Good Of God And Men

Quod si etiam manifestoribus adhuc testimoniis hujus sententiae rationem voluerimus astruere, nonne cum multa pronuntiari bona in Evangelio legerimus, et arborem bonam, et thesaurum bonum, et bonum hominem et bonum servum, quia non potest, inquit, arbor bona malos fructus facere facere, et bonus homo de bono thesauro cordis sui profert bona, et Euge, serve bone et fidelis; et utique hos omnes secundum se bonos esse non dubium sit: si respiciamus ad bonitatem Dei, nullus eorum pronuntiabitur bonus, dicente Domino, Nemo bonus nisi solus Deus. Cujus intuiti etiam ipsi apsotoli, qui electionis merito bonitatem generis humani multis excesserant modis, mali esse dicuntur, Domino ita ad eos loquente: Si ergo vos cum sitis mali, nostis bona data dare filiis vestris, quanto magis Pater vester qui in coelis est, dabit bonum spiritum petentibus. Denique sicut bonitas nostra supernae bonitatis intuitu in malitiam vertitur, ita etiam justitia nostra divinae, collata justitiae panno menstruatae similis deputatur, dicente Isaia propheta: Sicut pannus menstruatae, universae justitiae nostrae. Et ut aliquid adhuc evidentius inferamus, legis quoque ipsius praecepta vitalia, quae dicitur ordinata per angelos in manu mediatoris, et de qua idem Apostolus, Itaque lex, inquit, sancta et mandatum sanctum et justum et bonum, si perfectioni evangelicae conferantur, minime bona divino pronuntiantur oraculo, ait enim: Et dedit eis praecepta non bona, et justitias in quibus non vivent in eis. Apostolus quoque ita novi lumine Testamenti gloriam leis affirmat obtundi, ut eam evangelici comparatione fulgoris nec glorificatam esse pronuntiet, dicens: Nam nec glorisosum est id quod glorificatum est, propter excellentem gloriam. Quam comparationem etiam in parte contraria, id est, in peccatorum meritis compensandis Scriptura conservat, ut eos qui multo minus impii sunt, pejorem collatione justificet, dicens: Justificata est Sodoma ex te. Et iterum: Quid enim peccavit soror tua Sodom? Et justificavit animam suam aversatrix Isreal, comparatione praevaricatricis Judae. Ita igitur et universarum merita virtutum, quae superius comprehendi, cum per se bona atque pretiosa sint, tamen theoricae claritatis comparatione fuscantur. Multos etenim sanctos quamvis bonorum operum, terrenis tamen studiis occupatis, a contemplatione summi illius boni retrahunt ac retardant.. Sanctus Ioannes Cassianus, Collationes, Collatio XXIII, Caput IV, Source: Migne PL 49.1248a-1250a

But if we wish to establish the reason of this opinion with yet clearer proofs, is it not that though we read of many things as proclaimed good in the Gospel, a good tree, and a good treasure, and a good man, and a good servant, for He says: 'A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,' and: 'a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things,' and: 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' and there can be no doubt that all of these are good in themselves, yet if we consider the goodness of God, not one of them will be called good, as the Lord says: 'None is good save God alone'? 1 In whose sight even the Apostles themselves, who in the excellence of their election exceeded the goodness of mankind in many ways, are said to be evil, as the Lord thus says to them: 'If you, therefore, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask.' 2 Finally as our goodness in the sight of the supernal goodness turns to wickedness, so also our righteousness compared to the Divine is accounted to be like a menstrual rag, as Isaiah the Prophet says: 'All your righteousness is like a menstrual rag.' 3 And to bring forward something yet more evident, even the vital precepts of the law itself, which are said to have been given by angels by the hand of a mediator, 4 and of which the same Apostle says: 'So the law indeed is holy and the commandment is holy and just and good,' 5 if they are compared with the perfection of the Gospel are not at all pronounced good by the Divine oracle, for He says: 'And I gave them precepts which were not good, and ordinances whereby they should not live in them.' 6 The Apostle also affirms that the glory of the law is so obscured by the light of the New Testament, declaring that in comparison with the splendour of the Gospel it is not to be spoken of as glorious, saying: 'For that which was glorified is not glorious on account of the glory that excels.' 7 And Scripture maintains this comparison on the other side also, that is, in the weighing  of the merits of sinners, so that it justifies those who are less impious against those who are worse, saying: 'Sodom is justified above you.' And again: 'For what has your sister Sodom sinned?' and: 'The adversary Israel justified her soul in comparison with duplicitous Judah.' 8 So, then, the merits of every virtue, which I have given account of, though in themselves good and precious, are dimmed in comparison with the brightness of contemplation. For they hinder and retard the saints who are taken up with earthly occupations, even in good works, from the contemplation of that sublime good. Saint John Cassian, Conferences, Conference 23, Chapter 4 1 Mk 10.18, Lk 18.19 2 Mt 7.11 3 Isaiah 64.6 4 Galat 3.19 5 Rom 7.12 6 Ezek 20.25 7 2 Cor 3.10 8 Ezek 16