The riches of Gods love unto the vessels of mercy, consistent with his absolute…The riches of Gods love unto the vessells of mercy, consistent with his absolute…

1. As touching the Anathema's. The first proceeds as well of him that is baptized and afterwards perisheth, as of him that is a Pagan and never was baptized, and perisheth in his Paganism, as the Anathema it self witnesseth, if it be repeated at full, thus, Anathema illi qui dixerit illum qui periit non accepisse, ut salvus esse possit, id est, vel de baptizato, vel de illius aetatis Pagano, qui credere potuit & noluit. By which latter clause it appears, that accipere ut salvus esse possit, is no other then to receive Possibilitatem credendi (I say Possibilitatem not Potentiam, because I find this is Faustus his usual phrase, as it was the phrase of Pelagius before him) and this is as much as to say, that every man hath power to believe if he will. Now observe I pray, This kind of power is merely nature, not that which we commonly call Grace, whereby we understand something distinct from nature. And Austin acknowledgeth both, De Gen. contr. Manichae. lib. 1. cap. 3, that all men, possunt credere si velint; and that this is no more then is signified by that natural illumination wherewith God enlightens every man, when he comes into the world, John. 1. 9. And, De Praedest. Sanct. cap. 5. Posse habere fidem, sicut posse habere charitatem, naturae est hominum. Fidem verò habere, sicut & charitatem habere gratiae est fidelium. And more then this, the state of the question between Pelagius and the Catholics of those days is so proposed by Austin, as not at all to consist about the possibility of believing or doing any good work, but merely about the willing & doing of it. In so much that Austin professeth, that if Pelagius would acknowledge the will and doing of good to be from God, as he did the possibility hereof to be from God, there should be an end of all controversy between them, and Pelagius should be received as a good Catholic. This appears in his book, De Gratiâ Christi contra Pelagium & Caelestium cap. 6. Pelagius his words were these speaking of God Qui ipsius voluntatis & operis possibilitatem dedit. Hanc autem possibilitatem (saith Austin) in naturâ eum ponere de verbis ejus superioribus clarum est. Sed, ne nihil de gratiâ dixisse videretur, adjunxit, quique ipsam ipsam voluntatem gratiae suae adjuvat semper auxilio.

1. As touching the Anathema's. The first proceeds as well of him that is baptized and afterwards perisheth, as of him that is a Pagan and never was baptized, and perisheth in his Paganisme, as the Anathema it selfe witnesseth, if it be repeated at full, thus, Anathema illi qui dixerit illum qui periit non accepisse, ut salvus esse possit, id est, vel de baptizato, vel de illius aetatis Pagano, qui credere potuit & noluit. By which latter clause it appears, that accipere ut salvus esse possit, is no other then to receive Possibilitatem credendi (I say Possibilitatem not Potentiam, because I find this is Faustus his usuall phraise, as it was the phraise of Pelagius before him) and this is as much as to say, that every man hath power to believe if he will. Now observe I pray, This kind of power is meerely nature, not that which we commonly call Grace, whereby we understand something distinct from nature. And Austin acknowledgeth both, De Gen. contr. Manichae. lib. 1. cap. 3, that all men, possunt credere si velint; and that this is no more then is signified by that naturall illumination wherewith God enlightens every man, when he comes into the world,