# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S74
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

72 Proceedings of the tenth convention

elected him.) That, however, is exactly the doctrine of our opponents, who godlessly misuse the *intuitu fidei* [in view of faith] of the dogmaticians for the doctrine that God elected us in view of our conduct. From such devil's doctrine may God in grace preserve us, for with it we should take from the Lord Jesus his honour and make ourselves our own saviours and redeemers.) "For if they had been elected because they had believed, they would indeed have elected him first, by believing on him, in order to deserve to be elected. But this Christ utterly overthrows, who says: 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.' True, they too, without doubt, chose him when they believed on him. Therefore he says for no other reason: 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' than because they did not choose him in order that he might choose them, but because he, in order that they might choose him, chose them; because his mercy comes before them according to grace, not according to debt." (L. c. c. 17.)

Augustine writes finally in the same place: "That calling, of which it is said: 'The gifts and calling of God are without repentance,' and of which it says: 'Not of works, but of him that calleth' (Rom. 9:12), whereas he could have said: but of him that believeth; and that election which the Lord means when he says: 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' faith itself does not precede. For not because we have believed, but in order that we may believe, has he elected us, so that it may not be said of us that we first elected him and that it be false (which is far from us to maintain) what the Lord says: 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.' We also are not called because we have believed, but in order that we may believe." (L. c. cap. 19.)

Augustine writes in his Books of Retractations of the year 426: "From the prophetic testimony: 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,' I drew the inference, saying: 'God therefore elected in foreknowledge no one's works, which he himself wills to give; but he elected faith in foreknowledge, so that he elected the one of whom he foreknew that he would believe in him, to give him the Holy Spirit, in order that doing good he might also attain eternal life.' For I had not inquired with special diligence, nor yet found, of what kind the election of grace is, of which the same apostle says: 'The remnant according to the election of grace are saved.'" (Retract. lib. I. § 23.)

This, then, had been the cause of his error, that he had not yet recognized that faith is a pure work of divine grace. Hence he came to the error that election took place, to be sure, not in view of our good works, but yet in view of faith.