Do, then, what you praise. Or are you going to say: I am willing, but I am not able? Why are you not able? Because there is no health. How did you lose your health, if not because by sinning you offended the Creator? Therefore, so that you may eat His bread, which you praise, with sweetness, that is, with health, say to Him: I said, Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee (Ps. 40:5). Therefore, he says, the commandment which was unto life was found to be, for me, unto death. For previously he was a sinner unknown to himself; he became a manifest transgressor. Behold, that which was unto life was found to be, for him, unto death.

CAPUT IX. — 11. Homo superbus gladio proprio occisus. — Occasione autem, inquit, accepta peccatum per mandatum fefellit me, et per illud occidit. Sic factum est primo in paradiso : Fefellit, inquit, me occasione accepta per mandatum. Vide serpentem mulieri illi susurrantem. Quaesivit ab ea quid dixerit Deus : respondit illa, Dixit nobis Deus : Ex omni ligno quod est in paradiso, edetis ; de ligno autem scientiae boni et mali non edetis. Ex eo si ederitis, morte moriemini. Hoc est Dei mandatum. Contra serpens : Non, inquit, morte moriemini. Sciebat enim Deus quia qua die ederitis, aperientur oculi vestri, et eritis tanquam dii (Gen. III, 2-5). Occasione ergo accepta peccatum per mandatum fefellit me, et per illud occidit. Gladio quem portabas, te inimicus occidit ; armis tuis te vicit, armis tuis te interemit. Recipe mandatum : scito esse arma, non quibus occidat te, sed quibus a te occidatur inimicus. Sed noli praesumere de viribus tuis. Vide parvum David contra G⟨o⟩liath, vide parvum contra ingentem ; sed in nomine Domini praesumentem. Tu venis ad me, inquit, cum clypeo et lancea ; ego in nomine Domini omnipotentis (I Reg. XVII, 45). Sic, sic ; aliter non : omnino aliter non prosternitur inimicus. Qui praesumit de viribus suis, antequam pugnet ipse prosternitur.

Chapter IX. — 11. The proud man slain by his own sword. — But sin, he says, taking occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. So it happened first in paradise: It deceived me, he says, taking occasion through the commandment. See the serpent whispering to that woman. He asked her what God had said: she answered, God said to us: Of every tree that is in paradise you shall eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. If you eat of it, you shall die the death. This is the commandment of God. Against this the serpent said: You shall not die the death. For God knew that on whatever day you eat, your eyes will be opened, and you will be as gods (Gen. 3:2–5). Therefore sin, taking occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. With the sword which you were carrying, the enemy slew you; with your own arms he conquered you, with your own arms he destroyed you. Take back the commandment: know that it is arms, not with which he may slay you, but with which the enemy may be slain by you. But do not presume on your own strength. See little David against Goliath, see the little one against the huge one; but presuming in the name of the Lord. You come to me, he says, with shield and spear; I [come] in the name of the Lord Almighty (1 Sam. 17:45). Thus, thus; not otherwise: in no way otherwise is the enemy laid low. Whoever presumes on his own strength is himself laid low before he fights.

CAPUT X. — 12. Apostolus etiam atque etiam Legis apertissimus laudator. Videte tamen, charissimi, videte etiam atque etiam Paulum apostolum contra furorem Manichaeorum esse legis divinae apertissimum laudatorem, videte quid adjungat : Itaque lex quidem sancta, et mandatum sanctum, et justum, et bonum. Numquid uberius laudari potest? Paulo ante verbo illo quod dixit, Absit, defenderat a crimine, non laudaverat. Aliud est a crimine objecto defendere, aliud debito praeconio praedicare. Crimen objectum fuit, Quid ergo dicemus? Lex peccatum est? Defensio, Absit. Uno verbo defenditur veritas ; quia ma⟨g⟩na est Apostoli defendentis auctoritas. Quid diu defendat? Sufficit. Absit. An vultis, inquit, experimentum accipere

Chapter X. — 12. The Apostle, again and again, a most open praiser of the Law. See nevertheless, dearly beloved, see again and again that the apostle Paul, against the fury of the Manichaeans, is a most open praiser of the divine law; see what he adds: Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Can it be praised more richly? A little before, with that word which he said, God forbid, he had defended it from a charge, he had not praised it. It is one thing to defend from a charge brought, another to proclaim with due commendation. The charge brought was, What then shall we say? Is the law sin? The defence, God forbid. By one word the truth is defended, because great is the authority of the Apostle who defends it. Why should he defend at length? It is enough: God forbid. Or do you wish, he says, to receive proof

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ejus qui in me loquitur Christus (II Cor. XIII, 3)? Modo autem: Itaque lex quidem sancta, et mandatum sanctum, et justum, et bonum

of Christ Who speaks in me (2 Cor. 13:3)? But now: Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good

