32.—The Eleventh Item of the Accusation.

But what comes afterwards again fills me with anxiety. On its being objected to him, from the fifth chapter of Cœlestius’ book, that “they say that every individual has the ability to possess all powers and graces, thus taking away that ‘diversity of graces,’ which the apostle teaches,” Pelagius replied: “We have certainly said so much; but yet they have laid against us a malignant and blundering charge. We do not take away the diversity of graces; but we declare that God gives to the person, who has proved himself worthy to receive them, all graces, even as He conferred them on the Apostle Paul.” Hereupon the Synod said: “You accordingly do yourself hold the doctrine of the Church touching the gift of the graces, which are collectively possessed by the apostle.” Here some one may say, “Why then is he anxious? Do you on your side deny that all the powers and graces were combined in the apostle?” For my own part, indeed, if all those are to be understood which the apostle has himself mentioned together in one passage,—as, I suppose, the bishops understood Pelagius to mean when they approved of his answer, and pronounced it to be in keeping with the sense of the Church,—then I do not doubt that the apostle had them all; for he says: “And God hath set some in the Church, first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”88    1 Cor. xii. 28. What then? shall we say that the Apostle Paul did not possess all these gifts himself? Who would be bold enough to assert this? The very fact that he was an apostle showed, of course, that he possessed the grace of the apostolate. He possessed also that of prophecy; for was not that a prophecy of his in which he says: “In the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils?”89    1 Tim. iv. 1. He was, moreover, “the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”90    1 Tim. ii. 7. He performed miracles also and cures; for he shook off from his hand, unhurt, the biting viper;91    Acts xxviii. 5. and the cripple stood upright on his feet at the apostle’s word, and his strength was at once restored.92    Acts xiv. 8, 9. It is not clear what he means by helps, for the term is of very wide application; but who can say that he was wanting even in this grace, when through his labours such helps were manifestly afforded towards the salvation of mankind? Then as to his possessing the grace of “government,” what could be more excellent than his administration, when the Lord at that time governed so many churches by his personal agency, and governs them still in our day through his epistles? And in respect of the “diversities of tongues,” what tongues could have been wanting to him, when he says himself: “I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than you all?”93    1 Cor. xiv. 18.It being thus inevitable to suppose that not one of these was wanting to the Apostle Paul, the judges approved of Pelagius’ answer, wherein he said “that all graces were conferred upon him.” But there are other graces in addition to these which are not mentioned here. For it is not to be supposed, however greatly the Apostle Paul excelled others as a member of Christ’s body, that the very Head itself of the entire body did not receive more and ampler graces still, whether in His flesh or His soul as man; for such a created nature did the Word of God assume as His own into the unity of His Person, that He might be our Head, and we His body. And in very deed, if all gifts could be in each member, it would be evident that the similitude, which is used to illustrate this subject, of the several members of our body is inapplicable; for some things are common to the members in general, such as life and health, whilst other things are peculiar to the separate members, since the ear has no perception of colours, nor the eye of voices. Hence it is written: “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? if the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”94    1 Cor. xii. 17. Now this of course is not said as if it were impossible for God to impart to the ear the sense of seeing, or to the eye the function of hearing. However, what He does in Christ’s body, which is the Church, and what the apostle meant by diversity of graces95    Another reading has Ecclesiarum, instead of gratiarum; q.d. “difference in churches.” as if through the different members, there might be gifts proper even to every one separately, is clearly known. Why, too, and on what ground they who raised the objection were so unwilling to have taken away all difference in graces, why, moreover, the bishops of the synod were able to approve of the answer given by Pelagius in deference to the Apostle Paul, in whom we admit the combination of all those graces which he mentioned in the one particular passage, is by this time clear also.

