23. We see in this age criminals chained together in a pitiful procession, and sometimes even the innocent endure such punishments, so that it is more bearable to die than to undergo such tortures. They certainly wish to be well aware of themselves being heard: even those who are burdened with grave crimes wish to expedite the punishment of death, in order to gain some small reduction in their penalties. There is also hope in the mercy of the judges. The chains of prison are even harsher than the very exile itself, and the return is not forever barred to all those who have been banished. If this is the human examination, how much more should it be sought after by all because it is Christ's! The judgment of the devil is delayed so that he may always be guilty in punishment, always bound by the chains of his wickedness, and forever endure the judgment of his own conscience. Therefore, that rich man in the Gospel (Luke 12:20), even though he is a sinner pressed by penal sufferings, is urged to escape quickly; but it is shown that the devil has not yet reached judgment, and is not yet subject to punishment, except for the fears that he himself, conscious of such great crimes, alleviates with perpetual dread, so that he may never be secure.
Indeed, to speak more truly, the holy one comes to judgment, the wicked one does not come: Because the wicked do not rise in judgment (Ps. I, 5). This one asks to be acquitted, another for the accused to be released. But whoever is not judged, does not believe, but is punished by the judgment of his own wickedness. Among those emperors, the barbarians are not punished for the crime they have committed against their own people; because they are not subject to them, but are considered enemies with a more serious name, who are punished for their crime without interrogation. And so Christ corrects those whom He loves; He punishes strangers as deserving of the general damnation of their impiety with eternal punishment; For the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:26): and yet the Prophet modestly teaches by his own example; so that even one who distrusts his own works may hope for a more lenient judgment due to the word of God.
25. One person desires to live for wealth, another for children: this one seeks to be enlivened by the word of God, just as Simeon awaited the Lord's coming; for he saw the Lord in the temple, and said: Now you dismiss your servant... in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:29-30), declaring that his desire to live was nothing other than to see Christ. Finally, he saw, and asked to be freed from the chains of his body.
26. We can also understand this: Judge my judgment, as if the reason is more serious for us regarding our judgment than for us to be considered in error. For to the one who is erring, forgiveness is more easily given than to the one who judges wickedly against another. For it is necessary for that form of judgment to return to you, which you yourself thought should be decreed against another.
27. (Verse 155.) The third verse follows: Salvation is far from sinners; for they have not sought your righteousness. Their judgment is a long time coming, their salvation is far off: but they themselves are the authors of their own danger, for they did not draw near to the Lord. Therefore they have become distant, because they have separated themselves from salvation by their own will. Salvation does not reject them, but they reject salvation by distancing themselves. He came to the Jews, but they did not receive salvation. How did they not receive? Listen, Jesus is salvation, Jesus is called the Son of Man: For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10): but the Jews asked for a robber to be released to them, they rejected Jesus (John 18:10).
28. But who is it who distances himself from the Lord, except the one who does not seek His justice? But he who seeks the justice of God is near, he clings to God. And therefore, to those who seek the justice of God, the Apostle says: You who were far away have become near in the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). The blood of Christ is justice. Finally, He Himself says to John: Allow... us to fulfill all justice (Matthew 3:15).
29. (Verse 156.) Here follows the fourth verse: Your mercies are exceedingly abundant, O Lord: according to your judgment, give me life. Although salvation is far from sinners, let no one despair, for the mercies of the Lord are many. For those who perish in their own sin are delivered by the mercy of the Lord. 'I will have mercy,' he says, 'on whom I will have mercy.' (Exodus 33:19) He appeared openly to those who were not seeking, he called those who were fleeing, he gathered the ignorant, he offered himself to suffering for all. So, are you very merciful? For the mercy of man is towards his neighbor: the mercy of the Lord is towards all flesh; so that all flesh may ascend to the Lord, being given that mercy of the Lord.
But when he says that there are many mercies of the Lord, how does he seek to be revived according to his judgments, especially when elsewhere he himself says: And do not enter into judgment with your servant (Psalm 142:2)? But one thing is the judgment of the benefits of Christ, to which we cannot respond (for who can repay the debt of nature, the debt of salvation and grace); another judgment, by which we are judged by the estimation of our frailty. In this very judgment, however, mercy is united; so that the truth of judgment is tempered by the mercy of the Lord.
