to prepare and to convert men's wills, even for the kingdom of heaven and for eternal life. And consider what sort of a thing it is to believe that God worketh men's wills for the foundation of earthly kingdoms, but that men work their own wills for the attainment of the kingdom of heaven.

CHAP. 43. [XXI.-Conclusion.

I have said a great deal, and, perchance, I could long ago have persuaded you what I wished, and am still speaking this to such intelligent minds as if they were obtuse, to whom even what is too much is not enough. But let them pardon me, for a new question has compelled me to this. Because, although in my former little treatises I had proved by sufficiently appropriate proofs that faith also was the gift of God, there was found this ground of contradiction, viz. that those testimonies were good for this purpose, to show that the increase of faith was God's gift, but that the beginning of faith, whereby a man first of all believes in Christ, is of the man himself, and is not the gift of God,—but that God requires this, so that when it has preceded, other gifts may follow, as it were on the ground of this merit, and these are the gifts of God; and that none of them is given freely, although in them God's grace is declared, which is not grace except as being gratuitous. And you see how absurd all this is. Wherefore I determined, as far as I could, to set forth that this very beginning also is God's gift. And this if I have done at a greater length than perhaps those on whose account I did it might wish, I am prepared to be reproached for it by them, so long as they nevertheless confess that, although at greater length than they wished, although with the disgust and weariness of those that understand, I have done what I have done: that is, I have taught that even the beginning of faith, as continence, patience, righteousness, piety, and the rest, concerning which there is no dispute with them, is God's gift. Let this, therefore, be the end of this treatise, lest too great length in this one may give offence.

A TREATISE ON THE GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE.

BY AURELIUS AUGUSTINE, BISHOP OF HIPPO.

THE SECOND BOOK.

ADDRESSED TO PROSPER AND HILARY.

A.D. 428 OR 429.

IN THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK HE PROVES THAT THE PERSEVERANCE BY WHICH A MAN IS ENABLED TO PERSEVERE IN CHRIST TO THE END IS GOD'S GIFT; FOR THAT IT IS A MOCKERY TO ASK OF GOD THAT WHICH IS NOT BELIEVED TO BE GIVEN BY GOD. MOREOVER, THAT IN THE LORD'S PRAYER SCARCELY ANYTHING IS ASKED FOR BUT PERSEVERANCE, ACCORDING TO THE EXPOSITION OF THE MARTYR CYPRIAN, BY WHICH EXPOSITION, INDEED, THE ENEMIES TO THAT GRACE ITSELF WERE CONVICTED BEFORE THEY WERE BORN. HE TEACHES THAT THE GRACE OF PERSEVERANCE IS NOT GIVEN ACCORDING TO THE MERITS OF THE RECEIVERS, BUT TO SOME IT IS GIVEN BY GOD'S MERCY; TO OTHERS IT IS NOT GIVEN, BY HIS RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. THAT IT IS INSCRUTABLE WHY, OF ADULTS, ONE RATHER THAN ANOTHER SHOULD BE CALLED; JUST AS, MOREOVER, OF TWO INFANTS IT IS INSCRUTABLE WHY THE ONE SHOULD BE TAKEN, THE OTHER LEFT. BUT THAT IT IS STILL MORE INSCRUTABLE WHY, OF TWO PIOUS PERSONS, TO ONE IT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO PERSEVERE, TO THE OTHER IT SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN ; BUT THAT THIS IS MOST CERTAIN, THAT THE FORMER IS OF THE PREDESTINATED, THE LATTER IS NOT. HE OBSERVES THAT THE MYSTERY OF PREDESTINATION IS SET FORTH IN OUR LORD'S WORDS CONCERNING THE PEOPLE OF TYRE AND SIDON, WHO WOULD HAVE REPENTED IF THE SAME MIRACLES HAD BEEN DONE AMONG THEM WHICH HAD BEEN DONE IN CHORAZIN. SHOWS THAT THE CASE OF INFANTS IS OF FORCE TO CONFIRM THE TRUTH OF PREDESTINATION AND GRACE IN OLDER PEOPLE; AND HE ANSWERS THE PASSAGE OF HIS THIRD BOOK ON FREE-WILL, UNSOUNDLY ALLEGED ON THIS POINT BY HIS ADVERSARIES. SUBSEQUENTLY, IN THE SECOND PART OF THIS WORK, HE REBUTS WHAT THEY SAY,-TO WIT, THAT THE DEFINITION OF PREDESTINATION IS OPPOSED TO THE ADVANTAGE OF EXHORTATION AND REBUKE. HE ASSERTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT IT IS ADVANTAGEOUS ' In some editions the title is, "On the Benefit (de Bono) of Perseverance.”

HE

I

TO PREACH PREDESTINATION, SO THAT MAN MAY NOT GLORY IN HIMSELF,
BUT IN THE LORD. AS TO THE OBJECTIONS, HOWEVER, WHICH THEY MAKE
AGAINST PREDESTINATION, HE SHOWS THAT THE SAME OBJECTIONS MAY BE
TWISTED IN NO UNLIKE MANNER EITHER AGAINST GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE OR
AGAINST THAT GRACE WHICH THEY ALL AGREE TO BE NECESSARY FOR OTHER
GOOD THINGS (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BEGINNING OF FAITH AND THE
COMPLETION OF PERSEVERANCE).

