Letter 52: It is good to gird your loins before dangers come, to serve God, and to strike down the opposing ranks by faith...

To Symmachus. On the words: "To those who are called according to purpose." [Romans 8:28] The divine grace, blended with human willingness, saves the human being. This is why he too who had Christ speaking within himself [Paul; cf. 2 Corinthians 13:3] said: "It works together with those who are called according to purpose." For it was not the calling alone (for all indeed were called, but not all obeyed); rather, the purpose of those who were called also brought about their salvation. For the calling did not come about as something compelled, nor as something forced, but as voluntary.

Εἰς τό· « Τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν. » Ἡ θεία χάρις (55) τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κιρνωμένη (56) προθυμίᾳ, σώζει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Δίπερ καὶ ὁ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα εἶπε· « Συνεργεῖ τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν. » Οὐ γὰρ ἡ κλῆσις μόνον (πάντες γὰρ ἐκλήθησαν μέν, οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν δέ)· ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόθεσις τῶν κεκλημένων τὴν σωτηρίαν εἰργάσατο. Οὐ γὰρ ἠναγκασμένη γέγονεν ἡ κλῆσις, οὐδὲ βεβιασμένη, ἀλλ’ ἑκούσιος.