Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise On the Grace of Christ, And On Original Sin

Now even Pelagius should frankly confess that this grace is plainly set forth in the inspired Scriptures; nor should he with shameless effrontery hide the fact that he has too long opposed it, but admit it with salutary regret; so that the holy Church may cease to be harassed by his stubborn persistence, and rather rejoice in his sincere conversion. Let him distinguish between knowledge and love, as they ought to be distinguished; because “knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth.”73 1 Cor. viii. 1. And then knowledge no longer puffeth up when love builds up. And inasmuch as each is the gift of God (although one is less, and the other greater), he must not extol our righteousness above the praise which is due to Him who justifies us, in such a way as to assign to the lesser of these two gifts the help of divine grace, and to claim the greater one for the human will. And should he consent that we receive love from the grace of God, he must not suppose that any merits of our own preceded our reception of the gift. For what merits could we possibly have had at the time when we loved not God? In order, indeed, that we might receive that love whereby we might love, we were loved while as yet we had no love ourselves. This the Apostle John most expressly declares: “Not that we loved God,” says he, “but that He loved us;”74 1 John iv. 10. and again, “We love Him, because He first loved us.”75 1 John iv. 19. Most excellently and truly spoken! For we could not have wherewithal to love Him, unless we received it from Him in His first loving us. And what good could we possibly do if we possessed no love? Or how could we help doing good if we have love? For although God’s commandment appears sometimes to be kept by those who do not love Him, but only fear Him; yet where there is no love, no good work is imputed, nor is there any good work, rightly so called; because “whatsoever is not of faith is sin,”76 Rom. xiv. 23. and “faith worketh by love.”77 Gal. v. 6. Hence also that grace of God, whereby “His love is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us,”78 Rom. v. 5. must be so confessed by the man who would make a true confession, as to show his undoubting belief that nothing whatever in the way of goodness pertaining to godliness and real holiness can be accomplished without it. Not after the fashion of him who clearly enough shows us what he thinks of it when he says, that “grace is bestowed in order that what God commands may be the more easily fulfilled;” which of course means, that even without grace God’s commandments may, although less easily, yet actually, be accomplished.

CAPUT XXVI.

27. Istam Dei gratiam in divinis eloquiis manifestam etiam Pelagius manifeste fateatur, seque tamdiu contra sensisse non operiat impudentissimo pudore, sed dolore saluberrimo aperiat; ut sancta Ecclesia non turbetur pervicaci ejus obstinatione, sed veraci correctione laetetur. Cognitionem et dilectionem , sicut sunt discernenda, discernat. Quia scientia inflat, charitas aedificat (I Cor. VIII, 1). Et tunc scientia non inflat, quando charitas aedificat. Et cum sit utrumque donum Dei, sed unum minus, alterum majus, non sic justitiam nostram super laudem justificatoris nostri extollat, ut horum duorum quod minus est, divino tribuat adjutorio, quod autem majus est, humano usurpet arbitrio. Et si consenserit, nos gratia Dei accipere charitatem; non sic sentiat, tanquam ulla merita bona nostra praecesserint. Nam quae merita bona tunc habere poteramus, quando Deum non diligebamus? Ut enim acciperemus dilectionem qua diligeremus, dilecti sumus, cum eam nondum haberemus. Hoc Joannes apostolus apertissime dicit: Non quod nos dilexcrimus Deum, sed quia ipse dilexit nos. Et alibi: Nos diligamus, inquit, quia ipse prior dilexit nos (I Joan. IV, 10, 19). Optime omnino atque verissime. Non enim haberemus unde illum diligeremus, nisi hoc ab illo, cum prior nos diligeret, sumeremus. Quid autem boni faceremus, nisi diligeremus? Aut quomodo bonum non facimus, si diligamus? Etsi enim Dei mandatum videtur aliquando non a diligentibus , sed a timentibus fieri; tamen ubi non est dilectio, nullum bonum opus imputatur, nec recte bonum opus vocatur: quia omne quod non ex fide est, peccatum est (Rom. XIV, 23); et fides per dilectionem operatur (Galat. V, 6). Ac per hoc gratiam Dei, qua charitas Dei diffunditur in cordibus nostris per Spiritum sanctum qui datus est nobis (Rom. V, 5), sic confiteatur qui vult veraciter confiteri, ut omnino nihil boni sine illa, quod ad pietatem pertinet veramque justitiam, fieri posse non dubitet. Non quomodo iste, qui cum dicit, «propterea dari gratiam, ut quod a Deo praecipitur, facilius impleatur,» quid de illa sentiat satis ostendit, scilicet, quod etiam sine illa, etsi minus facile, fieri tamen quod divinitus praecipitur, potest.