文集 第 6 章

Article 1: Hallowed be thy name. This is the first petition, in which we ask that his name may be made manifest and declared in us. Now the name of God is, first, wonderful, because in all creatures it works wonders; whence the Lord says in the Gospel of Mark, last chapter (16:17): 'In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.' Secondly, it is lovable. Acts 4:12: 'There is no other name under heaven given whereby we must be saved.' And salvation is to be loved by all. Take the example of blessed Ignatius, who so loved the name of Christ that, when Trajan demanded of him that he deny the name of Christ, he answered that it could not be removed from his mouth;

and when the emperor threatened to cut off his head and to remove Christ from his mouth, he said: 'Even if you take him from my mouth, you will never be able to snatch him from my heart; for I have this name inscribed upon my heart, and therefore I cannot cease from calling upon it.' Hearing this, Trajan, wishing to put it to the proof, ordered that the head of God's servant be cut off and his heart drawn out; and it was found to have the name of Christ written within it in letters of gold. For he had set this name upon his heart as a seal. Thirdly, it is venerable. The Apostle, Philippians 2:10: 'That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.' Of those in heaven, as regards the angels and the blessed;

those on earth, as regards worldly men, who do this either out of love of attaining glory or out of fear of escaping punishment; and those under the earth, namely the damned, who do this out of fear. Fourthly, it is inexpressible, because all tongues fail in declaring it. And therefore it is sometimes explained through creatures. Hence it is called a rock, by reason of its firmness: Matthew 16:18: 'Upon this rock I will build my Church.' Likewise fire, by reason of purification: for just as fire purifies metals, so God purifies the hearts of sinners; whence Deuteronomy 4:24: 'Your God is a consuming fire.' Likewise light, by reason of illumination: for just as light illumines the darkness, so the name of God illumines the darkness of the mind. Psalm 17:29: 'My God, enlighten my darkness.'

Hence we ask that this name be made manifest, that it may be known and held to be holy. Now 'holy' is said in three ways. For 'holy' is the same as 'firm'; whence all the blessed who are in heaven are called holy, because they are made firm in eternal happiness. In the world men cannot be holy, because they are continually changeable. Augustine: 'I flowed away from you, O Lord, and wandered too far; I became a wanderer from your stability.' Secondly, 'holy' is the same as 'not earthly'; whence the saints who are in heaven have no earthly affection; whence the Apostle, Philippians 3:8: 'I have counted all things as dung, that I may gain Christ.' Now by 'earth' sinners are designated. First, by reason of its sprouting:

for if earth is not cultivated, it brings forth thorns and thistles; so too the soul of a sinner, unless it be cultivated by grace, brings forth nothing but thistles and the prickings of sins. Genesis 3:18: 'Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you.' Secondly, by reason of its murkiness. For earth is murky and opaque; so too the sinner is murky and opaque. Genesis 1:2: 'Darkness was upon the face of the deep.' Thirdly, by reason of its condition. For earth is a dry element, which scatters unless it is held together by the moisture of water; for God set the earth upon the water, according to that of Psalm 135:6: 'Who established the earth above the waters,' because the dryness or aridity of the earth is held together by the moisture of water.

So too the sinner has a soul that is dry and arid, according to that of Psalm 142:6: 'My soul is like earth without water before you.' Likewise, thirdly, 'holy' is said as meaning 'dyed with blood'; whence the saints who are in heaven are called holy, in that they are dyed with blood, according to that of Revelation 7:14: 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.' Likewise, ibid. 1:5: 'He has washed us from our sins in his own blood.' Article 2: Thy kingdom come. As has been said, the Holy Spirit makes us love, desire, and ask rightly; and he produces in us first fear, by which we seek that the name of God be sanctified. Another gift is the gift of piety.

And piety, properly speaking, is a sweet and devout affection toward a father, and toward every man set in misery. Since therefore God is our Father, as is evident, we ought not only to revere and fear him, but also to bear toward him a sweet and devout affection. Now this affection makes us ask that the kingdom of God may come. Titus 2:12-13: 'That we may live piously and justly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of the great God.' But it might be asked: the kingdom of God has always existed; why then do we ask that it come? And so it must be said that this can be understood in three ways. First, because sometimes a king has only the right to a kingdom, or to dominion;

and yet the dominion over that very kingdom has not yet been declared, because the men of the kingdom are not yet subject to him. Then, therefore, his kingdom or dominion will first appear, when the men of the kingdom will be subject to him. Now God, of himself and by his own nature, is Lord of all; and Christ, both as God and also as man, has it from God that he be Lord of all. Daniel 7:14: 'He gave him power, and honor, and a kingdom.' It is fitting, therefore, that all things be subject to him. This, however, is not yet so, but will be at the end. 1 Corinthians 15:25: 'He must reign, until he puts all his enemies under his feet.' And therefore we ask and say: Thy kingdom come. And this as regards three things:

