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The first presumptuous advancer of free-will, contrary to the doctrine anciently received in the Church, is by Vicentius Lirinensis noted to be Pelagius the heretic. For ^owho ever (saith he) before that profane Pelagius, presumed the virtue of free-will to be so great; that he did not think the grace of God to be necessary for the helping of it in good things at every act? For maintaining of which ungodly opinion, both he and his disciple Celestius were condemned by the censure of the CCXLIII. Bishops assembled in the great Council of Carthage (anno Dom. 418.) ^puntil they should acknowledge by a most open confession, that by the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord, we are holpen not only to ⟨p. 474⟩know but also to do righteousness at every act: so that without it we can have, think, say, do, nothing that belongeth to true and holy piety. Wherewith Pelagius being pressed, stuck not to make this profession: ^qAnathema to him, who either thinketh or saith, that the grace of God, whereby Christ came into this world to save sinners, is not necessary, not only at every hour or every moment, but also at every act of ours: and they who go about to take away this, are worthy to suffer everlasting punishment. Four books also did he publish in defence of Freewill; to which he thus referreth his adversaries, for further satisfaction in this matter: ^rLet them read the late work, which we were forced to set out the other day for Free-will; and they shall perceive how unjustly they go about to defame us with the denial of Grace, who throughout the whole context almost of that work do perfectly and entirely confess both Free-will and Grace. Yet for all this he did but equivocate in the name of Grace: ^sunder an ambiguous generality hiding what he thought, but by the term of Grace breaking the envy, and declining the offence which might be taken at his doctrine, as S. Augustine well observeth. For, by Grace, he did not understand, as the Church did in this question, the infusion of a new quality of holiness into the soul, whereby it was regenerated, and the will of evil made good: but first,