Chapter 69.—153. Petilianus said: "‘Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.’2162
You make a pretence of
peace by your
wickedness, and
seek unity by
war."
154. Augustin answered: We do not make a pretense of peace by wickedness, but we preach peace out of the gospel; and if you were at peace with it, you would be at peace also with us. The risen Lord, when presenting Himself to the disciples, not only that they should gaze on Him with their eyes, but also that they should handle Him with their hands, began His discourse to them with the words, "Peace be unto you." And how this peace
itself was to be maintained, He disclosed to them in the words which followed. For "then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus is it written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."2163
If you will keep
peace with these words, you will not be at variance with us. For if we
seek unity by
war, our
war could not be
praised in more glorious terms, seeing that it is written, "Thou shall
love thy
neighbor as thyself."
2164
And again it is written, "No man ever yet
hated his own
flesh."
2165
And yet the
flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh.
2166
But if no man ever yet
hated his own
flesh, and yet a man lusteth against his own
flesh, here you have
unity sought by
war, that the body, being subject to correction, may be brought under submission. But what the spirit does against the
flesh, waging
war with it, not in
hatred but in
love, this those who are
spiritual do against those who are
carnal, that they may do towards them what they do towards themselves, because they
love their neighbors as neighbors indeed.
But the
war which the
spiritual wage is that correction which is in
love: their
sword is the word of
God. To such a
war they are aroused by the
trumpet of the
apostle sounding with a mighty force: "
Preach the word; be instant in
season, out of
season; reprove,
rebuke,
exhort, with all long-suffering and
doctrine."
2167
See then that we act not with the
sword, but with the word. But you answer what is not true, while you
accuse us falsely. You do not correct your own faults, and you bring against us those of other men.
Christ bears true witness concerning the
nations of the
earth; you, in opposition to
Christ, bear false witness against the
nations of the
earth. If we were to believe you rather than
Christ, you would call us
peacemakers; because we believe
Christ rather than you, we
are said to make a pretense of
peace by our
wickedness. And while you say and do such things as this, you have the further impudence to quote the words, "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God."
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