13. In this so great
conflict, wherein man under Grace lives, and when, being aided, he
fights well, rejoices in the Lord with trembling, there yet are not
wanting even to valiant warriors, and mortifiers however
unconquered of the works of the flesh, some wounds of sins, for the
healing of which they may say daily, “Forgive us our debts:”1855
against
the same vices, and against the
devil the
prince and king of vices,
striving with much greater watchfulness and keenness by the very
prayer, that his
deadly suggestions avail not aught, whereby he
further urges the
sinner to excuse rather than
accuse his own
sins;
and thus those
wounds not only be not
healed, but also, although
they were not
deadly, yet may be pressed
home to grievous and fatal
harm. And here therefore there is need of a more cautious
Continence, whereby to restrain the
proud appetite of man; whereby
he is self-pleased, and
unwilling to be found worthy of
blame, and
disdains, when he
sins, to be
convicted that he himself has
sinned;
not with healthful
humility taking upon him to
accuse himself, but
rather with fatal arrogance seeking to find an excuse. In order to
restrain this
pride, he, whose words I have already set down above,
and, as I could, commended, sought Continence from the
Lord. For,
after that he had said, “Set, O
Lord, a watch to my mouth, and a
door of Continence around my
lips. Make not my
heart to fall aside
unto
evil words;”
1856
explaining more clearly whereof he
spake this, he saith, “to make excuses in
sins.” For what more
evil than these words, whereby the
evil man denies that he is
evil,
although
convicted of an
evil work, which he cannot deny. And since
he cannot
hide the
deed, or say that it is well done, and still
sees that it is clear that it was done by him, he
seeks to refer to
another what he hath done, as though he could remove thence what he
hath deserved. Being
unwilling that himself be
guilty, he rather
adds to his guilt, and by excusing, not accusing, his own
sins, he
knows not that he is putting from him, not
punishment, but pardon.
For before human judges, forasmuch as they may be
deceived, it
seems to
profit somewhat for the time, to cleanse as it were what
hath been done
amiss by any
deceit whatever; but before
God, Who
cannot be deceived, we are to use, not a deceitful defense, but a
true confession of sins.
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