Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church Triumphant, Book I: On the Beatitude and Canonization of the Saints
Chapter 6: The Same Confirmed by Reasons; and That the Saints Are Rightly Canonized
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia quae Triumphat in Coelis, the fourth general controversy. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Chapter 6. The Same Is Confirmed by Reasons, Which Yet Have Their Foundation in the Scriptures
Let us add lastly arguments drawn from reason itself. The first reason can be taken from the punishments of the damned. For God is not more ready to punish than to reward; wherefore, since the wicked are already now in torments, it surely seems fair that the just too should receive their rewards. And that the wicked are now in torments the Gospel testifies; for in Luke 16 we read: “And the rich man, being in torments,” and so on. The Greeks answer that that is a parable, and contains a narrative of future things, but that future things are told as present for greater effect.
On the contrary: first, it does not seem to be a parable but a history, both because the proper names of Lazarus and Abraham are set in it, and also because the Church honours that Lazarus as a truly holy man, and lastly because Ambrose on chapter 16 of Luke, Jerome in book 2 against Jovinian, Augustine On the Care to Be Had for the Dead, chapter 14, and Gregory, book 4 of the Dialogues, chapter 29, say that it is a history.
Second, even if it were a parable, it cannot signify things to come after the day of judgment, but a thing past or present. For the rich man says, “I beseech thee, father Abraham, that thou wouldst send Lazarus to my brethren,” and so on. And Abraham answers: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” But after the day of judgment there will be no men in this world, nor will they be able to hear Moses and the prophets; therefore, if that narrative is a parable, it yet shows that souls are already now in punishment; otherwise it would be neither true nor likely.
The second reason: the whole Church invokes the saints after the coming of Christ, and all the Fathers, Greek and Latin, teach that the saints are to be invoked; while before the coming of Christ this is not read to have been customary. But if the saints were now too under the earth in the bosom of Abraham, they would have no state different from the state of the saints of the Old Testament.
The third reason: as Basil notes at the beginning of the oration on the holy martyr Barlaam, before the coming of Christ the death of the saints was wept for; but after the coming of Christ we celebrate the day of the death of the saints with the greatest joy. Why this, unless because then to die was a misery, now it is the beginning of happiness? And it is confirmed: for we now call the day of death the birthday, because namely the saints, dying on earth, are born in heaven.
The fourth reason is from the visions of those who saw some souls in the torments of hell, others in purgatory, others in paradise. See Gregory, book 4 of the Dialogues, chapter 36, and Bede, book 5 of the History, chapter 12.
The fifth reason: the saints now have the merit of eternal life, or if they do not have it, they will never have it, because after the end of life there is no place for new merits; and there is no hindrance to their being able to have eternal life now, since heaven, shut before, now lies open; therefore it must be admitted that they have already now received their reward.
The sixth reason. God in Leviticus 19 ordered it to be written: “The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning.” Therefore, lest God should seem contrary to himself, he will not keep back the wages of the saints until the consummation of the world.
The seventh, Proverbs 13: “Hope that is deferred afflicteth the soul”; but it is not fitting that those be afflicted who have no sin.
From these the opposed arguments are answered. To the first I say that the day of the general judgment is to come, and that then each will be rendered according to his works; but that yet before that judgment another particular one went before, in which too each was rendered according to his works. Nor do these fight with one another: for in the former judgment rewards are given privately, in the latter publicly and manifestly; as the day of the general judgment is called the day of the Lord, not because the other days are not the Lord's, but because that will manifestly be the day of the Lord, and so manifestly that there will be no Epicurean or atheist who will not then confess that it is the day of the Lord. And as among merchants a certain fixed day is called the day of payment, not because debts are not paid on other days, but because that day is set only for this, that payments may be made, so too a certain day is called the day of judgment and retribution, not because God does not judge and retribute on other days, but because that day is set only for this, that judgment and retribution may be made.
You will say: but the judgment to come seems to be in vain, if the rewards have already been given; for what does it matter whether they have been given openly or secretly?