namely, that the just may be converted, that sinners may be punished, and that death may be destroyed. For men are subjected to Christ in two ways: either willingly or unwillingly. For since the will of God is so efficacious that it must be wholly fulfilled, and God wills that all things be subjected to Christ, one of two things will be necessary: namely, that either man do the will of God by subjecting himself to his commands—and this the just will do—or that God accomplish his will concerning all by punishing them—and this he will do to sinners and his enemies. And this will be at the end of the world. Psalm 109:1: 'Until I make your enemies your footstool.' And therefore it has been given to the saints to seek that the kingdom of God may come, namely that they themselves may be wholly subjected to him;

but to sinners it is terrifying, because to seek that the kingdom of God may come is nothing else than to seek that by the will of God they be subjected to punishments. Amos 5:18: 'Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord.' But by this also death is destroyed. For since Christ is life, death, which is contrary to life, cannot exist in his kingdom; therefore it is said in 1 Corinthians 15:26: 'And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' And this will be at the resurrection. Philippians 3:21: 'He will reform the body of our lowliness, made conformable to the body of his glory.' Secondly, the kingdom of heaven is called the glory of Paradise. Nor is this surprising; for a kingdom is nothing else than governance. Now there is the best governance where nothing is found contrary to the will of the one governing.

Now the will of God is the salvation of men, because he wills that men be saved; and this will be most fully in Paradise, where there will be nothing repugnant to the salvation of men. Matthew 13:41: 'They shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals.' But in this world there are many things contrary to the salvation of men. When therefore we ask, Thy kingdom come, we pray that we may be partakers of the heavenly kingdom and of the glory of Paradise. This kingdom is indeed greatly to be desired for three reasons. First, on account of the supreme justice which is in it. Isaiah 60:21: 'Your people shall be all just.' For here the evil are mixed with the good; but there no one will be evil, and no one a sinner. Likewise, on account of the most perfect liberty. For here there is no liberty, although all by nature desire it;

but there will be every kind of liberty, free from all bondage. Romans 8:21: 'The creature itself shall be delivered from corruption.' And not only will all be free there, but they will be kings: Revelation 5:10: 'You have made us a kingdom to our God.' The reason for this is that all will be of one will with God, and God will will whatever the saints will, and the saints whatever God shall have willed; whence with the will of God their will shall be done. And therefore all will reign, because the will of all will be done, and the Lord will be the crown of all. Isaiah 28:5: 'In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people.' Likewise, on account of the wonderful abundance. Isaiah 64:4:

'Eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what you have prepared for those who wait for you.' Psalm 102:5: 'Who fills your desire with good things.' And note that man will find all things in God alone, more excellently and more perfectly than anything that is sought in the world. If you seek delight, you will find the highest in God; if riches, there you will find every sufficiency, for the sake of which riches exist; and so of other things. Augustine, in the Confessions: 'The soul, when it commits fornication away from you, seeks outside you those things which it does not find pure and clear until it returns to you.' Thirdly, because sometimes in this world sin reigns. And this is when a man is so disposed that he immediately follows and pursues the appetite of sin. The Apostle, Romans 6:12:

'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body'; but God ought to reign in your heart. Isaiah 7:7 (cf. Micah): 'O Zion, your God shall reign.' And this is when a man is ready to obey God and to keep all his commandments. When therefore we ask that the kingdom may come, we pray that sin may not reign in us, but God. Now through this petition we shall attain to that beatitude of which it is said in Matthew 5:4: 'Blessed are the meek'; for according to the first exposition, from the fact that a man desires that God be Lord of all, he does not avenge himself for the injury done to him, but reserves it to God. For if you were to avenge yourself, you would not be seeking that his kingdom might come.

But according to the second exposition, if you await his kingdom, that is, the glory of Paradise, you ought not to care if you lose worldly things. Likewise, according to the third exposition, if you ask that God and Christ reign in you, since he himself was most meek, you too ought to be meek. Matthew 11:29: 'Learn of me, for I am meek.' Hebrews 10:34: 'You received with joy the plundering of your goods.' Article 3: Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. The third gift which the Holy Spirit produces in us is called the gift of knowledge. For the Holy Spirit not only produces in the good the gift of fear and the gift of piety, which is a sweet affection toward God, as has been said, but also makes a man wise.

And David asked for this in Psalm 118:66, saying: 'Teach me goodness, and discipline, and knowledge.' And this is the knowledge by which a man lives well, which the Holy Spirit has taught us. Now among the other things that contribute to a man's knowledge and wisdom, the chief wisdom is that a man should not lean upon his own understanding. Proverbs 3:5: 'Lean not upon your own prudence.' For those who presume upon their own understanding, so that they do not believe others but only themselves, are always found and judged to be fools. Proverbs 26:12: 'Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes? There shall be more hope of a fool than of him.' But that a man should not believe his own understanding proceeds from humility; whence also wisdom is the abode of humility, as is said in Proverbs 11.

