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 EPISTOLA PRIOR, INTER AUGUSTINIANAS CCXIV.

 EPISTOLA POSTERIOR, INTER AUGUSTINIANAS CCXV.

 S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI DE GRATIA ET LIBERO ARBITRIO AD VALENTINUM ET CUM ILLO MONACHOS Liber unus .

 CAPUT PRIMUM.

 CAPUT II.

 3. Sed sunt homines qui etiam de ipso Deo se excusare conantur, quibus dicit apostolus Jacobus: Nemo cum tentatur, dicat, Quoniam a Deo tentor . Deus

 4. Quid illud, quod tam multis locis omnia mandata sua custodiri et fieri jubet Deus? quomodo jubet, si non est liberum arbitrium? Quid beatus ille, d

 CAPUT III.

 CAPUT IV.

 7. Proinde, charissimi, sicut superioribus testimoniis sanctarum Scripturarum probavimus, ad bene vivendum et recte agendum esse in homine liberum vol

 8. De ipsa quoque pudicitia conjugali nempe Apostolus ait, Quod vult faciat, non peccat si nubat (I Cor. VII, 37, 36): et tamen etiam hoc Dei donum es

 9. Propter quod dicit et coelestis Magister, Vigilate, et orate, ne intretis in tentationem (Matth. XXVI, 41). Ergo unusquisque contra suam concupisce

 CAPUT V.

 11. Item quod scriptum est in libro secundo Paralipomenon, Dominus vobiscum, cum vos estis cum eo, et si quaesieritis eum, invenietis si autem reliqu

 12. Meritum enim fuit quidem in apostolo Paulo, sed malum, quando persequebatur Ecclesiam: unde dicit, Non sum idoneus vocari Apostolus, quia persecut

 CAPUT VI.

 14. Ergo redeamus ad apostolum Paulum, quem certe invenimus sine ullis meritis bonis, imo cum multis meritis malis, Dei gratiam consecutum reddentis b

 15. Sed cum dicunt Pelagiani hanc esse solam non secundum merita nostra gratiam, qua homini peccata dimittuntur illam vero quae datur in fine, id est

 CAPUT VII.

 17. Postremo dixit, Fidem servavi sed ille hoc dixit, qui alibi ait, Misericordiam consecutus sum, ut fidelis essem ut fidelis essem: Gratia salvi fa

 18. Homines autem non intelligentes, quod ait ipse Apostolus, Arbitramur justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis (Rom. III, 28) putaverunt

 CAPUT VIII.

 20. Ista ergo quaestio nullo modo mihi videtur posse dissolvi, nisi intelligamus et ipsa bona opera nostra quibus aeterna redditur vita, ad Dei gratia

 CAPUT IX.

 CAPUT X.

 CAPUT XI.

 CAPUT XII.

 CAPUT XIII.

 26. Dicunt etiam gratiam Dei, quae data est per fidem Jesu Christi, quae neque lex est neque natura, 0897 ad hoc tantum valere, ut peccata praeterita

 CAPUT XIV.

 28. Jam quidem de fide, hoc est, de voluntate credentis superius disputavi (Supra, nn. 16-18), usque adeo eam demonstrans ad gratiam pertinere, ut Apo

 29. Nam si fides liberi est tantummodo arbitrii, nec datur a Deo, propter quid pro eis qui nolunt credere, oramus ut credant? Quod prorsus faceremus i

 30. Nam et alio loco per eumdem prophetam Deus manifestissime ostendit, non propter eorum aliqua bona merita, sed propter nomen suum ista facere, ubi

 CAPUT XV.

 CAPUT XVI.

 CAPUT XVII.

 0902 34. Istam charitatem, id est divino amore ardentissimam voluntatem commendans Apostolus, dicit: Quis nos separabit a charitate Christi? tribulati

 35. Et apostolus Petrus: Ante omnia, inquit, mutuam inter vos charitatem perpetuam habentes, quia charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum Si tamen l

 36. Dicit etiam ipse Dominus Jesus, in duobus praeceptis dilectionis Dei et dilectionis proximi totam Legem Prophetasque pendere (Matth. XXII, 40). De

 CAPUT XVIII.

 38. Nemo ergo vos fallat, fratres mei: quia nos non diligeremus Deum, nisi nos prior ipse diligeret. Idem Joannes apertissime hoc ostendit, et dicit,

 39. Et ad Timotheum dicit: Non enim dedit nobis Deus spiritum timoris, sed virtutis et charitatis et continentiae (II Tim. I, 7). In quo sane Apostoli

 CAPUT XIX.

