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Letters concerning the Establishment of the Holy Synod (1723)
Eastern Patriarchs, tr. King, 1865
14. Article 14
We believe that man, by transgression, became like unto the brutes; that is to say, he became vile, and fell from a state of perfection and dispassionateness; not that he lost the nature and the power which he received from God, who is supremely good, for thus he would not be rational, and consequently he would not be a man; but that he has the same nature in which he was created, and the energy of nature which is free-will, living and acting so that by nature he can choose and do good, and avoid and hate evil. For it would be improper to say that the good nature, created by God, who is supremely good, is destitute of good action; for this would be saying that nature is evil, (than which nothing could be more impious,) for action depends upon nature, but nature depends upon the Creator, (although the manner of dependency differs.) But that man by nature can do good, the Lord signified when he said that idolaters love those who love them, and it is taught most plainly by Paul, in his Epistles to the Romans, 1st chap. 19th verse, and elsewhere expressly, in which he says: “The Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law.” From which things this also is manifest: that is, that it is impossible that the good which a man shall do is sin. For it is impossible for good to be evil, for what comes by nature alone, and is carnal, and which does not make the person who does it spiritual, does not contribute to salvation without faith, nor to condemnation; for it is not possible that good should be the cause of such evil, but, operating by grace and with grace, in those that are regenerated, works what is perfect, and renders the doer worthy of salvation. Man, therefore, before regeneration, is able by nature to incline to good, and choose and work moral good, but being regenerated, it is necessary, in order to do what is spiritually good, (for works being in part the cause of the salvation of the just, and working wonderfully by grace, are properly called spiritual,) it is necessary that that grace should precede in the manner which has been set forth in the articles concerning predestination, so that he is not able to perform any work worthy of life according to Christ, though he has (the power) to will, or not to will, to obey what grace demands.