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The apostle, wishing to show how hurtful a thing sin is, when grace
does not aid us, has not hesitated to say that the strength of sin is
that very law by which sin is prohibited. "The sting of death is
sin, and the strength of sin is the law." Most certainly true; for
prohibition increases the desire of illicit action, if righteousness is
not so loved that the desire of sin is conquered by that love. But
unless divine grace aid us, we cannot love nor delight in true
righteousness. But lest the law should be thought to be an evil,
since it is called the strength of sin, the apostle, when treating a
similar question in another place, says, "The law indeed is holy,
and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is
holy made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear
sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the
commandment might become exceeding sinful." Exceeding, he says,
because the transgression is more heinous when through the increasing
lust of sin the law itself also is despised. Why have we thought it
worth while to mention this? For this reason, because, as the law is
not an evil when it increases the lust of those who sin, so neither is
death a good thing when it increases the glory of those who suffer it,
since either the former is abandoned wickedly, and makes
transgressors, or the latter is embraced, for the truth's sake, and
makes martyrs. And thus the law is indeed good, because it is
prohibition of sin, and death is evil because it is the wages of sin;
but as wicked men make an evil use not only of evil, but also of good
things, so the righteous make a good use not only of good, but also of
evil things. Whence it comes to pass that the wicked make an ill use
of the law, though the law is good; and that the good die well,
though death is an evil.
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