might be good voluntarily, and not of necessity. For they who assert that man ought so to have been formed, that he could not have admitted of wickedness, say that he ought to have been made. such, as to be good by necessity, and not by will. But if he had been made such as to do good not by will, but by necessity, he would not have been like God, who is therefore good because he wills it, not because he is forced. From which it is evident, that they require a thing which contradicts itself. For when they say, man ought to be made like God, they desire that man should have free-will as God has. But when they say that he ought to be made such, that he could not admit of wickedness, while they impose upon him the necessity of good, they desire that he should not be like God. Therefore the Apostle Paul also might have retained Onesimus, to minister unto him, without the will of Philemon. But if he had done this without the will of Philemon, it would have been good, but not voluntary. But because it would not have been voluntary, it was in another way proved not to be good: for nothing can be called good, except what is voluntary. Whence the prudence of the Apostle is to be considered, who therefore sends back a fugitive slave to his master, that he may be of service to his master;

who

who could not be of service, if he was detained from his master. Therefore the former question is thus solved; God might make man good without his will: Moreover, if he had done this, the good would not have been voluntary, but of necessity. But what is good from necessity, is not good; and in another respect is proved to be bad. Therefore leaving us to our own free-will, he rather made us after his own image and likeness; but to be like God, is absolutely good. "Vol. 4. part 1. p. 450.

"God has formed us with free-will; nor are we drawn by necessity, to virtues or to vices."Vol. 4. part 2. p. 195.

"That we possess free-will, and can turn it either to a good or bad purpose, according to our determination, is owing to his grace, who made us after his own image and likeness.”—Vol. 4. part 2. p. 486.

"It is therefore agreed between us, that in good works after our own will, we depend on the assistance of God; in bad works, upon that of the devil.”—Vol. 4. part 2. p. 486.

"It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy (o).' From which words we understand that to will and to run, are our own; but that the completion

(9) Rom. c. 9. v. 16.

of

of our will and running, belongs to the mercy of God; and thus it happens, that both in our will and running, free-will is preserved; and in the consummation of our will and running, all things are left to the power of God. We so preserve free-will to man, that we do not deny the assistance of God in each thing. "—Vol. 4. part 2. p. 487.

"Know that baptism forgives past sins, and does not secure future righteousness, which is guarded by labour, and industry, and diligence, and always, above all things, by the mercy of God; so that it belongs to us to ask, to him to give that which is asked; to us to begin, to him to perfect; to us to offer what we can, to him to complete what we cannot."-Vol. 4. part 2. p. 532.

"Adam did not sin because God knew that he would; but God, as God, foreknew what he (Adam) would do, with his own free-will."Vol. 4. part 2. p. 536.

"Ask him why he chose the traitor Judas? Why he trusted the bag to him, whom he knew to be a thief? Do you wish to hear the reason? God judges present, not future things. Nor does he condemn from foreknowledge the person who he knows will be such as afterwards to displease him but he is of so great goodness, and inexpressible

pressible mercy, as to choose him whom he sees in the mean time to be good, and knows that he will be bad, giving him a power of conversion and repentance.”—Vol. 4. part 2. p. 536.

"Every word of the Saints is a prayer to God; the whole of the prayer and invocation extorts the mercy of our Creator, that we, who cannot be saved by our own strength, may be saved by his mercy. But where there is mercy and grace, free-will in part ceases; which extends only so far, that we will and desire, and assent to what we think right. It is in the power of God that, with his aid and assistance, we may be able to accomplish that which we desire, and labour, and endeavour."-Vol. 4. part 2. p. 539.

"John the Baptist utters a falsehood when he points to Christ, and says, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (p),' if there be still persons in the world whose sins Christ has not taken away."-Vol. 4. part 2. p. 646.

AUGUSTINE-A. D. 398.

Benedictine Edit.

"FREE-WILL is given to the soul, which they who endeavour to weaken by trifling reasoning, are blind to such a degree, that they do not even understand that they say those vain and sacrilegious

(p) John, c. 1. v. 29.

legious things with their own will."--Vol. 1. p. 439.

Every one is author of his own sin. Whence, if you doubt, attend to what is said above, that sins are avenged by the justice of God; for they would not be justly avenged unless they were committed with the will."-Vol. 1. p. 569.

"It follows... that nothing makes the mind. a companion of lust, except its own free-will."Vol. 1. p. 578.

"I confess it cannot be denied, that we have will. Now go on'; let us see what you conclude from thence. A. I will; but tell me also first, whether you do not think, that you have also a good-will. E. What is a good will? A. A will by which we desire to live rightly, and honestly, and to arrive at the highest wisdom. Only consider whether you do not desire a right and honest life, or you do not earnestly wish to be wise; or whether you dare certainly to deny that we have a good-will, when we will these things. E. I deny none of these things; and therefore I confess that I have not only a will, but a goodwill."—Vol. 1. p. 579.

Having asserted that every good thing is from God, he adds, "If man be a good thing, and could not act rightly except when he willed to do so, he ought to have free-will, without which

he