The Nature of Opportunity and the Fullness of Sin

He works the corruption of the earth. For this made men blameless, if the inability to be adorned toward God worked a sorrow; but the hardship of ways is shown through the corruption of the earth, just as it was foretold, of men corrupting the way of God, which had taken hold to prosper toward blessedness. Such are those having heard the words of Jesus and not doing them.

And if it also shows the flesh of man, as is often said, one should observe whether 'all flesh corrupted his way' (Ps 145:17) shows how each man has strayed from his own opinion. But that flesh is said instead of man is clear from 'I will pour out from my spirit upon all flesh' (Isa 44:3), and 'He will judge all flesh' (Isa 40:6). Therefore all those of the generation of Noah, having become earthly and fleshy, each strayed from 'his way' (Gen 6:11) which he had received; for the way is called to be received of him and to be given to God. Thus they corrupted their own way or the way of God; for both are possible.

And God said to Noah: 'The time of every man comes against me, because the earth was filled with injustice from them' (Gen 6:11). Many of the written things have a more useful history for the many. For these, living by sensation and glory, do not reach the truly great and profitable things. And let the said thing be upon an example.

Jesus healed a blind man from birth, and Lazarus, having had four days in the tomb, he brought out by command alone, and again the one in the cave, remaining in much decay, he raised. These things were for the sensible fulfillment and were symbolic: the one healing the blind from birth showing the sight of a soul that had never seen, because it had been overturned in sin and ignorance from soft nails, and again the one already pathless and having lost hope, having fallen from the blessed life, was shown symbolically coming back to it through Jesus, and the one seized by decay, then having been saved, testified to the return of a soul falling into insensibility. But these are more wonderful and greater than the healing of bodies, since the essence of the soul is more precious than the body, but which the many do not know. He, therefore, explaining the paradoxes thus to them, makes it more useful, and in the things now set forth of the history...

It also has a more useful benefit for the many. For what does he say? 'The opportunity for every man has come upon the earth' (Luke 19:44). And Peter also says that by the patience of God the deluge was delayed, so that repentance might be given.

For it has been revealed that the construction of the ark took place in a hundred years, so that seeing men and inquiring about the cause might take the opportunity for repentance. But opportunity here must not be thought of as being called by someone a time-keeper; for not fate holds sway over things, but everything happens by the will of God.

Therefore, it should be understood that 'the opportunity for every man has come upon the earth' means the almost-fullness of the sinning men, by which the bringing on of vengeance must be approached, as it is said: 'For the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet full unto this time' (Gen 15:16), instead of saying 'they have not sinned so much that their repentance be known.' For God does not bring wrath upon every single day, even though sins are being committed; rather, He does this by providing a place for repentance and giving the opportunity to recognize their own sinning; but when thus the things concerning them are completed so that they no longer have opportunity to recognize their sin, the time has come for them to suffer.

And once the mention of the filling up of sin has occurred, this is to be noted: that it is not the same to fill up sins in one man and in a whole nation. For among the many, all sins are found to be present, such as one being unmanageable and another being spared, one being bold and another cowardly, and again one being licentious and another being foolish; but for one man, it is impossible to find these opposing vices in excess and deficiency. For it is possible for all virtues to be in a man, for they follow one another, but the vices are not so, because of the things previously mentioned.

And these things being a digression, let us return to the beginning: 'The opportunity for every man has come.' No one has such sins that they might be forgiven him; and just as an excellent physician, even if it happens at night, sets a time for the sick to receive nourishment according to the state of the disease, so also is the present thing being said. For when men have reached the extremity of sin, through which the deluge is brought, this happens.