A Treatise on Grace and Free Will 35
35 Commendations of Love PL 44, 902
The Apostle Peter, likewise, says, “And, above all things, have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins.” The Apostle James also says, “If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.” So also the Apostle John says, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the right;” again, in another passage, “Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother; for this is the message which we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” Then he says again, “This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” Once more: “And this commandment have we from Him that he who loveth God love his brother also.” Then shortly afterwards he adds, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments; for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” While, in his second Epistle, it is written, “Not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”
Et apostolus Petrus: Ante omnia, inquit, mutuam inter vos charitatem perpetuam habentes, quia charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum . Dicit etiam apostolus Jacobus: Si tamen legem perficitis regalem, secundum Scripturas, Diliges proximum tuum tanquam te ipsum, bene facitis . Item Joannes apostolus: Qui diligit, inquit, fratrem suum, in lumine manet . Et alio loco: Qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum: quia haec est annuntiatio quam audivimus ab initio, ut diligamus invicem. Itemque alibi: Hoc est, inquit, mandatum illius, ut credamus nomini Filii ejus Jesu Christi, et diligamus invicem . Et iterum: Hoc, inquit, mandatum habemus ab ipso, ut qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum . Et paulo post: In hoc, inquit, cognoscimus, quia diligimus filios Dei, cum Deum diligimus, et praecepta ejus facimus: Haec est enim dilectio Dei, ut praecepta ejus servemus, et praecepta ejus gravia non sunt . Et in Epistola secunda scriptum est: Non quasi praeceptum novum scribam tibi, sed quod habuimus ab initio, ut diligamus invicem .