Chapter 15.—It is Believers that are Taught of God.

“Why,” say they, “does He not teach all men?” If we should say that they whom He does not teach are unwilling to learn, we shall be met with the answer: And what becomes of what is said to Him, “O God, Thou wilt turn us again, and quicken us”?63    Ps. lxxx. 7. Or if God does not make men willing who were not willing, on what principle does the Church pray, according to the Lord’s commandment, for her persecutors? For thus also the blessed Cyprian64    Cypr. Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer. would have it to be understood that we say, “Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth,”—that is, as in those who have already believed, and who are, as it were, heaven, so also in those who do not believe, and on this account are still the earth. What, then, do we pray for on behalf of those who are unwilling to believe, except that God would work in them to will also? Certainly the apostle says, “Brethren, my heart’s good will, indeed, and my prayer to God for them, is for their salvation.”65    Rom. x. 1. He prays for those who do not believe,—for what, except that they may believe? For in no other way do they obtain salvation. If, then, the faith of the petitioners precede the grace of God, does the faith of them on whose behalf prayer is made that they may believe precede the grace of God?—since this is the very thing that is besought for them, that on them that believe not—that is, who have not faith—faith itself may be bestowed? When, therefore, the gospel is preached, some believe, some believe not; but they who believe at the voice of the preacher from without, hear of the Father from within, and learn; while they who do not believe, hear outwardly, but inwardly do not hear nor learn;—that is to say, to the former it is given to believe; to the latter it is not given. Because “no man,” says He, “cometh to me, except the Father which sent me draw him.”66    John vi. 44. And this is more plainly said afterwards. For after a little time, when He was speaking of eating his flesh and drinking His blood, and some even of His disciples said, “This is a hard saying, who can hear it? Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this offend you?”67    John vi. 60 ff. And a little after He said, “The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and life; but there are some among you which believe not.”68    John vi. 63 ff. And immediately the evangelist says, “For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the believers, and who should betray Him; and He said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given him of my Father.” Therefore, to be drawn to Christ by the Father, and to hear and learn of the Father in order to come to Christ, is nothing else than to receive from the Father the gift by which to believe in Christ. For it was not the hearers of the gospel that were distinguished from those who did not hear, but the believers from those who did not believe, by Him who said, “No man cometh to me except it were given him of my Father.”

15. «Quare,» inquiunt, «non omnes docet?» Si dixerimus quia nolunt discere quos non docet; respondebitur nobis, Et ubi est quod ei dicitur, Deus, tu convertens vivificabis nos (Psal. LXXXIV, 7)? Aut si 0972 non facit volentes ex nolentibus Deus, utquid orat Ecclesia secundum praeceptum Domini pro persecutoribus suis (Matth. V, 44)? Nam sic etiam voluit intelligi sanctus Cyprianus (De Oratione Dominica) quod dicimus, Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra (Matth. VI, 10): hoc est, sicut in eis qui jam crediderunt, et tanquam coelum sunt; ita et in eis qui non credunt, et ob hoc adhuc terra sunt. Quid ergo oramus pro nolentibus credere, nisi ut Deus in illis operetur et velle (Philipp. II, 13)? De Judaeis certe Apostolus ait: Fratres, bona voluntas quidem cordis mei, et deprecatio ad Deum pro illis fitin salutem (Rom. X, 1). Orat pro non credentibus, quid, nisi ut credant? Non enim aliter consequuntur salutem. Si ergo fides orantium Dei praevenit gratiam; numquid eorum fides, pro quibus oratur ut credant, Dei praevenit gratiam? Quandoquidem hoc pro eis oratur, ut non credentibus, id est fidem non habentibus, fides ipsa donetur. Cum igitur Evangelium praedicatur, quidam credunt, quidam non credunt: sed qui credunt praedicatore forinsecus insonante, intus a Patre audiunt atque discunt; qui autem non credunt, foris audiunt, intus non audiunt neque discunt: hoc est, illis datur ut credant, illis non datur. Quia nemo, inquit, venit ad me, nisi Pater qui misit me, traxerit eum. Quod apertius postea dicitur. Nam post aliquantum cum de carne sua manducanda et bibendo sanguine suo loqueretur, et dicerent quidam etiam discipulo rum ejus, Durus est hic sermo, quis potest eum audire? Sciens Jesus apud semetipsum, quia murmurarent de hoc discipuli ejus, dixit eis: Hoc vos scandalizat? Et paulo post: Verba, inquit, quae ego locutus sum vobis, spiritus et vita sunt: sed sunt quidam ex vobis qui non credunt. Et mox Evangelista, Sciebat enim, inquit, ab initio Jesus qui essent credentes, et quis traditurus esset eum, et dicebat: Propterea dixi vobis, Quia nemo potest venire ad me, nisi fuerit ei datum a Patre meo (Joan. VI, 44-66). Ergo trahi a Patre ad Christum, et audire ac discere a Patre ut veniat ad Christum, nihil aliud est, quam donum accipere a Patre, quo credat in Christum. Neque enim audientes Evangelium a non audientibus, sed credentes a non credentibus discernebat qui dicebat, Nemo venit ad me, nisi fuerit ei datum a Patre meo.