I answer: it will not be in vain. For there are five causes for which the general judgment will be made, even though a particular judgment has gone before. The first is that the justice and mercy of God may be shown. For God does all things for the showing of his glory; but now he does not show it so openly that there are not found some who accuse God of injustice, or believe that he has no providence, when they see the good afflicted and the wicked rejoicing; therefore God has chosen for himself one day on which, before the whole world, he may show his highest justice toward the wicked and his highest mercy toward the godly, and at the same time show that with the highest mercy toward the just he uses no cruelty or injustice toward the wicked, and with the highest severity toward the wicked no acceptance of persons or unfair liberality toward the godly.
The second cause is that the Son of man may be glorified; for it belongs to the glory of Christ that he who in the first coming was unjustly judged as a criminal should appear again glorious and as judge, and that that of Isaiah 45 be fulfilled: “I live, for every knee shall bow to me,” which Paul, Romans 14, expounds of Christ as the one to judge.
The third is for the praise of the good and the disgrace of the wicked. For God wills that the saints, who in their contests were made a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men, should so too be proclaimed victors before the whole world, before all angels and men. Therefore Paul, wherever he speaks of the judgment, usually brings this cause, as Romans 2, 1 Corinthians 4, and elsewhere.
The fourth is that the whole man may be judged and receive his reward; for now only the souls are judged and receive a part of the reward.
The fifth, because the good and bad works of the dead are not yet finished. For Luther still does evil by corrupting the minds of men with his books, and blessed Paul still works well by his example and writings; which Basil draws out elegantly in the book On Virginity, before the middle, from those words of 1 Timothy 5: “Some men's sins are manifest, going before to judgment: and some men they follow after.” Since, then, bad and good works will be finished when the world is finished, the last sentence will therefore be pronounced then.
To the second I say that there is no injustice in the soul being made blessed without the body; for the soul and body are not two persons, as two companions are, so that a wrong would be done to one if the other were rewarded first; but they are only one person made up of two parts; and this one person would rather be made blessed meanwhile according to one part than according to neither; and so no wrong is done it; for no wrong is done to one who wills, but to one who is unwilling. I say second: even if the soul and the body were two persons, yet still no wrong would be done to the body while the soul alone is made blessed; for to good and bad works the soul concurs principally, the body only instrumentally; nay, to the very essence of merit and demerit none but the soul concurs. For merit and demerit consist in the choice of the will, which choice proceeds from the soul alone and has its seat in the soul alone. I say third: even if the soul and the body concurred equally principally to good and bad works, yet still it would not be unjust for the soul to be crowned before the day of judgment and not the body, because the separated soul is capable of glory and the crown, while the separated body is not capable of it.
To the third I say two things. First: the soul of Christ before the resurrection of his body did not indeed go up to the bodily heaven, yet was in the heavenly paradise formally, that is, was blessed and glorious; and if the adversaries would grant this to the souls of the saints, we would not be much concerned about this bodily heaven. I say second: Christ in dying, resting, rising and going up into heaven was our pattern as to the body; for we first die, second rest in the tomb, third will rise, last will go up into heaven bodily, as Christ did. But that Christ's soul went down to the lower world before it went up into heaven does not belong to the pattern; for Christ did not go down to the lower world to show us the way to the lower world, or to prepare a place for us there, but to lead out the souls which were there, and to destroy hell, lest the souls of the saints should thenceforth be led there.
To the fourth reason, which was taken from the punishment of the demons, I answer that many demons have not yet been plunged into the abyss, but dwell in this dark air of ours for the testing of men: hence the Apostle, Ephesians 2, calls them the princes of this air. Nevertheless all the demons are already now punished, both with the pain of loss and with the pain of sense; for they are not better than men, and yet we have shown that the spirits of wicked men already pay the pains of hell; and so, since it is established from the Gospel that the holy angels who stood in the truth always see the face of God, why should it not also follow that the rebel angels undergo the judgment of God? Wherefore Bede rightly writes, in the commentary on chapter 3 of the letter of St. James, that wherever the demons fly about, they carry their hell with them everywhere. And St. Augustine, in the book On Rebuke and Grace, chapter 10, and St. Prosper, book 1 On the Contemplative Life, teach that the demons are already judged and made wretched.
