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Against Two Letters of the Pelagians

Blessed Augustine, NPNF I.5

Extract from Augustin’s Retractations
b1pref
1. Introduction: Address to Boniface
2. Why Heretical Writings Must Be Answered
3. Why He Addresses His Book to Boniface
The Calumny of Julian,—That the Catholics Teach that Free Will is Taken Away by Adam’s Sin
Free Choice Did Not Perish Wish Adam ‘s Sin. What Freedom Did Perish
6. Grace is Not Given According to Merits
He Concludes that He Does Not Deprive the Wicked of Free Will
8. The Pelagians Demolish Free Will
Another Calumny of Julian,- that “It is Said that Marriage is Not Appointed by God.”
Third Calumny,—The Assertion that Conjugal Intercourse is Condemned
The Purpose of the Pelagians in Praising the Innocence of Conjugal Intercourse
The Fourth Calumny,—That the Saints of the Old Testament are Said to Be Not Free from Sins
The Fifth Calumny,—That It is Said that Paul and the Rest of the Apostles Were Polluted…
That the Apostle is Speaking in His Own Person and that of Others Who Are Under Grace,…
15. He Sins in Will Who is Only Deterred from Sinning by Fear
16. How Sin Died, and How It Revived
“The Law is Spiritual, But I Am Carnal,” To Be Understood of Paul
18. How the Apostle Said that He Did the Evil that He Would Not
19. What It is to Accomplish What is Good
20. In Me, that Is, in My Flesh
21. No Condemnation in Christ Jesus
Why the Passage Referred to Must Be Understood of a Man Established Under Grace
23. What It is to Be Delivered from the Body of This Death
He Concludes that the Apostle Spoke in His Own Person, and that of Those Who are Under…
The Sixth Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts that Even Christ Was Not Free from Sins
The Seventh Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts that in Baptism All Sins are Not Remitted
27. In What Sense Lust is Called Sin in the Regenerate
28. Many Without Crime, None Without Sin
Julian Opposes the Faith of His Friends to the Opinions of Catholic Believers. First of…
30. Secondly, of Marriage
31. Thirdly, of Conjugal Intercourse
32. The Aprons Which Adam and Eve Wore
33. The Shame of Nakedness
Whether There Could Be Sensual Appetite in Paradise Before the Fall
Desire in Paradise Was Either None at All, or It Was Obedient to the Impulse of the Will
Julian’s Fourth Objection, that Man is God’s Work, and is Not Constrained to Evil or Good…
37. The Beginning of a Good Will is the Gift of Grace
38. The Power of God’s Grace is Proved
Julian’s Fifth Objection Concerning the Saints of the Old Testament
The Sixth Objection, Concerning the Necessity of Grace for All, and Concerning the…
41. The Seventh Objection, of the Effect of Baptism
42. He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter
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1. Introduction; The Pelagians Impeach Catholics as Manicheans
The Heresies of the Manicheans and Pelagians are Mutually Opposed, and are Alike…
How Far the Manicheans and Pelagians are Joined in Error; How Far They are Separated
4. The Two Contrary Errors
The Calumny of the Pelagians Against the Clergy of the Roman Church
6. What Was Done in the Case of Coelestius and Zosimus
7. He Suggests a Dilemma to Coelestius
8. The Catholic Faith Concerning Infants
9. He Replies to the Calumnies of the Pelagians
Why the Pelagians Falsely Accuse Catholics of Maintaining Fate Under the Name of Grace
11. The Accusation of Fate is Thrown Back Upon the Adversaries
12. What is Meant Under the Name of Fate
13. He Repels the Calumny Concerning the Acceptance of Persons
14. He Illustrates His Argument by an Example
15. The Apostle Meets the Question by Leaving It Unsolved
The Pelagians are Refuted by the Case of the Twin Infants Dying, the One After, and the…
