Wherefore, if both the apostles and the teachers of the Church who succeeded them and imitated them did both these things—that is, both truly preached the grace of God which is not given according to our merits, and inculcated by wholesome precepts a pious obedience—what is it which these people of our time think themselves rightly bound by the invincible force of truth to say, “Even if what is said of the predestination of God’s benefits be true, yet it must not be preached to the people”?
1. Augustine is not an early church father...
that would be those to about 325 AD....
2. NO ONE else of the early church believed what Augustine believed.
3. Which part of Augustine's life is the above quote? The start of his Christianity, the middle of it, the end? You know, of course, that he changed his mind on many theories throughout his life-time.
4. For instance....He stated that if we stand, we stand with God...
If we fall,.,,,we fall alone.
IOW, if we stand, God is our help.
If we fall away from the faith...it's totally our responsibility.
Thus NOT confirming double predestination, as Calvin did.
5. This was also said by Augustine in the very document you posted above:
Chapter 12.—Of His Own Will a Man Forsakes God, So that He is Deservedly Forsaken of Him.
Which plainly means that if a man forsakes God,,
God will forsake that man.
6. You don't post sources, with link given.
It must absolutely be preached, so that he who has ears to hear, may hear. And who has them if he has not received them from Him who says, “I will give them a heart to know me, and ears to hear”? Assuredly, he who has not received may reject; while, yet, he who receives may take and drink, may drink and live. For as piety must be preached, that, by him who has ears to hear, God may be rightly worshipped; modesty must be preached, that, by him who has ears to hear, no illicit act may be perpetrated by his fleshly nature; charity must be preached, that, by him who has ears to hear, God and his neighbours may be loved—so also must be preached such a predestination of God’s benefits that he who has ears to hear may glory, not in himself, but in the Lord
A quote from “A Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance” by Saint Augustine of Hippo (early 5th Century)
Agreed. HE WHO HAS EARS TO HEAR....LET HIM HEAR.
I don't read here that God forces us to hear.
400 years before Saint Augustine, the Apostle Paul wrote the same message ...
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived [twins] by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though [the twins] were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to [His] choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER." 13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."
So what you're saying is that GOD HATED ESAU!
So Jesus was lying when He taught us that we are not to hate our brother?
And yet GOD HATES ESAU?
This is a very big biblical conflict.
There is another explanation....
And that is that God KNEW Esau would sell his birthright....so Jacob was the chosen one. Unfortunately, the word chosen is not understood by some.
God does NOT ARBITRARILY CHOOSE...it's always based on something.
Indeed. It does not depend on the man who wills....14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." 16 So then it [does] not [depend] on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
On that man that wants to work for his salvation..no matter how much that man runs....
But salvation will depend on God's mercy, and His mercy is known and how to receive it is known.
John 3:16
God does not hide salvation from His ultimate creation.
It is commonly known and biblical that God DOES choose some men for special purposes...this however, is not common.17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
In Pharaoh's case, P already had a hard heart,
Exodus 8:32
And seeing how Pharaoh had a hard heart, God turned him over to his own desires, as in Romans 1:24
19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And [He did so] to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 [even] us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles
The above is speaking about the Jews and the Gentiles...NOT about individual salvation.
This information could be readily found on the internet if anyone is interested in doing a study of Romans chapters 9 to 11.
A quote from “A Letter to the Saints in Rome” by the Apostle Paul.
3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
A quote from “A Letter to the Saints in Ephesus” by the Apostle Paul.
Please read you quote above.
It is NOT about WHO would be saved...
But HOW that salvation would come about.
We can go through your verses:
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
verse 4...God chose us IN CHRIST before the foundation of the world.
We would be saved IN CHRIST.
God chose us IN CHRIST so that we would be holy and blameless before GOD.
verse 5...God predestined us AS SONS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST..according to the kind intention of God's will.
AGAIN...HOW we would be saved..as Sons through Jesus...
NOT WHO would be saved.
verse 6...as is
1200 years after Saint Augustine, the Canons of Dort reaffirmed the same ancient truth ...
As the doctrine of divine election by the most wise counsel of God was declared by the prophets, by Christ himself, and by the apostles, and is clearly revealed in the Scriptures both of the Old and the New Testament, so it is still to be published in due time and place in the Church of God, for which it was peculiarly designed….”
From Article 14 of the 1st Point of the Canons of Dort, by the Synod of Dort.
I truly am not interested in the Canons of Dort.
And, again, I repeat, that no one endorsed Augustine...
He was ALONE in his twisted beliefs, depending, or course, in which part of his life he spoke.