Yet there are several testimonies of the saints which seem to assert that the demons are not to be tormented with the pain of hell before the day of judgment. Justin, in Apology 1 and 2, often repeats that the demons are to be handed over to everlasting fire, but are not yet handed over. Irenaeus, book 5, past the middle, says that the devil before the coming of Christ never blasphemed God, because he did not yet know his damnation, but at last learned from Christ and the apostles that eternal fire was prepared for him; which opinion the same Irenaeus signifies that he received from Justin. Oecumenius follows the same as Justin's, on the last chapter of the first of Peter. Epiphanius, in the heresy of the Sethians, affirms that the demons not only did not know their damnation, but even hoped for salvation through the coming of Christ; but when they saw that nothing was done by Christ for the demons, then at last they despaired of salvation and began to blaspheme God through the heretics.
St. Athanasius says in the Life of Antony: “The demon is not ignorant of the fire prepared for him, and sees the flames of hell set ready for him.” And almost all the other Fathers hold that the demons have their torments already now: Ambrose in the commentary on chapter 8 of Luke, Jerome and Chrysostom on chapter 8 of Matthew, Augustine, book 8 of the City of God, chapter 23, and book 1 On Marriage and Concupiscence, chapter 23, Gregory, book 4 of the Moralia, chapter 10, and book 4 of the Dialogues, chapter 29, Theodoret in the Epitome of the divine decrees, the chapter on the demons, and Bernard in the sermon on St. Malachy. But the opinion of Justin, Irenaeus, Theodoret and Oecumenius I do not see how we can defend from error. The other Fathers affirm two things which are most true: that the demons on the day of judgment are to be thrown headlong from here into the abyss, and that a fuller torment awaits them.
But it must not be gathered from this that they are not tormented at this time; for although they are truly tormented, and carry hell about with them, as Bede says, yet they will have the fullness of their punishments on the day of judgment, when they will be shut up in the prisons below; which completion of punishments they so fear that in exorcisms they seem to be tormented by nothing more than when we threaten them with the judgment to come; which too is the cause why exorcisms usually end: “Through him who is to come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire.”
And why they so fear that thrusting into the abyss, these seem to be the causes. The first, because they will no longer be able to harm men. The second, because they will no longer extort from anyone the worship due to God, as they now do while they are adored by heathens and necromancers. The third, because then their frauds and weakness will be laid open, when all understand that they were overcome by men, women and children. The fourth, because they will be judged not only by God but also by men: for we shall judge angels too, as Paul testifies, 1 Corinthians 6.
Chapter 7. That the Saints Are Rightly Canonized by the Church
There follows now the other question, which is on canonization, and it is contained in four chapters. For first it is to be explained whether the saints are to be canonized. Then, whose office it is to canonize them. Then, whether the judgment of him who canonizes the saints is infallible. Lastly, whether it is lawful to honour saints not yet canonized.
But before we come to these heads, it is to be explained briefly what canonization is. Canonization, then, is nothing else than the public testimony of the Church to the true holiness and glory of some man now dead; and at the same time it is a judgment and sentence by which there are decreed to him those honours which are owed to those who reign happily with God. Which honours indeed (as is shown in the following disputations) are usually seven.
For first those who are canonized are written in the catalogue of the saints, that is, it is laid down and commanded that they be held and called saints by all publicly. Second, they are invoked in the public prayers of the Church. Third, churches and altars are dedicated to God in their memory. Fourth, the sacrifice of the Eucharist, and of praise and prayers, which is commonly called the Office, or the canonical hours, is publicly offered to God in their honour. Fifth, feast days are celebrated in their memory. Sixth, their images are painted, with a certain light added about the head, like a diadem, as a sign of the glory which they have in heaven. Seventh, their relics are enclosed in precious cases and publicly honoured.
