Imatges de pàgina
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of no force in us. For God doth work," said he, "as much as in him is that we may will, when his word is made known unto us: but if we will not yield unto it, we make that his operation shall have no profit in us." Against him St. Augustine disputeth largely in his two hundred and seventeenth epistle, where he maketh this to be the state of the question betwixt them; "Whetherd grace doth go before or follow after the will of man, that is to say," as he further explaineth it, "whether it be therefore given us because we will; or by it God doth work even this also, that we do will." The worthy doctor maintaineth that grace goeth before, and worketh the will unto good which he strongly proveth, both by the word of God and by the continual practice of the Church in her prayers and thanksgivings for the conversion of unbelievers. For "ife thou dost confess," saith he, "that we are to pray for them, surely thou dost pray that they may consent to the doctrine of God, with their will freed from the power of darkness. And thus it will come to pass, that neither men shall be made to be believers but by their free will; and yet shall be made believers by his grace, who hath freed their will from the power of darkness. Thus both God's grace is not denied, but is shewed to be true without any human merits going before it: and free will is so defended, that it is made solid with humility, and not thrown down headlong by being lifted up; that he that rejoiceth, may not rejoice in man, either any other or yet himself, but in the Lord;" and again: "Howf

d Utrum præcedat hæc gratia an subsequatur hominis voluntatem, hoc est, ut planius id eloquar, utrum ideo nobis detur, quia volumus, an per ipsam Deus etiam hoc efficiat ut velimus. August. epist. 217. ad Vital. op. tom. 2. pag. 805.

e Si fateris pro eis orandum, id utique orandum fateris, ut doctrinæ divinæ arbitrio liberato a tenebrarum potestate consentiant. Ita fit ut neque fideles fiant nisi libero arbitrio; et tamen illius gratia fideles fiant, qui eorum a potestate tenebrarum liberavit arbitrium. Sic et Dei gratia non negatur, sed sine ullis humanis præcedentibus meritis vera monstratur: et liberum ita defenditur, ut humilitate solidetur, non elatione præcipitetur arbitrium; et qui gloriatur, non in homine, vel quolibet alio vel seipso, sed in Domino glorietur. Ibid. pag. 802.

Quomodo Deus expectat voluntates hominum, ut præveniant eum, quibus det gratiam cum gratias ei non immerito agamus de iis quibus non ei creden

doth God expect the wills of men that they should prevent him, to whom he might give grace: when we do give him thanks not undeservedly in the behalf of them, whom not believing, and persecuting his doctrine with an ungodly will, he hath prevented with his mercy, and with a most omnipotent facility converted them unto himself, and made them willing of unwilling? Why do we give him thanks for this, if he himself did not this? Questionless we do not pray to God, but feign that we do pray, if we believe that not he, but ourselves be the doers of that which we pray for. Questionless we do not give thanks to God, but feign that we give thanks, if we do not think that he doth the thing, for which we give him thanks. If deceitful lips be found in any other speeches of men, at leastwise let them not be found in prayers. Far be it from us, that what we do beseech God to do with our mouths and voices, we should deny that he doth it in our hearts: and, which is more grievous, to the deceiving of others also, not conceal the same in our disputations; and whilst we will needs defend free will before men, we should lose the help of prayer with God, and not have true giving of thanks, whilst we do not acknowledge true grace. If we will truly defend free will, let us not oppugn that by which it is made free. For whoso oppugneth grace, whereby our will is made free to decline from evil and to do good, he will have his will to be still captive." Thus doth St.

tibus, et ejus doctrinam voluntate impia persequentibus misericordiam prærogavit; eosque ad seipsum omnipotentissima facilitate convertit, ac volentes ex nolentibus fecit? ut quid ei inde gratias agimus, si hoc ipse non fecit? Aug. ep. 217. ad Vitalem. op. tom. 2. pag. 807.

