Глава IV

When defending free decision, one should also leave room for Divine grace 6. However, we must beware that all the above Divine testimony in defense of free decision, as well as those that can still be adduced (and there is no doubt a lot of them), are not understood in such a way that there will be no room for God's help and grace in [man's acquisition of] godly life and good behavior, for which there is an eternal reward. In this case, an unfortunate person can dare (if he lives well and does well, or rather, seems to himself to be living well and doing well) to boast in himself, and not in the Lord, and in himself to place the hope of his right life, so that the curse of the prophet Jeremiah will befall him, saying: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and strengthens the flesh of his hand, and his heart departs from the Lord 47 . Consider, brethren, this prophetic testimony. After all, since the prophet did not say: “Cursed is the man who trusts in himself,” it may seem to someone that for this purpose it was said like this: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, so that no one hopes in another person, but [everyone] in himself. So, in order to show that he encourages a person not to rely even on himself, saying: Cursed is the man who trusts in a man, [the prophet] immediately adds: And strengthens the flesh of his hand. “Hand” here means the ability to act. And by the name of flesh one should understand human frailty. Therefore, he strengthens the flesh of his hand who believes that in order to do good, his frail and weak ability is enough for him - that is, human ability - and does not hope for help from the Lord. Therefore [the prophet] further adds: and his heart departs from the Lord. Such is the Pelagian heresy, not ancient, but recently arose; since a long struggle was waged against the heresy itself, the matter, of extreme necessity, reached the episcopal councils, of which I have sent some, but not all, for you to read. So, let us not rely on man to do good, let us not strengthen the flesh of our hand; Let our hearts not depart from the Lord, but let them say to Him: Be my helper, do not leave me; don't reject me. God of my salvation 49. Without the grace of God, free decision does not accomplish anything good. About abstinence 7. Therefore, beloved, just as with the help of the above testimonies of Holy Scripture we have proven that man has a free decision of the will, [contributing] to the accomplishment of good and a righteous life, we just need to look at what Divine testimonies there are about the grace of God, without which we cannot do anything good. And first of all, I will say something about your very calling. For the community in which you live in abstinence would not have gathered you together if you had not despised the pleasure of marriage. And so, when the Lord spoke about this, and the disciples said: If this is a man’s duty to his wife, then it is better not to marry, He answered them: Not everyone can comprehend this word, but to whom it is given 50. Was it not the free decision of Timothy that the apostle exhorted, saying: Be self-controlled 51? And he shows the ability of the will to do this in the place where he says: Not being constrained by need, but being powerful in his will to keep his virgin 52 . And yet: Not everyone can accommodate this word, but to whom it is given. After all, those who are not given, either do not want, or do not do what they want; and those to whom it is given want so much that they fulfill what they want. So, if this word, which not everyone can comprehend, is nevertheless included by some, it is [at the same time] both a gift of God and a free decision. 8. But doesn’t the apostle also speak about chastity in marriage: Let him do as he wants, he will not sin if he gets married 53! But this is also a gift of God, according to the word of Scripture: From the Lord a wife is united with her husband 54 . So the teacher of the pagans 55, conveying in his word both marital chastity, thanks to which adultery is avoided, and more perfect abstinence, thanks to which no cohabitation is sought at all, shows; that both are gifts of God. After all, he wrote to the Corinthians, urging the spouses not to deviate from each other; and, having taught this, he adds: I wish that all people were like me - he himself abstained from all cohabitation - and then continues: But everyone has his own gift from God, one this way, another another 56. Do the numerous commandments in the law of God, which encourage us not to commit fornication and adultery, point to something other than a free decision? After all, this would not have been commanded if man did not have his own will, through which he obeys the Divine commandments. And yet this is a gift from God, and without it people cannot fulfill the commandments [encouraging] purity. Therefore, the author of the book of Wisdom [Solomon] says: Having learned that no one can be self-controlled unless God grants, but to know. Whose gift this was was already a matter of wisdom 57 . For everyone is tempted, carried away and enticed by his own lust, 58 so as not to fulfill these holy commandments [prescribing] purity. And if someone says here: “I want to fulfill, but am overcome by my lust,” then Scripture will answer his free decision with what I have already cited above: Do not wish to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good 59 . But this is accomplished by grace (adjuvat gratia); and if it does not help, then the law will only be the power of sin. For lust will increase and, because of the prohibition of the law, will gain greater strength if the spirit of grace does not help (a person). This is what the teacher of the pagans himself says: But the sting of death is sin: and the power of sin is law. 60 This is why a person says: “I want to fulfill the commandment of the law, but I am overcome by the power of my lust.” And when they turn an admonition to his will and say: Do not wish to be overcome by evil, then what good is this to him if he does not fulfill this with the assistance of grace? The apostle himself further adds this, because having said: The power of sin is the law, he immediately adds: Thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 61 . Therefore, the victory by which sin is overcome is nothing other than the gift of God, helping the free decision in this competition. 9 . That is why the heavenly Teacher says: Watch and pray so as not to fall into temptation 62. So, let everyone who fights against his lust pray, lest he fall into temptation, that is, lest he be carried away and deceived by this [lust]. And he will not fall into temptation if, with the help of good will, he overcomes evil lust. However, the decision of the human will is only sufficient for this if the one who prays not to fall into temptation is granted victory by the Lord. But what if it is not Divine grace that is quite obviously manifested in the case when what is asked for in prayer is acquired? After all, if our Savior had said [only]: Watch, so as not to fall into temptation, then it might seem that He was convincing only the human will, but since He added: And pray, this quite clearly showed God’s help in preventing [man] from falling into temptation. It is said to the free decision of [man]: Son, do not wish to depart (noli deficere) from the instruction of the Lord 63, and the Lord says: I prayed for you. Peter, lest your faith fail (ne deficiat) 64. So, grace helps a person so that the command addressed to his will is not useless. De gratia et libero arbitrio (CPL 352). Translation based on the publication: Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. Accurante J.-P. Migne. Paris, 1845. T. 44, Col. 881–912. We are talking about the African councils of 416–418. against Pelagius, Celestius and their followers. – Editor's note Proverbs 19 (according to LXX). To the Synod. Transl.: A reasonable wife is from the Lord.