Глава II

Vitaly's opinion is Pelagian 4. Here you could say again that this is done by the Lord when people read or listen to His teaching, if a person agrees with his will with the truth that he reads or hears. “After all, if the teaching of God were hidden from him, you say, then his steps would not be directed, thanks to the direction of which he desires the path of God.” And therefore you believe that a person’s steps in choosing the path of God are directed from the Lord only to the extent that without the teaching of God the truth cannot become known to him, with which he agrees of his own free will. “If he agrees with her, you say (and this is contained in his free decision), then, undoubtedly, what is said is correct. that his ways are directed from the Lord, so that he will desire the way of Him, whose teaching he follows through a previous impulse and a subsequent consent. By natural freedom he does this if he wishes, and does not do it if he does not wish; and for what he does, he will receive a reward or punishment.” This is the very bad opinion of the Pelagians, which spread widely and was deservedly rejected, being condemned even by Pelagius himself, who was afraid of being condemned at the court of the Eastern bishops 3. Guided by this opinion, they say that the grace of God is not given to us for every action, but lies in a free decision or in law and teaching. Will we really be so heavy-hearted, brother, that we will adhere to the Pelagian opinion regarding the grace of God (or rather, contrary to the grace of God), which Pelagius himself condemned, even if hypocritically, fearing Catholic judges? The will is moved by God's grace 5. “And how, you say, can [all this] be answered?” What do you think, could there be any simpler and more obvious [way] than to try for us to perceive in such a way what was stated above regarding prayers to God, so that no penetration of oblivion will take it out of our mind, so that no cunning reasoning will tear it out? After all, if what is written: From the Lord a man’s feet are directed, and he will desire His way 5 , and this: the will is prepared in advance from the Lord 6 , and this: Because God is the One who works in you to will 7 , and many similar [sayings] by which the true grace of God is taught, that is, [the kind of grace] that is not given according to our merits, but when given, it itself gives merit, since it precedes good the will of a person, so that it does not find this will in someone’s heart, but creates [it there]; So, if [according to the above sayings] God so prepares and so produces the human will that he only adds His law and teaching to the free decision of man himself and does not move his consciousness (sensus) by a high and secret calling so that [man's] agreement with this law and teaching is ensured, then, without any doubt, it would be enough to read this, [i.e. e. law and doctrine], or to understand what is read, or even to preach and explain it, but there would be no need to pray that God would turn the hearts of unbelievers to His faith, and grant to the converted an increasing abiding [in goodness] through the bounty of His same grace. Well, if you do not object to the fact that you should ask the Lord for this [in prayer], then what remains for you, brother Vitaly, if you do not recognize that this is being given by the One from whom, as you yourself agree, you should ask it? If you deny that we should ask this from Him, then you contradict His very teaching, because in this teaching we learned [among other things] to ask this from Him. The Outstanding Work of Grace—the Conversion of Sinners 6. You know the Lord’s Prayer, and I have no doubt that you say, [addressing] God: Our Father who art in heaven, 8 etc. Read the explanation of this prayer by Blessed Cyprian; perceive with attention and understand with obedience how he explained those words 9 that are pronounced in it: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven 10 - undoubtedly, he will teach you to pray for the unbelieving enemies of the Church, according to the commandment of the Lord, who said: Pray for your enemies 11. And this means praying that God’s will be done (fiat) both in relation to those who are already believers and bear the image of a heavenly man - and therefore are honored with the name “heaven”, and in relation to those who, because of their unbelief, bear only the image of an earthly 12 man 13 - and therefore are deservedly called “earth”. And are those for whom the Lord commanded us to pray as enemies, and the most glorious martyr explained what we say in prayer: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in the sense that we also ask for them the faith that believers have - so, aren’t they those enemies of Christian piety who either do not want to listen to the law of God and the teaching in which faith in Christ is preached, or for this purpose listen to or even read this to mock, abuse and blaspheme it with the fiercest resistance? This means that it is in vain and more hypocritical than true that we send up prayers to God for them, so that they would join with faith the teaching that they oppose, if His grace does not tend to convert to His faith the wills of people that are opposed to this very faith. In the same way, it is in vain and more hypocritical than true that we give thanks to God with great jubilation when some of them come to faith, if He does not do this in them. Free decision should not be defended in such a way that Divine help is eliminated. 7. Let us not deceive people, for we will not be able to deceive God. We do not pray to God at all, but only pretend to pray if we believe that they themselves are doing what we pray for, and not Him. We do not thank God at all, but we only pretend to thank him if we think that He did not do what we thank Him for. If lying lips 14 appear in the various speeches of people, let them at least not be present in prayer! Let it not be that with our lips and voices we pray for God to do something, but in our hearts we deny that He is doing it. Let it not turn out, what is even worse, that we are not silent about this in our reasoning, leading others into temptation, so that, wanting to protect the free decision of people, we deprive God of the help [given in response to] prayer, and, not recognizing true grace, we do not have true thanksgiving. CPL 262 Translation based on the edition: Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. Accurante J.-P. Migne. Paris, 1845. T. 33. Col. 978–989. Places with discrepancies were verified with the publication: Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum. Vindobonae, 1911.Vol. 57. R. 403–425 See: blessed. Augustine. De gestis Pelagii, 14.30 Proverbs 8 (according to LXX). In Synod, trans.: ... he will receive grace from the Lord. St. Cyprian of Carthage. De oration Dominica, 14–17. terreni. In Synod.trans.: earthly. You might be interested in: