Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

[68 Augustinian
CHAP. vi.
God s unsearchable judgments, and His ways past finding
out, why He rescues one man and not another. man,
who art thou that repliest against God ? Bow to the re
buke, rather than speak as if thou knowest that which
God who wills nothing unjust has l
yet willed to be secret.
Again : God converts to faith. God gives perseverance.
God foreknew that He would do this. This is the predes
tination of the saints whom He elected in Christ before
the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and
without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Christ Jesus to Himself,
according to the good pleasure of His will in whom ; we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord
ing to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after
the counsel of His own will But why is not the
grace of God given according to merit ? I reply, because
God is merciful. And why is He not merciful to all ? I
reply, because He is just. His justice on some shows how
freely His grace is given to others. Let us not then be
ungrateful, because according to the pleasure of His will,
and the praise of His glory, the merciful God frees so
many from a just perdition when He would not be unjust
if He freed nobody. From one man have all gone, not
into any unjust condemnation, but a just one. Whoever
is freed then, let him love the grace whoever is not ; freed,
God s goodness is seen
let him acknowledge the justice.
in
remitting, His equity in exacting, His injustice in
nothing. 2
Again on the text It is He that made us and
not we ourselves. He therefore makes sheep facit
oves. ..... Why dost thou cast freewill in my teeth,
which will not free for righteousness except thou be a
sheep ? He it is who makes men sheep, who frees human
wills for works of piety. But why, when there is with
Him no respect of persons, He makes some men sheep,
and not others, is, according to the Apostle, a question
more curious than becoming. man ! who art thou that
repliest against God ? Shall the thing formed say to Him
that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus ? This ques-
1 De Praed. c. viii. 2 De Dono perg c yii ^^