FOR THAT THE PREDESTINATION OF THE
SAINTS IS NOTHING ELSE THAN GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE AND PREPARATION
FOR HIS BENEFITS, BY WHICH WHOEVER ARE DELIVERED ARE MOST CER-
TAINLY DELIVERED. BUT HE BIDS THAT PREDESTINATION SHOULD BE
PREACHED IN A HARMONIOUS MANNER, AND NOT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO
SEEM TO AN UNSKILFUL MULTITUDE AS IF IT WERE DISPROVED BY ITS VERY
ANNOUNCEMENT. LASTLY, HE COMMENDS TO US JESUS CHRIST, AS PLACED
BEFORE OUR EYES, AS THE MOST EMINENT INSTANCE OF PREDESTINATION.

CHAP. 1. [1.-Of the nature of the perseverance here discoursed of.

HAVE now to consider the subject of perseverance with greater care; for in the former treatise also I said some things on this subject when I was discussing the beginning of faith. I assert, therefore, that the perseverance by which we persevere in Christ even to the end is the gift of God; and I call that the end by which is finished that life wherein alone there is a risk of falling. Therefore it is uncertain whether any one has received this gift so long as he is still alive. For if he fall before he dies, he assuredly is said not to have persevered; and most truly is it said. How, then, should he be said to have received or to have had perseverance who has not persevered? For if any one have continence, and fall away from that virtue and become incontinent, —or, in like manner, if he have righteousness, if patience, if even faith, and fall away, he is rightly said to have had these virtues and to have them no longer; for he was continent, or he was righteous, or he was patient, or he was believing, as long as he was so; but when he ceased to be so, he no longer is what he was. But how should he who has not persevered have ever been persevering, since it is only by persevering that any one shows himself persevering, -and this he has not done? But lest any one should struggle against this, and say, If from the date at which any one became a believer he has lived-for the sake of argument ten years, and in the midst of them has fallen from the faith, has he not persevered for five years? I am

CHAP. 2.] PERSEVERANCE TO THE END, God's gift.

173

not contending about words. If it be thought that this also should be called perseverance, as it were for so long as it lasts, assuredly he is not to be said to have had in any degree that perseverance of which we are now discoursing, by which one perseveres in Christ even to the end. And the believer of one year, or of a period as much shorter as may be conceived of, if he has lived faithfully until he died, has rather had this perseverance than the believer of many years' standing, if a little time before his death he has fallen away from the stedfastness of his faith.

CHAP. 2. [11.]—Faith is the beginning of a Christian man. Martyrdom for Christ's sake is his best ending.

Which matter being settled, let us see whether this perseverance, of which it was said, "He that persevereth unto the end, the same shall be saved," 1 is a gift of God. Because, if if be not, how is that saying of the apostle true: "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake"?" Of these things, certainly, one has respect to the beginning, the other to the end [scil. of life]. Yet both are the gift of God, because both are said to be given; as, moreover, I have already said above. For what is more truly the beginning for a Christian than to believe in Christ? What end is better than to suffer for Christ? But so far as pertains to believing in Christ, whatever kind of contradiction has been discovered, that not the beginning but the increase of faith should be called God's gift,-to this opinion, by God's gift, I have answered enough, and more than enough. But what reason can be given why perseverance to the end should not be given in Christ to him to whom it is given to suffer for Christ, or, to speak more distinctly, to whom it is given to die for Christ? For the Apostle Peter, showing that this is the gift of God, says, "It is better, if the will of God be so, to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing." "3 When he says, "If the will of God be so," he shows that this is given from heaven, yet not to all saints, to suffer for Christ's sake. For it is not those whom the will of God does not choose to attain to the experience and the glory of suffering, that do not attain to the

Matt. x. 22.

2 Phil. ii. 29.

3 1 Pet. iii. 17.

kingdom of God if they persevere in Christ to the end. But who can say that this perseverance is not given to those who die in Christ from any weakness of body, or by any kind of accident, although a far more difficult perseverance is given to those by whom even death itself is undergone for Christ's sake? Because perseverance is much more difficult when the persecutor is engaged in preventing a man's perseverance; and therefore he is sustained in his perseverance unto death. Hence it is more difficult to have the former perseverance, easier to have the latter; but to Him to whom nothing is difficult it is easy to give both. For God has promised this, saying, "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me." And what else is this than, Such and so great shall be my fear that I will put into their hearts that they will perseveringly cleave to me?

CHAP. 3.-God is besought for it, because it is His gift.

But why is that perseverance asked for from God if it is not given by God? Is that a mocking petition when that is asked from Him which it is known that He does not give, but, although He gives it not, is in man's power; just as that giving of thanks is a mockery, if thanks are given to God for that which He did not give nor do? But what I said on that subject I say also here again: "Be not deceived,” says the apostle, "God is not mocked.”3 O man, God is a witness not only of your words, but even of your thoughts. If you ask anything in truth and faith of one who is so rich, believe that you receive from Him from whom you ask, what you ask. Abstain from honouring Him with your lips and extolling yourself over Him in your heart, believing that you have from yourself what you are pretending to beseech from Him. Is not that perseverance, perchance, asked for from Him? He who says this is not to be rebuked by any arguments, but must be coveréd with the prayers of the saints. Is there any of those who does not ask for himself from God that he may persevere in Him, when in that very prayer which is called the Lord's-because the Lord taught it-when it is

1 Jer. xxxii. 40.

8 Gal. vi. 6.

2 De Predest. Sanct. c. 39, p. 165, supra.

4 Some editions lead "recalled."