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PElagius sometime a monke, and a Brytan borne, extolled free-will so much,* 1.1 that hee ascribed little or nothing vnto grace. He affirmed that man may keepe all Gods holy com∣maundements, without his diuine grace: and being reprooued (saith saint Austen) for derogating so much from the grace of God; he answered with vnchristian subtiltie, that grace was therefore giuen to man, that hee might keepe Gods lawes with more facilitie.
That grace (saith Pelagius) without which wee can doe no∣thing that good is, is onely in our free-will: which free-will God ingraffed in our nature, without any our deserts: so that God helpeth vs by his law and doctrine to this end onely (saith Pelagius) that wee may learne what to hope for, and what to do; but not to do, what we know ought to be done.
The Pelagians hold (saith S. Austin) that infants in their carnall natiuitie, are so pure and free from originall sinne; that they neede not the second and spirituall regeneration, of water and the holie ghost. Now if any man would aske the Pelagi∣ans, to what end infants are baptized: They will answere forsooth (saieth saint Austen) that by this externall regenerati∣on they may haue accesse into heauen, and not thereby to be ab∣solued from the guilt of sinne. For if they die without Bap∣tisme, yet do they promise them eternall life, but without the kingdome of heauen. This is the heresie of Pelagius, which I haue sincerely recited out of saint Augustine, that excellent writer and immoueable pillar of Christs church, because many talke thereof, who seem not throughly to vnderstand the same. With which heresie how the papists agree, and how they dis∣sent from the same, shall (God willing) bee shewed when I come to the next Booke, in the chapter of mans Iustification.
Anno. Dom. 413