These things, then, being set down first, that it is useful that the saints be canonized can be shown by these arguments. First, because God himself willed that the glorious life and death of certain men in particular, who flourished in their time, should be praised by the sacred writers, as is plain of Ecclesiasticus, who in chapter 44 and following canonized very many saints, as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Phinees, Josue, Caleb, Samuel, David, Elias, Eliseus and so on. Likewise in the New Testament St. Luke in the Acts canonized St. Stephen and James the Greater, and also Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Silas and others; and so it is credible that God wills the same to be done in the same way.
Second: we are bound to honour and praise the saints, both because Scripture orders this, Ecclesiasticus 44, “Let the people shew forth their wisdom, and the church declare their praise”; and because their virtue merits this, for honour is as it were the natural reward of virtue; and lastly because it is useful to us for meriting very many benefits by their intercession. But unless we know who are true saints and who not, we cannot honour them as we ought.
Third: it is proved from the reason of imitation. For the saints are certain examples of the virtues, and a rule of right life, and as it were certain lamps lit by God to shine before all others. Hence Paul to the Hebrews, 13: “Remember your prelates who have spoken the word of God to you; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” But we cannot be kindled to imitation unless we know in particular who are to be imitated, and what they did or suffered. And a lamp ought to be set on a candlestick, which is done through canonization.
Fourth, from the union which we have with them. For we are members of one body, and the members suffer with one another and rejoice together; they, then, must suffer with us and be concerned for us, which without doubt they do, even in particular, as we will teach below; and on the other hand we must rejoice with them and give thanks to God for their glory, which cannot be done without particular knowledge.
Fifth, from the harms: for unless certain saints were put forward for honouring by the judgment of the Church, it could easily happen that the people would often err, and honour the damned as blessed; as happened in the time of St. Martin. For Sulpicius writes that when a certain people was honouring some dead man or other as a martyr, and that devotion was suspect to blessed Martin, because it had received nothing certain from their forefathers about that saint, at last there appeared to Martin as he prayed the soul of him who was honoured there, and confessed that it was the damned soul of a certain robber, who for his crimes had paid the penalty of the last punishment. The same happened in the time of Alexander III, as is plain from the chapter Audivimus, in the Extravagants on relics and the veneration of the saints, where he reproves certain men who were venerating as a martyr a man killed in drunkenness.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VI.
Iiir.m oonllrmalur rationibus, qnao iampn in.
Scripluris fundamentum liaheanl
Addanius poslromo argumcnta ex ipsa raliono
pctila. Prima ratio suini polesl ex snppliciis dam-
natorum. Siiinidom Dons nou o?t pronior ad puni-
ondum, (]uam ad rcmuucrnndumiQuaro cum impii
jain nunc iu tormcnlis sinl, acquum ccrlc videtur,
nt eliam justi praemia sua percipianl. Esse auteni
nniic impios iu lormenlis, evanfielium tostalur;
u.un l.uc. IG. legimus: Divcs autcm cumin tor-
v\enlis esset ctc. Rcspondenl Graeci,illam esse pa-
raholam. el conlinerc futurorum narralionem: sed
(ul majorem eflicaciam narrari fulura lamquam
praoscntia.
Oonlra; Primo,non vidctur ossc parabola.sed hi-
sloria. tum quia in ca ponuulur nomina propria
linzari ol Al)raliae, tum ctiam. quia Ecclesia colit
La/arum illum, ul vere sanclum hominenv.lum de-
niquc. qnia historiam csse dicunt Ambrosius in
oap. IG. Lucao,Hieiouymus lih. 2. in Jovinianum,
Auf;uslinus de cura pro morluis, cap. 14. Grego-
rius lib. 4. dialog. cap. 29.
Sccundo, etiamsi parabola esset non polest si-
gnilieare rcs fuluras post diem judicii, sed rera
praelerilam vel praeseutem. Nam dives ail: Bogo
Ir patrr Miraliiim, nl tnilUiH l.niaruin (ui fralrr.i
viroH rtr. Kl Aliraliiiiii niKpoiuli!!: Ilnlirnl Mniihin
rl /i/'(i/i/ic/(/M, auitinnl HIoh. Al posl diiMii jiKlini
iiou iruiil liMiiiiiics 111 liMc iiiiiudo, iicc piilcniiit
Mii\|SiMii i't prophciiis iiiidirc; ij^itur hi tiarr.iiio ilhi
pariiholicn xll.oslniKlil laiiicii jaiii iiiiric niiuiiiJH fli<
si< III poonin; iilioijui noc vcrii, ikm: viTiHiiiiiliH «;ii-
scl.
