Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

CHAP. vr. Doctrine of Grace. 167
subject of prayer. If the act of prayer, then, in the case
of asking for goodness from God, is to be pushed to its
logical consequences, it must follow from it that goodness
is God s absolute gift. Upon the doctrine of freewill,
when the act of prayer extends to such requests as these,
it is understood in such a sense as to forestall this conse
but Augustine embraces himself, and presses
quence of it ;
upon others the extreme consequences of prayer.
He adds that which is necessary to make this view a
consistent one, that prayer itself also is the gift of God ;
for it would be evidently inconsistent to make other
spiritual habits the gift of God, if that habit which was
a means to those was not a gift of God too. 1
Another convincing proof of the sense in which Augus
tine uses the terms gift and creation, as applied to a holy
life, is his express connection of this gift with predesti
nation, and the referring of it to God s secret and myste
rious will. Had he simply meant by these terms that God
crowned man s own endeavours, and gave the increase if
man make a beginning, such a doctrine would have ap
proved itself naturally to our sense of justice, and would
not have needed any reference to mystery for its defence.
But Augustine bases this gift of holiness and obedience
upon mystery. Deaf as thou art, hear the apostle thank
ing God that they have obeyed the doctrine from the
heart; not that they have heard the doctrine preached,
but that they have obeyed it. For all have not obeyed
the Gospel, but those to whom it is given to obey ; just as
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God is given to
some, but to others is not given. 2
Again ; As begun and as perfected, faith is alike the
gift of God ; and that this gift is given to some and not
to others cannot be doubted without opposing the plainest
declarations of Scripture. Nor should this disturb any
believer who knows that from one man all went into justest
so that, were none rescued, God could not
condemnation ;
be blamed, the real deserts even of those who are rescued
being the same with those of the damned. It belongs to
1 De Dono Pers. e. xxiii. ; Ep. 194. c. iv.
2
Op. Imp.
1. 2. c. 230.