Saint Augustine (354-430)

Of Nature and Grace

Translated by Peter Holmes

Chapter 24

As to his statement, indeed, that “the Lord was able to die without sin”; His being born also was of the ability of His mercy, not the demand of His nature: so, likewise, did He undergo death of His own power; and this is our price which He paid to redeem us from death. Now, this truth their contention labours hard to make of none effect; for human nature is maintained by them to be such, that with free will it wants no such ransom in order to be translated from the power of darkness and of him who has the power of death, into the kingdom of Christ the Lord. And yet, when the Lord drew near His passion, He said, “Behold, the prince of this world cometh and shall find nothing in me,”—and therefore no sin, of course, on account of which he might exercise dominion over Him, so as to destroy Him. “But,” added He, “that the world may know that I do the will of my Father, arise, let us go hence”; as much as to say, I am going to die, not through the necessity of sin, but in voluntariness of obedience.

He asserts that “no evil is the cause of anything good”; as if punishment, forsooth, were good, although thereby many have been reformed. There are, then, evils which are of use by the wondrous mercy of God. Did that man experience some good thing, when he said, “Thou didst hide Thy face from me, and I was troubled”? Certainly not; and yet this very trouble was to him in a certain manner a remedy against his pride. For he had said in his prosperity, “I shall never be moved”; and so was ascribing to himself what he was receiving from the Lord. “For what had he that he did not receive?” It had, therefore, become necessary to show him whence he had received, that he might receive in humility what he had lost in pride. Accordingly, he says, “In Thy good pleasure, O Lord, Thou didst add strength to my beauty.” In this abundance of mine I once used to say, “I shall not be moved”; whereas it all came from Thee, not from myself. Then at last Thou didst turn away Thy face from me, and I became troubled.

Chapter 23

Chapter 25