Who Said That?

"Man, however, whose nature was to be in a manner intermediate between angels and beasts, God created in such a way that, if he remained subject to his Creator as his true Lord, and if he kept the commandments with pious obedience, He should pass over into the company of the angels and obtain, without suffering death, a blessed immortality without end.  But if he offended the Lord his God by using his free will proudly and disobediently, he should live, as the beasts do, subject to death: the slave of his own lust, destined to suffer eternal punishment after death."

You know the drill.  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please, no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow next week.

Update on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 10:38AM by Kim Riddlebarger

This quote--which clearly describes a covenant of works--comes from St. Augustine, in the City of God, XII.22.  I thought that Reformed scholastics invented this out of whole cloth.

Comments

[acroamaticus]

Augustine. No, I didn''t cheat, I've read it (The City of God) about three times. It's a foundational book for Western civilisation - I don't think one can claim to be educated without having at least dipped into it.
The funny thing I notice with the really great thinkers - Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin - is that even in translation they have their own distinctive voice. In this case, the combination of late antique thought and Biblical worldview just yells "Augustine!"
Mmm...having said all that, I hope I'm right!

[Scott Roper]

I was going to guess Augustine, but I don't remember this particular passage.

[Neal P.]

St. Augustine

[Darren]

If it's not Augustine I might guess Bernard.