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A work on the proceedings of pelagius

Chapter 53 [XXIX.]--Pelagius' Use of Recommendations.

As to that which I placed in the postscript,--that he might "find favour with the Lord,"--I intimated that this lay rather in His grace than in man's sole will; for I did not make it the subject either of exhortation, or of precept, or of instruction, but simply of my wish. But just in the same way as I should, if I had exhorted or enjoined, or even instructed him, simply have shown that all this appertained to free will, without, however, derogating from the grace of God; so in like manner, when I expressed the matter in the way of a wish, I asserted no doubt the grace of God, but at the same time I did not quench the liberty of the will. Wherefore, then, did he produce this letter at the trial? If he had only from the beginning entertained views in accordance with it, very likely he would not have been at all summoned before the bishops by the brethren, who, with all their kindness of disposition, could yet not help being offended with his perverse contentiousness. Now, however, as I have given on my part an account of this letter of mine, so would they, whose epistles he quoted, explain theirs also, if it were necessary;--they would tell us either what they thought, or what they were ignorant of, or with what purpose they wrote to him. Pelagius, therefore, may boast to his heart's content of the friendship of holy men, he may read their letters recounting his praises, he may produce whatever synodal acts he pleases to attest his own acquittal,--there still stands against him the fact, proved by the testimony of competent witnesses, that he has inserted in his books statements which are opposed to that grace of God whereby we are called and justified; and unless he shall, after true confession, anathematize these statements, and then go on to contradict them both in his writings and discussions, he will certainly seem to all those who have a fuller knowledge of him to have laboured in vain in his attempt to set himself right.

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Des actes du procès de Pélage

53.

En lui souhaitant, dans la souscription, de plaire au Seigneur, je lui désignais clairement la grâce que j'implorais pour sa volonté, sans recourir à son égard à une exhortation, à un commandement, voire même à un enseignement explicite. Toutefois, sans déroger aucunement à l'essence de la grâce de Dieu, j'aurais pu exhorter, commander ou enseigner, en prouvant que tout cela est du ressort du libre arbitre. De même, en me contentant de formuler un désir, j'ai pu exalter la grâce de Dieu sans porter aucune atteinte au libre arbitre. Dans quel but a-t-il donc exhibé ma lettre devant le tribunal ? Si dès le commencement il s'était inspiré des sages pensées qu'elle exprime, il n'aurait jamais eu la honte d'être cité à un jugement épiscopal, fût-ce même par des frères dont la bonté nous est connue, mais dont la foi se trouvait offensée par la perversité de ses discussions. De même que j'ai rendu raison de ma lettre, de même ils sont disposés, s'il le fallait, à rendre compte de leurs écrits, de leurs pensées, voire même de leur ignorance sur certains points en particulier. Liberté donc à Pélage de se flatter de jouir de l'amitié de quelques justes, de lire les lettres qui tournent à sa louange, de publier les actes de sa justification; mais tant qu'il n'aura pas fait l'aveu des erreurs entassées dans ses livres sur la grâce de Dieu, seul principe de notre vocation et de notre justification, tant qu'il n'aura pas anathématisé ces erreurs et réfuté ses propres ouvrages, ceux qui le connaissent plus intimement ne croiront ni à sa conversion ni à sa justification.