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| Chapter II. Abbot Theodore's answer to the question proposed to him.
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Chapter II.
Abbot Theodore’s answer to the question proposed
to him.
This question often
exercises the minds of those who have not much faith or knowledge, and
imagine that the prizes and rewards of the saints (which are not given
in this world, but laid up for the future) are bestowed in the short
space of this mortal life. But we whose hope in Christ is not only in
this life, for fear lest, as the Apostle says, we should be “of
all men most miserable”1367
(because as we
receive none of the promises in this world we should for our unbelief
lose them also in that to come) ought not wrongly to follow their
ideas, lest through ignorance of the true real explanation, we should
hesitate and tremble and fail in temptation, if we find ourselves given
up to such men; and should ascribe to God injustice or carelessness
about the affairs of mankind—a thing which it is almost a sin to
mention—because He does not protect in their temptations men who
are living an upright and holy life, nor requite good men with good
things and evil men with evil things in this world; and so we should
deserve to fall under the condemnation of those whom the prophet
Zephaniah rebukes, saying “who say in their hearts the Lord will
not do good, nor will He do evil:”1368
or at least be found among those of
whom we are told that they blaspheme God with such complaints as this:
“Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and
such please Him: for surely where is the God of
judgment?”1369
Adding further
that blasphemy which is described in the same way in what follows:
“He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it
that we have kept His ordinances, and walked sorrowful before the Lord?
Wherefore now we call the proud happy, for they that work wickedness
are enriched, and they have tempted God, and are
preserved.”1370
Wherefore that
we may avoid this ignorance which is the root and cause of this most
deadly error, we ought in the first place to know what is really good,
and what is bad, and so finally if we grasp the true scriptural meaning
of these words, and not the false popular one, we shall escape being
deceived by the errors of unbelievers.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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