Mozley: A Treatise on the Augustinian Doctrine of

CHAP. vi. Doctrine of Grace. 1 73
God s law, obeying it not out of servile fear and in the
spirit of bondage, but in the freedom of a renewed and
converted inclination. The gift of love makes that sweet
to him which before was difficult, nay impossible. Not
that those who have the gift enjoy the full virtue of it all
at once, and immediately find a holy life pleasant to them ;
but in proportion as the virtue of it comes out, they do find
this result and the ; gift ultimately, by means of this power
inherent in it of accommodating the human will to the
Divine, inclination to law, does produce a saving and
acceptable obedience.
Thus, in a passage which has been quoted, Augustine
lays down one root of good men, viz. love, and another root
of evil men, viz. cupidity ; adding, The virtue of love is
from God, and not from ourselves, for "
Scripture says, Love
is God, and every one that loveth is born of God and
"
knoweth God and Whosoever is born of God doth not
;"
"
commit and that because he cannot sin." Nor have
sin,"
our preceding merits caused this love to be given us ; for
what good merits were we able to have at the time when
we did not love God ? That we might have that love, we
were loved before we had it as the ; Apostle John saith,
"
" Not that we loved God, but that He loved and We
us,"
love Him because He first loved us." For what good could
we do if we did not love, or, how can we not do good if
we do love 1 1
Here love, which is described as a necessary root of good
action, or involving a good life in the individual who has
it, is also made an original and primary gift of God to
man. Who hath it in his power to secure, either that
something delighting should come across him,
or that it
should delight him when it does ? When a holy life delights
us then, this delight is inspired and given by the grace of
God, and not gained by our own will, or endeavours, or
works ; this very will, these very endeavours, and these very
works, being His gifts. 2
Again
righteousness, what ask we but that He should open what
: When we ask assistance from Him to work
1 De Grat. Christi, c. xxi.^ seq.
2 De Div. Qwest, ad Simpl. 1. 1. n. 21.