But the proud believe in themselves too much. Therefore the Holy Spirit teaches this through the gift of knowledge, namely, that we should do not our own will, but the will of God. And therefore on account of this gift we ask of God that his will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And in this the gift of knowledge appears. Hence in this manner it is said to God, Thy will be done, just as if there were a sick man who wanted something from a physician: he does not want it absolutely, but according to the will of the physician; otherwise, if he willed only according to his own will, he would be a fool. So we ought to ask nothing of God except that his will be done concerning us, that is, that his will be fulfilled in us. For then the heart of man is upright, when it accords with the divine will. This Christ did: John

6:38: 'I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.' For Christ, inasmuch as he is God, has the same will as the Father; but inasmuch as he is man, he has a will distinct from the Father's; and according to this latter he says that he does not do his own will, but the Father's. And therefore he teaches us to pray and ask: Thy will be done. But what is meant by this? Is it not said in Psalm 113:3 (cf. 115:3): 'Whatever he willed, he has done'? If he does all things that he wills in heaven and on earth, what is the meaning of saying, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven? To understand this, we must know that God wills three things concerning us, and we ask that these may be fulfilled.

The first thing that God wills concerning us is that we should have eternal life. For whoever does something for the sake of some end wills that for which he does it. Now God made man, but not for nothing; because, as is said in Psalm 88:48: 'Have you indeed made all the sons of men in vain?' He therefore made men for the sake of something, but not for the sake of pleasures, for the beasts too have these, but that they might have eternal life. The Lord therefore wills that man have eternal life. But when something attains that for which it was made, it is said to be saved; and when it does not attain it, that thing is said to be lost. Now God made man for the sake of eternal life.

when therefore he attains eternal life, he is saved; and this the Lord wills: John 6:40: 'This is the will of my Father who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.' Now this will is already fulfilled in the angels and in the saints who are in the fatherland, because they see and know God and enjoy him; but we desire that, just as the will of God is fulfilled in the blessed who are in heaven, so it may be fulfilled in us who are on earth: and this we ask when we pray, Thy will be done in us who are on earth, as it is in the saints who are in heaven. Another will of God concerning us is that we should keep his commandments.

For when someone desires something, he wills not only that which he desires, but also all the means by which one comes to it; just as a physician, in order to attain health, also wills diet and medicine and the like. Now God wills that we should have eternal life. Matthew 19:17: 'If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.' He therefore wills that we keep the commandments. Romans 12:1: 'Your reasonable service'; ibid. 2: 'That you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.' Good, because useful: Isaiah 48:17: 'I am the Lord, teaching you profitable things.' Well-pleasing to the one who loves; and even if it is not pleasing to others, yet to the one who loves it is delightful. Psalm 96:11: 'Light is risen to the just, and joy to the upright of heart.' Perfect, because honorable: Matthew 5:48:

'Be perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.' Thus therefore when we say, Thy will be done, we pray that we may fulfill the commandments of God. Now this will of God is done in the just, but in sinners it is not yet done. The just are designated by heaven, the sinners by earth. We ask therefore that the will of God be done so on earth, that is, in sinners, as it is in heaven, that is, in the just. But it should be noted that from the manner of speaking instruction is given to us. For it does not say 'do,' nor even 'let us do,' but it says, Thy will be done: because for eternal life two things are necessary, namely the grace of God and the will of man; and although God made man without man, yet he does not justify him without him. Augustine, on John:

'He who created you without you, will not justify you without you,' because he wills that man cooperate. Zechariah 1:3: 'Turn to me, and I will turn to you.' The Apostle, 1 Corinthians 15:10: 'By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me has not been void.' Therefore do not presume upon yourself, but trust in the grace of God; nor be negligent, but apply your own effort. And therefore he does not say 'let us do,' lest it should seem that the grace of God does nothing; nor does he say 'do,' lest it should seem that our will and effort do nothing; but he says, Be it done by the grace of God, with our own zeal and effort applied. The third thing that God wills concerning us is that man be restored to the state and dignity in which the first man was created;

which was so great that the spirit and soul felt no resistance from the flesh and sensuality. For as long as the soul was subject to God, the flesh was so subject to the spirit that it felt no corruption of death or infirmity or of the other passions; but from the time that the spirit and soul—which was set as a mean between God and the flesh—rebelled against God through sin, then the body rebelled against the soul, and then it began to feel death and infirmities, and the continual rebellion of sensuality against the spirit. Romans 7:23: 'I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind'; and Galatians 5:17: 'The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.'

