Judgment and the Second Coming
Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, 4.37
Indeed, what He says—'How often I wanted to gather your sons, and you did not want to'—revealed the ancient law of human freedom, because God made man free from the beginning, possessing his own power just as his own soul, to use God's judgment voluntarily and not under compulsion from God; for force does not come from God, but good judgment is always present to him, and because of this counsel He gives good counsel to all.
He placed in man the power of choice, just as in angels (for angels are rational), so that those who obeyed are justly good, possessing what was given by God but kept by themselves, while those who did not obey will not justly find the good and will receive the penalty they deserve, because God gave the good kindly but they did not keep it carefully nor count it precious but despised the surpassing goodness; therefore, rejecting the good and as if spurning it, all will justly incur God's judgment, just as the Apostle Paul testified in the epistle to the Romans, saying: 'Do you despise the riches of His kindness and patience and forbearance?' (Romans 2:4).
And: 'Glory and honor to everyone who does good' (Romans 2:10). Therefore God gave the good, just as the Apostle testifies in the same epistle, and those who do it will receive glory and honor because they did the good when they could have not done it, but those who do not do it will receive just judgment because they did not do the good when they could have done it.
This shows that some are not good by nature and some bad, but that the good lies in human choice; for if some were naturally good and some naturally bad, neither would the good be praiseworthy, since they were made so, nor would the bad be blameworthy, since they were constituted so; but since all share the same nature and are able to retain and do good and able again to lose it and not do it, justly among sensible men—how much more before God—some are praised and receive worthy testimony of their good choice and perseverance, while others are accused and receive worthy loss because they rejected the just and good.
And therefore the prophets exhorted men to do justice and work good, as we have shown through many passages, because this lies in us and because of much negligence we fell into oblivion and need good counsel; for this reason the good God gives good counsel through the prophets.
And for this reason the Lord also said: 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven' (Matthew 5:16); and: 'Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness and the cares of this life' (Luke 21:34); and: 'Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men waiting for their Lord when He returns from the wedding, that when He knocks they may open to Him. Blessed is that servant whom His Lord finds so doing when He comes' (Luke 12:35-37); and again: 'The servant who knows his Lord's will and does not do it will be beaten with many stripes' (Luke 12:47); and: 'Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?' (Luke 6:46); and again: 'But if that servant says in his heart, My Lord delays his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, the Lord of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites' (Luke 12:45-46).
All such things show that man is free and in his own power, and that God instructs with counsel, exhorting us to subjection to Him and turning us away from unbelief, yet not compelling by violence.
Latin
Ixiup autem, quod ait: Quoties volui colligere filios tuos, et nolwisti ? 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 hoe 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 inyenientur cum bono, et meritam pcenam percipient: quoniam Deus quidem dedit benigne bonum, ipsi vero non custodierunt diligenter illud, neque pretiosum arbitrati sunt, sed supereminentiam bonitatis contemserunt. Abjicientes igitur bonum et quasi respuentes, merito omnes justum judicium incident Dei, quemadmodum et Apostolus Paulus in ea epistola quze est ad Romanos, testificatus est, dicens ita: An divitias bonitatis ejus, et patientia, et longanimitatis contemnis, ignorans quoniam bonitas Dei \in poenitentiam te Secundwm autem duritiam tuam et cor imponitens saurisas tibimetipsi tram in diem ire et revelationis justi judicit 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 quoniam non sunt operati bonum cum possint operari illud. Ostensio quod non natura quidam boni sint, quidam vero mali, sed quod in hominis electione sit bonum. 1. Sr 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 nature, 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 laudantur, et dignum percipiunt testimonium electionis bonze et perseverantize ; alii vero accusantur, et dignum percipiunt damnum, eo quod justum et bonum reprobaverint. Et ideo prophetee bonum quidem hortabantur 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 bonum consilium per prophetas. Propter hoe autem et Dominus, Luceat lumen vestrum, dicebat, coram hominibus, ut videant bona facta vestra, et clarificent Patrem vestrum qui in caelis Et: Attendite vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula, et ebrietate, et sollicitudinibus secularibus. Et: Sint lumbi vestri preecincti, et lucerne ardentes, et vos similes hominibus exspectantibus Dominum suum, quando revertatur a nuptiis, ut cum et pulsaverit aperiant ei. Beatus servus ille, quem, cum venerit Dominus ejus, invenerit ita facientem. Et iterum: Servus qui scit voluntatem Domini sui, et non facit, vapulabit >multas. Et: Quid mihi dicitis, Domine, Domine, et non facitis que dico? Et iterum: Si autem dicat serous in corde suo, Tardat Dominus, et caedere conservos, et manducare et bibere et inebriari, veniet Dominus ejus in die qua non sperat, et dividet ewm, et partem ejus cum hypocritis ponet. Et omnia talia quee liberum et suze potestatis ostendunt hominem, et quia consilio instruat Deus, adhortans nos ad subjectionem sibi, et avertens ab incredulitate, non tamen de violentia cogens.