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And so the grace of God always co-operates with our will for its
advantage, and in all things assists, protects, and defends it, in such a
way as sometimes even to require and look for some efforts of good will
from it that it may not appear to confer its gifts on one who is asleep or
relaxed in sluggish ease, as it seeks opportunities to show that as the
torpor of man's sluggishness is shaken off its bounty is not unreasonable,
when it bestows it on account of some desire and efforts to gain it. And
none the less does God's grace continue to be free grace while in return
for some small and trivial efforts it bestows with priceless bounty such
glory of immortality, and such gifts of eternal bliss. For because the
faith of the thief on the cross came as the first thing, no one would say
that therefore the blessed abode of Paradise was not promised to him as a
free gift, nor could we hold that it was the penitence of King David's
single word which he uttered: "I have sinned against the Lord," and not
rather the mercy of God which removed those two grievous sins of his, so
that it was vouchsafed to him to hear from the prophet Nathan: "The Lord
also hath put away thine iniquity: thou shalt not die." The fact then
that he added murder to adultery, was certainly due to free will: but that
he was reproved by the prophet, this was the grace of Divine Compassion.
Again it was his own doing that he was humbled and acknowledged his guilt;
but that in a very short interval of time he was granted pardon for such
sins, this was the gift of the merciful Lord. And what shall we say of this
brief confession and of the incomparable infinity of Divine reward, when it
is easy to see what the blessed Apostle, as he fixes his gaze on the
greatness of future remuneration, announced on those countless persecutions
of his? "for," says he, "our light affliction which is but for a moment
worketh in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," of
which elsewhere he constantly affirms, saying that "the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which
shall be revealed in us." However much then human weakness may strive,
it cannot come up to the future reward, nor by its efforts so take off from
Divine grace that it should not always remain a free gift. And therefore
the aforesaid teacher of the Gentiles, though he bears his witness that he
had obtained the grade of the Apostolate by the grace of God, saying: "By
the grace of God I am what I am," yet also declares that he himself had
corresponded to Divine Grace, where he says: "And His Grace in me was not
in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: and yet not I, but
the Grace of God with me." For when he says: "I laboured," he shows the
effort of his own will; when he says: "yet not I, but the grace of God," he
points out the value of Divine protection; when he says: "with me," he
affirms that it cooperates with him when he was not idle or careless, but
working and making an effort.
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