De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio

Wherefore that which in created beings is called free choice is, surely, either justly condemned, seeing that by no external force is it predetermined to commit sin; or it is mercifully saved, for no righteousness of its own sufficeth unto it for righteousness.¹ And let the reader bear well in mind that, in what is here said, no account at all is taken of the fact of original sin.² For the rest, let not the cause of the condemnation of free choice be sought outside itself, for nothing in fact condemneth it, save only its own fault; nor are the merits of salvation of itself, but mercy alone saveth it.³ Moreover, its efforts to do good both are in vain, if they be not aided, and do not exist at all, if they be not moved, by grace.⁴ Besides, as the Scripture telleth, the senses and the thoughts of man are prone to evil.⁵ Accordingly, as hath been said, his merits are not to be held as accruing to him of himself (as their source), but rather as descending from on high from the Father of lights; if, of course, the very merits whereby eternal salvation is gained are to be reckoned amongst the best and perfect gifts.⁶

For God, "Who is our King of old," when "He wrought salvation in the midst of the earth,"⁷ divided His gifts unto men⁸ into merits and rewards; to the end both that the present gifts might, as freely possessed by us, become our merits in the meantime, and that we might look forward to receiving the future gifts as gratuitously promised by Him—nay, rather, expect them as due.⁹ It is in reference to both these that Paul saith: "Ye have your fruit unto sanctification, but the end eternal life."¹⁰ And again he saith: "And we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit . . . groan over our present state, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God";¹¹ meaning, by the firstfruits of the Spirit, sanctification, that is to say, the virtues in which we are at the present stage being sanctified by the Spirit in order that deservedly we may obtain the adoption.¹² Again, in the Gospel the same promises are made to him that renounceth the world, where it is said: "He shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life eternal."¹³ And thus salvation is not wrought by man's free will, but by the Lord; nay, rather, He is Himself salvation, and the way unto salvation, Who saith: "I am the salvation of the people";¹⁴ Who showeth the road thereunto: "I am the way."¹⁵ He made Himself to be the way, Who was the salvation and the life, "in order that no flesh should glory."¹⁶

If then the good things of the way are merits, even as the good things of the fatherland (to which we journey) are salvation and life, and if that be true which David saith: "There is none that doeth good, none save One only,"¹⁷ save, that is to say, that One alone of whom it is also said, "None is good, save God alone":¹⁸ without doubt, in such case, both our works and His rewards are alike the gift of God, and He Who has made Himself a debtor in respect of the latter, has also made us meritorious in virtue of the former.¹⁹ Nevertheless He deigns to make use of the services of His creatures in establishing their merits, not on the ground of His standing in need of such services, but on the ground of their being of profit to His creatures.²⁰

God, therefore, worketh their salvation, "whose names are in the book of life,"²¹ sometimes by means of the creature without itself, at other times by means of the creature against itself, at other times by means of the creature with itself.²² For, indeed, there are many things which minister to the salvation of men by means of insensible, and likewise by means of irrational, creatures, which I have spoken of as done without the creature for the reason that it cannot, for lack of understanding, be conscious of them. God also maketh many things of use for the salvation of many men by the instrumentality of the wicked, whether men or angels, who, since they do such service unwillingly, therefore act against themselves.²³ For while they take pleasure in desiring to do hurt, it is themselves who are as much hurt by their own wicked purpose as others are profited by their useful doings.²⁴ And then those with whom, as well as by means of whom, God worketh are the good, whether angels or men, who alike do and will what God willeth. For in the case of those who consent in will to what they do in act, with them God expressly shareth the work which He hath in hand. Whence Paul, when he had narrated the many good things which God, by his means, had done, saith: “ Not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”²⁵ He might have said, “ by means of me,” but, because that would have been too little, he preferred to say “ with me ”; representing himself to be not only a minister of the work by giving it effect, but also, by giving his consent, in a fashion a partner of Him that worketh it.²⁶

Let us consider now, in respect of this threefold manner of God’s working, which we have alleged, what it is that the creature in each case meriteth. The creature, indeed, by means of which, but without which, is done what is done, what can it merit? But what can that merit, against which it is done, except wrath? And what that, with which it is done, if not grace?²⁷ Accordingly, in the first case no merits are gained; in the second evil merits; in the last good merits. For the beasts of the field, when by their means some good or evil resulteth, do not merit good or evil; in as much as they do not possess the power of consenting to good or evil. Much less do the stones merit, for they have not even sense-perception. On the other hand the devil, or wicked men, seeing that with fulness of reason they thrive and keep their watch,²⁸ thereby indeed merit, yet naught else than punishment, for they dissent from the good. But Paul, who preacheth the Gospel willingly lest, were it unwillingly that he so did, he would merely have been entrusted with a stewardship,²⁹ and whoever is of like mind with him, seeing indeed that they obey with full consent of will, are well assured that there is laid up for them a crown of righteousness.³⁰ God therefore useth, for the salvation of His own, the irrational, and likewise the insensible, creature, a beast of burden or a mere instrument, which, their work once done, shall be nowhere found.³¹ He useth the rational, but ill-willed, creature as it were as a rod of discipline which, when His child hath been corrected, He will cast into the fire as a useless twig. He useth both angels and men of good will as His comrades and allies, whom, the victory won, He will reward most abundantly.³² Finally, Paul also boldly proclaimeth concerning himself and others the like: “ For we are God’s fellow-helpers. ”³³ Accordingly God, of His lovingkindness, assigneth merits to man, whenever He deigneth, by his means and with his help, to work any good work. Hence is it that we presume to be God’s fellow-helpers, fellow-labourers with the Holy Ghost, meritorious of the kingdom, because, in fact, by consent of will we are joined unto the divine will.