13. Idem tractatur argumentum. Quod ergo bonum est, mihi factum est mors? Absit. Quia bonum non est mors. Sed peccatum ut appareat peccatum, per bonum operatum est mihi mortem. Mors non est lex, sed peccatum est mors. Jamdudum autem dixerat. Sine lege peccatum mortuum est. Ubi vos admonueram, quia mortuum est, dixit, absconditum latet, non apparet. Modo videte quam vere ita dictum sit: Peccatum, inquit, ut appareat peccatum. Non dixit, Ut sit; quia erat et quando non apparebat. Peccatum ut appareat peccatum. Quid est, ut appareat peccatum? Quia concupiscentiam nesciebam, nisi Lex diceret, Non concupisces. Non ait, Concupiscentiam non habebam; sed, concupiscentiam nesciebam Sic etiam hic non ait, Ut sit peccatum; sed, ut appareat peccatum, per bonum mihi operatum est mortem. Quam mortem? Ut fiat supra modum peccator aut peccatum per mandatum. Attende, supra modum peceator. Quare supra modum? Quia jam et praevaricatio. Ubi enim lex non est, nec praevaricatio (Rom. IV, 15).

13. The same argument is treated. Did then what is good become death to me? Far from it. For the good is not death. But sin, that it might appear sin, worked death for me through the good. The law is not death, but sin is death. Now he had said long before: Without the law sin is dead. On which I had admonished you that, when he said it is dead, [he meant that] it lies hidden, concealed, it does not appear. Now see how truly it was so said: Sin, he says, that it might appear sin. He did not say, That it might be; for it existed even when it did not appear. Sin, that it might appear sin. What is "that it might appear sin"? Because I did not know concupiscence, unless the Law had said, You shall not covet. He does not say, I did not have concupiscence; but, I did not know concupiscence. So here too he does not say, That it might be sin; but, that it might appear sin, it worked death for me through the good. What death? That the sinner or sin might become beyond measure through the commandment. Mark this: a sinner beyond measure. Why beyond measure? Because now there is transgression as well. For where there is no law, neither is there transgression (Rom. 4:15).

CAPUT XI.—14. Peccatum ex primo homine tractum. Videte ergo, fratres, videte genus humanum a prima illius primi hominis morte fluxisse. Etenim peccatum a primo homine intravit in hunc mundum, et per peccatum mors, et ita in omnes homines pertransiit (Id. V, 12). Pertransiit, verbum attendite, quod audistis: considerate, videte quid est, pertransiit. Pertransiit: inde est et parvulus reus; peccatum nondum fecit, sed traxit. Etenim illud peccatum non in fonte mansit, sed pertransiit: non in illum aut illum, sed in omnes homines pertransiit. Genuit peccatores morti obnoxios primus peccator, primus praevaricator. Venit ad sanandos de virgine Salvator. Quia ad te non qua venisti, venit: non enim ille de concupiscentia maris et feminae, non de illo vinculo concupiscentiae. Spiritus, inquit, sanctus superveniet in te. Dictum est hoc virgini, dictum est fide ferventi, non concupiscentia carnis aestuanti: Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi (Luc. I, 35). Quae tale obumbraculum haberet, quando ardore libidinis aestuaret? Quia ergo non qua venisti ad te venit, liberat te. Ubi te invenit? Venumdatum sub peccato, jacentem in morte primi hominis, trahentem peccatum primi hominis, habentem reatum antequam habere posses arbitrium. Ecce ubi te invenit, quando parvulum invenit. Sed parvuli aetatem excessisti: ecce crevisti, primo peccato multa addidisti; legem accepisti, praevaricator exstitisti. Sed noli esse sollicitus: Ubi abundavit peccatum, superabundavit gratia (Rom. V, 20). Conversi ad Dominum, etc.

Chapter XI.—14. Sin drawn from the first man. See then, brethren, see that the human race has flowed from that first death of the first man. For sin entered into this world through the first man, and through sin death, and so it passed through into all men (ibid. 5:12). Passed through: attend to the word which you have heard; consider, see what "passed through" is. Passed through: hence even the little child is guilty; it has not yet committed sin, but it has contracted it. For that sin did not remain at its source, but passed through: not into this man or that man, but it passed through into all men. The first sinner, the first transgressor, begot sinners liable to death. The Saviour came from a virgin to heal [them]. For He came to you not by the way by which you came: for He was not [born] of the concupiscence of male and female, not of that bond of concupiscence. The Holy Spirit, it says, shall come upon you. This was said to a virgin, it was said to one fervent in faith, not to one burning with the concupiscence of the flesh: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you (Luke 1:35). What woman could have such an overshadowing while she was burning with the heat of lust? Since, then, He came to you not by the way by which you came, He sets you free. Where did He find you? Sold under sin, lying in the death of the first man, drawing the sin of the first man, having guilt before you could have choice. See where He found you, when He found you a little child. But you have passed beyond the age of a little child: see, you have grown up, you have added much to the first sin; you have received the law, you have become a transgressor. But do not be anxious: Where sin abounded, grace has superabounded (Rom. 5:20). Turning to the Lord, etc.

Editors' notes and page, col. 832

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: Quia ergo› · call in col 832

Sic Am. Er. et Mss. At Lov., Qui ergo.

So the Amerbach and Erasmus [editions] and the manuscripts. But Louvain: "Qui ergo" [he therefore who].