Chapter 38.—What is the Nature of the Gift of Perseverance that is Now Given to the Saints.

And thus God willed that His saints should not—even concerning perseverance in goodness itself—glory in their own strength, but in Himself, who not only gives them aid such as He gave to the first man, without which they cannot persevere if they will, but causes in them also the will; that since they will not persevere unless they both can and will, both the capability and the will to persevere should be bestowed on them by the liberality of divine grace. Because by the Holy Spirit their will is so much enkindled that they therefore can, because they so will; and they therefore so will because God works in them to will. For if in so much weakness of this life (in which weakness, however, for the sake of checking pride, strength behoved to be perfected) their own will should be left to themselves, that they might, if they willed, continue in the help of God, without which they could not persevere, and God should not work in them to will, in the midst of so many and so great weaknesses their will itself would give way, and they would not be able to persevere, for the reason that failing from infirmity they would not will, or in the weakness of will they would not so will that they would be able. Therefore aid is brought to the infirmity of human will, so that it might be unchangeably and invincibly139    “Insuperabiliter,” the reading of the best mss. Some editions read “inseparabiliter,” in a dogmatic interest. influenced by divine grace; and thus, although weak, it still might not fail, nor be overcome by any adversity. Thus it happens that man’s will, weak and incapable, in good as yet small, may persevere by God’s strength; while the will of the first man, strong and healthful, having the power of free choice, did not persevere in a greater good; because although God’s help was not wanting, without which it could not persevere if it would, yet it was not such a help as that by which God would work in man to will. Certainly to the strongest He yielded and permitted to do what He willed; to those that were weak He has reserved that by His own gift they should most invincibly will what is good, and most invincibly refuse to forsake this. Therefore when Christ says, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not,”140    Luke xxii. 32. we may understand that it was said to him who is built upon the rock. And thus the man of God, not only because he has obtained mercy to be faithful, but also because faith itself does not fail, if he glories, must glory in the Lord.

38. Ac per hoc nec de ipsa perseverantia boni voluit Deus sanctos suos in viribus suis, sed in ipso gloriari: qui eis non solum dat adjutorium quale primo homini dedit, sine quo non possint perseverare si velint; sed in eis etiam, operatur et velle: ut quoniam non perseverabunt, nisi et possint et velint, perseverandi eis et possibilitas et voluntas divinae gratiae largitate donetur. Tantum quippe Spiritu sancto accenditur voluntas eorum, ut ideo possint, quia sic volunt; ideo sic velint, quia Deus operatur ut velint. Nam si in tanta infirmitate vitae hujus (in qua tamen infirmitate propter elationem reprimendam perfici virtutem oportebat) ipsis relinqueretur voluntas sua, ut in adjutorio Dei sine quo perseverare non possent, manerent si vellent, nec Deus in eis operaretur ut vellent, inter tot et tantas tentationes infirmitate sua voluntas ipsa succumberet, et ideo perseverare non possent, quia deficientes infirmitate nec vellent, aut non ita vellent infirmitate voluntatis 0940 ut possent. Subventum est igitur infirmitati voluntatis humanae, ut divina gratia indeclinabiliter et inseparabiliter ageretur; et ideo, quamvis infirma, non tamen deficeret, neque adversitate aliqua vinceretur. Ita factum est ut voluntas hominis invalida et imbecilla in bono adhuc parvo perseveraret per virtutem Dei: cum voluntas primi hominis fortis et sana in bono ampliore non perseveraverit, habens virtutem liberi arbitrii; quamvis non defuturo adjutorio Dei sine quo non posset perseverare si vellet, non tamen tali quo in illo Deus operaretur ut vellet. Fortissimo quippe dimisit atque permisit facere quod vellet: infirmis servavit, ut ipso donante invictissime quod bonum est vellent, et hoc deserere invictissime nollent. Dicente ergo Christo, Rogavi pro te ne deficiat fides tua (Luc. XXII, 32), intelligamus ei dictum, qui aedificatur super petram. Atque ita homo Dei non solum quia misericordiam consecutus est ut fidelis esset, verum etiam quia fides ipsa non deficit, qui gloriatur, in Domino glorietur.