Chapter 161 — That God delivers some from sin, and leaves others in sin

Now, though he that sins places an obstacle to grace, and ought not to receive grace, so far as the order of things demands, yet, since God can act independently of the order implanted in things (Ch. 99.)—as when he enlightens the blind, or raises the dead—sometimes, from the richness of his goodness, he comes to the assistance of those who put an obstacle in the way of grace, turns them from evil, and converts them to good. And even as he enlightens not all the blind, nor heals all the sick, in order that in those whom he restores the work of his power may be evidenced, and in the others, the order of nature be maintained; so too, he comes not to the assistance of all who hinder grace that they may turn away from evil, and be converted to good, but of some, in whom he wishes his mercy to appear, while in the others the order of justice is made manifest. Hence the Apostle says: God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory (Rom 9:22–23).

And if, by his prevenient grace, God converts some of those who are held in thrall by sins, while others he suffers or allows to continue sinning in the ordinary way, we are not to ask why he converts certain ones and not others. For this depends on his simple will, even as it came from his simple will that though all things were made out of nothing, some were made to rank higher than others. Likewise, it depends on the simple will of the craftsman that, of the same matter similarly conditioned, he make some vessels for dignified purposes, and some for common purposes. Hence the Apostle says: Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Rom 9:21).

Hereby we refute the error of Origen, who said that these are converted to God, and not those, on account of certain works done by their souls before they were united to bodies. In the second book, (Cc. 44, 83. seqq.) we gave more particular attention to the refutation of this opinion.