Even the Desire of an Imperfect Good is a Gift of Grace, Otherwise Grace Would Be Given…
18. The Desire of Good is God’s Gift
He Interprets the Scriptures Which the Pelagians Make Ill Use of
20. God’s Agency is Needful Even in Man’s Doings
21. Man Does No Good Thing Which God Does Not Cause Him to Do
22. According to Whose Purpose the Elect are Called
23. Nothing is Commanded to Man Which is Not Given by God
b3pref
1. Statement
The Misrepresentation of the Pelagians Concerning the Use of the Old Law
3. Scriptural Confirmation of the Catholic Doctrine
4. Misrepresentation Concerning, the Effect of Baptism
Baptism Puts Away All Sins, But It Does Not at Once Heal All Infirmities
The Calumny Concerning the Old Testament and the Righteous Men of Old
The New Testament is More Ancient Than the Old; But It Was Subsequently Revealed
All Righteous Men Before and After Abraham are Children of the Promise and of Grace
9. Who are the Children of the Old Covenant
10. The Old Law Also Given by God
Distinction Between the Children of the Old and of the New Testaments
The Old Testament is Properly One Thing-The Old Instrument Another
13. Why One of the Covenants is Called Old, the Other New
Calumny Concerning the Righteousness of the Prophets and Apostles
15. The Perfection of Apostles and Prophets
16. Misrepresentation Concerning Sin in Christ
Their Calumny About the Fulfilment of Precepts in the Life to Come
Perfection of Righteousness and Full Security Was Not Even in Paul in This Life
In What Sense the Righteousness of Man in This Life is Said to Be Perfect
Why the Righteousness Which is of the Law is Valued Slightly by Paul
21. That Righteousness is Never Perfected in This Life
22. Nature of Human Righteousness and Perfection
There is No True Righteousness Without the Faith of the Grace of Christ
24. There are Three Principal Heads in the Pelagian Heresy
He Shows that the Opinion of the Catholics is the Mean Between that of the Manicheans and…
The Pelagians Still Strive After a Hiding-Place, by Introducing the Needless Question of…
b4pref
1. The Subterfuges of the Pelagians are Five
2. The Praise of the Creature
The Catholics Praise Nature, Marriage, Law, Free Will, and the Saints, in Such Wise as to…
4. Pelagians and Manicheans on the Praise of the Creature
5. What is the Special Advantage in the Pelagian Opinions?
Not Death Alone, But Sin Also Has Passed into Us by Means of Adam
7. What is the Meaning of “In Whom All Have Sinned”?
8. Death Passed Upon All by Sin
9. Of the Praise of Marriage
10. Of the Praise of the Law
11. The Pelagians Understand that the Law Itself is God’s Grace
12. Of the Praise of Free Will
13. God’s Purposes are Effects of Grace
14. The Testimonies of Scripture in Favour of Grace
From Such Scriptures Grace is Proved to Be Gratuitous and Effectual
16. Why God Makes of Some Sheep, Others Not
17. Of the Praise of the Saints
18. The Opinion of the Saints Themselves About Themselves
19. The Craft of the Pelagians
20. The Testimonies of the Ancients Against the Pelagians
Pelagius, in Imitation of Cyprian, Wrote a Book of Testimonies
22. Further References to Cyprian
23. Further References to Cyprian
24. The Dilemma Proposed to the Pelagians
25. Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning God’s Grace
26. Further Appeals to Cyprian’s Teaching
Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning the Imperfection of Our Own Righteousness
28. Cyprian’s Orthodoxy Undoubted
The Testimonies of Ambrose Against the Pelagians and First of Concerning Original Sin
30. The Testimonies of Ambrose Concerning God’s Grace
The Testimonies of Ambrose on the Imperfection of Present Righteousness
32. The Pelagian’s Heresy Arose Long After Ambrose
33. Opposition of the Manichean and Catholic Dogmas
The Calling Together of a Synod Not Always Necessary to the Condemnation of Heresies