 CAPUT XX.

 CAPUT XXI.

 43. His et talibus testimoniis divinorum eloquiorum, quae omnia commemorare nimis longum est, satis, quantum existimo, manifestatur, operari Deum in c

 CAPUT XXII.

 CAPUT XXIII.

 CAPUT XXIV.

Chapter 16 [VII.]—Paul Fought, But God Gave the Victory: He Ran, But God Showed Mercy.

Let us, therefore, consider those very merits of the Apostle Paul which he said the Righteous Judge would recompense with the crown of righteousness; and let us see whether these merits of his were really his own—I mean, whether they were obtained by him of himself, or were the gifts of God. “I have fought,” says he, “the good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith.”125    2 Tim. iv. 7. Now, in the first place, these good works were nothing, unless they had been preceded by good thoughts. Observe, therefore, what he says concerning these very thoughts. His words, when writing to the Corinthians, are: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”126    2 Cor. iii. 5. Then let us look at each several merit. “I have fought the good fight.” Well, now, I want to know by what power he fought. Was it by a power which he possessed of himself, or by strength given to him from above? It is impossible to suppose that so great a teacher as the apostle was ignorant of the law of God, which proclaims the following in Deuteronomy: “Say not in thine heart, My own strength and energy of hand hath wrought for me this great power; but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, how it is He that giveth thee strength to acquire such power.”127    Deut. viii. 17. And what avails “the good fight,” unless followed by victory? And who gives the victory but He of whom the apostle says himself, “Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”?128    1 Cor. xv. 57. Then, in another passage, having quoted from the Psalm these words: “Because for Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for slaughter,”129    Ps. xliv. 22. he went on to declare: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us.”130    Rom. viii. 37. Not by ourselves, therefore, is the victory accomplished, but by Him who hath loved us. In the second clause he says, “I have finished my course.” Now, who is it that says this, but he who declares in another passage, “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.”131    Rom. ix. 16. And this sentence can by no means be transposed, so that it could be said: It is not of God, who showeth mercy, but of the man who willeth and runneth. If any person be bold enough to express the matter thus, he shows himself most plainly to be at issue with the apostle.

CAPUT VII.

16. Proinde consideremus ipsa merita apostoli Pauli, quibus dixit coronam justitiae redditurum judicem justum, et videamus utrum merita ipsius tanquam ipsius, id est, ex ipso illi comparata, an dona sint Dei. Bonum, inquit, certamen certavi, cursum consummavi, fidem servavi. Primo ista bona opera, si non ea praecessissent cogitationes bonae, nulla essent. Attendite itaque quid de ipsis cogitationibus dicat: ait enim scribens ad Corinthios, Non quia idonei sumus cogitare aliquid a nobis , tanquam ex nobismetipsis; sed sufficientia nostra ex Deo est (II Cor. III, 5). Deinde singula inspiciamus: Bonum, inquit, certamen certavi. Quaero qua virtute certaverit; utrum quae illi ex semetipso fuerit, an quae desuper data sit. Sed absit ut tantus doctor ignoraverit legem Dei, cujus vox est in Deuteronomio: Ne dicas in corde tuo, Fortitudo mea et potentia manus meae fecit mihi virtutem magnam hanc: sed memoraberis Domini Dei tui, quia ipse tibi dat fortitudinem facere virtutem (Deut. VIII, 17, 18). Quid autem prodest bonum certamen, nisi sequatur victoria? Et quis dat victoriam, nisi ille de qua dicit ipse, Gratias Deo qui dat nobis victoriam per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum (I Cor. XV, 57)? Et alio loco cum commemorasset testimonium de Psalmo, Quoniam propter te mortificamur tota die, deputati sumus velut oves occisionis; subjecit atque ait, Sed in his omnibus supervincimus per eum qui dilexit nos (Psal. XLIII, 22; Rom. VIII, 36, 37): non ergo per nos, sed per eum qui dilexit nos. Deinde dixit, Cursum consummavi: sed ille hoc dixit, qui alio loco dicit, Igitur non volentis neque currentis, sed miserentis est Dei (Rom. IX, 16). Quae sententia nullo modo potest etiam sic converti ut dicatur, Non miserentis Dei, sed volentis et currentis est hominis: quisquis enim hoc ausus fuerit dicere, aperte se ostendit Apostolo contradicere.