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BUT that no one however holy is in this life free from trespasses and
sin, we are told also by the teaching of the Saviour, who gave His
disciples the form of the perfect prayer and among those other sublime and
sacred commands, which as they were only given to the saints and perfect
cannot apply to the wicked and unbelievers, He bade this to be inserted:
"And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors." If then this
is offered as a true prayer and by saints, as we ought without the shadow
of a doubt to believe, who can be found so obstinate and impudent, so
puffed up with the pride of the devil's own rage, as to maintain that he is
without sin, and not only to think himself greater than apostles, but also
to charge the Saviour Himself with ignorance or folly, as if He either did
not know that some men could be free from debts, or was idly teaching those
whom He knew to stand in no need of the remedy of that prayer? But since
all the saints who altogether keep the commands of their King, say every
day "Forgive us our debts," if they sneak the truth there is indeed no one
free from sin, but if they speak falsely, it is equally true that they are
not free from the sin of falsehood. Wherefore also that most wise
Ecclesiastes reviewing in his mind all the actions and purposes of men
declares without any exception: "that there is not a righteous man upon
earth, that doeth good and sinneth not," i.e., no one ever could or ever
will be found on this earth so holy, so diligent, so earnest as to be able
continually to cling to that true and unique good, and not day after day to
feel that he is drawn aside from it and fails. But still though he
maintains that he cannot be free from wrong doing, yet none the less we
must not deny that he is righteous.
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