Thus there is a continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit, and man is continually made worse through sin. It is therefore the will of God that man be restored to his first state, namely that there be nothing in the flesh contrary to the spirit: 1 Thessalonians 4:3: 'This is the will of God, your sanctification.' Now this will of God cannot be fulfilled in this life, but will be fulfilled in the resurrection of the saints, when bodies shall rise glorified, and shall be incorruptible and most noble: 1 Corinthians 15:43: 'It is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory.' Yet the will of God is in the just as regards the spirit, through justice and knowledge and life. And therefore when we say, Thy will be done, we pray that it may also be done in the flesh.

For in this manner by 'heaven' we take the spirit, by 'earth' the flesh; so that the sense is: Thy will be done so on earth, that is, in our flesh, as it is done in heaven, that is, in our spirit through justice. Now through this petition we attain to the beatitude of mourning, of which Matthew 5:5 (cf. 5:4): 'Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' And this according to each of the three expositions. For according to the first, we desire eternal life; whence through love of it we are led to mourning: Psalm 119:5: 'Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged.' And this desire of the saints is so vehement that on account of it they desire death, which in itself is to be fled: 2 Corinthians 5:8:

'We are confident, and have a good will rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with God.' Likewise according to the second exposition, those who keep the commandments are in mourning: because although they are sweet to the soul, yet to the flesh they are bitter, which is continually mortified: Psalm 125:6: 'Going they went and wept,' as regards the flesh; 'but coming they shall come with exultation,' as regards the soul. Likewise according to the third exposition, from the struggle which is continually between the flesh and the spirit, mourning arises. For it cannot but happen that the soul be wounded, at least by venial sins, from the flesh; and therefore, that it may be expiated, it is in mourning: Psalm 6:7: 'I will wash every night,' that is, the darknesses of sin, 'my bed,' that is, my conscience.

And those who thus weep attain to the fatherland, to which may God bring us. Article 4: Give us this day our daily bread. It often happens that someone, from great knowledge and wisdom, becomes fearful; and therefore he needs fortitude of heart, lest he fail in necessities. Isaiah 40:29: 'Who gives strength to the weary, and to those who are not, he multiplies fortitude and vigor.' Now this fortitude the Holy Spirit gives: Ezekiel 2:2: 'The spirit entered into me (...) and set me upon my feet.' And this is the fortitude which the Holy Spirit gives, that the heart of man may not fail through fear of necessary things, but may firmly believe that all things necessary to him will be supplied to him by God.

And therefore the Holy Spirit, who gives this fortitude, teaches us to ask of God: Give us this day our daily bread. Hence he is called the spirit of fortitude. Now it should be known that in the three preceding petitions, spiritual things are asked for, which are here begun in this world, but are not perfected except in eternal life. For when we ask that the name of God be sanctified, we ask that the holiness of God may be known; when we ask that the kingdom of God may come, we ask that we may be partakers of eternal life; and when we pray that the will of God be done, we ask that his will be fulfilled in us; all of which, although they are begun in this world, yet cannot be perfectly possessed except in eternal life.

And therefore it was necessary to ask for certain necessary things which could be perfectly possessed in the present life. And hence it is that the Holy Spirit taught us to ask for things necessary in the present life, which are here perfectly had; at the same time also to show that even temporal things are provided for us by God. And this is what he says: Give us this day our daily bread. In which words indeed he taught us to avoid five sins which are wont to arise from the desire of temporal things. The first sin is that a man, through immoderate appetite, asks for things that exceed his state and condition, not content with what befits him; just as, if he desires garments, he does not want them as a soldier, if he is a soldier, but as a count;

not as a cleric, if he is a cleric, but as a bishop. And this vice draws men away from spiritual things, inasmuch as their desire clings too much to temporal things. Now the Lord taught us to avoid this vice, teaching us to ask only for bread, that is, the things necessary for the present life according to each one's condition; all of which are understood under the name of bread. Hence he did not teach us to ask for dainty things, nor varied, nor exquisite, but bread, without which a man's life cannot be sustained, because it is common to all. Ecclesiasticus 29:28: 'The beginning of a man's life is bread and water.' The Apostle, 1 Timothy 6:8: 'Having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these let us be content.'

The second vice is that some, in acquiring temporal things, molest and defraud others. This vice is so dangerous that it is difficult for goods taken away to be restored. For sin is not forgiven unless what was taken away is restored, according to Augustine. And this vice he taught us to avoid, teaching us to ask for our own bread, not another's. For robbers do not eat their own bread, but another's. The third is excessive solicitude. For there are some who are never content with what they have, but always want more; which is indeed immoderate, because desire ought to be moderated according to necessity. Proverbs 30:8: 'Give me neither riches nor poverty; give me only what is necessary for my sustenance.'

