Two letters written by Augustin to Valentinus and the monks of Adrumetum,
On Grace and Free Will, to Valentinus and the Monks with Him
Chapter 1 [I.]—The Occasion and Argument of This Work.
Chapter 4.—The Divine Commands Which are Most Suited to the Will Itself Illustrate Its Freedom.
Chapter 7.—Grace is Necessary Along with Free Will to Lead a Good Life.
Chapter 8.—Conjugal Chastity is Itself the Gift of God.
Chapter 9.—Entering into Temptation. Prayer is a Proof of Grace.
Chapter 10 [V.]—Free Will and God’s Grace are Simultaneously Commended.
Chapter 11.—Other Passages of Scripture Which the Pelagians Abuse.
Chapter 12.—He Proves Out of St. Paul that Grace is Not Given According to Men’s Merits.
Chapter 13 [VI.]—The Grace of God is Not Given According to Merit, But Itself Makes All Good Desert.
Chapter 14.—Paul First Received Grace that He Might Win the Crown.
Chapter 16 [VII.]—Paul Fought, But God Gave the Victory: He Ran, But God Showed Mercy.
Chapter 17.—The Faith that He Kept Was the Free Gift of God.
Chapter 18.—Faith Without Good Works is Not Sufficient for Salvation.
Chapter 19 [VIII.]—How is Eternal Life Both a Reward for Service and a Free Gift of Grace?
Chapter 21 [IX.]—Eternal Life is “Grace for Grace.”
Chapter 23 [XI.]—The Pelagians Maintain that the Law is the Grace of God Which Helps Us Not to Sin.
Chapter 28.—Faith is the Gift of God.
Chapter 29.—God is Able to Convert Opposing Wills, and to Take Away from the Heart Its Hardness.
Chapter 31 [XV.]—Free Will Has Its Function in the Heart’s Conversion But Grace Too Has Its.
Chapter 32 [XVI.]—In What Sense It is Rightly Said That, If We Like, We May Keep God’s Commandments.
Chapter 34.—The Apostle’s Eulogy of Love. Correction to Be Administered with Love.
Chapter 35.—Commendations of Love.
Chapter 36.—Love Commended by Our Lord Himself.
Chapter 37 [XVIII.]—The Love Which Fulfils the Commandments is Not of Ourselves, But of God.
Chapter 39.—The Spirit of Fear a Great Gift of God.
Chapter 42 [XXI]—God Does Whatsoever He Wills in the Hearts of Even Wicked Men.
Chapter 43.—God Operates on Men’s Hearts to Incline Their Wills Whithersoever He Pleases.
Chapter 44 [XXII.]—Gratuitous Grace Exemplified in Infants.
Chapter 46 [XXIV.]—Understanding and Wisdom Must Be Sought from God.
Chapter 35.—Commendations of Love.
The Apostle Peter, likewise, says, “And, above all things, have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins.”237 1 Pet. iv. 8. The Apostle James also says, “If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”238 Jas. ii. 8. So also the Apostle John says, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the right;”239 1 John ii. 10. again, in another passage, “Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother; for this is the message which we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”240 1 John iii. 10, 11. Then he says again, “This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.”241 1 John iii. 23. Once more: “And this commandment have we from Him that he who loveth God love his brother also.”242 1 John iv. 21. Then shortly afterwards he adds, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments; for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.”243 1 John v. 2, 3. While, in his second Epistle, it is written, “Not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”244 2 John ver. 5.
35. Et apostolus Petrus: Ante omnia, inquit, mutuam inter vos charitatem perpetuamhabentes, quia charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum (I Petr. IV, 8). Dicit etiam apostolus Jacobus: Si tamen legem perficitis 0903regalem, secundum Scripturas, Diliges proximum tuum tanquam te ipsum, bene facitis (Jacobi II, 8). Item Joannes apostolus: Qui diligit, inquit, fratrem suum, in lumine manet (I Joan. II, 10). Et alio loco: Qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum: quia haec est annuntiatio quam audivimus ab initio, ut diligamus invicem. Itemque alibi: Hoc est, inquit, mandatum illius, ut credamus nomini Filii ejus Jesu Christi, et diligamus invicem (Id. III, 10, 23). Et iterum: Hoc, inquit, mandatum habemus ab ipso, ut qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum (Id. IV, 21). Et paulo post: In hoc, inquit, cognoscimus, quia diligimus filios Dei, cum Deum diligimus, et praecepta ejus facimus: Haec est enim dilectio Dei, ut praecepta ejus servemus, et praecepta ejus gravia non sunt (Id. V, 2, 3). Et in Epistola secunda scriptum est: Non quasi praeceptum novum scribam tibi, sed quod habuimus ab initio, ut diligamus invicem (II Joan. 5).