whom he prays, thus expressing it: “At my first defence no man stood with me, but all men
forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.”222
74. It is this difference in their sins which separates Judas the betrayer from Peter the
denier: not that a penitent is not to be pardoned, for we must not come into collision with
that declaration of our Lord, where He enjoins that a brother is to be pardoned, when he
asks his brother to pardon him;223 but that the ruin connected with that sin is so great, that
he cannot endure the humiliation of asking for it, even if he should be compelled by a bad
conscience both to acknowledge and divulge his sin. For when Judas had said, “I have sinned,
in that I have betrayed the innocent blood,” yet it was easier for him in despair to run and
hang himself,224 than in humility to ask for pardon. And therefore it is of much consequence
to know what sort of repentance God pardons. For many much more readily confess that
they have sinned, and are so angry with themselves that they vehemently wish they had not
sinned; but yet they do not condescend to humble the heart and to make it contrite, and to
implore pardon: and this disposition of mind we must suppose them to have, as feeling
themselves already condemned because of the greatness of their sin.
75. And this is perhaps the sin against the Holy Ghost, i.e. through malice and envy to
act in opposition to brotherly love after receiving the grace of the Holy Ghost,—a sin which
our Lord says is not forgiven either in this world or in the world to come. And hence it may
be asked whether the Jews sinned against the Holy Ghost, when they said that our Lord was
casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils: whether we are to understand this
as said against our Lord Himself, because He says of Himself in another passage, “If they
have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His
household!”225 or whether, inasmuch as they had spoken from great envy, being ungrateful
for so manifest benefits, although they were not yet Christians, they are, from the very
greatness of their envy, to be supposed to have sinned against the Holy Ghost? This latter
is certainly not to be gathered from our Lord’s words. For although He has said in the same
passage, “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him;
but whosoever speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither
in this world, neither in the world to come;” yet it may seem that He admonished them for
this purpose, that they should come to His grace, and after accepting of it should not so sin
as they have now sinned. For now they have spoken a word against the Son of man, and it
may be forgiven them, if they be converted, and believe on Him, and receive the Holy Ghost;
but if, after receiving Him, they should choose to envy the brotherhood, and to assail the
222 2 Tim. iv. 14–16.
223 Matt. xviii. 21. Luke xvii. 3.
224 Matt. xxvii. 4, 5.
225 Matt. x. 25.
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Chapter XXII