And this he admonished us to avoid, saying: our daily bread, that is, of one day, or of one season. The fourth vice is immoderate gluttony. For there are some who want to consume in one day as much as would suffice for several days; and these ask not for daily bread, but for ten days' worth; and from the fact that they spend too much, it happens that they consume everything. Proverbs 23:21: 'They who give themselves to drinking and contribute their feasts shall be consumed.' Ecclesiasticus 19:1: 'A drunken workman shall not grow rich.' The fifth vice is ingratitude. For when someone is proud on account of his riches, and does not acknowledge that what he has comes from God, this is very evil: because all that we have, whether spiritual or temporal, is from God. 1 Chronicles 29:14:

'All things are yours; from your hand we have received them.' Therefore, to remove this vice, he says: Give us, and our bread, that we may know that all our things are from God. But on this we have one lesson: that sometimes someone has many riches, and from them obtains no benefit, but spiritual and temporal harm. For some have perished on account of riches. Ecclesiastes 6:1: 'There is also another evil which I have seen under the sun, and indeed frequent among men: a man to whom God has given riches and substance and honor, and his soul lacks nothing of all that it desires; yet God does not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall devour it.' Likewise, ibid. 5:12: 'Riches gathered to the hurt of their owner.'

We ought therefore to ask that our riches may be for our benefit. And this we ask when we say: Give us our bread; that is, make our riches useful to us. Job 20:14-15: 'His bread in his belly shall be turned into the gall of asps within him. The riches which he has devoured he shall vomit up, and God shall draw them out of his belly.' Another vice in worldly things is, namely, excessive solicitude. For there are some who today are anxious about temporal things that will be needed a year hence; and those who have this never rest. Matthew 6:31: 'Be not solicitous, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed?'

And therefore the Lord teaches us to ask that our bread be given us today, that is, the things necessary for us at the present time. Now there is found another, twofold bread: namely the sacramental, and the bread of the word of God. We ask therefore for our sacramental bread, which is daily confected in the Church; that just as we receive it in the sacrament, so it may be given us unto salvation. John 6:51: 'I am the living bread, who came down from heaven.' 1 Corinthians 11:29: 'He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself.' Likewise, the other bread is the word of God. Matthew 4:4: 'Not in bread alone does man live, but in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' We ask therefore that he give us bread, that is, his word.

From this there comes to a man the beatitude which is the hunger for justice. For after spiritual things are possessed, they are desired all the more; and from this desire comes hunger, and from hunger the satiety of eternal life. Article 5: And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Some are found of great wisdom and fortitude; and because they trust too much in their own virtue, they do not act wisely in what they do, nor do they bring to completion what they intend. Proverbs 20:18: 'Thoughts are strengthened by counsels.' But it should be noted that the Holy Spirit, who gives fortitude, also gives counsel. For every good counsel concerning the salvation of men is from the Holy Spirit.

Now counsel is necessary to a man when he is in tribulation, just as the counsel of physicians is needed when someone falls sick. Hence also a man, when he is spiritually sick through sin, ought to seek counsel, that he may be healed. Now that counsel is necessary to a sinner is shown in Daniel 4:24, when it is said: 'Let my counsel be pleasing to you, O king; redeem your sins with alms.' The best counsel, therefore, against sins is almsgiving and mercy; and therefore the Holy Spirit teaches sinners to ask and pray: Forgive us our debts. Now we owe to God that which we take away from his right. And the right of God is that we should do his will, preferring it to our own will.

We therefore take away from God his right, when we prefer our own will to his; and this is sin. Sins, therefore, are our debts. It is therefore the counsel of the Holy Spirit that we ask of God the pardon of our sins; and therefore we say: Forgive us our debts. Now in these words we can consider three things. The first is why this petition is made; the second, when it is fulfilled; the third is what is required on our part that it may be fulfilled. As regards the first, it should be known that from this petition we can gather two things which are necessary to men in this life. One is that a man should always be in fear and humility.

For there have been some so presumptuous as to say that a man could so live in this world that of himself he could avoid sins. But this has been granted to no one except to Christ alone, who had the Spirit not by measure, and to the Blessed Virgin, who was full of grace, in whom there was no sin, as Augustine says: 'Of that Virgin, namely, when sins are under discussion, I wish no mention to be made.' But to none of the other saints has it been granted that they should not incur at least a venial sin: 1 John 1:8, 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' And this too is proved by this petition. For it is plain that to all the saints, even holy men, it belongs to say:

the Our Father, in which it is said: 'Forgive us our debts.' Therefore all acknowledge and confess themselves to be sinners or debtors. If then you are a sinner, you ought to fear and to humble yourself. Another point is that we should always live in hope: for although we are sinners, we ought not to despair, lest despair lead us into greater and various sins, as the Apostle says, Ephesians 4:19, 'Who, despairing, have given themselves over to wantonness, unto the working of all uncleanness.' Therefore it is very useful that we should always hope: for however great a sinner a man may be, he ought to hope that God, if he be perfectly contrite and converted, will forgive him. And this hope is established in us when we pray: 'Forgive us our debts.'

