Chapter 67.--The Most Eminent Instance of Predestination is Christ Jesus.
But there is no more illustrious instance of predestination than Jesus Himself, concerning which also I have already argued in the former treatise; [3714] and in the end of this I have chosen to insist upon it. There is no more eminent instance, I say, of predestination than the Mediator Himself. If any believer wishes thoroughly to understand this doctrine, let him consider Him, and in Him he will find himself also. The believer, I say; who in Him believes and confesses the true human nature that is our own, however singularly elevated by assumption by God the Word into the only Son of God, so that He who assumed, and what He assumed, should be one person in Trinity. For it was not a Quaternity that resulted from the assumption of man, but it remained a Trinity, inasmuch as that assumption ineffably made the truth of one person in God and man. Because we say that Christ was not only God, as the Manichean heretics contend; nor only man, as the Photinian heretics assert; nor in such wise man as to have less of anything which of a certainty pertains to human nature,--whether a soul, or in the soul itself a rational mind, or flesh not taken of the woman, but made from the Word converted and changed into flesh,--all which three false and empty notions have made the three various and diverse parties of the Apollinarian heretics; but we say that Christ was true God, born of God the Father without any beginning of time; and that He was also true or very man, born of human mother in the certain fulness of time; and that His humanity, whereby He is less than the Father, does not diminish aught from His divinity, whereby He is equal to the Father. For both of them are One Christ--who, moreover, most truly said in respect of the God, "I and the Father are one;" [3715] and most truly said in respect of the man, "My Father is greater than I." [3716] He, therefore, who made of the seed of David this righteous man, who never should be unrighteous, without any merit of His preceding will, is the same who also makes righteous men of unrighteous, without any merit of their will preceding; that He might be the head, and they His members. He, therefore, who made that man with no precedent merits of His, neither to deduce from His origin nor to commit by His will any sin which should be remitted to Him, the same makes believers on Him with no preceding merits of theirs, to whom He forgives all sin. He who made Him such that He never had or should have an evil will, the same makes in His members a good will out of an evil one. Therefore He predestinated both Him and us, because both in Him that He might be our head, and in us that we should be His body, He foreknew that our merits would not precede, but that His doings should.
[3714] On the Predestination of the Saints, Book i. ch. 30.
[3715] John x. 30.
[3716] John xiv. 28.
Chapter 68.--Conclusion.
Let those who read this, if they understand, give God thanks, and let those who do not understand, pray that they may have the inward Teacher, from whose presence comes knowledge and understanding. [3717] But let those who think that I am in error, consider again and again carefully what is here said, lest perchance they themselves may be mistaken. And when, by means of those who read my writings, I become not only wiser, but even more perfect, I acknowledge God's favour to me; and this I especially look for at the hands of the teachers of the Church, if what I write comes into their hands, and they condescend to acknowledge it.
[3717] Prov. ii. 6.
INDEX OF SUBJECTS.
Abel, [1]124, [2]136, [3]193, [4]414.
"Ability," distinguished from "will," [5]106, [6]219; distinguished from "necessity," [7]107, [8]139.
"Ability not," and "inability," [9]48.
Abimelech, [10]293.
Abraham, [11]102, [12]175, [13]291, [14]248-249, [15]405; how saved, [16]248.
"Acceptance of persons," [17]397.
"Action" in Pelagian system, [18]218.
"Actuality" in Pelagian system, [19]219.
Adam, [20]128; unfallen state of, [21]58 sq., [22]147, [23]482; grace given to, [24]483 sq.; penalty of his sin, [25]23; sin and death by, [26]15, [27]86, [28]174, [29]237 sq., [30]241, [31]254; saved by Christ, [32]128; the second Adam, [33]86, [34]476, [35]484.
Adoption, senses of, [36]404; relation of baptism to, [37]396.
Adrumetum, [38]436, [39]437.
Advocate, Christ our, [40]409.
Africa, councils in, [41]239, [42]391, [43]439; letters to, from Rome, [44]239, [45]393.
