Chapter XI.

In the same manner, therefore, we maintain that the other announcements too refer to the condition of martyrdom. “He,” says Jesus, “who will value his own life also more than me, is not worthy of me,”71    Luke xiv. 26.—that is, he who will rather live by denying, than die by confessing, me; and “he who findeth his life shall lose it; but he who loseth it for my sake shall find it.”72    Matt. x. 39. Therefore indeed he finds it, who, in winning life, denies; but he who thinks that he wins it by denying, will lose it in hell. On the other hand, he who, through confessing, is killed, will lose it for the present, but is also about to find it unto everlasting life. In fine, governors themselves, when they urge men to deny, say, “Save your life;” and, “Do not lose your life.” How would Christ speak, but in accordance with the treatment to which the Christian would be subjected? But when He forbids thinking about what answer to make at a judgment-seat,73    Matt. x. 19. He is preparing His own servants for what awaited them, He gives the assurance that the Holy Spirit will answer by them; and when He wishes a brother to be visited in prison,74    Matt. xxv. 36. He is commanding that those about to confess be the object of solicitude; and He is soothing their sufferings when He asserts that God will avenge His own elect.75    Luke xviii. 7. In the parable also of the withering of the word76    Matt. xiii. 3. after the green blade had sprung up, He is drawing a picture with reference to the burning heat of persecutions. If these announcements are not understood as they are made, without doubt they signify something else than the sound indicates; and there will be one thing in the words, another in their meanings, as is the case with allegories, with parables, with riddles. Whatever wind of reasoning, therefore, these scorpions may catch (in their sails), with whatever subtlety they may attack, there is now one line of defence:77    See note 1, cap. iv. p. 637, supra. an appeal will be made to the facts themselves, whether they occur as the Scriptures represent that they would; since another thing will then be meant in the Scriptures if that very one (which seems to be so) is not found in actual facts. For what is written, must needs come to pass. Besides, what is written will then come to pass, if something different does not.  But, lo! we are both regarded as persons to be hated by all men for the sake of the name, as it is written; and are delivered up by our nearest of kin also, as it is written; and are brought before magistrates, and examined, and tortured, and make confession, and are ruthlessly killed, as it is written. So the Lord ordained. If He ordained these events otherwise, why do they not come to pass otherwise than He ordained them, that is, as He ordained them? And yet they do not come to pass otherwise than He ordained. Therefore, as they come to pass, so He ordained; and as He ordained, so they come to pass. For neither would they have been permitted to occur otherwise than He ordained, nor for His part would He have ordained otherwise than He would wish them to occur. Thus these passages of Scripture will not mean ought else than we recognise in actual facts; or if those events are not yet taking place which are announced, how are those taking place which have not been announced? For these events which are taking place have not been announced, if those which are announced are different, and not these which are taking place. Well now, seeing the very occurrences are met with in actual life which are believed to have been expressed with a different meaning in words, what would happen if they were found to have come to pass in a different manner than had been revealed? But this will be the waywardness of faith, not to believe what has been demonstrated, to assume the truth of what has not been demonstrated. And to this waywardness I will offer the following objection also, that if these events, which occur as is written, will not be the very ones which are announced, those too (which are meant) ought not to occur as is written, that they themselves also may not, after the example of these others, be in danger of exclusion, since there is one thing in the words and another in the facts; and there remains that even the events which have been announced are not seen when they occur, if they are announced otherwise than they have to occur. And how will those be believed (to have come to pass), which will not have been announced as they come to pass? Thus heretics, by not believing what is announced as it has been shown to have taken place, believe what has not been even announced.

CAPUT XI.

Eadem igitur forma, caetera quoque ad martyrii pertinere defendimus. Qui pluris, inquit (Luc. XIV), fecerit etiam animam suam quam me, non est me dignus; id est, qui maluerit vivere me negando, quam mori confitendo. Qui animam suam invenerit, perdet illam; qui vero perdiderit mei caussa, inveniet illam. Proinde enim invenit eam , qui negarit lucrifaciendo 0145A vitam; sed perdet in gehennam, qui se putat negando lucrifacere eam. Perdet autem eam ad praesens, qui confessus occiditur; sed inventurus eam in vitam aeternam. Ipsi denique praesides, cum hortantur negationi, serva animam tuam, dicunt, et noli animam tuam perdere. Quo modo loqueretur Christus, nisi quo modo tractaretur christianus? Sed cum prohibet meditari responsionem ad tribunal, famulos suos instruit, Spiritum Sanctum responsurum repromittit (Matth. X, 20); et cum in carcere fratrem vult visitari (Matth., XXV), confessoris imperat curam; et cum Deum vindictam facturum electorum suorum affirmat (Matth., XV), passiones consolatur illorum: etiam in parabola seminis post cespitem arefacti, persecutionum 0145B figurat ardorem. Haec si non ita accipiuntur quemadmodum pronuntiantur, sine dubio praeterquam sonant sapiunt; et aliud in vocibus erit, aliud in sensibus; ut allegoriae, ut parabolae, ut aenigmata. Quemcumque igitur conceperint ventum argumentationis scorpii isti, quocumque se acumine impegerint, una jam linea est: ad ipsas res provocabuntur, an secundum Scripturas transigantur. Siquidem tunc aliud significabitur in Scripturis, si non idipsum reperiatur in rebus. Quod enim scriptum est, hoc evenire oportebit. Porro, tunc eveniet quod est scriptum, si non aliud eveniet. Ecce autem et odio habemur ab omnibus hominibus, nominis caussa, quomodo et scriptum est; et tradimur etiam a proximis, quomodo et scriptum est; et perducimur ad potestates, et interrogamur, 0145C et torquemur, et confitemur, et trucidamur, quomodo et scriptum est (Matth., X). Sic Dominus edixit. Si aliter edixit haec, cur non aliter eveniunt, quam edixit, id est, quemadmodum edixit? Atquin non aliter eveniunt quam edixit: ergo sicut eveniunt, ita edixit, ita eveniunt. Nam nec licuisset aliter evenire, quam edixit; nec ipse aliter edixisset, quam evenire voluisset. Ita, non aliud significabunt Scripturae , quam in rebus recognoscimus. Aut si nondum aguntur illa quae praedicantur, quomodo 0146A haec aguntur quae praedicata non sunt? Non sunt enim haec praedicata quae aguntur, si alia sunt quae praedicantur, et non haec quae aguntur. At nunc, quia ipsa sunt in rebus, quae in vocibus, aliter dicta creduntur; quid fieret si aliter facta invenirentur? Sed haec est perversitas fidei, probata non credere, non probata praesumere. Cui perversitati illud quoque opponam, ut si haec quae sic aguntur quemadmodum scripta sunt, non erunt ipsa quae praedicantur, illa quae non debeant sic agi quemadmodum scripta sunt, ne et ipsa horum exemplo periclitentur, excludi siquidem aliud in vocibus, aliud in rebus est; et relinquitur nec praedicata videri cum evenerint, si aliter praedicantur quam evenire habent. Et quomodo credentur quae non erunt praedicata, 0146B quia non ita erunt praedicata quomodo eveniunt? Ita haeretici quae praedicantur non ut probata sunt credendo, ea quae nec praedicata sunt, credunt.