A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints,

by Aurelius Augustin, Bishop of hippo;

The First Book,1    This Treatise is the first portion of a work, of which the following, On the Gift of Perseverance, is the second.

addressed to prosper and hilary. [3415]

a.d. 428 or 429

Wherein the truth of predestination and grace is defended against the semi-Pelagians,—those people to wit, who by no means withdraw altogether from the Pelagian heresy, in that they contend that the beginning of salvation and of faith is of ourselves; so that in virtue, as it were, of this precedent merit, the other good gifts of God are attained. Augustin shows that not only the increase, but the very beginning also of faith is in God’s gift. On this matter he does not disavow that he once thought differently, and that in some small works, written before his episcopate, he was in error, as in that exposition, which they object to him, of propositions from the epistle to the Romans. But he points out that he was subsequently convinced chiefly by this testimony, “but what hast thou that thou hast not received?” which he proves is to be taken as a testimony concerning faith itself also. He says that faith is to be counted among other works, which the apostle denies to anticipate God’s grace when He says, “not of works.” He declares that the hardness of the heart is taken away by grace, and that all come to Christ who are taught to come by the Father; but that those whom He teaches, He teaches in mercy, while those whom He teaches not, in judgment He teaches not. That the passage from his hundred and second epistle, Question 2, “concerning the time of the Christian religion” which is alleged by the semi-Pelagians, may rightly be explained without detriment to the doctrine of grace and predestination. He teaches what is the difference between grace and predestination. Further, he says that God in his predestination foreknew what he had purposed to do. He marvels greatly that the adversaries of predestination, who are said to be unwilling to be dependent on the uncertainty of God’s will, prefer rather to trust themselves to their own weakness than to the strength of God’s promise. He clearly points out that they abuse this authority, “If thou believest, thou shalt be saved.” That the truth of grace and perseverance shines forth in the case of infants that are saved, who are distinguished by no merits of their own from others who perish. For that there is no difference between them arising from the foreknowledge of merits which they would have had if they had lived longer. That testimony is wrongfully rejected by the adversaries as being uncanonical, which he adduced for the purpose of this discussion, “he was taken away lest wickedness,” etc. That the most illustrious instance of predestination and grace is the Saviour Himself, in whom a man obtained the privilege of being the Saviour and the Only-begotten Son of God, through being assumed into oneness of person by the Word co-eternal with the Father, on account of no precedent merits, either of works or of faith. That the predestinated are called by some certain calling peculiar to the elect, and that they have been elected before the foundation of the world; not because they were foreknown as men who would believe and would be holy, but in order that by means of that very election of grace they might be such, etc.

S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI DE PRAEDESTINATIONE SANCTORUM LIBER AD PROSPERUM ET HILARIUM PRIMUS .

In quo praedestinationis et gratiae veritas propugnatur contra Semipelagianos, homines videlicet a Pelagiana haeres omnino nequaquam recedentes, dum salutis initium ac fidei ex nobis ipsis esse volunt, ut hoc tanquam merito praecedente caetera bona dono Dei consequantur. Ostendit Augustinus, donum Dei esse, non solum incrementum, sed ipsum quoque initium fidei. Hac de re se aliter sensisse aliquando, et in opusculis ante suum episcopatum scriptis errasse non diffitetur, velut in illa quam objectant, Expositione propositionum ex Epistola ad Romanos. At postea convictum se indicat hoc praecipue testimonio, Quid autem habes quod non accepisti? quod testimonium de ipsa etiam fide accipiendum probat. Fidem inter alia numerandam esse opera, quibus Dei gratiam praeveniri negat Apostolus, cum dicit, Non ex operibus. Gratia duritiam cordis aufferri; et ad Christum venire omnes qui a Patre docentur ut veniant: quos autem docet, misericordia docere; et quos non docet, judicio non docere. Locum ex ipsius Epistola 102, quaest. 2, de tempore christianae religionis, qui a Semipelagianis allegatur, posse recte salva gratiae ac praedestinationis doctrina explicari. Docet quid inter gratiam intersit et praedestinationem. Porro praedestinatione Deum ea praescivisse quae fuerat ipse facturus. Praedestinationis adversarios, qui ad incertum voluntatis Dei deduci se nolle dicuntur, miratur malle seipsos infirmitati suae, quam firmitati promissionis Dei committere. Eosdem hac auctoritate, Si credideris, salvus eris, abuti commonstrat. Gratiae ac praedestinationis veritatem relucere in parvulis qui salvantur, nullis suis meritis discreti a caeteris qui pereunt. Non enim inter eos discerni ex praescientia meritorum, quae si diutius viverent fuerant habituri. Ab adversariis illud injuria tanquam non canonicum testimonium respui, quod in eam rem attulit, Raptus est ne malitia, etc. Praeclarissimum exemplum praedestinationis et gratiae esse ipsum Salvatorem, in quo homo, ut a Verbo Patri coaeterno in unitatem personae assumptus Salvator et Filius Dei unigenitus esset, nullis praecedentibus vel operum vel fidei meritis comparavit, Praedestinatos vocari certa quadam electorum propria vocatione; atque ante mundi constitutionem electos esse, non quia credituri praesciebantur et futuri sancti, sed ut tales essent per ipsam electionem gratiae, etc.