Socimda ralio,tota Kcclosin invocal sanctos posl
riirisii iidvciiluin, ct oriiiios Piitrcs tfracci ct liiliiii
docciit, saiictos cssi! invociiudos: ciiiii t:uiicii aiiti:
r.hrisli advciiliiiii iion lc^iiliir id (lcri soliliiiii OKse.
Al si siincli «'sscnl cIkiiii iiiiuc siih lcrra iii siiiii A-
hrahiic, iiiiu diHcrcntcm statuiii a stiitii siiiicliirum
Tostamouti vclcris IihIkmciiI.
Tcrlia ralio, iit Dasilius notat initio orationis iu
sauclum lliirliiimi, aiilc (Ihristi iMlvcnliiiii siiucto-
ruiii iiiors ilcl1chiitur:iit posl (ihristi advcutuni siiiu-
ina ciMii laclitia cclcliriuiius dics inortis sanclo-
ruiii. (Juiirc hoc? iiisi (juiii tiiuc mori uiiscria oral,
iiuiic osl fclicilalis iuilium. El coulirmiilur; niiiii
diciii iiiortis iiuiic vociimus dicm natalciii. (|uia vi-
dclicol sancli moricntcs in lcrris, nascuntur iii
coclo.
(^Miarta ratio ox visionihus oorum, qiii vidoriml
nuimas aliipias in lormcntis gehcnuao,alias in [uir-
gatorio, alias iii paradiso. Vulc Grcgoriuiii lih. i.
dialog. ca|). '.M. cl Hcdam lib. 'i. histor. cap. \'.i.
(^uinta ratio. saucli hahciil nunc mcriluni vitao
actcruac, vcl si uon liabcul, nuuKjUiim hiihrhunl,
quia posl rmcni vilac non osl locus uovis mcritis,
cl iiullum csl impc(limciiluiu,quo miuus viluiu ae-
lcrnam nunc liaberc possiut, cum coclum antca
clausiim uiiuc iiatoat; i^ilur falcudum esl, eosjani
nunc |)rac;niuui suuin acccpissc.
Scxta ralio. Dciis Lovit. 19. scribi jussit: iVoTi
morahilur apud le opus niercenarii lui usque
manc: crgo iio Deiis contrariiis sibi ipsc vidcalur,
non rclinchit mcrccdein sauclorum usquc ad mun-
di consummationcm.
Soplima, Prnverb. .*?. Spcs qnae diffcrtur. aflli-
qit a.nimam: at nuu convenit, ul ii allligaulur, qiii
nnllum habent poccatum.
Exhis solvuntur argumenta opposila.Ad primum
dico. dicin judicii generalis futurum , el tunc red-
dondum uniciiique secundum opora sua : sed ta-
men ante illud judicium praecessissc aliud parti-
ciilarc.in quo etiam rcdditum estunicuiquc secun-
dum opora (\ius. l\eque ista intcr se pugnant. nam
iu priore judicio redduntur praemia privatim, in
poslcriore publice ot manifcstc : quemadmodum
dies judicii generalis dicitur dies Domini.iionquod
alii^liies non sint Domini, sed quia ille eril niani-
feste dies Domini, alque adeo manifesle, ut nemo
epicuraeus, vel atheus, sit. qui tunc non sil con-
fessurus, eum esse diem Domini. Et quomodo a-
pud mercatores cerlus quidani dies vocatur dies
snlulionis, non quod aliis fliebus non solvanlur
debita. sed quia ille dies ad hoc tantum constitu-
tus est.ut fiant solutiones: sic eliam quaedam dics
dicilur diesjudicii et retributionis, non quod aliis
diebus Deus non judicet et retribuat, sed quia 11-
lii dies ad hoc tantura constitula esl , ut fial judi.-
cium et retributio.