g Prorsus non oramus Deum, sed orare nos fingimus; si nos ipsos non illum credimus facere quod oramus. Prorsus non gratias Deo agimus, sed nos agere fingimus; si unde illi gratias agimus, ipsum facere non putamus. Labia dolosa si in hominum quibuscunque sermonibus sunt, saltem in orationibus non sint. Absit, ut quod facere Deum rogamus oribus et vocibus nostris, eum facere negemus cordibus nostris: et, quod est gravius ad alios decipiendos, hoc non taceamus disputationibus nostris: et dum volumus apud homines defendere liberum arbitrium, apud Deum perdamus orationis auxilium, et gratiarum actionem non habeamus veram, dum veram non agnoscimus gratiam. Si vere volumus defendere liberum arbitrium; non oppugnemus unde fit liberum. Nam qui oppugnat gratiam, qua nostrum ad declinandum a malo, et faciendum bonum liberatur arbitrium, ipse arbitrium suum adhuc vult esse captivum. Ibid. pag. 801

Augustine deal with Vitalis: to whom he saith: "I do not believe indeed that thou art a Pelagian heretic: but so I would have thee to be, that no part of that error may pass unto thee, or be left in thee."

The doctrine of the Semi-Pelagians in France is related by Prosper Aquitanicus and Hilarius Arelatensis, in their several epistles written to St. Augustine of this argument: "they do agree," saith Hilarius, "that all men were lost in Adam, and that from thence no man by his proper will can be freed: but this they say is agreeable to the truth, or answerable to the preaching of the word, that when the means of obtaining salvation is declared to such as are cast down and would never rise again by their own strength, they by that merit, whereby they do will and believe that they can be healed from their disease, may obtain both the increase of that faith, and the effecting of their whole health." And "that" grace is not denied, when such a will as this is said to go before it, which seeketh only a physician, but is not of itself otherwise able to do any thing. For as touching that place: As he hath distributed to every one the measure of faith, and other like testimonies, they would have them make for this, that he should be holpen that hath begun to will; but not that this also should be given unto him, that he might will." Prosper in his poems doth thus deliver it:

Gratia' qua Christi populus sumus, hoc cohibetur

Limite vobiscum, et formam hanc asscribitis illi :

h Ego hæreticum quidem Pelagianum te esse non credo: sed ita esse volo, ut nihil illius ad te transeat, vel in te relinquatur erroris. Aug. ep. 217. ad Vitalem. op. tom. 2. pag. 807.

i Consentiunt omnem hominem in Adam periisse, nec inde quenquam posse proprio arbitrio liberari : sed id conveniens asserunt veritati, vel congruum prædicationi, ut cum prostratis et nunquam suis viribus surrecturis annunciatur obtinendæ salutis occasio; eo merito, quo voluerint et crediderint a suo morbo se posse sanari, et ipsius fidei augmentum, et totius sanitatis suæ consequantur effectum. Hilar. epist. ad August. inter op. Augustin. tom. 2. pag. 825.

k Nec negari gratiam, si præcedere dicatur talis voluntas, quæ tantum medicum quærat, non autem quicquam ipsa jam valeat. Nam illa testimonia, ut est illud, Sicut unicuique partitus est mensuram fidei, et similia, ad id volunt valere, ut adjuvetur qui cœperit velle; non ut etiam donetur, ut velit. Ibid. Prosper, de Ingratis, cap. 10.

Ut cunctos vocet illa quidem, invitetque; nec ullum
Præteriens, studeat communem adferre salutem
Omnibus, et totum peccato absolvere mundum.
Sed proprio quemque arbitrio parere vocanti,
Judicioque suo, mota se extendere mente
Ad lucem oblatam; quæ se non subtrahat ulli,
Sed cupidos recti juvet, illustretque volentes.
Hinc adjutoris Domini bonitate magistra
Crescere virtutum studia; ut quod quisque petendum
Mandatis didicit, jugi sectetur amore.

