Not that I look to Augustine to affirm yy own views – however, once again I quoted Augustine directly – he clearly taught double predestination.
Augustine never said anything remotely like what you say. He never ever taught anything like a universal prevenient grace or anything close. I would ask you to support you statements with quotes from Augustine as I have.
Well, I’ll have to gather my hastily scribbled notes, but I’m sure that I can provide you with abundant proof that Augustine did indeed believe that grace and human cooperation were involved in salvation, and that he was light-years away from both Luther and Calvin on almost everything they believed and taught.
This much I can say in general terms right now: the
celibate Augustine spoke far more like a Catholic than like any one of the reformers.
For example, he speaks beautifully on the absolute necessity of unity, of that fullness of Christ, which is only found in the one Catholic Church (the “whole Christ” he was wont to say), of the
authority of the Roman See, on relics, of feast days of martyrs, of intercessions of heavenly saints, of the perpetual virginity the blessed Virgin, of consecrated Virgins (the mere though of which seems a frightful anathema to Protestants!
), of miracles wrought by the martyrs at their shrines (a truly accursed notion to the reformers!
), of the eating of the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist:
“Let Christ be eaten; when eaten he lives, because when slain he rose again.” 132A:1:1,
and again,
“He came in the flesh, in order that human beings might eat him;” 132A:1:3.
And never does he offer “assurance” of salvation to his hearers, apart from their doing good works, and living a good lives,
“what he has earned in his humility he may forfeit in his pride.” Sermon 131:3:1
and,
“The moment you grow proud, that’s when you lose what you had received.” Sermon 131:5:3
and again,
“Don’t promise yourselves life, if you live bad lives; people deceive themselves when they promise themselves what God does not promise.” Sermon 132A:2:3
And so on and so on.
Now truthfully, does any of this sound even remotely Protestant?
I ask this because, in order to really understand Augustine, and his ideas of grace, free will, and the like, one must first, I believe, come to a solid appreciation of his profound Catholicity, and
reverence for the
See of Peter. And how appalled Augustine would have been to have heard insults like the following from Calvin toward the holy See and the bishops!
We bestow too much honour upon those horned cattle in calling them bishops, for the name is too honourable for them. Neither does the title of Pope any better suit the brigand who has usurped God’s seat.
John Calvin,
To the French Church in London, September 27, 1552.
Letters of John Calvin, Jules Bonnet, vol. 2, ISBN 1428650431, p. 347.
books.google.com/books?id=tlUYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA347&dq=%22horned+cattle+in+calling+them+bishops%22&lr=&ei=FH-uSPS4O474jgGqktmSDA
