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| Chapter IX. Of the power of our good will, and the grace of God.
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Chapter IX.
Of the power of our good will, and the grace of God.
Whence human reason
cannot easily decide how the Lord gives to those that ask, is found by
those that seek, and opens to those that knock, and on the other hand
is found by those that sought Him not, appears openly among those who
asked not for Him, and all the day long stretches forth His hands to an
unbelieving and gainsaying people, calls those who resist and stand
afar off, draws men against their will to salvation, takes away from
those who want to sin the faculty of carrying out their desire, in His
goodness stands in the way of those who are rushing into wickedness.
But who can easily see how it is that the completion of our salvation
is assigned to our own will, of which it is said: “If ye be
willing, and hearken unto Me, ye shall eat the good things of the
land,”1766
and how it is
“not of him that willeth or runneth, but of God that hath
mercy?”1767
What too is
this, that God “will render to every man according to his
works;”1768
and “it
is God who worketh in you both to will and to do, of His good
pleasure;”1769
and “this
is not of yourselves but it is the gift of God: not of works, that no
man may boast?”1770
What is this too
which is said: “Draw near to the Lord, and He will draw near to
you,”1771
and what He
says elsewhere: “No man cometh unto Me except the Father who sent
Me draw Him?”1772
What is it
that we find: “Make straight paths for your feet and direct your
ways,”1773
and what is
it that we say in our prayers: “Direct my way in Thy
sight,” and “establish my goings in Thy paths, that my
footsteps be not moved?”1774
What is it
again that we are admonished: “Make you a new heart and a new
spirit,”1775
and what is
this which is promised to us: “I will
give them one heart and will put a new
spirit within them:” and “I will take away the stony heart
from their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh that they may
walk in Thy statutes and keep My judgments?”1776
What is it that the Lord commands,
where He says: “Wash thine heart of iniquity, O Jerusalem, that
thou mayest be saved,”1777
and what is
it that the prophet asks for from the Lord, when he says “Create
in me a clean heart, O God,” and again: “Thou shalt wash
me, and I shall be whiter than snow?”1778
What is it that is said to us:
“Enlighten yourselves with the light of
knowledge;”1779
and this which
is said of God: “Who teacheth man knowledge;”1780
and: “the Lord enlightens the
blind,”1781
or at any rate
this, which we say in our prayers with the prophet: “Lighten mine
eyes that I sleep not in death,”1782
unless in all these there is a
declaration of the grace of God and the freedom of our will, because
even of his own motion a man can be led to the quest of virtue, but
always stands in need of the help of the Lord? For neither does anyone
enjoy good health whenever he will, nor is he at his own will and
pleasure set free from disease and sickness. But what good is it to
have desired the blessing of health, unless God, who grants us the
enjoyments of life itself, grant also vigorous and sound health? But
that it may be still clearer that through the excellence of nature
which is granted by the goodness of the Creator, sometimes first
beginnings of a good will arise, which however cannot attain to the
complete performance of what is good unless it is guided by the Lord,
the Apostle bears witness and says: “For to will is present with
me, but to perform what is good I find not.”1783
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