43C
I)E S4ACT()HL.M nKATlTlDlM-:
Dices: At videlur Irustra futurum judiciura ; si
jnm sunt rcddila praeinia; quid enim refcrt , sivc
pal;nn, sivc clam rcddita sinl ?
Iicspoiidco: iVon erit frustra. Sunl enim quin-
que caussac, ob quas fiel judicium generale , et-
iamsi praecesseril judicium particulare.Prima esl,
ul ostendalur Dei juslilia et misericordia, Omnia
cnnu Deus facil propler gloriani suam demonstran-
dani , sed tamen nunc non ita aperte ostendil ,
(piin invenianlur, qui Deum injusliliae accusent ,
vel nullam liabere eum providenliam credant,cum
videanl bonos affligi, malos gaudere ; ideo Deus
clegit sibi unum diem, in quo coram loto mundo
oslendal summam suam justitiam in impios , et
sumraam misericordiam in pios, el simul ostendat
se cum summa misericordia erga juslos, nulla uti
crudelitale, vel injuslilia in impios: et cum summa
severitate erga impios nuUa uli acceptione perso-
narura, vel iniqua liberalilate erga pios.
Secunda caussa esl.el clarificelur lilius horainis;
pertinent enim ad gloriam Christi, ut qui in primo
adventu , tamquam reus injuste judicalus esl , ite-
rura appareal gloriosus et judex , et implealur il-
lud Isaiae 4j. Vivo ego , quia milii cuTvahitur
omiie genu, quod Paulus Rom. 14. de Chrislu ju-
dicaturo exponit.
Tertia est, ad laudem bonorum, ignominiam ve-
ro malorum. Vult enim Deus, ul sancli,qui in cer-
laminibus suis speclaculum facti sunt mundo, an-
gelis et hominibus: sic eliam coram toto mundo ,
omnibus angclis el hominibus victores pronun-
cientur. Ideo Paulus , ubicuraque de judicio lo-
quitur, istara caussam afferre solet, ut Homan. 2.
Cor. 4. et alibi.
Quarla est.ul lotus homo iudicelur,et praemium
suum recipiat;nunc enira solumanimae judicanlur,
et partera praemii accipiunt.
Quinla, quia nondum sunl finila opera bona et
mala defunctorum. Adhuc enim Lulherus male a-
git corrumpendo libris suis menles hominum: et
b.Paulus adhuc bene operalur exemplo et scriptis,
id quod eleganler deducit Basilius in llbro de vir-
ginilatc, anle mcdium, ex illis verbis 1. Tiraolh.
ii.Quorundam hominum yeccaki mnnifesta sunt,
praecedentia ad judicium: quosdam vero subse-
quunlur. Quia igilur tunc fmienlur opera mala et
bona, quando finielur mundus , ideo lunc uliima
ferelur senlcntia.
Ad secunduradico,nullam esse injusliliam,quod
animus sine corpore beatificelur ; nara animus et
corpus non sunl duo supposila , quales sunt duo
sodales, ila ut uni fialinjuria.si prius altero remu-
nerclur; sed sunt unura suppositura lanlum ex
duabus partibus composilura : hoc autera unum
suppositum raavult secundura allerara parlcm in-
lerim beari, quam secundurn neutram, et proinde
nulla ei fit injuria; volenli cnim non fil injuria ,
scd invilo. Dico secundo,eliarasi aniinus clcorpus
duo suppositaessenl, tamen adhuc nulla fieret in-
juria corpori , dum solus animus bealur; nain ad
opera boiia et raala, anima concurril pnncipalilcr,
corpus solum inslruraenlalilcr, iinino ad ipsum cs-
sentiam merili cl dcnierili. non concmrrilnisi sola
anima. Consislii enim meriliim ct dcmcrilura in c-
lcclione volunlalis, quac elcctio a sola anima pro-
cedil, et in sola anima sedem habel. Dico tertio ,
cliamsi animus el corpus acque principalilcr con-
currcnl ad opera bona cL mala: lamen adhuc non
esset injustum coronari animam antc diem judicii,
ct non corpus quia anima separala capax est glo-
riae el coronae, corpus aulem separaluin non esl
capax.
