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Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise On the Predestination of the Saints
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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 40 [XX.]—Apostolic Testimony to the Beginning of Faith Being God’s Gift.
Moreover, we are admonished that the beginning of men’s faith is God’s gift, since the apostle signifies this when, in the Epistle to the Colossians, he says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same in giving of thanks. Withal praying also for us that God would open unto us the door of His word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also I am in bonds, that I may so make it manifest as I ought to speak.”128 Col. iv. 2 ff. How is the door of His word opened, except when the sense of the hearer is opened so that he may believe, and, having made a beginning of faith, may admit those things which are declared and reasoned, for the purpose of building up wholesome doctrine, lest, by a heart closed through unbelief, he reject and repel those things which are spoken? Whence, also, he says to the Corinthians: “But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and evident door is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”129 1 Cor. xvi. 8. What else can be understood here, save that, when the gospel had been first of all preached there by him, many had believed, and there had appeared many adversaries of the same faith, in accordance with that saying of the Lord, “No one cometh unto me, unless it were given him of my Father;”130 John vi. 66. and, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given”?131 Luke viii. 10. Therefore, there is an open door in those to whom it is given, but there are many adversaries among those to whom it is not given.
CAPUT XX.
40. Illud etiam initium fidei hominum donum Dei esse nos admonet, cum hoc significet Apostolus dicens in Epistola ad Colossenses: Orationi instate, vigilantes in illa in gratiarum actione, orantes simul et pro nobis, ut Deus aperiat nobis ostium verbi sui ad loquendum mysterium Christi, propter quod etiam vinctus sum, ut manifestem illud ita ut oportet me loqui (Coloss. IV, 2-4). Quomodo aperitur ostium verbi, nisi cum sensus aperitur audientis ut credat, et initio fidei facto, ea quae ad aedificandam salubrem doctrinam praedicantur et disputantur admittat; ne per infidelitatem corde clauso, ea quae dicuntur improbet ac repellat? Unde et ad Corinthios ait: Permanebo autem Ephesi usque ad Pentecosten; ostium enim mihi apertum est magnum et evidens, et adversarii multi (I Cor. XVI, 8, 9). Quid hic aliud potest intelligi, nisi praedicato ibi per eum primitus Evangelio credidisse multos, et multos ejusdem fidei adversarios 0990 exstitisse, secundum illud Domini, Nemo ad me venit, nisi cui datum fuerit a Patre meo (Joan. VI, 66): et, Vobis datum est nosse mysterium regni coelorum; illis autem non est datum (Matth. XIII, 11)? Ostium ergo apertum est in eis quibus datum est: adversarii autem multi ex eis quibus non est datum.