CAPUT XII. Quod gravius puniantur qui fidem Christi perceperunt, et in malis vitam finierunt, quam illi qui sine fide mortui sunt, et tamen bona opera egerunt.
CAPUT XII. Quod gravius puniantur qui fidem Christi perceperunt, et in malis vitam finierunt, quam illi qui sine fide mortui sunt, et tamen bona opera egerunt.
It's often said by some Christians that those who have been reborn in Christ, even if they live wickedly and end their last day in evil works, lasting—and so on, as in the book1 I, chapter 19 of On the Institution2 of the Laity.3 up to the words 'than to turn back after coming to know.'✦ So we must take care that, while we live this life, we press on with good works. Indeed the Lord warns us in the Gospel: 'Watch and pray, for you do not know the day or the hour' (Matt.✦4 25:13). Likewise: 'The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night' (2 Pet. 3:10). Likewise: 'Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness does not overtake you' (John. 12:35). And the Apostle: 'Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Cor.5 6).✦ These teachings make it clear that the time we're given for repentance must not be wasted, and that faith in Christ must always be adorned with good works.
Read the original Latin
Dici solet a nonnullis Christianis quod hi qui in Christo renati sunt, quanquam scelerate vivant, et in malis operibus diem extremum claudant, diuturno, et caetera ut in lib. I, cap. 19, de Instit. laic. , usque ad, quam post agnitionem retrorsum converti.
Quapropter procurandum est ut dum in hac vita vivitur, bonis operibus insistatur. Admonet quippe Dominus in Evangelio: Vigilate et orate, quia nescitis diem neque horam (Matth. XXV, 13) . Item: Dies Domini, sicut fur in nocte, ita veniet (II Petr. III, 10) . Item: Ambulate dum lucem habetis, ut non vos tenebrae comprehendant (Joan. XII, 35) . Et Apostolus: Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile, ecce nunc dies salutis (II Cor.
VI) . His documentis perdocemur quod indulta tempora poenitentiae in vanum non sint deducenda, et quod fides Christi bonis semper operibus sit exornanda.
Scripture echoes
- ↩2Pet.2.21 — For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
- ↩Matt.25.13 — Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
- ↩2Cor.6.2 — For he says, 'In an acceptable time I listened to you, and on a day of salvation I helped you.' Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Notes
- 1 ↩diuturno hangs incomplete; the print cuts the claim short with the cross-reference et caetera ut in lib. The remnant lasting is kept without reconstructing the missing predicate from the cited work.
- 2 ↩de Instit. abbreviates De institutione; rendered On the Institution to keep the short citation form completed by the next fragment.
- 3 ↩laic. completes De institutione laicali (On the Institution of the Laity), the earlier work Jonas cites here.
- 4 ↩Source blends 'Vigilate et orate' with the Matt. 25:13 clause 'nescitis diem neque horam' (Vulgate Matt. 25:13 has 'Vigilate itaque' without 'et orate'; 'vigilate et orate' more nearly echoes Matt. 26:41). Translated as printed.
- 5 ↩Printed sentence ends mid-citation at '(II Cor.'; neighboring next section begins 'VI).', implying 2 Cor. 6:2, but only the text present here is rendered.
On the Institution of a King (De institutione regia) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit