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 EPISTOLA PRIOR, INTER AUGUSTINIANAS CCXIV.

 EPISTOLA POSTERIOR, INTER AUGUSTINIANAS CCXV.

 S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI DE GRATIA ET LIBERO ARBITRIO AD VALENTINUM ET CUM ILLO MONACHOS Liber unus .

 CAPUT PRIMUM.

 CAPUT II.

 3. Sed sunt homines qui etiam de ipso Deo se excusare conantur, quibus dicit apostolus Jacobus: Nemo cum tentatur, dicat, Quoniam a Deo tentor . Deus

 4. Quid illud, quod tam multis locis omnia mandata sua custodiri et fieri jubet Deus? quomodo jubet, si non est liberum arbitrium? Quid beatus ille, d

 CAPUT III.

 CAPUT IV.

 7. Proinde, charissimi, sicut superioribus testimoniis sanctarum Scripturarum probavimus, ad bene vivendum et recte agendum esse in homine liberum vol

 8. De ipsa quoque pudicitia conjugali nempe Apostolus ait, Quod vult faciat, non peccat si nubat (I Cor. VII, 37, 36): et tamen etiam hoc Dei donum es

 9. Propter quod dicit et coelestis Magister, Vigilate, et orate, ne intretis in tentationem (Matth. XXVI, 41). Ergo unusquisque contra suam concupisce

 CAPUT V.

 11. Item quod scriptum est in libro secundo Paralipomenon, Dominus vobiscum, cum vos estis cum eo, et si quaesieritis eum, invenietis si autem reliqu

 12. Meritum enim fuit quidem in apostolo Paulo, sed malum, quando persequebatur Ecclesiam: unde dicit, Non sum idoneus vocari Apostolus, quia persecut

 CAPUT VI.

 14. Ergo redeamus ad apostolum Paulum, quem certe invenimus sine ullis meritis bonis, imo cum multis meritis malis, Dei gratiam consecutum reddentis b

 15. Sed cum dicunt Pelagiani hanc esse solam non secundum merita nostra gratiam, qua homini peccata dimittuntur illam vero quae datur in fine, id est

 CAPUT VII.

 17. Postremo dixit, Fidem servavi sed ille hoc dixit, qui alibi ait, Misericordiam consecutus sum, ut fidelis essem ut fidelis essem: Gratia salvi fa

 18. Homines autem non intelligentes, quod ait ipse Apostolus, Arbitramur justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis (Rom. III, 28) putaverunt

 CAPUT VIII.

 20. Ista ergo quaestio nullo modo mihi videtur posse dissolvi, nisi intelligamus et ipsa bona opera nostra quibus aeterna redditur vita, ad Dei gratia

 CAPUT IX.

 CAPUT X.

 CAPUT XI.

 CAPUT XII.

 CAPUT XIII.

 26. Dicunt etiam gratiam Dei, quae data est per fidem Jesu Christi, quae neque lex est neque natura, 0897 ad hoc tantum valere, ut peccata praeterita

 CAPUT XIV.

 28. Jam quidem de fide, hoc est, de voluntate credentis superius disputavi (Supra, nn. 16-18), usque adeo eam demonstrans ad gratiam pertinere, ut Apo

 29. Nam si fides liberi est tantummodo arbitrii, nec datur a Deo, propter quid pro eis qui nolunt credere, oramus ut credant? Quod prorsus faceremus i

 30. Nam et alio loco per eumdem prophetam Deus manifestissime ostendit, non propter eorum aliqua bona merita, sed propter nomen suum ista facere, ubi

 CAPUT XV.

 CAPUT XVI.

 CAPUT XVII.

 0902 34. Istam charitatem, id est divino amore ardentissimam voluntatem commendans Apostolus, dicit: Quis nos separabit a charitate Christi? tribulati

 35. Et apostolus Petrus: Ante omnia, inquit, mutuam inter vos charitatem perpetuam habentes, quia charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum Si tamen l

 36. Dicit etiam ipse Dominus Jesus, in duobus praeceptis dilectionis Dei et dilectionis proximi totam Legem Prophetasque pendere (Matth. XXII, 40). De

 CAPUT XVIII.

 38. Nemo ergo vos fallat, fratres mei: quia nos non diligeremus Deum, nisi nos prior ipse diligeret. Idem Joannes apertissime hoc ostendit, et dicit,

 39. Et ad Timotheum dicit: Non enim dedit nobis Deus spiritum timoris, sed virtutis et charitatis et continentiae (II Tim. I, 7). In quo sane Apostoli

 CAPUT XIX.

 CAPUT XX.

 CAPUT XXI.

 43. His et talibus testimoniis divinorum eloquiorum, quae omnia commemorare nimis longum est, satis, quantum existimo, manifestatur, operari Deum in c

 CAPUT XXII.

 CAPUT XXIII.

 CAPUT XXIV.

Chapter 4.—The Divine Commands Which are Most Suited to the Will Itself Illustrate Its Freedom.

What is the import of the fact that in so many passages God requires all His commandments to be kept and fulfilled? How does He make this requisition, if there is no free will? What means “the happy man,” of whom the Psalmist says that “his will has been the law of the Lord”?45    Ps. i. 2. Does he not clearly enough show that a man by his own will takes his stand in the law of God? Then again, there are so many commandments which in some way are expressly adapted to the human will; for instance, there is, “Be not overcome of evil,”46    Rom. xii. 1. and others of similar import, such as, “Be not like a horse or a mule, which have no understanding;”47    Ps. xxxii. 9. and, “Reject not the counsels of thy mother;”48    Prov. i. 8. and, “Be not wise in thine own conceit;”49    Prov. iii. 7. and, “Despise not the chastening of the Lord;”50    Prov. iii. 11. and, “Forget not my law;”51    Prov. iii. 1. and, “Forbear not to do good to the poor;”52    Prov. iii. 27. and, “Devise not evil against thy friend;”53    Prov. iii. 29. and, “Give no heed to a worthless woman;”54    Prov. v. 2. and, “He is not inclined to understand how to do good;”55    Ps. xxxvi. 3. and, “They refused to attend to my counsel;”56    Prov. i. 30. with numberless other passages of the inspired Scriptures of the Old Testament. And what do they all show us but the free choice of the human will? So, again, in the evangelical and apostolic books of the New Testament what other lesson is taught us? As when it is said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth;”57    Matt. vi. 19. and, “Fear not them which kill the body;”58    Matt. x. 28. and, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself;”59    Matt. xvi. 24. and again, “Peace on earth to men of good will.”60    Luke ii. 14. So also that the Apostle Paul says: “Let him do what he willeth; he sinneth not if he marry. Nevertheless, he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.”61    1 Cor. vii. 36, 37. And so again, “If I do this willingly, I have a reward;”62    1 Cor. ix. 17. while in another passage he says, “Be ye sober and righteous, and sin not;”63    1 Cor. xv. 34. and again, “As ye have a readiness to will, so also let there be a prompt performance;”64    2 Cor. viii. 11. then he remarks to Timothy about the younger widows, “When they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they choose to marry.” So in another passage, “All that will to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;”65    2 Tim. iii. 12. while to Timothy himself he says, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee.”66    1 Tim. iv. 14. Then to Philemon he addresses this explanation: “That thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but of thine own will.”67    Philemon 14. Servants also he advises to obey their masters “with a good will.”68    Eph. vi. 7. In strict accordance with this, James says: “Do not err, my beloved brethren . . . and have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect to persons;”69    Jas. i. 16, and ii. 1. and, “Do not speak evil one of another.”70    Jas. iv. 11. So also John in his Epistle writes, “Do not love the world,”71    1 John ii. 15. and other things of the same import. Now wherever it is said, “Do not do this,” and “Do not do that,” and wherever there is any requirement in the divine admonitions for the work of the will to do anything, or to refrain from doing anything, there is at once a sufficient proof of free will. No man, therefore, when he sins, can in his heart blame God for it, but every man must impute the fault to himself. Nor does it detract at all from a man’s own will when he performs any act in accordance with God. Indeed, a work is then to be pronounced a good one when a person does it willingly; then, too, may the reward of a good work be hoped for from Him concerning whom it is written, “He shall reward every man according to his works.”72    Matt. xvi. 27.

