164. Iesus continues
'I will accordingly tell you now that little which God hath granted me to know concerning this same predestination.' The Pharisees say that everything hath been so predestined that he who is elect cannot become reprobate, and he who is reprobate cannot by any means become elect; and that, even as God hath predestined well-doing as the road whereby the elect shall walk unto salvation, even so hath he predestined sin as the road by which the reprobate shall walk unto damnation. Cursed be the tongue that said this, with the hand that wrote it, for this is the faith of Satan. Wherefore one may know of what manner are the Pharisees of the present day, for they are faithful servants of Satan.
'What can predestination mean but an absolute will to give an end to a thing whereof one hath the means in hand? For without the means one cannot destine an end. How, then, shall he destine the house who not only lacketh stone and money to spend, but hath not even so much land as to place one foot upon? Assuredly none {could do so}. No more, then, I tell you, is predestination, taking away the free will that God hath given to man of his pure bounty (the law of God). Of a surety it is not predestination but abomination we shall be establishing.
'That man is free the book of Moses showeth, where when our God gave the law upon Mount Sinai, he spake thus: "My commandment is not in the Heaven that thou shouldest excuse thyself, saying: Now, who shall go to bring us the commandment of God? And who perchance shall give us strength to observe it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that in like manner thou shouldest excuse thyself. But my commandment is nigh unto thine heart, that when thou wilt thou mayest observe it."
'Tell me, if King Herod should command an old man to become young and a sick man that he should become whole, and when they did it not should cause them to be killed, would this be just?'
The disciples answered:
'If Herod gave this command, he would be most unjust and impious.'
Then Iesus, sighing, said:
'These are the fruits of human traditions, O brethren; for in saying that God hath predestinated the reprobate in such wise that he cannot become elect they blaspheme God [as] impious and unjust. For he commandeth the sinner not to sin, and when he sinneth to penitent; while such predestination taketh away from the sinner the power not to sin, and entirely depriveth him of pentinence.'