|
There is, then, no natural efficient cause or, if I may be allowed
the expression, no essential cause, of the evil will, since itself is
the origin of evil in mutable spirits, by which the good of their
nature is diminished and corrupted; and the will is made evil by
nothing else than defection from God, a defection of which the cause,
too, is certainly deficient. But as to the good will, if we should
say that there is no efficient cause of it, we must beware of giving
currency to the opinion that the good will of the good angels is not
created, but is co-eternal with God. For if they themselves are
created, how can we say that their good will was eternal? But if
created, was it created along with themselves, or did they exist for a
time without it? If along with themselves, then doubtless it was
created by Him who created them, and, as soon as ever they were
created, they attached themselves to Him who created them, with the
love He created in them. And they are separated from the society of
the rest, because they have continued in the same good will; while the
others have fallen away to another will, which is an evil one, by the
very fact of its being a falling away from the good; from which, we
may add, they would not have fallen away had they been unwilling to do
so. But if the good angels existed for a time without a good will,
and produced it in themselves without God's interference, then it
follows that they made themselves better than He made them. Away with
such a thought! For without a good will, what were they but evil?
Or if they were not evils, because they had not an evil will any more
than a good one (for they had not fallen away from that which as yet
they had not begun to enjoy), certainly they were not the same, not
so good, as when they came to have a good will. Or if they could not
make themselves better than they were made by Him who is surpassed by
none in His work, then certainly, without His helpful operation,
they could not come to possess that good will which made them better.
And though their good will effected that they did not turn to
themselves, who had a more stinted existence, but to Him who
supremely is, and that, being united to Him, their own being was
enlarged, and they lived a wise and blessed life by His communications
to them, what does this prove but that the will, however good it might
be, would have continued helplessly only to desire Him, had not He
who had made their nature out of nothing, and yet capable of enjoying
Him, first stimulated it to desire Him, and then filled it with
Himself, and so made it better?
Besides, this too has to be inquired into, whether, if the good
angels made their own will good, they did so with or without will? If
without, then it was not their doing. If with, was the will good or
bad? If bad, how could a bad will give birth to a good one? If
good, then already they had a good will. And who made this will,
which already they had, but He who created them with a good will, or
with that chaste love by which they cleaved to Him, in one and the
same act creating their nature, and endowing it with grace? And thus
we are driven to believe that the holy angels never existed without a
good will or the love of God. But the angels who, though created
good, are yet evil now, became so by their own will. And this will
was not made evil by their good nature, unless by its voluntary
defection from good; for good is not the cause of evil, but a
defection from good is. These angels, therefore, either received
less of the grace of the divine love than those who persevered in the
same; or if both were created equally good, then, while the one fell
by their evil will, the others were more abundantly assisted, and
attained to that pitch of blessedness at which they became certain they
should never fall from it, as we have already shown in the preceding
book. We must therefore acknowledge, with the praise due to the
Creator, that not only of holy men, but also of the holy angels, it
can be said that "the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by
the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them." And that not only of
men, but primarily and principally of angels it is true, as it is
written, "It is good to draw near to God." And those who have
this good in common, have, both with Him to whom they draw near, and
with one another, a holy fellowship, and form one city of God, His
living sacrifice, and His living temple. And I see that, as I
have now spoken of the rise of this city among the angels, it is time
to speak of the origin of that part of it which is hereafter to be
united to the immortal angels, and which at present is being gathered
from among mortal men, and is either sojourning on earth, or, in the
persons of those who have passed through death, is resting in the
secret receptacles and abodes of disembodied spirits. For from one
man, whom God created as the first, the whole human race descended,
according to the faith of Holy Scripture, which deservedly is of
wonderful authority among all nations throughout the world; since,
among its other true statements, it predicted, by its divine
foresight, that all nations would give credit to it.
|
|