virtue should be in any one, unless he were righteous, and as far, that one should be truly righteous, unless he did live by faith for the just doth live by faith. Now which of them, that would have themselves accounted Christians, but the Pelagians alone, or even among them, perhaps thou thyself alone, would say that an infidel were righteous, would say that an ungodly man were righteous, would say that a man mancipated to the devil were righteous? although he were Fabricius, although he were Fabius, although he were Scipio, although he were Regulus." And whereas Julian had further demanded: "If a heathen man do clothe the naked, because it is not of faith, is it therefore sin?" St. Augustine answereth absolutely, "inasmuch as it is not of faith, it is sin: not because the fact considered in itself, which is to clothe the naked, is a sin; but of such a work not to glory in the Lord, none but an impious man will deny to be a sin." For howsoever," in itself, this natural compassion be a good work; yet he useth this good work amiss, that doth it unbelievingly, and doth this good work amiss, that doth it unbelievingly but whoso doth any thing amiss, sinneth surely. From whence it is to be gathered, that even those good works which unbelievers do, are not theirs, but his who maketh good use of evil men: but that the sins are theirs, whereby they do good things amiss, because they do them not with a faithful, but with an unfaithful, that

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mancipatum ? sit licet ille Fabricius, sit licet Fabius, sit licet Scipio, sit licet Regulus. Aug. contra Julian. lib. 4. cap. 3. op. tom. 10. pag. 593.

a Si gentilis (inquis) nudum operuerit, nunquid quia non est ex fide, peccatum est? Prorsus in quarum non est ex fide peccatum est: non quia per seipsum factum, quod est nudum operire, peccatum est: sed de tali opere non in Domino gloriari, solus impius negat esse peccatum. Ibid. pag. 600.

b Quod si et ipsa (misericordia) per seipsam naturali compassione opus est bonum; etiam isto bono male utitur qui infideliter utitur, et hoc bonum male facit qui infideliter facit: qui autem male facit aliquid, profecto peccat. Ex quo colligitur, etiam ipsa bona opera quæ faciunt infideles, non ipsorum esse, sed illius qui bene utitur malis: ipsorum autem esse peccata, quibus et bona male faciunt; quia ea non fideli, sed infideli, hoc est, stulta et noxia faciunt voluntate; qualis voluntas, nullo Christiano dubitante, arbor est mala, quæ facere non potest nisi fructus malos, id est, sola peccata. Omne enim, velis nolis, quod non est ex fide, peccatum est. Ibid. pag. 601.

is, with a foolish and naughty will. Which kind of will no Christian doubteth to be an evil tree, which cannot bring forth but evil fruits, that is to say, sins only. For all that is not of faith, whether thou wilt or no, is sin." This and much more to the same purpose, doth St. Augustine urge against the heretic Julian: prosecuting at large that conclusion which he layeth down in his book of the acts of the Palestine council against Pelagius: "Howe much soever the works of unbelievers be magnified, we know the sentence of the apostle to be true and invincible, Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Which maketh him also in his retractations to correct himself, for saying in one place, that the "philosophers shined with the light of virtue, who were not endued with true piety."

The like sentence doth St. Hierome pronounce against those," who not believing in Christ, did yet think themselves to be valiant and wise, temperate or just: that they might know that no man doth live without CHRIST, without whom all virtue is accounted vice." And Prosper against Cassianus, a patron of the free will of the semiPelagians: "It' appeareth," saith he, "most manifestly, that there dwelleth no virtue in the minds of the ungodly, but that all their works be unclean and polluted; who have wisdom not spiritual but animal, not heavenly but earthly, not Christian but Diabolical, not from the Father of light but from the prince of darkness; while by those very things which they should not have had but by God's

• Quantumlibet opera infidelium prædicentur, apostoli sententiam veram novimus et invictam; Omne quod non est ex fide, peccatum est. Aug. de gestis contra Pelagium, cap. 14. op. tom. 10. pag. 211.

