Chapter 42 [XXIV.]—He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter.

But now the manner in which he concludes the letter by saying, “Let no one therefore seduce you, nor let the wicked deny that they think these things. But if they speak the truth, either let a hearing be given, or let those very bishops who now disagree with me condemn what I have above said that they hold with the Manicheans, as we condemn those things which they declare concerning us, and a full agreement shall be made; but if they will not, know ye that they are Manicheans, and abstain from their company;”—this is rather to be despised than rebuked. For which of us hesitates to pronounce an anathema against the Manicheans, who say that from the good God neither proceed men, nor was ordained marriage, nor was given the law, which was ministered to the Hebrew people by Moses! But against the Pelagians also, not without reason, we pronounce an anathema, for that they are so hostile to God’s grace, which comes through Jesus Christ our Lord, as to say that it is given not freely, but according to our merits, and thus grace is no more grace;96    Rom. xi. 6. and place so much in free will by which man is plunged into the abyss, as to say that by making good use of it man deserves grace,—although no man can make good use of it except by grace, which is not repaid according to debt, but is given freely by God’s mercy. And they so contend that infants are already saved, that they dare deny that they are to be saved by the Saviour. And holding and disseminating these execrable dogmas, they still over and above constantly demand a hearing, when, as condemned, they ought to repent.

CAPUT XXIV.

42. Juliani Epistolae conclusionem refellit. Jam vero quod ita concludit Epistolam, ut dicat, «Nemo ergo vos seducat, nec se negent impii ista sentire. Sed si verum dicunt, aut audientia detur, aut certe isti ipsi episcopi, qui nunc dissident, damnent quae supra dixi cum Manichaeis ista tenere, sicut nos ista damnamus quae de nobis jactant; et fit plena concordia: quod si nolunt, scitote eos esse Manichaeos, et ab eorum vos abstinete consortiis;» contemnendum est potius quam refellendum. Quis enim nostrum dubitat anathema dicere Manichaeis, qui dicunt a bono Deo nec homines, nec nuptias institutas, nec legem datam, quae per Moysen Hebraeo populo ministrata est? Sed et Pelagianis non immerito anathema dicimus, qui tam sunt inimici gratiae Dei, quae venit per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum (Rom. VII, 25), ut eam dicant non gratis, sed secundum merita nostra dari, ac sic gratia jam non sit gratia (Id. XI, 6); tantumque constituunt 0571 in libero arbitrio, quo in profundum demersus est homo, ut eo bene utendo dicant hominem mereri gratiam: cum nemo bene illo uti possit, nisi per gratiam, quae non secundum debitum redditur, sed Deo gratis miserante donatur. Parvulos autem ita contendunt 0572 esse jam salvos, ut a Salvatore audeant negare salvandos. Et haec exsecrabilia dogmata tenentes et seminantes, adhuc insuper flagitant audientiam, cum damnati debeant agere poenitentiam.