Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

156 Augustinian CHAP.
grace are predestinated to the kingdom of God, not such
an assistance of perseverance as this is given, but such an
assistance as that perseverance itself is given tale ut eis
perseverantia ipsa donetur not only a gift of perseve
rance, without which they cannot be, but a gift by which
they cannot but be persevering non solum ut sine isto
dono perseverantes esse non possint? verum etiam ut per
hoc donurti non nisi perseverantes sint. 1
.
In truth, a greater freedom, and one fortified and con
firmed by the gift of perseverance, is necessary against so
many and so great temptations, such as there were not in
Paradise ; that, with all its affections, terrors, errors, the
world be conquered. This the martyrdom of the saints
has shown. For Adam, yielding to no terror, but rather
using his freewill against the command of a terrible God,
stood not firm in so great felicity, and so great facility of
avoiding sin : but they, against a world not terrible only
but raging, stood firm in the faith : though he saw those
present advantages which he was about to leave, and they
saw not the future ones which they were about to gain.
Whence this, but by His gift from whom they obtained
mercy, that they might be faithful. 2 ....
Perseverance, then, was not given to Adam as a Divine
gift, but the choice of persevering or not was left to him
self, because his will, created as it was without sin and
without concupiscence, was furnished with such strength,
that it was worthy of such a choice being committed to
it; so great goodness and facility of living well was his.
But now, after that great freedom has been lost by sin, it
remains that human infirmity be assisted with greater
gifts. 3 .... God not wishing His saints to glory in
their own strength, but in Him, gives them more than
that assistance which He gave to the first man ; for inas
much as they will not persevere except they both can and
will, He gives them by an act of free grace the power and
the will both. For if their own will were left in such a
way as that if they willed they would persevere, without it
1 De Corr. et Grat. n. 34.
2 Ibid. n. 35. 3 Ibid. n. 36,