d Quod Philosophos non vera pietate præditos, dixi virtutis luce fulsisse. Id. Retract. lib. 1. cap. 3. op. tom. 1. pag. 6.

e Sententiam proferamus adversus eos, qui in Christum non credentes, fortes et sapientes, temperantes se putant esse et justos: ut sciant nullum absque Christo vivere, sine quo omnis virtus in vitio est. Hieronym. in Galat. cap. 3.

f Manifestissime patet, in impiorum animis nullam habitare virtutem: sed omnia opera eorum immunda esse atque polluta; habentium sapientiam non spiritualem sed animalem, non cœlestem sed terrenam, non Christianam sed Diabolicam, non a Patre luminum sed a principe tenebrarum; dum per ea ipsa quæ non haberent nisi dante Deo, subduntur ei qui primus recessit a Deo. Prosper, contra Collator. cap. 13.

giving, they are made subject to him, who did first fall from God. Neither ought we therefore to imagine, that the beginnings of virtues be in the treasures of nature, because many commendable things are found in the minds of ungodly men, which do proceed indeed from nature, but because they have departed from him that made nature, cannot be accounted virtues. For that which is illuminated with the true light, is light; and that which wanteth that light, is night: because the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. And so that is vice, which is thought to be virtue: as that is foolishness, which is thought to be wisdom." Hitherto also pertaineth that sentence, produced by him out of St. Augustine's works: "The whole life of unbelievers is sin; and there is nothing good without the chiefest good. For where there is wanting the acknowledgment of the eternal and unchangeable truth, there is false virtue even in the best manners." Which he elegantly expresseth in verse, as well in his eighty-first epigram, as in his poem against the Pelagians, wherein of natural wisdom he writeth thus:

Et licet eximias studeat pollere per artes,
Ingeniumque bonum generosis moribus ornet:
Cæca tamen finem ad mortis per devia currit,
Nec vitæ æternæ veros acquirere fructus
De falsa virtute potest; unamque decoris
Occidui speciem mortali perdit in ævo.

Omne etenim probitatis opus, nisi semine veræ
Exoritur fidei, peccatum est, inque reatum

Vertitur, et sterilis cumulat sibi gloria pœnam.

Nec ideo existimare debemus, in naturalibus thesauris principia esse virtutum, quia multa laudanda reperiuntur etiam in ingeniis impiorum: quæ ex natura quidem prodeunt; sed quoniam ab eo qui naturam condidit recesserunt, virtutes esse non possunt. Quod enim vero illuminatum est lumine, lumen est; et quod eodem lumine caret, nox est: quia sapientia hujus mundi stultitia est apud Deum. Ac sic vitium est quod putatur esse virtus: quandoquidem stultitia est, quod putatur esse sapientia. Prosp. contr. Collator. cap. 13.

h Omnis infidelium vita peccatum est: et nihil est bonum sine summo bono. Ubi enim deest agnitio æternæ et incommunibilis veritatis, falsa virtus est, etiam in optimis moribus. Id. ex Augustino Sentent. 106. et Epigram. 81.

Id. de Ingratis, cap. 16.

The author of the book De vocatione Gentium (by some wrongly attributed to St. Ambrose, to Prosper by others) delivereth the same doctrine in these words:

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Although there have been some who by their natural understanding have endeavoured to resist vices; yet have they only barrenly adorned this temporal life, but not profited at all unto true virtues and everlasting bliss. For without the worship of the true God, even that which seemeth to be virtue is sin: neither can any man please God without God. And he that doth not please God, whom doth he please but himself and the devil? By whom when man was spoiled, he was deprived not of his will, but of the sanity of his will. Therefore if God do not work in us, we can be partakers of no virtue. For without this good, there is nothing good; without this light, there is nothing lightsome; without this wisdom, there is nothing sound; without this righteousness, there is nothing right." So Fulgentius, in his book of the incarnation and grace of Christ: "Ifm unto some who did know God, and yet did not glorify him as God, that knowledge did profit nothing unto salvation: how could they be just with God, which do so keep some goodness in their manners and works, that yet they refer it not unto the end of Christian faith and charity? In whom there may be indeed some good things that appertain to the

