Now the words of Julian from his first book to Florus, from chapter 111, thus: 'But let them run to Him who cries out, My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matt. 11:30), who both bestows pardon on the evildoer out of His inestimable goodness, and makes better, by renewing and adopting, the innocence which He creates good.' 1. To these things. Besides the replies of the holy man: He indeed innovates all by creating, but He does not renew all by regenerating, except only those of whom He Himself says: Unless one be born again of water and of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven (John 3:5). Or, as the same says: Unless one be born anew (ibid., 7).
Whence you are suspected of fraud and guile, because nowhere in your whole work did it seem fitting to you to make mention of renewal; but the word of innovation always came into your mind. For it is certain that there is a great difference between innovation and renewal: for that which is innovated, as is known to all, can be understood to be what never was, and has newly come into existence; but that which is renewed is that which assuredly already was, and had come into oldness; which, if it be renewed, is called renewed. 2. But it cannot easily be proved that the divine Scripture has used this expression, namely, of innovation; but its discourse concerning renewal is most frequent. 3. Hear, against your will, the Apostle Paul saying:
SicutiestveritasinJesudeponerevos, secundumpri-stinamconversationem, veteremhominemquicorrum-pitursecundumdesideriaerroris; renovaminiautemsensum [Baluz. sensu ] mentisvestrae, etinduitenovumhominem, quisecundumDeumcreatusestinjustitiasanctitatisetveritatis ( Ephes, iv, 22). Itemidem: CumautembenignitasethumanitasilluxitSalvatorisDeinostri, nonexoperibusjustitiae, quaenosfecimus, sedsecundumsuammisericordiamsalvosnosfecitperlavacrumregenerationisetrenovationisSpiritussancti, quemditissimeeffuditsupernosinChristo ( Tit. iii, 5). Itemidem: Etsiexteriornosterhomocorrumpi-tur, sedinteriorrenovaturdedieindiem (IICor.
As the truth is in Jesus, that you put off, according to your former manner of life, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desires of error; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who according to God is created in righteousness and holiness and truth (Eph. 4:22). Likewise the same: But when the kindness and humanity of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out most richly upon us in Christ (Titus 3:5). Likewise the same: Though our outer man is corrupted, yet the inner man is renewed day by day (2 Cor.
4:12). 4. Then hear also who are adopted; hear, I say, not me, but the apostle Peter: You, he says, are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for adoption, that you may declare the virtues of God, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). Do you hear what he says? Do you perceive what he proclaims? That those are adopted—so that they become a people of God by adoption—who have been called out of darkness into that marvelous light: whence it follows that, unless one has been called out of darkness into that marvelous light, he is not a chosen generation, not a royal priesthood, not a holy nation, nor deserves to be a people for adoption. 5. Will you perhaps say, and command that
only grown men, who are called out of darkness into that marvelous light as sinners, themselves alone become the people of God; but infants, established from their very birth in the light, and free from darkness, since they have only—as you would have it—been innovated, and not renewed from some oldness of sin, are not of the people of God? Who among Christians would tolerate you saying these things? Who would not shudder at you, and flee, as from a deadly poison, from you writing these things?