Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

J44 Augustiriian
Doctrine CHAP. v.
then, that, on coming to mature age, that man should sin
in the exercise of freewill ? Or, had he not freewill on
that account ; nay, a will on that very account, and because
He could not serve sin, all the more free? All these
singular and wonderful human nature in him
privileges
received, without any preceding
merits of its own. And
"
will any man dare to say to God, Why was not I so
privileged? Why, when nature is common, is
grace so different ? Why is there respecting of persons
"
with God ? What, I will not say, Christian, but sane
man would say this. From the case of Him, then, who
is our Head, we may understand the operation of grace ;
how from the Head it diffuses itself, according to the
measure of each, through all the members. By what
grace that Man was made from the beginning Christ, by
that grace is every man who is such made from the be
ginning of his faith a Christian : reborn of the spirit of
which he was born ; forgiven his sins by the same Spirit
by whom he was made to have none. This is the predes
tination of saints, which shone chiefly in him who is the
the Lord of
Saint of saints. In so far as he was Man,
glory was Himself predestinated predestinated to be the
Son of God Jesus was predestinated to be of the
seed of David according to the flesh, and according to the
Spirit of holiness the Son of God with power As,
then, that one Man was predestinated to be our Head, so
are we many predestinated to be his members. Let human
merits, which perished in Adam, be silent, and let grace
reign. Whoever finds in our Head preceding merits to
cause his singular generation, may find in his members
the same to cause their regeneration. But as that gene
ration was not a reward, but a free gift to Christ, so is our
regeneration no reward, but a free gift to us He
makes us believe in Christ, who made him that Christ in
whom we believe. 1
Again : God therefore took the nature of man, i.e.
the rational soul and flesh of the Man Christ, by a singu-
Imp.
1 De Prsed. Sanct, c. xv. See De Dono Perseverantise, c. xxiv., Op.
1. 1. c. 138.