Etsi fuit qui naturali intellectu conatus sit vitiis reluctari; hujus tantum temporis vitam steriliter ornavit, ad veras autem virtutes æternamque beatitudinem non profecit. Sine cultu enim veri Dei, etiam quod virtus videtur esse, peccatum est: nec placere ullus Deo sine Deo potest. Qui vero Deo non placet, cui nisi sibi et Diabolo placet? A quo cum homo spoliaretur; non voluntate, sed voluntatis sanitate privatus est. Prosp. de Vocatione Gent. lib. 1. cap. 7.

Qui si non operatur in nobis, nullius possumus esse participes virtutis. Sine hoc quippe bono, nihil est bonum: sine hac luce, nihil est lucidum; sine hac sapientia, nihil sanum; sine hac justitia, nihil rectum. Ibid. cap. 8.

m Quod si quibusdam cognoscentibus Deum, nec tamen sicut Deum glorificantibus, cognitio illa nihil profuit ad salutem: quomodo hi potuerunt justi esse apud Deum, qui sic in suis moribus atque operibus bonitatis aliquid servant, ut hoc ad finem Christianæ fidei charitatisque non referant? Quibus aliqua quidem bona, quæ ad societatis humanæ pertinent æquitatem, inesse possunt : sed quia non charitate Dei fiunt, prodesse non possunt. Fulgent. de incarn. et grat. Christi, cap. 26.

equity of human society: but because they are not done by the love of God, profit they cannot." And Maxentius in the Confession of his faith: "We" believe that natural free will hath ability in nothing else, but to discern and desire carnal or secular things only; which not with GOD, but with men peradventure may seem glorious but for the things that pertain to everlasting life, that it can neither think, nor will, nor desire, nor effect, but by the infusion and inward operation of the Holy Ghost." And Cassiodorus, in his exposition of the Psalms: "On" the evil part indeed there is an execrable freedom of the will that the sinner may forsake his Creator, and convert himself to wicked vices: but on the good part, by Adam's sinning, we have lost free will, unto which otherwise than by the grace of Christ we cannot return: according to the saying of the apostle: It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure"."

The first presumptuous advancer of free will, contrary to the doctrine anciently received in the Church, is by Vincentius Lirinensis noted to be Pelagius the heretic. For "who ever," saith he, " before that profane Pelagius, presumed the virtue of free will to be so great, that he did not think the grace of God to be necessary for the helping of it in good things at every act?" For maintaining of which ungodly opinion, both he and his disciple

" Liberum naturale arbitrium ad nihil aliud valere credimus, nisi ad discernenda tantum et desideranda carnalia sive secularia; quæ non apud Deum, sed apud homines possunt fortassis videri gloriosa. Ad ea vero quæ ad vitam æternam pertinent, nec cogitare, nec velle, nec desiderare, nec perficere posse, nisi per infusionem et inoperationem intrinsecus Spiritus Sancti. Jo. Maxent. in Confessione suæ fidei.

• Est quidem in mala parte execrabilis libertas arbitrii, ut prævaricator creatorem deserat, et ad vitia se nefanda convertat: in bona vero parte arbitrium liberum, Adam peccante, perdidimus; ad quod nisi per Christi gratiam redire non possumus: dicente apostolo; Deus est enim qui operatur in vobis, et velle, et perficere, pro bona voluntate. Cassiod. in Psal. 117. Philipp. chap. 2. ver. 13.

4 Quis unquam ante profanum illum Pelagium tantam virtutem liberi præsumpsit arbitrii; ut ad hoc in bonis rebus per actus singulos adjuvandum, necessariam Dei gratiam non putaret? Vincent. Lirinens. advers. hæres. Commonitor. 1. cap. 34.