Chapter 20.—God’s Agency is Needful Even in Man’s Doings.

For as it is said, “It is man’s part to prepare his heart, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord;” so also is it said, “Open thy mouth, and I will fill it.”136    Ps. lxxxi. 10. For although, save by His assistance without whom we can do nothing, we cannot open our mouth, yet we open it by His aid and by our own agency, while the Lord fills it without our agency. For what is to prepare the heart and to open the mouth, but to prepare the will? And yet in the same scriptures is read, “The will is prepared by the Lord,”137    Prov. viii. and, “Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.”138    Ps. li. 15. So God admonishes us to prepare our will in what we read,” It is man’s part to prepare his heart;” and yet, that man may do this, God helps him, because the will is prepared by the Lord. And,” Open thy mouth.” This He so says by way of command, as that nobody can do this unless it is done by His aid, to whom it is said, “Thou shalt open my lips.” Are any of these men so foolish as to contend that the mouth is one thing, the lips another; and to say with marvellous triviality that man opens his own mouth, and God opens man’s lips? And yet God restrains them from even that absurdity where He says to Moses His servant, “I will open thy mouth, and I will instruct thee what thou oughtest to speak.”139    Ex. iv. 12. In that clause, therefore, where He says, “Open thy mouth and I will fill it,” it seems, as it were, that one of them pertains to man, the other to God. But in this, where it is said, “I will open thy mouth and will instruct thee,” both belong to God. Why is this, except that in one of these cases He co-operates with man as the agent, in the other He does it alone?

20. Nam sicut dictum est, Hominis est praeparare cor, et a Domino responsio linguae; ita etiam dictum est, Aperi os, et adimplebo illud (Psal. LXXX, 11). Quamvis enim nisi adjuvante illo, sine quo nihil possumus facere, os non possumus aperire: tamen nos aperimus illius adjumento et opere nostro; implet autem illud Dominus sine opere nostro. Nam quid est praeparare cor, et os aperire, nisi voluntatem parare? Et tamen in eisdem Litteris legitur, Praeparatur voluntas a Domino (Prov. VIII, sec. LXX); et, Labia mea aperies, et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam (Psal. L, 17). Ecce Deus admonet, ut praeparemus voluntatem in eo quod legimus, Hominis est praeparare cor: et tamen ut hoc faciat homo, adjuvat Deus; quia praeparatur voluntas a Domino. Et, Aperi os, ita dicit jubendo , ut nemo possit nisi ipse id faciat adjuvando, cui dicitur, Labia mea aperies. Numquid istorum aliqui ita desipiunt , ut aliud os, aliud labia esse contendant, et mirabili vanitate hominem dicant os aperire, labia hominis Deum? Quanquam Deus illos et ab hac absurditate compescit, ubi ad Moysen famulum suum dicit, Ego aperiam os tuum, et instruam te quae debeas loqui (Exod. IV, 12). In sententia ergo illa ubi dicitur, Aperi os, et adimplebo illud; quasi unum eorum videtur ad hominem 0586 pertinere, alterum ad Deum: in hac autem ubi dicitur, Ego aperiam os tuum, et instruam te; utrumque ad Deum. Quare hoc, nisi quia in uno istorum cooperatur homini facienti, alterum solus facit?