But the Novatians took away this hope, who said that those who sinned once after Baptism never obtained mercy. This however is not true, if Christ spoke truly in saying, Matthew 18:32, 'I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me.' On whatever day therefore you ask, you will be able to obtain mercy, if you ask with repentance for your sin. Thus then from this petition there arises both fear and hope: because all sinners who are contrite and confessing obtain mercy. And therefore this petition was necessary. Concerning the second point it must be known that in sin there are two things: namely the guilt by which God is offended, and the punishment which is due for the guilt.

But guilt is remitted in contrition, which is accompanied by the purpose of confessing and making satisfaction. Psalm 31:5, 'I said: I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.' One must not therefore despair, since for the remission of guilt contrition together with the purpose of confessing suffices. But perhaps someone will say: since sin is remitted by contrition, why is a priest necessary? To this it must be said that God in contrition remits the guilt, and the eternal punishment is commuted into a temporal one; yet nonetheless he still remains bound to a temporal punishment.

Hence if he were to die without confession—not having despised it, however, but having been forestalled—he would go to Purgatory, whose punishment, as Augustine says, is very great. When therefore you confess, the priest absolves you from this punishment by the power of the keys, to which you subject yourself in confession; and therefore Christ said to the Apostles, John 20:22-23, 'Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.' Hence when one confesses once, something of this punishment is remitted to him, and likewise when he confesses again: and one could confess so many times that the whole would be remitted to him. But the successors of the Apostles found another mode of remitting this punishment:

namely the benefits of indulgences, which to one existing in charity avail as much as they sound and as much as they are pronounced. That the Pope can do this is sufficiently evident. For many saints did many good works, and yet these did not sin, at least not mortally; and these good works they did for the benefit of the Church. Likewise the merit of Christ and of the Blessed Virgin are as it were in a treasury. Hence the Supreme Pontiff, and those to whom he commits it, are able to dispense such merits where there is need. Thus therefore sins are remitted not only as to guilt in contrition, but also as to punishment in confession and through indulgences.

Concerning the third point it must be known that on our part it is required that we forgive our neighbours the offences done to us. Hence it is said: 'as we also forgive our debtors': otherwise God would not forgive us. Sirach 28:3, 'Man to man reserveth anger, and doth he seek remedy of God?' Luke 6:37, 'Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.' And therefore in this petition alone contrition is placed, when it is said: 'as we also forgive our debtors.' If then you do not forgive, it will not be forgiven you. But you might say: I will say the preceding words, namely 'forgive us,' but the words 'as we also forgive our debtors' I will pass over in silence. Do you then seek to deceive Christ? But surely you do not deceive him.

For Christ, who composed this prayer, remembers it well: hence he cannot be deceived. Therefore if you say it with your mouth, fulfil it with your heart. But it is asked whether he who does not intend to forgive his neighbour ought to say: 'as we also forgive our debtors.' It seems that he ought not, because he lies. It must be said that he does not lie, because he does not pray in his own person, but in the person of the Church, which is not deceived: and therefore the petition itself is set in the plural. But it must be known that one forgives in two ways. One is that of the perfect, namely that the offended party seeks out the offender. Psalm 33:15, 'Seek after peace.' The other is the way common to all, to which all are bound, namely that one grant pardon to him who asks for it. Sirach 28:2:

'Forgive thy neighbour who has hurt thee, and then shall thy sins be forgiven thee when thou prayest.' From this follows another beatitude: 'Blessed are the merciful': for mercy makes us take pity on our neighbour. Article 6: 'And lead us not into temptation.' There are some who, although they have sinned, yet desire to obtain pardon for their sins: hence they both confess and repent; but nevertheless they do not apply all the diligence that they ought, lest they fall again into sins. Which indeed is not fitting, namely that on the one hand a man weep for his sins while he repents, and on the other hand pile up cause for weeping while he sins. And on this account it is said in Isaiah 1:16:

'Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your thoughts from before my eyes, cease to do perversely.' And therefore, as was said above, Christ in the preceding petition taught us to ask for pardon of sins; but in this one he teaches us to ask that we may be able to avoid sins, namely that we be not led into temptation through which we may slip into sins, when he said: 'And lead us not into temptation.' Concerning which three things are inquired. First, what temptation is; second, how a man is tempted, and by whom; third, how he is delivered in temptation. Concerning the first it must be known that to tempt is nothing other than to try out or to prove: hence to tempt a man is to test his virtue.

