Глава VII

It is impossible for Vitaly to reject church prayers 26. It is possible, of course, that among these twelve [propositions] you will be able to find something that you consider subject to rejection or doubt, and as a result will prompt us to an even more thorough discussion. But will you really forbid the Church to pray for unbelievers so that they become believers, for those who do not want to believe, so that they want to believe, for those who turn away from her law and teaching, so that they agree with her law and teaching, so that God will give them what God promised through the prophet: a heart that knows Him and ears that hear 71 - this, undoubtedly, was received by those about whom the Savior Himself said: Who has ears to hear, and does he hear? 72 Really, when you hear how the priest of God before His altar encourages the people to pray to God, or himself prays publicly so that God will motivate the unbelieving nations to come to his faith, will you not answer: “Amen”? Would you say something contrary to the soundness of this faith? Will you really declare loudly or quietly mutter that Blessed Cyprian was mistaken in this matter, teaching us to pray for the enemies of the Christian faith, so that they also turn to it? 73 God Himself does what He commanded to ask of Him 27. Will you finally blame the Apostle Paul, who offered great prayers for the unbelieving Jews? He says about them: The good will of my heart and prayer to God for their salvation 74. And he says to the Thessalonians: Therefore, pray for us, brothers, that the word of the Lord may spread and be glorified, as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from disorderly and wicked people, for not everyone has faith 75 . How will the word of God be spread and glorified, if not through the conversion to faith of those to whom it is preached, since to those who have already believed, he says: As it is with you! He knows for sure that this is done by the One to whom he prompts to pray that He will do this, as well as to get rid of disorderly and crafty people, that is, from those who are not destined to believe at all, even if they pray [for them]. Because of this, he added: For not everyone has faith, as if he wanted to say: “For even if you pray, the word of God will not be glorified among everyone,” since, of course, only those are to believe who were predestined to eternal life 76 , having been predestined to adoption as sons by Him through Jesus Christ, and chosen in Him before the foundation of the world 77 . However, God forces those who do not yet believe to believe through the prayers of believers, in order to show that He Himself does this. After all, there is no one so ignorant, so carnal, so unreasonable (tardus ingenio), [there is no one] who will not see that God [Himself] does what He commanded to ask Him for in prayers, so that He would do it. The beginning of faith comes from God 28. These and other Divine testimonies, which would be too long to recall, show that God, by His grace, takes away the heart of stone from unbelievers, 78 that He precedes in people the merits of good wills, so that the will is prepared by means of previous grace, and not grace is given for the previous merit of the will. Both thanksgiving and prayer show the same thing: prayer for unbelievers, thanksgiving for believers. After all, to whom one should pray that He would do, one should also give thanks when He has done, therefore the apostle says the same thing in [the Epistle] to the Ephesians: Therefore, having heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and about your love for all the saints, I give thanks for you without ceasing 79 . God gives not only the gifts of piety, but also the very beginning of faith 29. Let's talk now about the very beginning, when people who were disgusted and opposed turn to God and begin to desire what they did not want before, to have the faith they did not have. [Others] pray for them, that this may happen to them, but they themselves do not yet pray, for how can they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? 80. And when what they pray for is done, then for them, and from them, thanks will be given to the One who did it. And I believe that there is no need for us to argue with you both about the petitions to God of already believing people, which they make for themselves and for other believers, so that they succeed in what they began to do, and about their thanksgiving when they succeed - after all, here you and I will have a common struggle against the Pelagians. For they attribute everything that pertains to the righteous (fidelem) and pious life of people to the free decision of the will, in the sense that they believe that it must be acquired by us, and not asked from the Lord. But you, if what I heard about you is true, you do not want the gift of God to be the beginning of faith (initium fidei), from which also comes the beginning of good (initium bonae voluntatis), that is, pious will, but you affirm that we have the beginning of faith from ourselves, and in relation to other benefits of religious life you agree that God gives them through His grace [to those] who, already having faith, ask, seek, knock 81. And you don’t understand that this is why they pray to God for unbelievers, so that they may believe that God gives, among other things, faith; Therefore, they thank God for those who believed, because He gave, among other things, faith. Anyone who recognizes the need to pray to God and thank Him should not be mistaken in the matter of grace 30. Therefore [I will say this], in order for me to finally finish this speech to you: if you deny that you should pray that those who do not want to believe will want to believe, if you deny that you should thank God because those who did not want to believe will want to believe, then you will have to be treated differently so that you will not be mistaken in this way, or if you persist in error, so that you will not misled others. If, and this is what I rather believe in your case, you recognize and agree that we must, as is usually the case, pray to God for those who do not want to believe, so that they will want to believe, [we must pray] for those who resist and contradict His law and teaching, so that they will believe in it and follow it; If you recognize and agree that we must, as is usually the case, also thank God for such when they turn to His law and teaching, becoming willing from unwilling, then without a doubt, it behooves you to recognize that the wills of people are preceded by God's grace, [and also] that when people who did not previously desire good desire it, it is God who does it, to whom they pray that they will will, and to whom, like us, We know that thanksgiving is given worthily and righteously when He did this. May the Lord grant you understanding of all [of this], sir and brother. 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 Var 2 (according to LXX). In Synod.trans.: And I will give them a heart and they will understand, and ears and they will hear. Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8. See: St. Cyprian of Carthage. De oration dominica, 17. Wed: Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9–10. You might be interested in: