Pelagius would at least in some sense own, that the posse, the mere power of believing, is from God; but he would not have the veil, the actual willing and believing, to be so. He saith, that God worketh all things; that is, he gives to them the operative power. He distinguishes three things, Posse, Velle, Esse; Posse in natura, Veil in arbitrio, Esse in effectu: Power,1 Willing, Being: Power is in nature, Willing in the free faculty, Being in the effect. The Power, saith he, is properly from God; but the other two are from our selves, as descending de arbitrii fonte, from the fountain of Free-will. Hence St. Austin tells him, That according to his opinion, which attributed to Grace not willing or believing, but a power only, he could not be a true Christian. A power of believing (whether it be as Pelagius would have it,2 a mere naked power, and no more; or whether it be such a power as is an habit or vital principle of Grace,) is not all that Grace operates; a mere naked power is not all. To entertain such a thought, is highly to disparage Grace. A power of believing is from God; and is not a power of sinning, so too? If Free-will, which includes in it a power of sinning, be a creature, it must be so. If a power of sinning be from God, and no more but a mere power of believing be from him, then how is God the author of actual believing, more than of actual sinning? Pelagius saying, That God is said to operate all things, because ⟨p. 278⟩he gives the operative power; Bellarmine from thence infers this just consequence, That then God operates all sin,3 because he gave a Free-will, by which all sin is wrought: Therefore if God be not the author of actual sin, as he is not, nor cannot be; then neither is he author of actual believing, by giving a power to believe. Both powers are from God; and how hard a thing, and how contumelious to Grace is it to say, That he produces as much towards sinning, as towards believing? And yet we must say so, if there be no more than a mere power to both. Neither is such a power, as is a habit or vital principle of Grace, all that Grace operates; those precious Seeds and Principles, were never let down from Heaven to sleep and lye hid in the root, but to spring up in actual Graces suitable and congruous thereunto. There is a Divine vigour in those Principles;
Pelagius would at least in some sense own, that the posse, the meer power of believing, is from God; but he would not have the velle, the actual willing and believing, to be so. He saith, that God worketh all things; that is, he gives to them the operative power. He distinguishes three things, Posse, Velle, Esse; Posse in natura, Velle in arbitrio, Esse in effectu: Power,1 Willing, Being: Power is in nature, Willing in the free faculty, Being in the effect. The Power, saith he, is properly from God; but the other two are from our selves, as descending de arbitrii fonte, from the fountain of Free-will. Hence St. Austin tells him, That according to his opinion, which attributed to Grace not willing or believing, but a power only, he could not be a true Christian. A power of believing (whether it be as Pelagius would have it,2 a meer naked power, and no more; or whether it be such a power as is an habit or vital principle of Grace,) is not all that Grace operates; a meer naked power is not all. To entertain such a thought, is highly to disparage Grace. A power of believing is from God; and is not a power of sinning, so too? If Free-will, which includes in it a power of sinning, be a creature, it must be so. If a power of sinning be from God, and no more but a meer power of believing be from him, then how is God the author of actual believing, more than of actual sinning? Pelagius saying, That God is said to operate all things, because ⟨p. 278⟩he gives the operative power; Bellarmine from thence infers this just consequence, That then God operates all sin,3 because he gave a Free-will, by which all sin is wrought: Therefore if God be not the author of actual sin, as he is not, nor cannot be; then neither is he author of actual believing, by giving a power to believe. Both powers are from God; and how hard a thing, and how contumelious to Grace is it to say, That he produces as much towards sinning, as towards believing? And yet we must say so, if there be no more than a meer power to both. Neither is such a power, as is a habit or vital principle of Grace, all that Grace operates; those precious Seeds and Principles, were never let down from Heaven to sleep and lye hid in the root, but to spring up in actual Graces sutable and congruous thereunto. There is a Divine vigor in those Principles;
- 1Aust. de Grat. Christ. cap. 4.
- 2De Grat. Christi, c. 10.
- 3De Grat. & Lib. Ar. lib. 4. cap. 4.
