Chapter 44 [XXII.]—Gratuitous Grace Exemplified in Infants.

Men, however, may suppose that there are certain good deserts which they think are precedent to justification through God’s grace; all the while failing to see, when they express such an opinion, that they do nothing else than deny grace. But, as I have already remarked, let them suppose what they like respecting the case of adults, in the case of infants, at any rate, the Pelagians find no means of answering the difficulty. For these in receiving grace have no will; from the influence of which they can pretend to any precedent merit. We see, moreover, how they cry and struggle when they are baptized, and feel the divine sacraments. Such conduct would, of course, be charged against them as a great impiety, if they already had free will in use; and notwithstanding this, grace cleaves to them even in their resisting struggles. But most certainly there is no prevenient merit, otherwise the grace would be no longer grace. Sometimes, too, this grace is bestowed upon the children of unbelievers, when they happen by some means or other to fall, by reason of God’s secret providence, into the hands of pious persons; but, on the other hand, the children of believers fail to obtain grace, some hindrance occurring to prevent the approach of help to rescue them in their danger. These things, no doubt, happen through the secret providence of God, whose judgments are unsearchable, and His ways past finding out. These are the words of the apostle; and you should observe what he had previously said, to lead him to add such a remark. He was discoursing about the Jews and Gentiles, when he wrote to the Romans—themselves Gentiles—to this effect: “For as ye, in times past, have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy; for God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.” 301    Rom. xi. 30–32. Now, after he had thought upon what he said, full of wonder at the certain truth of his own assertion, indeed, but astonished at its great depth, how God concluded all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all,—as if doing evil that good might come,—he at once exclaimed, and said, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”302    Rom. xi. 33. Perverse men, who do not reflect upon these unsearchable judgments and untraceable ways, indeed, but are ever prone to censure, being unable to understand, have supposed the apostle to say, and censoriously gloried over him for saying, “Let us do evil, that good may come!” God forbid that the apostle should say so! But men, without understanding, have thought that this was in fact said, when they heard these words of the apostle: “Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”303    Rom. v. 20. But grace, indeed, effects this purpose—that good works should now be wrought by those who previously did evil; not that they should persevere in evil courses and suppose that they are recompensed with good. Their language, therefore, ought not to be: “Let us do evil, that good may come;” but: “We have done evil, and good has come; let us henceforth do good, that in the future world we may receive good for good, who in the present life are receiving good for evil.” Wherefore it is written in the Psalm, “I will sing of mercy and judgment unto Thee, O Lord.”304    Ps. ci. 1. When the Son of man, therefore, first came into the world, it was not to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.305    John iii. 17. And this dispensation was for mercy; by and by, however, He will come for judgment—to judge the quick and the dead. And yet even in this present time salvation itself does not eventuate without judgment—although it be a hidden one; therefore He says, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not may see, and that they which see may be made blind.”306    John ix. 39.

CAPUT XXII.

44. Sed suspicentur homines quaelibet merita bona, quae putant praecedere, ut justificentur per Dei gratiam; non intelligentes, cum hoc dicunt, nihil aliud quam se negare gratiam: sed, ut dixi, quod volunt de majoribus suspicentur; de parvulis certe Pelagiani quid respondeant non inveniunt, quorum nec voluntas ulla est in accipienda gratia, cujus voluntatis meritum praecessisse dicant, et insuper eos etiam cum fletu reluctari videmus, quando baptizantur et divina Sacramenta percipiunt; quod eis ad magnum impietatis peccatum imputaretur, si jam libero uterentur arbitrio: et tamen haeret etiam in reluctantibus gratia, apertissime nullo bono merito praecedente, alioquin gratia jam non esset gratia. Et aliquando filiis infidelium praestatur haec gratia, cum occulta Dei providentia in manus piorum quomodocumque perveniunt: aliquando autem filii fidelium non eam consequuntur, aliquo impedimento existente, ne possit periclitantibus subveniri. Fiunt vero ista per occultam Dei providentiam, cujus inscrutabilia sunt judicia, et investigabiles viae: quod ut Apostolus diceret, quid praedixerit intuemini. Agebat enim de Judaeis et Gentibus, cum scriberet ad Romanos, id est, ad Gentes, et ait: Sicut enim aliquando vos 0910non credidistis Deo, nunc autem misericordiam consecuti estis in illorum incredulitate; ita et hi nunc non crediderunt in vestra misericordia, ut et ipsi misericordiam consequantur: conclusit enim Deus omnes in infidelitate, ut omnium misereatur (Rom. XI, 30-33). Et cum attendisset quid dixerit, admirans sententiae suae certam quidem veritatem, sed magnam profunditatem, quomodo concluserit Deus omnes in infidelitate, ut omnium misereatur, quasi faciens mala ut venirent bona, mox exclamavit atque ait: O altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei! quam inscrutabilia sunt judicia ejus, et investigabiles viae ejus! Haec enim inscrutabilia judicia et investigabiles viae perversi homines non cogitantes, et proclives ad reprehendendum, non idonei ad intelligendum, putabant et jactitabant Apostolum dicere, Faciamus mala, ut veniant bona (Id. III, 8.) Quod absit ut Apostolus diceret: sed homines non intelligentes hoc putabant dici, quando audiebant quod dixit Apostolus, Lex autem subintravit, ut abundaret delictum: ubi autem abundavit delictum, superabundavit gratia (Id. 5, 20). Sed utique gratia id agit, ut jam fiant bona ab eis qui fecerunt mala; non ut perseverent in malis, et reddi sibi existiment bona. Non itaque debent dicere, Faciamus mala, ut veniant bona: sed, Fecimus mala, et venerunt bona; jam faciamus bona, ut in futuro saeculo recipiamus pro bonis bona, qui in hoc saeculo recipimus pro malis bona. Propter quod scriptum est in Psalmo: Misericordiam et judicium cantabo tibi, Domine (Psal. C, 1). Prius itaque non ideo venit Filius hominis in mundum, ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum (Joan. III, 17): hoc propter misericordiam: postea vero propter judicium venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos; quamvis et in hoc tempore ipsa salvatio non fiat sine judicio, sed occulto, ideo ait, In judicium veni in hunc mundum, ut qui non vident, videant; et qui vident, caeci fiant (Id. IX, 39).