Man's Freedom

Illud autem, quod ait: Quoties volui colligere filios tuos et noluisti? veterem legem libertatis hominis manifestavit: quia liberum eum Deus fecit ab initio, habentem suam potestatem, sicut et suam animam ad utendum sententia Dei voluntarie, et non coactum a Deo. Vis enim a Deo non fit, sed bona sententia adest illi semper. Et propter hoc consilium quidem bonum dat omnibus. Posuit autem in homine potestatem electionis, quemadmodum et in angelis, etenim angeli rationabiles; uti hi quidem qui obedissent, juste bonum sint possidentes, datum quidem a Deo, servatum vero ab ipsis. Qui autem non obedierunt, juste non invenientur cum bono, et meritam poenam percipient: quoniam Deus quidem dedit benigne bonum, ipsi vero non custodierunt diligenter illud, neque pretiosum arbitrati sunt, sed supereminentiam bonitatis contempserunt. Abjicientes igitur bonum, et quasi respuentes, merito omnes justum judicium incident Dei quemadmodum et apostolus Paulus in ae epistola quae est ad Romanos, testificatus est dicens ita: An divitas bonitatis ejus, et patientiae, et longanimitatis contemnnis, ignorans quoniam bonitas Dei ad poenitentiam te adducit? Secundum autem durititiam tuam et cor impoenitens thesaurizas tibimetipsi iram in die irae, et revelationis justi judicii Dei. Gloria autem et honor, inquit, omni operanti bonum. Dedit ergo Deus bonum, quemadmodum et Apostolus testificatur in eadem epistola: et qui operantur quidem illud, gloriam et honorem percipient, quoniam operati sunt bonum, cum possint non operari illud; hi autem qui illud non operantur, judicium justum excipient Dei, quoniam non sunt operati bonum, cum possint operari illud. Si autem naturaliter quidam boni, quidam vero mali facti fuissent, neque hi laudabiles essent qui boni sunt, tales enim facti fuerant; sed neque illi vituperabiles, et ipsi enim tales fuerant instituti. Sed quoniam omnes ejusdem sunt naturae, et potentes retinere et operari bonum, et potentes rursum amittere id, et non facere, juste etiam apud homines sensatos, quanto magis apud Deum, alii quidem percipiunt testimonium electionis bonae et perserverantiae; alii vero accusantur, et dignum percipiunt damnum, eo quod justum et bonum reprobaverint. Et ideo prophetae quidem hortatur homines justitiam agere, bonumque operari, sicut per multa ostendimus: quia in nobis sit hoc, et propter multam negligentiam in oblivionem inciderimus, et consilio egeamus bono, propter quod bonus Deus praestavit bonum consilium per prophetas. Propter hoc autem et Dominus: Luceat lumen vestrum, dicebet, coram hominibus, ut videant bona facta vestra, et clarificent Patrem vestrum qui in coelis est. Et: Attendite vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula, et ebrietate, et sollicitudinibus saecularibus. Et: Sint lumbi vestri praecincti, et lucernae ardentes, et bos similis hominibus exspectandibus dominum suum, quando revertatur a nuptiis, ut cum venerit et pulsaverit, aperiant ei. Beatus servus ille, quem, cum venerit dominus ejus, inverit ita facientem. Et iterum: Servus qui scit voluntatem domini sui, et non facit, vapulabit multas. Et: Quid mihi dicitis: Domine, Domine, et non facitis quae dico? Et iterum: Si autem dicat servus in corde suo: Tardat dominus meus: et incipiat caedere conservos, et manducare, et bibere, et inebriari; veniet dominus ejus in die qua non sperat, et dividet eum, et partem ejus cum hypocritis ponet. Et omnes talia, quae liberum et suae potestatis ostendunt hominem, et quia consilio instruat Deus, adhortans nos ad subjectionem sibi et avertens ab incredulitate, non tamen de violentia cogens. Sanctus Ireneaus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Lib IV Caput XXXVII Source: Migne PG 7.1099b-1101c

That which the Lord said, 'How often would I have gathered your children together, and you would not,' 1 exhibited the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man free from the beginning, having his own power, even as he has his own soul, to obey the counsels of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God, but good counsel is present with Him continually. And on account of this He gives good counsel to all. And He has placed the power of choice in man, as well as in angels, for angels are rational beings, so that those who had been obedient might justly be possessors of what is good, given certainly by God, but preserved by themselves. But they who have not obeyed, who are not found to be in possession of the good, shall with justice receive worthy punishment: for God did kindly give them a good, but they  did not diligently guard it, nor judge it precious, but were contemptuous of His super-eminent goodness. Rejecting, therefore, the good, and as it were spitting it out, they shall all deservedly incur the just judgment of God, to which things the Apostle Paul also testifies to in his letter to the Romans, saying, 'But do you despise the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long-suffering, being ignorant that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? For according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you store for yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.'  2 'But glory and honour,' he then says, 'to every one that does good.' 3 God therefore has given that which is good, as the Apostle bears witness in this Epistle, and they who do it shall receive glory and honour, because they have done good when they were able not to do it; but those who do not do it, shall receive the just judgment of God, because they did not do good when they were able to do so. For if some had been made by nature good, and some wicked, neither would the former be deserving of praise for being good, for so were they created, nor would the latter be reprehensible, for so they were made. But since all men are of the same nature and able both to adhere to the good and to do it, and, again to cast it from them and not to do it, some justly receive praise even among civilised men, and much more from God, and obtain deserved testimony of their choice of good in general and of perseverance; but the others are blamed and receive a just condemnation because of their rejection of what is just and good. And therefore the Prophets used to exhort men to what was good, to act righteously and to do good, as we have amply demonstrated, because it is in him to do it, and because by excessive negligence we might fall into forgetfulness, and thus be in need of that good counsel which the good God has fulfilled by means of the Prophets. For this reason the Lord also said, 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' 4 And, 'Have care for yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be weighed down with overindulgence, and drunkenness, and worldly cares.' 5 And, 'Let your loins be girded, and your lamps lit, and be like men who wait for their Lord, when He is to come from a wedding, that when He comes and knocks, they may open to Him. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He comes, shall find so doing.' 6 And again, 'The servant who knows his Lord's will and does not do it, shall be beaten with many blows.' 7 And, 'Why say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things I say?' 8 And again, 'But if the servant say in his heart: The Lord delays, and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken, his Lord will come on a day on which he does not expect, and He shall cut him off and appoint his portion with the hypocrites.' 9 All such passages exhibit that the will of man is of his own power, and that God gives counsel, exhorting us to submit ourselves to Him, and to turn us away from disbelief, without, however, by violence forcing us.   Saint Ireneaus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 37 1 Mt 23.37 2 Rom 2.4-5 3 Rom 2.7 4 Mt 5.16 5 Lk 21.34 6 Lk 12.35-36 7 Lk 12.47 8 Lk 6.46 9 Lk 12.45-46, Mt 24.48-51