Ad tertium dicoduo. Primo: Chrisli animam an-
te rcsurreclioncra corporis sui non ascendisse qui-
dein ad coelum corporeum, tamen fuisse in para-
diso coelesli formaliler. idcst,fuisse beatam el glo-
riosam; quod si hoc tribueie vellcnt adversarii a-
nimabus sanclorum , non essemus multum solti-
cili de coelo istocorporeo.Dico secundo: Chrislum
raoriendo, quiesccndo, resurgendo et ascenden-
do in coclum fuisse cxcmplar nostrum quanlum
ad corpus;nos enim primo morimur.secundo quie-
scimus in sepulchro, lerlio resiirgemus, ullimo a-
scendcmus in coelum corporaliler. sicul Christus
fecil. Qiiod aulem Chrisii anima descenderit ad in-
feros, priusquam ascenderet in coelum, non per-
linet ad cxemplar; non enim Christus ad inferos
descendit, ut nobis viam ad inferos demonstrarel,
vel ut ibi pararel nobis Iocuni,sed ut animas,quae
ibi eranl, educeret, ac infernum destrueret, ne a-
nima sanctorum deinceps eo deducerentur.
Ad quartam ralionem.quae sumebalurex poena
daemonum, respondeo, daemones multos nondum
esse demersos in abyssum, sed in aere hoc nostro
caliginoso versari ad exercilationem huminum: un-
de aposlolus ad Ephes. 2. eos vocat principes ae-
ris hujus.iXihilominus lamen omncs daemones jam
nunc puniri, tam poena damni, quam poena sen-
sus; non enim sunt hominibus meliores, et taraen
hominum impiorum spiritus jam demonstravimus
luere poenas gehennae, ac proplerea,cum sanctos
angelos, qui in veritatc stelcrunt , ex evangelio
conslet semper videre faciem Dei, cur non etiam
conseqnens sit, ut angcli rebelles judicium Dei
sustineanl? Quare recte Beda in commeutario c. 3.
epist. s. Jacobi scribit, quocumque daeroones vo-
lilent. eos ubique suam gehennam circumferre.
Et s. Augustinus lib. de corrcpt. et gralia,cap. 10.
ac s. Prosper lib. 1. de vita contemplativa, daemo-
nes jam judicatos ac miseros effeclos docent.
Sunt tamen plura sanctorum lestimonia , quae
videnlur asserere daemones non esse torquendos
poena gchennae ante diem judicii. Justinus in a-
polog.^l. et2. saepius repelil,daemones igni sem-
piterno Iradendos, nondum tamen tradilos. Ire-
naeus lib. 5. ultra medium , dicit diabolum anle
Christi advenlura numquam blasphemasse Deum,
quod ignoraret adhuc suain damnationem , sed a
Chrisio ct aposlolis tandem didicisse.ignem aeter-
num sibi csse paralum: quam sententiam idcm I-
renaeus a Justino se acccpisse significat. Eandcra
lamquamJuslini sequilur Oecumcnius in cap. ulti-
mum primae Pelri.Epiphanius in haeresi Selhiano-
rura aflRrmal, daemones non modo damnationcm
suam ignorasse, sed cliam salulcm per Christi ad-
venluni sperasse; sed cum viderenl, nihil a Chrislo
pro dacraonibus fieri, tura dcmum de salule despe-
rasse,cl per hacrelicosDeumblasphcmarccoepisse.
i.iiti.ii rniMi ^
kil
S. AlllimilU iilillil AlllJIIKIMlliil III \il.l rniilriii
Aiilniiii iSun iiinontl, iii(|iiil, tlacnion l'nlnia hn-
t;mw(/(I, rl itrshhinlifi ;/c/i('/l/iar iinnt iiirrniliu.
