Augustine (354 - 430) bishop of Hippo. Staunchly defended the biblical doctrine of predestination, election, and so forth against the Pelagians and other heretics of his day. Augustine's doctrines and practices bear little or no resemblance to Roman Catholicism. Calvin, Luther, Tyndale, Melancthon, along with many other Reformers, and later the Puritans, as well as the translators of the King James Bible, held Augustine in high esteem for his sound doctrinal convictions, which he contended for mightily in the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Augustine has left many works, such as City Of God, Confessions, and many more, most of which, if not all, are available in either print or software format.

"It is sinful to set up an image of God in a Christian temple." Faith And The Creed, De Div

"Christ, as to himself, is called God, as to the Father he is called Son. The Father, as to himself, is called God, as to the Son he is called Father. He who, as to the Son, is called Father, is not Son; and he who, as to himself, is called Father, and he who, as to himself, is called Son, is the same God." Psalms, Psalm 109ersis Qaestionibus

"In the Father is unity, in the Son equality, in the Holy Spirit the harmony of unity and equality." On Christian Doctrine

"In a manner wondrous and ineffable, that is not done without God's will which is done contrary to it, because it could not be done if he did not permit; nor does he permit it unwillingly, but willingly; nor would He who is good permit evil to be done, were he not omnipotent to bring good out of evil." Enchiridion

"Who does not tremble at these judgments, where God works even in evil men's hearts, whatever he wills, yet renders to them according to their deserts?" On Grace And Free Will

"God has anticipated you in all things; now do you yourself - while you may - anticipate his wrath? How? Confess that you have all these things from God; whatever good you have is from him; whatever evil, from yourself." Sermons

"Through freedom man came to be in sin, but the corruption which followed as punishment turned freedom into necessity." On Man's Perfection In Righteousness

"Men labor to find in our will something that is our own and not of God, and I know not how it can be found." Enchiridion

"Nature is common to all, but not grace." Sermons

"Grace alone brings about every good work in us." Letters

"That men sin, is attributable to themselves: that in sinning they produce this or that result, is owing to the mighty power of God, who divides the darkness as he pleases." On The Predestination Of The Saints

"What are the merits of any men? When God comes - not with a payment due, but with free grace, he - alone free of sin and the liberator of it - finds all men sinners." Psalms

"If you would be estranged from grace, boast of your own merits." Psalms

"God bids us do what we cannot, that we may know what we ought to seek from him." On Grace And Free Will

"To will is of nature, but to will aright is of grace." Sermons

"Grace does not destroy the will but rather restores it." On Grace And Free Will

"When the Lord forbids us to commit adultery, he prohibits us from touching the wife of an enemy just as much as that of a friend. When he forbids theft, he allows us to steal nothing at all, whether from a friend or from an enemy." On Christian Doctrine

"Let God give what he commands, and command what he will." Confessions

"In weighing our sins, let us not use a deceitful balance, weighing at our own discretion what we will, and how we will, calling this heavy and that light: but let us use the divine balance of the Holy Scriptures, as taken from the treasury of the Lord, and by it weigh every offence, nay, not weigh, but rather recognize what has been already weighed by the Lord." Baptism, Against The Donatists

"There is no more illustrious example of predestination than the Mediator himself." On The Predestination Of The Saints

"The flesh of Christ is the true and only sacrifice for sins - not only for those which are all effaced in baptism, but those into which we are afterwards betrayed through infirmity, and because of which the whole Church daily cries, Forgive us our debts. And they are forgiven by that special sacrifice." Enchiridion

"Although brethren die for brethren, yet no martyr's blood is shed for the remission of sins: this Christ did for us, and in this conferred upon us not what we should imitate, but what should make us grateful." John's Gospel

"The righteousness of the saints in this world consists more in the forgiveness of sins than in perfection of virtues." City Of God XIX

"Faithful is the Lord, who has made himself our debtor, not by receiving any thing from us, but by promising us all things." Psalm XXXII

"As oft as this supper is celebrated, so oft Christ, as it were, is beheld dying on the cross." Psalm XXI

"The divine, without the human nature, or the human nature without the divine, is not mediatorial; but between the divine alone, and the human nature alone, the human divinity, and divine humanity, is mediatorial." Homilies 2

"Behold, the whole race of mankind, by the just judgment of God, so condemned in the apostatical root, that if no one were thence delivered, yet no man could rightly complain of the justice of God; and that those who are freed, ought so to be freed, that, from the greater number who are not freed, but left under most righteous condemnation, it might be manifest what the whole mass had deserved, and whither the judgment of God due unto them would lead them, if his mercy, which was not due, did not relieve them." Enchiridion

"Evil men do many things contrary to God's revealed will; but so great is his wisdom, and so inviolable his truth, that he directs all things into these channels which he foreknew." The City Of God

"Nothing is done but what the Almighty wills should be done, either efficiently or permissively." Enchiridion

"Let us take heed we be not compelled to believe that Almighty God would have any thing done which doth not come to pass." Enchiridion

"God had one Son without sin, but none without sorrow." Revelation iii.xix

"I see not what can be more solemn than this brevity, since goodness is so peculiarly the quality of God, that the Son of God himself when addressed by some one as "Good Master, "by one, namely, who beholding his flesh, and comprehending not the fullness of his divine nature, considered him as man only, replied, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God." And what is this but to say, If you wish to call me good, recognize me as God?" Treasury Of David, Psalm CXVIII