40. [XXXVII]—The Help of Grace Placed by Pelagius in the Mere Revelation of Teaching.

“Let them read moreover” says he, “what I wrote,97    See above, ch. 23. when I was in the East, to Christ’s holy virgin Demetrias, and they will find that we so commend the nature of man as always to add the help of God’s grace.” Well, I read this letter too; and it had almost persuaded me that he did acknowledge therein the grace about which our discussion is concerned, although he did certainly seem in many passages of this work to contradict himself. But when there also came to my hands those other treatises which he afterwards wrote for more extensive circulation, I discovered in what sense he must have intended to speak of grace,—concealing what he believed under an ambiguous generality, but employing the term “grace” in order to break the force of obloquy, and to avoid giving offence. For at the very commencement of this work (where he says: “Let us apply ourselves with all earnestness to the task which we have set before us, nor let us have any misgiving because of our own humble ability; for we believe that we are assisted by the mother’s faith and her daughter’s merit”98    Epistle to Demetrias, ch. 1.) he appeared to me at first to acknowledge the grace which helps us to individual action; nor did I notice at once the fact that he might possibly have made this grace consist simply in the revelation of teaching.

CAPUT XXXVII.

39. «Legant etiam,» inquit, «quam ad sacram Christi virginem Demetriadem in Oriente conscripsimus , et invenient nos ita hominis laudare naturam, ut Dei semper gratiae addamus auxilium.» Istam sane legi, mihique pene persuaserat, hanc illum gratiam, de qua quaestio est, confiteri: quamvis in multis ejus opusculi locis sibi ipse contradicere videretur: sed cum in manus meas et alia venissent, quae posterius latiusque conscripsit; vidi quemadmodum potuerit etiam illic gratiam nominare, 0379 sub ambigua generalitate quid sentiret abscondens, gratiae tamen vocabulo frangens invidiam, offensionemque declinans. Nam in ipsius principio, ubi ait, «Proposito insudemus operi, nec mediocritati diffidamus ingenii, quod credimus fide matris et merito virginis adjuvari;» gratiam qua adjuvamur ad aliquid agendum, mihi visus fuerat confiteri, nec attenderam hanc eum ponere potuisse in sola revelatione doctrinae.