Judging And Judgement

Existimas autem hoc, o homo, qui judicas eos qui talia agunt, et facis ea, quia tu effugies judicium Dei? an divitias bonitatis ejus, et patientiae, et longanimitatis contemnis? ignoras quoniam benignitas Dei ad poenitentiam te adducit? Tu autem secundum duritiam, et impoenitens cor, thesaurizas tibi iram in die irae, et revelationis justi judicii Dei, qui reddet unicuique secundum opera ejus : iis quidem qui secundum patientiam boni operis, gloriam, et honorem, et incorruptionem quaerunt, vitam aeternam... Hoc est, nunquid tibi examen datum est vel potestas judicandi de malis et stupris, cum eadem agis, et non est qui de te ad praesens judicet? Effugies judicium Dei. Non utique in futuro evades. An divitias bonitatis ejus, et patientiae, et longanimitatis contemnis? Divitiae bonitatis Dei, quibus bona pro malis dat. Patientia vero est, qua peccatores impunitos patienter converti tolerat. Longanimitas est, qua longum spatium poenitentiae dat. Divitias bonitatis ille agnoscere potest, qui considerat quanta in terris mala quotidie homines gerant, tamen his Deum producentem solem suum quotidie, et pluvias ministrantem. Sustentatio vero, vel longanimitas, ac patientia in hoc videtur differre, quod qui infirmitate magis quam proposito delinquunt, sustentari dicuntur: qui vero pertinaci mente velut insultant in delictis suis, patienter ferri dicendi sunt. Sed sicut omnia in mensura fecit Deus, et pondere et numero, ita etiam patientiae ejus certa mensura est. Tu autem secundum duritiam, et impoenitens cor. Impunitatem sperans peccatorum non solum durat, inconversibilis et incontrectabilis manens, sed adhuc peccat, securus quod non sit ultio futura. Cor durum in Scripturis dici videtur, cum mens humana, velut cera a frigore iniquitatis obstricta, signaculum imaginis divinae non recipit. Thesaurizas tibi iram. Hujus verbi in Scripturis significantiam triplicem legimus: dicitur enim in Evangelio thesauros esse quosdam in terris, in quo prohibet Dominus thesaurizari; et alios thesauros in coelo jubet fideles recondere; et hic nunc Apostolus dicit irae thesauros. Ira autem Dei nihil aliud quam justa vindicta intelligitur. Crassitudo vero cordis est, ubi subtilis et spiritualis intelligentiae non recipitur sensus. Qui reddet unicuique secundum opera sua. Sciendum quod ex Jeremia Apostolus hoc testimonium sumpserit. Illud quod in Ezechiele scriptum est, huic sententiae videtur adversari; dicit enim: Cum avertit se justus a justitia sua, et fecerit iniquitatem secundum omnes iniquitates quas fecit iniquus, omnes justitiae ejus quas fecerit non commemorabuntur in lapsu ejus, quo lapsus est: sed in peccatis qui peccavit, in ipsis morietur . In quo videtur latenter hujusmodi inseruisse intellectum, ut si forte non secundum omnes iniquitates quas fecit iniquus, fecerit justus, non omnes justitiae ejus de memoria auferantur. His quidem qui secundum patientiam boni operis gloriam, et honorem, et incorruptionem quaerunt, vitam aeternam. Boni operis merces per patientiam exspectatur, quod in praesenti vita non redditur; per fidem enim ambulamus, et non per speciem: patientiam autem boni operis in illis esse certum est, qui agones et certamina perferunt. Gloriam. Decus formae qua sancti fulgebunt sicut sol. Honorem. Filiorum Dei, quo nihil est majus, per quem etiam angelos judicabunt. Incorruptionem. Vitae scilicet perpetuae. Signanter autem addidit incorruptionem, propter indiscretionem saecularis gloriae atque honoris, qui corruptibilis est. Sedulius Scotus, Collectanea in omnes B. Pauli epistolas, In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput II Source: Migne PL 103.24b-25b

And you think this, O man, who judges those who do such things and you do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you scorn the riches of His goodness, and patience, and longsuffering? Do you not know that the benevolence of God should lead you to penance? But you, according to your hardness, and an impenitent heart, you heap up anger for yourself against the day of anger, and the revelation of the just judgment of God, who will return to every one according to his works. To those indeed, who according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life:.. 1 That is, the investigation and power of judgement of evils and foolishness was never given to you when you do these things, and there is no one to judge you in the present. 'You will not escape the judgement of God.' You will not escape in the future. 'Or do you scorn the riches of His goodness and patience and longsuffering?' The riches are the goodness of God, which gives good for evil. But patience is to endure unpunished sinners patiently for the sake of conversion. Long suffering is the granting of a long time for penitence. He is able to know the riches of goodness who considers how much evil men do in the world every day, yet God brings forth the sun for them and the ministering rains. But endurance and longsuffering and patience seem to differ in this, that they are said to be endured who go astray by weakness more than intent, and they are to be borne with patiently who with a stubborn mind offend with misdeeds. But as God has a measure in all things, and a weight and a number, so indeed His patience has a certain measure. 'But you according to hardness, and an impenitent heart.' The hope that there is no punishment for sins not only hardens, so that one remains unconverted and intractable, but it errs in being secure in the thought that there shall not be a reckoning in the future. In Scripture a hard heart seems to mean that the human mind is frozen like wax by the coldness of wickedness and it does not receive the seal of the Divine image. 'You heap up anger for yourself.' We read a threefold meaning in these words in Scripture, for it is said in the Gospel there is a certain treasure on the earth which the Lord prohibits us to heap up, and there is another treasure in heaven which He commands the faithful to gather, 2 and now here the Apostle speaks of a heaping up of anger. The anger of God is to be understood as nothing else than just punishment, but there is a thickness of heart, when the mind does not receive the subtle and spiritual understanding. 'He who shall return to each one according to a his works.' It must be known that the Apostle takes this testimony from Jeremiah. 3 That which is written in Ezekiel, seems opposed to this sentence, for it says, 'When the righteous man shall turn away from his righteousness and act wickedly according to all the wickedness which the wicked man does, all the good that he had done shall not be remembered in his fall by which he has fallen, and in his sins which he has sinned he shall perish.' 4 In which it seems there is a latent understanding that if perhaps according to his wickedness a wicked man acted, the righteous man who will do so, all his righteous works will be forgotten. 'To those indeed, who according to patience in good works, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life.' The reward of good works which is not given in the present life is expected by patience, for we walk through faith and not by appearance, but the patience of good works is certain in those who endure trials and struggles. 'Glory.' The fairness of form with which the holy shall shine like the sun. 'Honour.' Of the sons of God, to whom nothing is greater, and by whom even angels shall be judged. 5 Incorruption. That is, of eternal life. The reason he adds incorruption is to distinguish it from worldly glory and honour which is corruptible. Sedulius Scotus, Commentary On The Letters of Saint Paul, On the Letter to the Romans, Chapter 2 1 Rom 2.3 2 Mt 6.19 3 Jerem 25.14 4 Ezek 18.24 5 1 Cor 6.3