Now a man's virtue is tried or proved in two ways, according as a man's virtue requires two things. One pertains to doing well, namely that he act well; the other is that he beware of evil. Psalm 33:15, 'Turn away from evil, and do good.' Therefore a man's virtue is proved sometimes as to this, that he do well, sometimes as to this, that he refrain from evil. As to the first, a man is tested whether he be found ready for good, as for fasting and the like. For then your virtue is great when you are found ready for good. And in this way God sometimes tests a man; not that a man's virtue is hidden from him, but that all may know it, and that it may be given to all as an example. Thus God tested Abraham, Genesis

chapter 22, and Job. And therefore God often sends tribulations upon the just, so that while they patiently endure, their virtue may appear, and they may make progress in virtue. Deuteronomy 13:3, 'The Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear plainly whether you love him or not.' Thus therefore God tempts by provoking to good. As to the second, a man's virtue is proved by inducement to evil. And if he resists well, and does not consent, then a man's virtue is great; but if a man succumbs to temptation, then a man's virtue is null. In this manner, however, no one is tempted by God: because, as is said in James 1:13, 'God is not a tempter of evils, and he himself tempteth no man.' But a man is tempted by his own flesh, by the Devil, and by the world. By the flesh in two ways.

First, because the flesh instigates to evil: for the flesh always seeks its own delights, namely carnal ones, in which there is often sin. For he who lingers over carnal delights neglects spiritual things. James 1:14, 'Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence.' Secondly, the flesh tempts by drawing back from good. For the spirit, of itself, would always delight in spiritual goods; but the flesh, weighing it down, impedes the spirit. Wisdom 9:15, 'The body which is corrupted weigheth down the soul.' Romans 7:22-23, 'I delight in the law of God according to the inward man; but I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, which is in my members.'

But this temptation, namely that of the flesh, is exceedingly grievous, because our enemy, namely the flesh, is joined to us: and, as Boethius says, no plague is more effective for harming than a familiar enemy. And therefore one must keep watch against it. Matthew 26:41, 'Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation.' The Devil tempts most strongly. For after the flesh is trodden down, another rises up, namely the Devil, against whom there is for us a great wrestling. The Apostle, Ephesians 6:12, 'Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness.' Hence he is also pointedly called the tempter. 1 Thessalonians 3:5, 'Lest perhaps he that tempteth should have tempted you.'

In his temptation he proceeds most cunningly. For he, like a good general of an army who besieges some fortress, considers the weak points of him whom he wishes to assail, and on that side where a man is more feeble, he tempts him. And therefore he tempts in those vices to which men, when the flesh is subdued, are more prone, as anger, pride, and the other spiritual vices. 1 Peter 5:8, 'Your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.' Now the Devil does two things while he tempts:

For he does not at once set before him whom he tempts some apparent evil, but something that has the appearance of good, so that at least in the very beginning he may by it draw him a little from his principal purpose, because afterwards he more easily induces him to sin, when he has turned him aside even a little. The Apostle, 2 Corinthians 11:14, 'Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light.' Then, after he has induced him to sin, he so binds him that he does not permit him to rise again from his sins. Job 40:12, 'The sinews of his testicles are wrapped together.' Thus then the Devil does two things: he deceives, and the one deceived he holds fast in sin. But the world tempts in two ways. First, by an excessive and immoderate desire of temporal things. The Apostle, 1 Timothy

6:10, 'The root of all evils is covetousness.' Secondly, by terrifying through persecutors and tyrants. Job 37:19, 'We also are wrapped up in darkness.' 2 Timothy 3:12, 'All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.' Matthew 10:28, 'Fear not them that kill the body.' Thus then it is clear what temptation is, and how a man is tempted, and by whom. It follows to see how a man is delivered. Concerning which it must be known that Christ teaches us to pray not that we be not tempted, but that we be not led into temptation. For if a man overcomes temptation, he merits a crown; and therefore it is said in James 1:2, 'Count it all joy, my brethren, when you shall fall into divers temptations.' Sirach 2:1:

'My son, when thou comest to the service of God ... prepare thy soul for temptation.' Likewise James 1:12, 'Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life.' And therefore he teaches us to ask that we be not led into temptation through consent. 1 Corinthians 10:13, 'Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human.' For to be tempted is human, but to consent is diabolical. But does God lead to evil, since he says: 'And lead us not into temptation'? I answer that God is said to lead to evil by permitting, inasmuch namely as on account of many sins he withdraws his grace from a man, and that being withdrawn, the man slips into sin: and therefore we sing in Psalm 70:9, 'When my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me, O Lord.'

