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But the peace which is peculiar to ourselves we enjoy now with God by
faith, and shall hereafter enjoy eternally with Him by sight. But
the peace which we enjoy in this life, whether common to all or
peculiar to ourselves, is rather the solace of our misery than the
positive enjoyment of felicity. Our very righteousness, too, though
true in so far as it has respect to the true good, is yet in this life
of such a kind that it consists rather in the remission of sins than in
the perfecting of virtues. Witness the prayer of the whole city of
God in its pilgrim state, for it cries to God by the mouth of all its
members, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." And
this prayer is efficacious not for those whose faith is "without works
and dead," but for those whose faith "worketh by love." For as
reason, though subjected to God, is yet "pressed down by the
corruptible body," so long as it is in this mortal condition, it has
not perfect authority over vice, and therefore this prayer is needed by
the righteous. For though it exercises authority, the vices do not
submit without a struggle. For however well one maintains the
conflict, and however thoroughly he has subdued these enemies, there
steals in some evil thing, which, if it do not find ready expression
in act, slips out by the lips, or insinuates itself into the thought;
and therefore his peace is not full so long as he is at war with his
vices. For it is a doubtful conflict he wages with those that resist,
and his victory over those that are defeated is not secure, but full of
anxiety and effort. Amidst these temptations, therefore, of all
which it has been summarily said in the divine oracles, "Is not human
life upon earth a temptation?" who but a proud man can presume that he
so lives that he has no need to say to God, "Forgive us our
debts?" And such a man is not great, but swollen and puffed up with
vanity, and is justly resisted by Him who abundantly gives grace to
the humble. Whence it is said, "God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace to the humble." In this, then, consists the
righteousness of a man, that he submit himself to God, his body to
his soul, and his vices, even when they rebel, to his reason, which
either defeats or at least resists them; and also that he beg from God
grace to do his duty, and the pardon of his sins, and that he render
to God thanks for all the blessings he receives. But, in that final
peace to which all our righteousness has reference, and for the sake of
which it is maintained, as our nature shall enjoy a sound immortality
and incorruption, and shall have no more vices, and as we shall
experience no resistance either from ourselves or from others, it will
not be necessary that reason should rule vices which no longer exist,
but God shall rule the man, and the soul shall rule the body, with a
sweetness and facility suitable to the felicity of a life which is done
with bondage. And this condition shall there be eternal, and we shall
be assured of its eternity; and thus the peace of this blessedness and
the blessedness of this peace shall be the supreme good.
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