▾
Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise On the Predestination of the Saints
⎗←→⎘
▾
A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints,
Chapter 3 [II.]—Even the Beginning of Faith is of God’s Gift.
Chapter 4.—Continuation of the Preceding.
Chapter 5.—To Believe is to Think with Assent.
Chapter 6.—Presumption and Arrogance to Be Avoided.
Chapter 7 [III.]—Augustin Confesses that He Had Formerly Been in Error Concerning the Grace of God.
Chapter 8 [IV.]—What Augustin Wrote to Simplicianus, the Successor of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
Chapter 9 [V.]—The Purpose of the Apostle in These Words.
Chapter 10.—It is God’s Grace Which Specially Distinguishes One Man from Another.
Chapter 11 [VI.]—That Some Men are Elected is of God’s Mercy.
Chapter 12 [VII.]—Why the Apostle Said that We are Justified by Faith and Not by Works.
Chapter 13 [VIII.]—The Effect of Divine Grace.
Chapter 14.—Why the Father Does Not Teach All that They May Come to Christ.
Chapter 15.—It is Believers that are Taught of God.
Chapter 16.—Why the Gift of Faith is Not Given to All.
Chapter 18.—The Preceding Argument Applied to the Present Time.
Chapter 19 [X]—In What Respects Predestination and Grace Differ.
Chapter 20.—Did God Promise the Good Works of the Nations and Not Their Faith, to Abraham?
Chapter 22.—God’s Promise is Sure.
Chapter 23 [XII.]—Remarkable Illustrations of Grace and Predestination in Infants, and in Christ.
Chapter 24.—That No One is Judged According to What He Would Have Done If He Had Lived Longer.
Chapter 26 [XIV]—Reference to Cyprian’s Treatise “On the Mortality.”
Chapter 27.—The Book of Wisdom Obtains in the Church the Authority of Canonical Scripture.
Chapter 28.—Cyprian’s Treatise “On the Mortality.”
Chapter 29.—God’s Dealing Does Not Depend Upon Any Contingent Merits of Men.
Chapter 30 [XV.]—The Most Illustrious Instance of Predestination is Christ Jesus.
Chapter 31.—Christ Predestinated to Be the Son of God.
Chapter 32 [XVI.]—The Twofold Calling.
Chapter 35 [XVIII.]—Election is for the Purpose of Holiness.
Chapter 39—The Beginning of Faith is God’s Gift.
Chapter 40 [XX.]—Apostolic Testimony to the Beginning of Faith Being God’s Gift.
Chapter 41.—Further Apostolic Testimonies.
Chapter 20.—Did God Promise the Good Works of the Nations and Not Their Faith, to Abraham?
Did God, perchance, promise to Abraham in his seed the good works of the nations, so as to promise that which He Himself does, but did not promise the faith of the Gentiles, which men do for themselves; but so as to promise what He Himself does, did He foreknow that men would effect that faith? The apostle, indeed, does not speak thus, because God promised children to Abraham, who should follow the footsteps of his faith, as he very plainly says. But if He promised the works, and not the faith of the Gentiles certainly since they are not good works unless they are of faith (for “the righteous lives of faith,”78 Hab. ii. 4. and, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin,”79 Rom. xiv. 23. and, “Without faith it is impossible to please”80 Heb. xi. 6.), it is nevertheless in man’s power that God should fulfil what He has promised. For unless man should do what without the gift of God pertains to man, he will not cause God to give,—that is, unless man have faith of himself. God does not fulfil what He has promised, that works of righteousness should be given by God. And thus that God should be able to fulfil His promises is not in God’s power, but man’s. And if truth and piety do not forbid our believing this, let us believe with Abraham, that what He has promised He is able also to perform. But He promised children to Abraham; and this men cannot be unless they have faith, therefore He gives faith also.
20. An forte opera bona gentium Deus promisit Abrahae in semine ipsius, ut hoc promitteret quod ipse facit; non autem promisit fidem gentium, quam sibi homines faciunt; sed ut promitteret quod ipse facit, illam praescivit homines esse facturos? Non quidem loquitur sic Apostolus; filios quippe promisit Deus Abrahae, qui fidei ejus vestigia sectarentur: quod apertissime dicit. Sed si opera gentium promisit, non fidem; profecto quoniam non sunt bona opera nisi ex fide (Justus enim ex fide vivit [Habac. II, 4]; et, Omne quod non est ex fide, peccatum est [Rom. XIV, 23]; et, Sine fide impossibile est placere [Hebr. XI, 6]), nihilominus ut impleat quod promisit Deus, in hominum est potestate. Nisi enim homo faciat quod Deo non donante ad hominem pertinet, non faciet ipse quod donet: hoc est, nisi habeat homo fidem ex semetipso, non implet Deus quod promisit, ut opera justitiae dentur ex Deo. Ac per hoc, ut promissa sua Deus possit implere, non est in Dei, sed 0976 in hominis potestate. Quod si veritas et pietas non credere vetat; credamus cum Abraham, quoniam quae promisit, potens est et facere. Promisit autem filios Abrahae; quod esse non possunt, si non habeant fidem: ergo ipse donat et fidem.