Sirach 15:14 Therefore, sin is said to have its consequence, source, and origin in free will; for insofar as it is from nothing and defective in itself, it can err. God from the beginning constituted man; for on the sixth day at the beginning of the ages (cf. Gen. 1), He created him in His own image and likeness, and left him in the hand of his own counsel, that is, in the power of free will; and He caused him to subsist and remain in the liberty of counsel. Yet He did not abandon him destitute of the gifts of grace, nor of His preservation and governance; rather, according to Augustine, God was at once creating nature and bestowing grace.
Sirach 15:15 He also added commands and precepts to him; for He impressed upon him the precepts of the natural law, as well as moral precepts; and He also prescribed precepts concerning the propagation of offspring through generation, and about avoiding the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And just as He left the first man in his liberty (as has been said), so also the rest.
Sirach 15:16 Therefore it is added: “If you will to keep the commandments, because you are able to do so; they shall preserve you.” That is, by the merit of observing the commandments you will be saved and will remain in the state of grace, secure from the adversaries of your salvation; and you will keep acceptable faith forever. That is, if you have a full purpose of doing what is pleasing to God in fidelity, and of carrying out that faith by works, then you will be preserved forever by that merit. Hence it is said in Ecclesiastes: “He who keeps the commandments shall experience no evil.” And Christ asserts: “If anyone keeps my word, he shall not see death forever.”
“He has set before you water and fire.” That is, He has promised you the refreshment of grace and glory if you persevere in serving Him; He has also threatened the fire of hellish burning if you live viciously. “To whatever you will, stretch forth your hand,” that is, choose one of these, and extend your operative power toward one or the other; for you are free with respect to both, namely, to live virtuously and to live viciously. But when it says, “To whatever you will, stretch forth your hand,” it does not grant license for both, but rather indicates freedom with respect to both.
Sirach 15:17 “Before man are life and death.” That is, God has set before man the life of grace and glory, if he applies himself to God; so that although man cannot live justly or be saved without the supernatural help of God’s grace, nevertheless man is said to be able to serve God, to please Him, and to be saved, because if he does what lies within him, God will at once grant him the help of grace that makes him pleasing, and there will be no defect on God’s part. Similarly, He set before man death of guilt and of Gehenna, if he turns away from God. Thus before man are the good of virtue and the evil of guilt and punishment; what shall please him shall be given to him. That is, if man chooses to adhere to God, this good shall be given to him; but if otherwise, the evil of damnation. According to this sense Moses says: “Consider that I have set before you life and good, and on the contrary death and evil, that you may love the Lord.” And again in the same place: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse: therefore choose life.”
Sirach 15:18 “For great is the wisdom of God.” That is, God Almighty, from His infinite wisdom, has thus disposed these things, namely, by leaving rational creatures in their own liberty and by admonishing them to good, both by the promise of rewards and by the threat of punishments; so that man, by freely and spontaneously turning to God, might be more praiseworthy and might merit, since a meritorious act must be free. And He is mighty in power, that is, He is omnipotent; therefore it is most easy for Him to reward works of virtue. And seeing all without interruption, that is, knowing all, both good and bad, eternally and unchangeably, fully and distinctly, as holy Job says: “Does not God consider my ways and number all my steps?” Hence again in Job Elihu declares: “His eyes are upon the ways of men, and He numbers all their steps.” The Apostle also says: “All things are naked and open to His eyes.”
Sirach 15:19 “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him with filial fear.” That is, He looks upon and knows those who fear Him by a special approval and mercy, as is sung in the Psalm: “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him.” Hence also the Lord has spoken: “Upon whom shall I look, except upon the poor and the one who trembles at my words?” Therefore man ought to do nothing except what is worthy and pleasing to the divine sight. And He Himself knows every work, that is, every action, power, and necessity. Thus indeed the word “works” is understood when the Apostle says: “The eye cannot say to the hand: I have no need of your work.”
Sirach 15:20 “He has commanded no one to act impiously.” For since He is the first measure, cause, and rule of all goodness, justice, and virtue, by the very fact that He commands something, it is good and just. He has indeed commanded many things which are just in themselves, although they are done by men with impious and cruel will and with perverse intention; as when through the Assyrians and Chaldeans He punished the children of Israel, to whose punishment He stirred up those Gentiles; and as when He destroyed one Gentile kingdom by another. But they did such things with perverse mind, as is explained in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Obadiah, and other Prophets. Hence the Lord says: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; but he shall not so think, and his heart shall be bent on destruction.”
And He gave no one space for sinning, that is, He gave no one time or place in order that he might sin, but rather in order that, by living well, he might merit eternal glory. Therefore it is written: “God gave him a place for repentance, and he abused it in pride.” For He does not desire a multitude of unbelieving sons, useless to God and to themselves and to their neighbors. Rather, He abhors and condemns such, as He testifies in the Gospel: “Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness”; and again: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He will take away.” And as the Apostle testifies: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
CONTINUE
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