32. Sed quod ista sequitur, me rursum sollicitat. Cum enim de quinto capitulo libri Coelestii huic fuisset objectum, quod «affirment unumquemque hominem omnes virtutes posse habere et gratias, et auferant diversitatem gratiarum, quam Apostolus docet:» Pelagius respondit, «Dictum est a nobis, sed maligne et imperite reprehenderunt. Non enim auferimus gratiarum diversitatem: sed dicimus donare Deum ei qui fuerit dignus accipere, omnes gratias, sicut Paulo apostolo donavit.» Ad hoc Synodus dixit: «Consequenter et ecclesiastico sensu et ipse sensisti de deno gratiarum, quae in sancto Apostolo continentur.» Hic dicet aliquis: Quid ergo sollicitat? An tu negabis omnes virtutes et gratias fuisse in Apostolo? Ego vero, si illae accipiantur omnes, quas uno quodam ipse Apostolus commemoravit loco, quas et episcopos intellexisse arbitror, ut hoc approbarent, et pronuntiarent «sensu ecclesiastico dictum,» non eas dubito habuisse apostolum Paulum. Ait enim: Et quosdam quidem posuit Deus in Ecclesia, primo apostolos, secundo prophetas, tertio doctores, deinde virtutes, deinde donationes sanitatum, adjutoria, gubernationes, genera linguarum (I Cor. XII, 28). Quid ergo? dicemus quod haec omnia non habuerit apostolus Paulus? Quis hoc audeat dicere? Nam eo ipso quod apostolus erat, habebat utique apostolatum. Sed habebat et prophetiam. An non prophetia ejus est? Spiritus enim manifeste dicit, quia in novissimis temporibus recedent quidam a fide, intendentes spiritibus seductoribus, doctrinis daemoniorum (I Tim. IV, 1). Ipse erat et doctor Gentium in fide et veritate (Id. II, 7): et operabatur virtutes et sanitates; nam mordentem viperam manu excussit illaesa (Act. XXVIII, 5), et paralyticus ad verbum ejus restituta continuo salute surrexit (Id. XIV, 9). Adjutoria quae dicat, obscurum est; quoniam vis hujus verbi late patet: quis tamen huic et istam gratiam defuisse dicat, per cujus laborem salutem hominum sic constat adjutam? Quid vero ejus gubernatione praeclarius, quando et per eum Dominus tunc tot Ecclesias gubernavit, et per ejus Epistolas nunc gubernat? Jam genera linguarum, quae illi deesse potuerunt, cum ipse dicat, Gratias Deo, quod omnium vestrum lingua loquor (I Cor. XIV, 18)? Quia ergo istorum omnium nihil apostolo Paulo defuisse credendum est, propterea responsionem Pelagii, «omnes gratias ei donatas esse» dicentis, judices approbaverunt. Sed sunt et aliae gratiae, quae hic commemoratae non sunt. Neque enim, quamvis esset apostolus Paulus multum excellens membrum corporis Christi, nullas plures et ampliores gratias accepit ipsum totius corporis caput, sive in carne, sive in 0340 anima hominis, quam creaturam suam Verbum Dei in unitatem personae suae, ut nostrum caput esset, et corpus ejus essemus, assumpsit. Et revera si esse possent in singulis omnia, frustra de membris corporis nostri ad hanc rem data similitudo videretur. Sunt enim quaedam communia omnibus membris, sicut sanitas, sicut vita: sunt autem alia etiam singulis propria, unde nec auris sentit colores, nec oculus voces; propter quod dicitur, Si totum corpus oculus, ubi auditus? Si totum auditus, ubi adoratus (I Cor. XII, 17)? Quod quidem non ita dicitur, tanquam impossibile Deo sit, et auribus praestare sensum videndi, et oculis audiendi. Quid tamen faciat in Christi corpore quod est Ecclesia, et quam diversitatem Ecclesiarum velut per membra diversa ut essent dona etiam singulis propria, significaverit Apostolus, certum est . Quapropter, et qua causa hi qui illud objecerunt, auferri noluerint distantiam gratiarum, et qua causa episcopi propter Paulum apostolum, in quo dona omnia, quae loco uno commemoravit, agnoscimus, id quod respondit Pelagius potuerint approbare, jam clarum est.