wholly the evil one's; but if there be any in whom every spark of baptismal life has been extinguished, God has given us no hope that it shall be renewed. The words of St. John then are a solemn warning to us, to take heed that we cultivate that good thing, which has been planted in us; that "we quench not the Spirit;" that "the light which is in us be not darkness;" but they do not tell us that that good thing has never been implanted; that Spirit never given; that light never kindled: and as in the one case we should without doubt interpret the words, "he who committeth sin is of the Devil," every such person, as far as he committeth sin, is of the Devil; so in the other, "every one as far as he is born, or the child of God, doth not commit sin[1]."
- ↑ I find exactly this sense expressed in St. Augustine, Cont. Mendacium ad Consentium, § 40. t. vi. col. 473. ed. Bened. "This birth (of God) if it alone existed in us, no one would sin, and when it alone shall be, no one will sin. But now we yet drag along with us our corrupt birth, although, according to our new birth, if we walk well, we are day by day renewed within. But when this corruption shall have put on incorruption, life will swallow up every thing, and no sting of death will remain. But the sting of death is sin," add. de peccat meritis et remiss. L. 1. § 9, 10. t.x. col. 44–6. ed. Bened. I insert a few words only, "For the whole of our old infirmity is not destroyed from the very hour when each is baptized, but the renewal is begun by the remission of all sins.—We have now, then, the first-fruits of the Spirit, whence we are already in deed made the Sons of God: but for the rest, as it is in hope that we are saved, and made completely new, so is it that we are sons of God: but in deed, because we are not yet saved, so also not as yet fully renewed, not as yet also sons of God, but children of the world. We make progress therefore towards complete renewal and perfect life, through that whereby we are sons of God, and through this we altogether can commit no sin; until into this (renewed nature) that also shall be wholly changed, whereby we are yet children of the world: for by this we can yet sin. Thus it is, that both 'he that is born of God sinneth not,' and if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves. That then shall be consumed, wherein we are children of the flesh and of the world, and that perfected whereby we are sons of God and renewed in Spirit," &c. add. de perfectione justitiæ hominis, § 39. t. x. col. 185. de gratia Christi, §. 22. col. 239. cont. Epist. Parmenian. L. 2. § 14. t. ix. col. 33.So also St. Basil Moralia c. 22. "What belongeth to him who has been born of the Spirit? To become, according to the measure given, the same as that of which he was born, as is written Joh. iii. 6." To the same