4. Quid illud, quod tam multis locis omnia mandata sua custodiri et fieri jubet Deus? quomodo jubet, si non est liberum arbitrium? Quid beatus ille, de quo Psalmus dicit, quod in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus (Psal. I, 2)? nonne satis indicat voluntate sua hominem in lege Dei consistere? Deinde tam multa mandata, quae ipsam quodam modo nominatim conveniunt voluntatem, sicut est, Noli vinci a malo (Rom. XII, 21): et alia similia, sicut sunt, Nolite fieri sicut equus et mulus, quibus non est intellectus (Psal. XXXI, 9); et, Noli repellere consilia matris tuae (Prov. I, 8); et, Noli esse sapiens apud te ipsum; et, Noli deficere a disciplina Domini; et, Noli negligere legem; et, Noli abstinere bene facere egenti; et, Noli fabricare in amicum tuum mala (Id. III, 7, 11, 27, 29); et, Noli intendere fallaci mulieri (Id. V, 2); et, Noluit intelligere ut bene ageret (Psal. XXXV, 4); et, Noluerunt accipere disciplinam (Prov. I, 29): et innumerabilia talia in veteribus Libris divinorum eloquiorum quid ostendunt, nisi liberum arbitrium voluntatis humanae? In Libris etiam novis evangelicis et apostolicis quid aliud ostenditur, ubi dicitur, Nolite vobis condere thesauros in terra (Matth. VI, 19); et, Nolite timere eos qui occidunt corpus (Id. X, 28); et, Qui vult venire post me, abneget semetipsum (Id. XVI, 24); et, Pax in terra hominibus bonae voluntatis (Luc. II, 14): et quod dicit apostolus Paulus, Quod vult faciat, non peccat si nubat : qui autem statuit 0884 in corde suo, non habens necessitatem, potestatem autem habens suae voluntatis, et hoc statuit in corde suo, servare virginem suam, bene facit (I Cor. VII, 36, 37). Item dicit, Si autem volens, hoc facio, mercedem habeo (Id. IX, 17): et alio loco, Sobrii estote juste, et nolite peccare (Id. XV, 34): et iterum, Ut quemadmodum promptus est animus voluntatis, ita sit et perficiendi (II Cor. VIII, 11). Et ad Timotheum dicit, Cum enim in deliciis egerint in Christo, nubere volunt (I Tim. V, 11): et alibi, Sed et omnes qui pie volunt vivere in Christo Jesu, persecutionem patientur (II Tim, III, 12): et ipsi Timotheo, Noli negligere gratiam quae in te est (I Tim. IV, 14). Et ad Philemonem: Ne bonum tuum velut ex necessitate esset, sed ex voluntate (Philem. 14). Servos etiam ipsos monet, ut dominis suis ex animo serviant cum bona voluntate (Ephes. VI, 6). Item Jacobus, Nolite itaque errare, fratres mei, et nolite in personarum acceptione habere fidem Domini nostri Jesu Christi (Jacobi II, 1): et, Nolite detrahere de alterutro (Id. IV, 11). Item Joannes in Epistola sua, Nolite diligere mundum (I Joan. II, 15): et caetera hujusmodi. Nempe ubi dicitur, Noli hoc, et noli illud, et ubi ad aliquid faciendum vel non faciendum in divinis monitis opus voluntatis exigitur, satis liberum demonstratur arbitrium. Nemo ergo Deum causetur in corde suo, sed sibi imputet quisque, cum peccat. Neque cum aliquid secundum Deum operatur, alienet hoc a propria voluntate. Quando enim volens facit, tunc dicendum est opus bonum, tunc speranda est boni operis merces ab eo, de quo dictum est, Qui reddet unicuique secundum opera sua (Matth. XVI, 27).