31. Perhaps because he had said, Judge my judgment (Sup. v. 154); therefore, he added that the mercies of the Lord are too many: for it is a serious matter to judge another. Hence it is also written: Judge not, that ye be not judged (Luke VI, 37). For since everyone is conscious of his own sins, how can he judge the sin of another? Let him judge (3, quaest. 7, cap. Judicet) the error of another, who does not have anything in himself to condemn: let him judge, who does not do the same things that he considers punishable in another; lest when he judges another, he brings judgment upon himself: let him judge, who is not led by any hatred, offense, or lightness in pronouncing judgment. You heard today what the true and just judge said: 'I cannot do anything from myself.' (John 5:30).
32. Some heretics used to raise questions from here, as if the Son was weak, who did nothing of his own; as if he were also subject to the divinity, and subject to the father's command: and they do not realize that this also confirms the unity of divine power, where they think there is a distance of power between the Father and the Son. The Son does nothing of his own, because through the unity of operation, neither does the Son do anything without the Father, nor the Father without the Son. Finally, the Father says to the Son: Let us make man in our image and likeness (Gen. I, 26), affirming that there is a common operation where there is a common counsel. What does Wisdom do without Wisdom, who made all things in Wisdom, as it is written: You have made all things in Wisdom (Psal. CIII, 24)? Finally, Wisdom said, When he made the heavens, I was with him... I was the one whom he applauded (Prov. VIII, 27 and 30). And the Evangelist says: All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made (John 1:3); to teach that not only is the Son the maker of all things, but also the companion of the Father's work.
33. However, I believe that this place seems to be referred to the form of judgment; for the Gospel is not only a doctrine of faith, but also a teaching of morals, and a mirror of righteous conduct. I find in the Gospel that the Lord Jesus has taken on the affections and duties of many, in order to teach how we should conduct ourselves in these duties. He has taken on the role of a shepherd and said: The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). Therefore, he did not deny himself to the passion of the body for a reasonable flock; so that, placing a weary sheep on the shoulders of his cross, he might refresh it with the duty of a pious burden.
34. He assumed the role of an advocate: for we have Him as an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). He stayed up all night in prayer for us (Luke 6:12) so that He might instruct us by His own example how we should seek pardon for our sins. For He did not stay up all night as if He could not reconcile the Father to us in any other way, but to show what kind of advocate He should be: what kind of priest, so that he should not only stand as an intercessor for the flock of Christ during the day but also during the night. He needed help to obtain what he himself could do, as he said himself: I go to the Father: and whatever you ask in my name, I will do it (John 14:12-13). Furthermore, elsewhere he says, when he raised Lazarus: I knew that you always hear me (John 11:42). Here, as if weak, he stayed overnight, who knew that he is always heard, and he cried out: Lazarus, come out (ibid., 44). Resurrection spoke, death retreated.
He even took on the emotion of the matter, and stood before the judge as if guilty: nor did the Lord of all disdain the low status of a praetor. When questioned, he remained silent, showing that the defense of innocence lies not in the clamor of voice or the assertion of legal defense, but in the integrity of conscience. He sought not bodily safety, but the purity of the soul. In the end, he who acquitted Susanna while she was silent offered himself to death. In that case, he showed that no one should despair; in this case, that he would not deny the sacrifice of redeeming the universe. When he was finally killed, he did not complain, he did not retaliate. And the Lord of heaven and earth, out of his desire for vengeance, put aside and emitted a voice of humility, saying: If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? (John 18:23) Like a weak person, he lamented the injustice of his killing; and even though he could have avenged himself, he preferred to complain rather than to seek revenge.
Therefore, even here the person of the judge, and the purpose undertook, saying: I can do nothing of myself (John 5:30). For a good judge (3, question 7, chapter He judges, § Good) does nothing according to his own discretion, and acts according to the intention of domestic will, but pronounces according to laws and rights, obeys the rules of law, does not indulge his own will: he brings nothing prepared and meditated from home: but as he hears, he judges; and as the nature of the matter requires, he decides. He follows the laws, he does not oppose: he examines the merits of the case, he does not change.
37. Learn, judges of the world, what attitude you should hold in judging, what sobriety, what sincerity. The Lord of all says: I cannot do anything of myself. I read elsewhere: He cannot deny himself (II Tim. II, 13). He cannot indeed, not by weakness, but by integrity;not by inability to do, but by observance in judging. What cannot he do who can do all things, except what he does not want to do? He does not want to be able to condemn, he does not want to be able to go against faith, he does not want to be able to go against truth. Finally, listen to him saying why he cannot do anything of himself: As I hear, he says, and judge (John 5:30), that is, I do not decide what pleases me from my own power, but from the religion of judgment, what is just: and therefore my judgment is true: because I do not indulge my will, but equity. Hear what the heavenly judge says: I cannot do anything of myself, but as I hear, and judge.
