|
I have also met with some who are of opinion that such only as neglect
to cover their sins with alms-deeds shall be punished in everlasting
fire; and they cite the words of the Apostle James, "He shall have
judgment without mercy who hath shown no mercy." Therefore, say
they, he who has not amended his ways, but yet has intermingled his
profligate and wicked actions with works of mercy, shall receive mercy
in the judgment, so that he shall either quite escape condemnation, or
shall be liberated from his doom after some time shorter or longer.
They suppose that this was the reason why the Judge Himself of quick
and dead declined to mention anything else than works of mercy done or
omitted, when awarding to those on His right hand life eternal, and
to those on His left everlasting punishment. To the same purpose,
they say, is the daily petition we make in the Lord's prayer,
"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." For, no
doubt, whoever pardons the person who has wronged him does a charitable
action. And this has been so highly commended by the Lord Himself,
that He says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." And
so it is to this kind of alms-deeds that the saying of the Apostle
James refers, "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shown
no mercy." And our Lord, they say, made no distinction of great
and small sins, but "Your Father will forgive your sins, if ye
forgive men theirs." Consequently they conclude that, though a man
has led an abandoned life up to the last day of it, yet whatsoever his
sins have been, they are all remitted by virtue of this daily prayer,
if only he has been mindful to attend to this one thing, that when they
who have done him any injury ask his pardon, he forgive them from his
heart.
When, by God's help, I have replied to all these errors, I shall
conclude this (twenty-first) book.
|
|