Traduction Masquer
A Treatise on the grace of christ, and on original sin

Chapter 46 [XLII]--Pelagius Professes to Respect the Catholic Authors.

Such are the particulars which, to the best of my ability, I have succeeded in obtaining from the writings of Pelagius, whenever he makes mention of grace. You perceive, however, that men who entertain such opinions as we have reviewed are "ignorant of God's righteousness, and desire to establish their own," ¹ and are far off from "the righteousness which we have of God" ² and not of ourselves; and this they ought to have discovered and recognised in the very holy canonical Scriptures. Forasmuch, however, as they read these Scriptures in a sense of their own, they of course fail to observe even the most obvious truths therein. Would that they would but turn their attention in no careless mood to what might be learned concerning the help of God's grace in the writings, at all events, of catholic authors; for they freely allow that the Scriptures were correctly understood by these, and that they would not pass them by in neglect, out of an overweening fondness for their own opinions. For note how this very man Pelagius, in that very treatise of his so recently put forth, and which he formally mentions in his self-defence (that is to say, in the third book of his Defence of Free Will), praises St. Ambrose.

Traduction Masquer
De la grâce de Jésus-Christ et du péché originel

46.

Voilà comment s'est résumée dans mon esprit toute la doctrine de Pélage sur la grâce. Vous comprenez que ceux qui partagent ces errements n'ont aucune idée de la justice de Dieu et veulent établir leur propre justice¹; ils sont donc loin de cette justice qui nous vient, non pas de nous, mais de Dieu², et dont ils auraient dû puiser la connaissance surtout dans les Ecritures canoniques. Mais hélas ! parce qu'ils lisent ces Ecritures avec le parti pris d'y retrouver leurs erreurs, l'évidente même les laisse insensibles. Plût à Dieu qu'ils prêtassent du moins une attention soutenue aux écrits des docteurs catholiques, -et que l'amour exclusif de leurs propres opinions ne leur fît pas négliger ces ouvrages dans lesquels ils savent bien devoir trouver la véritable interprétation des Ecritures, et les notions les plus sûres de la nature et du secours de la grâce ! Pélage lui-même, dans le dernier ouvrage qu'il invoque pour sa justification, c'est-à-dire dans le troisième livre du Libre arbitre, cite avec éloge le témoignage de saint Ambroise ; vous allez juger.