38. And Pilate said to the Lord Jesus: I have the power to release you, and I have the power to crucify you. You, O man, usurp a power that you do not have; when God denies that he has it, who has power over all things! Listen to what justice says: I cannot do anything from myself. Listen to what the judge of equity asserts: As I hear, so I judge. Listen to what the judge of iniquity speaks: I have the power to release you, and I have the power to crucify you. Pilate, you are constrained by your own voice, you are condemned by your own sentence. Therefore, it was not for justice but for power that you handed over the Lord to be crucified: by your power you acquitted the thief, but you killed the author of life. And yet, you did not have that power which you claim to have. Finally, the Lord Jesus says to you: You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above (John 19:11). A wicked power allows what is not lawful. That is the power of darkness, to not see, but to despise.
39. Listen to what the true judge says: I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me (John 5:30). He speaks as a man; he teaches as a judge; for the one who judges should not obey his own will, but uphold what is lawful (3, quaest. 7, cap. Judicet. § Qui). Establish a judge for this world: can a rescript go against the form of the emperor? Can it exceed the rule of a noble decree? How much more should we preserve the form of divine judgment! Christ says: I do not seek my own will, that is, of man, which is either directed by hatred, or is intended by zeal, or is influenced by favor, or is perverted by the lies of others; For every man is a liar (Psalm 116:2). But he says, the will of him who sent me; that is, I have come to teach the form of divine knowledge; so that in judging, the custody of truth may be more cherished in the heart than the obedience of will (Question 3, Article 7, Chapter Judging, § In Judging). Therefore, here too it is not weakness of power, but rather the expression of justice.
40. Therefore, the judgment of the Son of God is just; for it is according to the will of God, not according to the affection of man; for God is full of mercy, and His mercy is with judgment, and His judgment is with mercy; He does not have mercy without judgment, nor does He judge without mercy. Finally, it is written: His mercy is on the scales (Isaiah 28:17). But the sons of men are liars on the scales, to deceive (Psalm 62:10). And so God examines and evaluates the merits of each individual, and as he gives grace according to measure, so he gives mercy according to measure. Hence it is said: 'They will give into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.' The same measure that you use, it will be used against you (Luke 6:38). Likewise, the deeds of each person are weighed on a balance; if good works outweigh the bad, the reward of the prize is given; if sins outweigh virtues, a harsher punishment restrains the guilty: as the Apostle Paul says to Timothy: 'The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later' (1 Timothy 5:24). Similarly, both good actions are made manifest, and those actions which are otherwise cannot be hidden.
41. Therefore, all things are made by our Lord God with a certain measure and weight. Who, he says, has placed... the rock in the balance (Isaiah 40:13)? And also: Who has measured with his hand the waters and the heavens (ibid., 12)? He who examines our things certainly bestows his things that have been examined, and he judges all things with a safe examination. He weighs mercy, he weighs vengeance; in both there is a certain weight and a fitting measure. Hence David also says: And you will give them to drink in tears, in measure (Psalm 79:6); so that they would not be overwhelmed by the weight of punishment without moderation, and they would not be able to endure. And the same prophet also says: The cup in the hand of the Lord is full of mixed wine, it is very irritating. And he poured out from this to that; however, its dregs have not been emptied out (Ps. 74, 9). And Jeremiah says: The golden cup Babylon is in the hand of the Lord, from which the nations were intoxicated (Jer. 51, 7): that is, the punishment has been paid by the nations; so that they would no longer insult, as they were harshly oppressing the people of God. Therefore, the sense of this verse of David is: The punishment that is due to the wicked is prepared and full, which the Lord turns away from the treacherous; but nevertheless, out of His mercy, He does not deign to pour it out completely to the bottom; so that they cannot bear the full extent of the punishment. Therefore, he tilts the cup, but does not empty it. What he tilts is for judgment; what he does not empty is for mercy.