Esse autem edoctis istam communiter æquam
Libertatem animis, ut cursum explere beatum
Persistendo queant: finem effectumque petitum
Dante Deo, ingeniis qui nunquam desit honestis.
Sed quia non idem est cunctis vigor, et variarum
Illecebris rerum trahitur dispersa voluntas:

Sponte aliquos vitiis succumbere, qui potuissent
A lapsu revocare pedem, stabilesque manere.

Against these opinions St. Augustine wrote his two books, of the predestination of the Saints, and of the gift of perseverance in the former whereof he hath this memorable passage among divers others: "Many hear the word of truth; but some do believe, others do contradict. Therefore these have a will to believe, the others have not. Who is ignorant of this? who would deny it? but seeing the will is to some prepared by the Lord, to others not, we are to discern what doth proceed from his mercy, and what from his judgment. That which Israel did seek, saith the apostle", he obtained not but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Behold mercy and judgment; mercy in the election which hath obtained the righteousness of God, but judgment upon the rest

Multi audiunt verbum veritatis; sed alii credunt, alii contradicunt. Volunt ergo isti credere, nolunt autem illi. Quis hoc ignoret? quis hoc neget? Sed cum aliis præparetur, aliis non præparetur voluntas a Domino: discernendum est utique quid veniat de misericordia ejus, quid de judicio. Quod quærebat Israel, ait apostolus, hoc non est consecutus: electio autem consecuta est, cæteri vero excæcati sunt, &c. Ecce misericordia et judicium; misericordia in electione quæ consecuta est justitiam Dei, judicium vero in cæteros qui excæcati sunt: et tamen illi quia voluerunt, crediderunt; illi quia noluerunt, non cre diderunt. Misericordia igitur et judicium in ipsis voluntatibus facta sunt. Augustin. de Prædestinat. Sanctor. cap. 6. op. tom. 10. pag. 798.

» Rom. chap. 11. ver. 7.

that were blinded: and yet the one because they would, did believe; the others because they would not, did not believe. Mercy therefore and judgment were executed even upon the wills themselves." Against the same opinions divers treatises were published by Prosper also; who chargeth these men with nourishing the poison of the Pelagian pravity, by their positions: inasmuch as I. "The beginning of salvation is naughtily placed in man" by them. II. "The will of man is impiously preferred before the will of GOD: as if therefore one should be holpen because he did will, and did not therefore will because he was holpen." III. "A man originally evil is naughtily believed to begin his receiving of good, not from the highest good, but from himself." IV." It is thought that God may otherwise be pleased, than out of that which he himself hath bestowed." But he maintaineth constantly, that both the beginning and ending of a man's conversion is wholly to be ascribed unto grace: and that God effecteth this grace in us, "not by way of counsel and persuasion only, but by an inward change and reformation of the mind, making up a new vessel of a broken one, by a creating virtue."

Non hoc consilio tantum hortatuque benigno
Suadens atque docens, quasi normam legis haberet
Gratia: sed mutans intus mentem, atque reformans,
Vasque novum ex fracto fingens, virtute creandi.

The writers of principal esteem on the other side, were Johannes Cassianus, and Faustus Regiensis or Reiensis: the former of which was encountered by Prosper, in his book contra Collatorem, the latter by Fulgentius,

• In istis Pelagianæ pravitatis reliquiis non mediocris virulentiæ fibra nutritur, si principium salutis male in homine collocatur; si divinæ voluntati impie voluntas humana præfertur, ut ideo quis adjuvetur quia voluit, non ideo quia adjuvatur velit: si originaliter malus receptionem boni non a summo bono, sed a semetipso inchoare male creditur; si aliunde Deo placetur, nisi ex eo quod ipse donaverit. Prosp. in epist. ad August, int. op. Augustin. tom. 2. pag. 824. P Id. de Ingratis, cap. 14.

Opuscula Cassiani, presbyteri Galliarum, apocrypha. Opuscula Fausti Rhegiensis, Galliarum apocrypha. Concil. Roman. 1. sub Gelasio.

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