58.—The Same Continued.

He has, moreover, in this same paper, huddled together afterwards many of the points which were objected against him out of the “Chapters,” of Cœlestius’ book; nor has he kept distinct, at the intervals which separate them in the Proceedings, the two answers in which he anathematized these very heads; but has substituted one general reply for them all. This, I should have supposed, had been done for the sake of brevity, had I not perceived that he had a very special object in the arrangement which disturbs us. For thus has he closed this answer: “I say again, that these opinions, even according to their own testimony, are not mine; nor, as I have already said, am I to be held responsible for them. The opinions which I have confessed to be my own, I maintain are sound and correct; those, however, which I have said are not my own, I reject according to the judgment of the holy Church, pronouncing anathema on every man that opposes and gainsays the doctrines of the holy and catholic Church; and likewise on those who by inventing false opinions have excited odium against us.” This last paragraph the Proceedings do not contain; it has, however, no bearing on the matter which causes us anxiety. By all means let them have his anathema who have excited odium against him by their invention of false opinions. But, when first I read, “Those opinions, however, which I have said are not my own, I reject in accordance with the judgment of the holy Church,” being ignorant that any judgment had been arrived at on the point by the Church, since there is here nothing said about it, and I had not then read the Proceedings, I really thought that nothing else was meant than that he promised that he would entertain the same view about the “Chapters” as the Church, which had not yet determined the question, might some day decide respecting them; and that he was ready to reject the opinions which the Church had not yet indeed rejected, but might one day have occasion to reject; and that this, too, was the purport of what he further said: “Pronouncing anathema on every man that opposes and gainsays the doctrines of the holy catholic Church.” But in fact, as the Proceedings testify, a judgment of the Church had already been pronounced on these subjects by the fourteen bishops; and it was in accordance with this judgment that he professed to reject all these opinions, and to pronounce his anathema against those persons who, by reason of the said opinions, were contravening the judgment which had already, as the Proceedings show, been actually settled. For already had the judges asked: “What says the monk Pelagius to all these heads of opinion which have been read in his presence? For this holy synod condemns them, as does also God’s holy catholic Church.” Now, they who know nothing of all this, and only read this paper of his, are led to suppose that some one or other of these opinions may lawfully be maintained, as if they had not been determined to be contrary to catholic doctrine, and as if Pelagius had declared himself to be ready to hold the same sentiments concerning them which the Church had not as yet determined, but might have to determine. He has not, therefore, expressed himself in this paper, to which we have so often referred, straightforwardly enough for us to discover the fact, of which we find a voucher in the Proceedings, that all those dogmas by means of which this heresy has been stealing along and growing strong with contentious audacity, have been condemned by fourteen bishops presiding in an ecclesiastical synod! Now, if he was afraid that this fact would become known, as is the case, he has more reason for self-correction than for resentment at the vigilance with which we are watching the controversy to the best of our ability, however late. If, however, it is untrue that he had any such fears, and we are only indulging in a suspicion which is natural to man, let him forgive us; but, at the same time, let him continue to oppose and resist the opinions which were rejected by him with anathemas in the proceedings before the bishops, when he was on his defence; for if he now shows any leniency to them, he would seem not only to have believed these opinions formerly, but to be cherishing them still.

58. Postea etiam de libro Coelestii capitula sibi objecta in eadem chartula multa congessit; neque his intervallis quae continent gesta, duas responsiones, quibus eadem capitula anathematizavit, sed unam simul omnibus subdidit. Quod studio brevitatis factum putarem, nisi plurimum ad id quod nos movet, interesse perspicerem. Ita enim clausit: «Iterum dico, quoniam ista et secundum eorum testimonium non sunt mea, pro quibus, ut dixi, satisfactionem non debeo; quae autem mea esse confessus sum, haec recte me dicere affirmo: quae autem dixi mea non esse, secundum judicium sanctae Ecclesiae reprobo, anathema dicens omni contravenienti sanctae et catholicae Ecclesiae doctrinis; similiter et his qui falsa fingentes, nobis calumniam commoverunt.» Hunc ultimum versum non habent gesta, sed nihil ad rem de qua solliciti esse debemus. Sint enim prorsus anathema et hi qui falsa fingentes, eis calumniam commoverunt. Sed cum primum legi, «Quae autem dixi mea non esse, secundum judicium sanctae Ecclesiae reprobo:» factum illud esse judicium Ecclesiae nesciens, quoniam hic tacitum est, et gesta non legeram, nihil aliud existimavi, quam eum fuisse pollicitum hoc se 0354 de his sensurum esse capitulis, quod Ecclesia jam non judicasset, sed quandoque judicaret, et ea se reprobaturum, quae illa jam non reprobasset, sed quandoque reprobaret; ut ad hoc pertineret etiam quod adjunxit, «anathema dicens omni contravenienti vel contradicenti sanctae catholicae Ecclesiae doctrinis.» Verum autem, ut gesta testantur, jam de his ecclesiasticum judicium ab episcopis quatuordecim factum erat, secundum quod judicium se dixit ista omnia reprobare, et anathema dicere his qui talia sentiendo, contra judicium veniunt, quod jam factum fuisse gesta indicant. Jam enim dixerant judices, «Quid ad haec, quae lecta sunt capitula, dicit praesens Pelagius monachus? Haec enim reprobat sancta Synodus, et sancta Dei catholica Ecclesia.» Sed hoc qui nesciunt, et istam chartam legunt, putant aliquid illorum licite posse defendi, tanquam non fuerit judicatum catholicae contrarium esse doctrinae, paratumque se Pelagius dixerit, id de his rebus sapere, quod Ecclesia non judicavit, sed judicaverit. Non itaque sic scripsit in ea, de qua nunc agimus chartula, ut agnosceretur quod habet gestorum fides, omnia scilicet illa dogmata, quibus eadem haeresis proserpebat, et contentiosa convalescebat audacia, ecclesiastico judicio praesidentibus quatuordecim episcopis esse damnata. Quam rem, si ut est, innotescere timuit, se potius corrigat, quam nostrae licet serae vigilantiae qualicumque succenseat. Si autem hoc eum timuisse falsum est, et sicut homines suspicamur, ignoscat, dum tamen ea quae gestis, quibus auditus est, anathematizata et reprobata sunt, de caetero oppugnet; ne parcendo illis, non solum haec antea credidisse, sed credere videatur.