"Aid by which," and "without which not," [46]485.
Albina, [47]214, [48]217.
"All," [49]137, [50]302, [51]489, [52]491.
Almsgiving, [53]164, [54]172, [55]386, [56]408, [57]426.
Alypius, [58]283, [59]377.
Ambrose, [60]147, [61]233 sq., [62]254, [63]279, [64]304, [65]431 sq., [66]532, [67]545.
Anemartetos, [68]240.
Anathemas, by Augustin, [69]176; by Pelagius, [70]190, [71]196, [72]202, [73]209, [74]218, [75]241, [76]379.
Angels, [77]133, [78]254, [79]368-369, [80]410, [81]413.
Animals, condition of lower, [82]190, [83]254.
Antediluvians, longevity of, [84]246; the good, [85]405.
Apostates, [86]168, [87]174.
Apostle, "the" (i.e., St. Paul), [88]403.
Apostles, sinners, [89]381.
"Aprons," [90]304, [91]386.
Arians, [92]298.
Assistance, need of divine, [93]127, [94]145, [95]218, [96]227; ambiguously confessed by Pelagius, [97]218, [98]221, [99]226; different kinds of, in human things, [100]184.
Assurance of salvation impossible, [101]488.
Astrology, [102]396.
Astronomy, [103]246.
Augustin, occupations of, [104]217; not author of original sin, [105]292; development in doctrine, [106]536, [107]548; letter of, to Pelagius, [108]205; good wishes for Pelagius, [109]146, [110]204-205, [111]240; wishes to interpret Pelagius favourably, [112]196, [113]231, [114]244; books on Free Will, [115]149.
Aurelius, [116]183, [117]237 sq.
Bad men mingled with good, [118]172.
Baptism, conveys pardon of sin, [119]110, [120]164, [121]172, [122]195, [123]253, [124]386, [125]424; regeneration in, [126]195, [127]273, [128]392-393, [129]396, [130]404; remission of sins in, [131]43, [132]63, [133]278 sq., [134]385, [135]390, [136]403; gift of Holy Ghost by, [137]142; leaves a sinful tendency, [138]43, [139]142, [140]385, [141]404; words of, [142]230, [143]237, [144]244; ritual of, [145]253; called salvation, [146]28; necessity of, for salvation, [147]23, [148]28, [149]29, [150]78, [151]319, [152]337-338, [153]348 sq., [154]350, [155]394; why needed by infants, even of baptized parents, [156]31, [157]37, [158]62, [159]238, [160]243, [161]253, [162]273, [163]394; why it does not abolish death, [164]64; how dealt with by Pelagius, [165]23, [166]37, [167]230, [168]237, [169]243; by Coelestius, [170]237-238; set aside by Manicheans, [171]392; of blood, [172]319, [173]339.
Baptized, "contrary flesh" even in the, [174]142.
Believers' children, [175]61, [176]75.
Bishops, eighteen Pelagianizing, [177]377.
Blamelessness different from sinlessness, [178]167, [179]173.
Body, man's, mysteries of, [180]356; effect of sin on, [181]19; effect of, on soul, [182]147, [183]163; the body of this death, [184]142, [185]144, [186]164; the resurrection body, [187]383; death of, from Adam's sin, [188]15 sq.
Body, Christ's, reception of, in the sacrament, [189]390, [190]394; spoken of in John vi., [191]379, [192]390, [193]394; Christians His mystical, [194]38-39.
Boniface, [195]374, [196]377.
Born of God, [197]173.
Breath, senses of, in the Scriptures, [198]322 sq.; the creative, [199]345; the creative, assigned by Victor to man, [200]346.
Breathing, [201]345.
Cæsarea Mauritania, [202]310, [203]311.
Cain, [204]136.
Called, the, "according to purpose," [205]401, [206]477, [207]513.
Calling, different calls distinguished, [208]479, [209]513; grounds of calling "according to purpose," [210]514; to different blessings, [211]479.
Campester and Campestrati, [212]304, [213]387.