Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

I
\
170 Augustmian
CHAP. vi.
prayer, and by the express referring of this gift and this
creation to the mystery of the Divine predestination. But
a grace which is always productive
of the effect upon, life
and conduct for which it is given a grace which gives and
creates goodness absolutely is an effective or irresistible
grace.
This rationale is, then, confirmed by examples from
4 1 wish, says S. Augustine to the Pelagian
Scripture.
who accounted for change of heart from bad to good by
self-discipline and self-mortification on the part of man,
which Divine grace seconded, I wish you would tell me
whether that Assyrian king whose bed the holy Esther
abhorred, when he sat on the throne of his kingdom, clad
in glorious apparel, and covered with gold and precious
stones, and was very dreadful, and looked at her with a
countenance inflamed with indignation, so that the queen
"
fainted with fear whether that king had already run
to the Lord, and desired to be led by Him, and suspended
his will upon His will, and by cleaving constantly to Him
"
had been made one spirit with Him (he quotes the
Pelagian statement), "by the power of his freewill whether
;
he had given himself up to God, and mortified all his will,
and put his heart in God s hand." It would be madness
to think so ; and yet God converted him, and changed his
fury to mildness. But who does not see that it is a much
greater thing to convert an opposite indignation into mild
ness, than to convert a heart pre-occupied with neither
the one nor the other affection, but midway between the
two? Eead then, and understand, behold and confess,
that not by law and teaching from without, but by a mar
vellous and ineffable power within, God produces in the
hearts of men, not only true revelations, but also good
wills. 1
The particular conclusion from this passage is, that, in
the change from a bad to a good state of mind in the case
of
Ahasuerus, Divine grace could not have waited for any
motive of the will ; his will having been up to the very
instant of that effect taking place violently opposed to such
1 De Gratia Christi, n. 25.