42. Therefore, our Lord God tempers judgment with mercy. For who among us can subsist without divine mercy? What worthy deeds can we do for heavenly rewards? Who among us rises in this body so as to elevate their soul, perpetually clinging to Christ? To what extent is human merit bestowed, that this corruptible flesh may be clothed with incorruption, and this mortal body may be clothed with immortality? With what labors, with what injustices can we wash away our sins? The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come (Rom. VIII, 18). Therefore, it proceeds according to the mercy of God, not according to our merits, the form of heavenly decrees onto human beings.
43. (Verse 157.) The fifth verse follows: Many are pursuing me and troubling me; I have not turned away from your testimonies. It is not surprising if at that time you do not turn away from God's testimonies; when no one afflicts you, no one pursues you. For who, with the success of prosperous events favoring him without offense, would become ungrateful? Who, abundant in riches and robust in constant health, would not attribute to the grace of God that those things have been granted to him? Finally, when the Lord praised the holy Job, the adversary said: Does Job worship the Lord for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him? ... Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and see if he does not curse you to your face (Job 1:9-11). So, he was even more proven when he lost his wealth and children, yet he did not turn away from the worship and favor of the Lord. But he is not the only persecutor; he has many ministers. But do not be afraid: through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:21). If there are many persecutions, there are many trials; where there are many crowns, there are many contests; therefore, it benefits you that there are many persecutors; so that among many persecutions, you can more easily find how you will be crowned.
44. Let us learn from the example of Sebastian, the martyr, whose birthday is today. He was born in Milan. Perhaps the persecutor had already departed or had not yet come to this area, or he was more lenient. Sebastian noticed that there was either no struggle or a tepid one. He went to Rome, where intense persecution was raging because of the zeal for the faith; there he suffered, that is, there he was crowned. Therefore, in that place where the guest arrived, he established a dwelling of eternal immortality. If there had been only one persecutor, this martyr certainly would not have been crowned.
45. But what's worse, not only are these persecutors who are visible, but also those who are invisible; and there are many more persecutors! Just as one persecutor, the king, would send instructions of persecution to many, and in each city or province there were different persecutors; so too does the devil direct many of his ministers, who not only act outwardly, but also cause persecutions within the minds of individuals. Of these things it is said concerning persecutions: All who wish to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (II Thessalonians 3:12). He said all, leaving no exceptions. For who can be exempt when the Lord Himself endured the trials of persecutions? Greed persecutes, ambition persecutes, lust persecutes, pride persecutes, fornication persecutes. Hence the Apostle says: Flee from fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). For what reason would you flee, unless it pursued you? For there is an evil spirit of fornication, an evil spirit of greed, an evil spirit of pride.
These are severe persecutors, who frequently crush the mind of man without the terror of the sword, who conquer the souls of the faithful more with allurements than with terrors. These are the enemies to be guarded against, these are the more serious tyrants, by whom Adam was captured. Many were crowned in public persecution, but fell in this hidden persecution. 'Outside are conflicts,' he says, 'inside are fears' (2 Corinthians 7:5). Understand how grave the struggle is, which is within man; that he may wrestle with himself, may contend with his own desires. The Apostle himself fluctuates, hesitates, is bound, and declares himself to be captive under the law of sin and death, and to be subdued in the body, and that he could not escape unless he was liberated by the grace of the Lord Jesus (Rom. VII, 23-25).
47. Indeed, just as there are many persecutions, there are also many martyrdoms. You are a witness of Christ every day. You have been tempted by the spirit of fornication; but fearing the future judgment of Christ, you did not think it necessary to defile the purity of your mind and body: you are a martyr of Christ. You have been tempted by the spirit of greed, to seize the possession of another, to disregard the rights of a defenseless widow; and yet, considering the support of heavenly precepts, you judged it better to offer help than to inflict injury: you are a witness of Christ. Finally, Christ desires such witnesses to be present, as it is written: Judge the orphan, and justify the widow: and come, let us reason together, says the Lord (Isaiah 1:17-18). You were tempted by the spirit of pride; but seeing the poor and needy, you were moved with a compassionate mind, and loved humility rather than arrogance: you are a witness of Christ; and what is more, you have given testimony not only in words, but also in deeds. For who is a more rich witness than one who confesses that the Lord Jesus came in the flesh, while keeping the precepts of the Gospel? For he who hears and does not do, denies Christ; even if he confesses with words, he denies with works. How many will say: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and cast out demons, and performed many miracles (Matthew 7:22)? On that day, he will reply: Depart from me, all you who practice iniquity (Ibid., 23)! Therefore, he is a witness who testifies to the commands of the Lord Jesus, with the facts of the agreement.