Now he governs a man so that he be not led into temptation, by the fervour of charity: because any charity whatsoever, however small, can resist any sin. Song of Songs 8:7, 'Many waters could not quench charity.' Likewise by the light of understanding, by which he instructs us concerning what is to be done: because, as the Philosopher says, everyone who sins is ignorant. Psalm 31:8, 'I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee.' This David sought, who said, Psalm 12:4-5, 'Enlighten my eyes, that I never sleep in death: lest at any time my enemy say, I have prevailed against him.' And this we have through the gift of understanding. And because, when we do not assent to temptation, we keep the heart clean, of which Matthew 5:8:

'Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God': therefore from this we arrive at the vision of God, to which may he bring us. Article 7: 'But deliver us from evil. Amen.' Above the Lord taught us to ask pardon for sins, and how we can avoid temptations: but here he teaches us to ask for preservation from evils. And this petition is general against all evils; namely sins, infirmities, and afflictions, as Augustine says. But since sin and temptation have been spoken of, we must speak of the other evils, namely all the adversities and afflictions of this world; from which God delivers in four ways. First, that affliction may not come upon us. But this rarely happens:

because the saints are afflicted in this world, for, as is said in 2 Timothy 3:12, 'All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.' Yet nonetheless God sometimes grants to someone that he be not afflicted by evil; namely when he knows him to be powerless and unable to resist; just as a physician does not give violent medicines to a weak invalid. Revelation 3:8, 'Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut, because thou hast little strength.' But in the heavenly homeland this will be universal, because no one will be afflicted there. Job 5:19, 'In six tribulations,' namely of the present life, which is distinguished by six ages, 'he shall deliver thee; and in the seventh evil shall not touch thee.' Revelation 7:16:

'They shall no more hunger nor thirst.' Secondly, he delivers when in afflictions he consoles. For unless God consoled, a man could not subsist. 2 Corinthians 1:8, 'We were pressed out of measure above our strength'; and likewise 7:6, 'But God, who comforteth the humble, comforted us.' Psalm 93 (94):19, 'According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, thy comforts have given joy to my soul.' Thirdly, because to the afflicted he does as many good things as deliver evils to oblivion. Tobit 3:22, 'After a storm thou makest a calm.' Thus therefore the afflictions and tribulations of this world are not to be feared, because they are easily borne both on account of the consolation mingled with them, and on account of their brevity. The Apostle, 2 Corinthians 4:17:

'That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory in sublimity': because by these one arrives at eternal life. Fourthly, because temptation and tribulation is turned into good: and therefore he does not say, 'deliver us from tribulation,' but 'from evil': because tribulations are to the saints unto a crown; and hence it is that they glory in tribulations. The Apostle, Romans 5:3, 'And not only so, but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience.' Tobit 3:13, 'In the time of tribulation thou forgivest sins.' God therefore delivers a man from evil and tribulations by turning them into good;

which is a sign of the greatest wisdom, because it belongs to the wise man to order evil unto good; and this is done through patience, which is had in tribulations. The other virtues indeed make use of goods, but patience of evils; and therefore only in evils, that is, in adversities, is it necessary: Proverbs 19:11, 'The learning of a man is known by his patience.' And therefore the Holy Spirit through the gift of wisdom makes us pray: and through this we arrive at the beatitude to which peace orders us, because through patience we have peace both in prosperous time and in adverse: and therefore the peacemakers are called sons of God, who are like God, because just as nothing can harm God, so neither can anything harm them, since neither prosperity nor adversity can;

and therefore 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,' Matthew 5:9. 'Amen' is the universal confirmation of all the petitions. A concise exposition of the whole prayer of the Our Father. That it may be expounded in summary, it must be known that in the Lord's prayer are contained all things that are desired and all things that are shunned. Now among all desirable things, that is more desired which is more loved, and this is God; and therefore first you ask for the glory of God, when you say: 'Hallowed be thy name.' From God, moreover, three things are to be desired, which pertain to you. The first is that you arrive at eternal life; and this you ask when you say: 'Thy kingdom come.' The second is that you do the will of God and justice; and this you ask when you say:

'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' The third is that you may have the things necessary for life; and this you ask when you say: 'Give us this day our daily bread.' And concerning these three the Lord says, Matthew 6:33: 'Seek first the kingdom of God,' as to the first; 'and his justice,' as to the second; 'and all these things shall be added unto you,' as to the third. But those things which are to be avoided and shunned are those which are contrary to good. Now the good which is first desirable is fourfold, as has been said. And the first is the glory of God, and to this no evil is contrary. Job 35:6-7, 'If thou sin, what shalt thou hurt him ... if thou do justly, what shalt thou give him?'

For both from evil inasmuch as he punishes it, and from good inasmuch as he rewards it, there results the glory of God. The second good is eternal life; and to this sin is contrary, because by sin it is lost: and therefore to remove this we say: 'Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.' The third good is justice and good works; and to this temptation is contrary, because temptations hinder us from doing good: and to remove this we ask: 'And lead us not into temptation.' The fourth good is the necessary goods; and to this adversities and tribulations are contrary; and to remove this we ask: 'But deliver us from evil. Amen.'