Siiiiilnii sflitciill.iiil ilc liiliins liii iiiciillN tl.iriiiu
iiiiin liiihmil rliiiiii iiiliii si'H|ili |i.ilir-->; AuiIhomiih
ii) (-(iiiiiiiiMil. i'ii|). S. I.iiriii', lliciiiiiyiiiiis il lilny'
susloiiiiis III Ctip.S. M.illli.Aii^iisliiuis lili. S.di; <il
vil.ild l>oi, 0. 211. rl liii. 1. di! mi|i. rl (',(itu:ii|i.
(■ii|). l',\. (ire^urius lil). 4. MuimIiiiiii, i'ii|). 10. cl
jili. I. (lialu^'. ciiii. UI». Tlicuiluirtiis iii i'|iil(.«ii('
(liviiiuiiiiii (l('( rciuniiu, ciiii. «lc (l.iciiiuiiiliiis. i'[
IJcii.iiirdiis iii scriii. A^' s. iMiiliicliin. Scd JiiNliiii.
liciiiici. lliuidiiiiiii, iihnic Occuiuciiii sciilciiliiiiii
nuii vi(lcu.(|iiu p.iclu iil) crrurc |iu>Miinis ilclciulc-
i'c. (laclcri iiiitcm l\ilnis duu (|iiiii;diiii> iiniriiiiiul,
(pnc vcrissiiiui siiiil, diiciiiuiics iii dic jiidicii cv
liuc iuuc iii iihyssiiiii priicci|iil;iiidus, c|,t'us ;idliiic
(•xspiuliiri^ riiliiiii luriiiciilii.
C.iiclciimi iion upurlcl iiidc oullii,;(M(>, cos liuc
lciupurc iiuu lor(|uci'i; iiiim clsi vcrc lui^iiic.mtiii",
ct sccuiii ^;clicimimi purlciit. ul iiil llcdii, liiiiicii
pociiiiriim siiiim plciuliKlimMu iu dic iiidicii liiihc-
luinl, (luiuido iiil'(M'(U'uiii ciir('(M'iluis c(mcliid('nliir:
(piud jKKMiiirum cumplcmcutiim iidcu liiiuMil, ut iii
cxorcismis milln rc; miij-is lonpicri vidciiiitiir,(iuiiiu
coinmiiiiiliuiu», rntmi judicii (piiic (diiiin ciuissii csl
oiir cxorcismi IVrc concliidi S(dciml: Per onni qni
vonlnrus fnl jndicaro vivos et ■morlnos, ol sacoAi-
luin por iijnoin.
C.nv luilcm ;ultM) lr(>pidcnl illiun dctrusi(U^.cm in
abyssnm, liiie ciuissiu^. cssc vidontur. 1'riinii, (piiii
iioii poternnl amplius liominibns noccre. Secnii-
dii, (luin uon iimpliiis c\lor(picl)iinl iib nllo cnlliim
Deo debitum, nl modo laoiniit, dum ab ellinicis el
neoromanliois adoranlnr. Tertia , (jnia Uinc pale-
bnni eorum fiaudes el debililus , cum omnes in-
tellipent. cos a viris, focminis. pncris, superalos.
Quarla, (piia non soluin a Deo.sed eiiam ab lioini-
nibus judiciibunUir: nam etiam imgclos jntlicabi-
mus, leslc Paulo, l.Corinlli. 0».
CA1>UT Vll.
Sanclos reclc ab Ecclcsia canonizari.
Sequilur nunc allera quacslio, quae esl de cano-
nizaliune, quae quaUior ciipiUbiis conlinelur. Pri-
ninin enini explicandum esl, an sinl sancli caiio-
nizandi. Deinde.cujns sil ofliciuin eos oanonizare.
Tuin, siliie infallibilc judicium ejus qui sanclos
canonizal. Postremo, aii liceal sanclos nonduin ca-
nonizalos oolere.
Sed unlcquain ad isla capila veniaraus.expUcan-
dum esl breviler, quid sil canonizalio. Igitiir oano-
nizaUo nibil esl aliud, qnam publicum Ecclesiac
teslimoninm de vera sancUtate, el gloria aUcujus
hominis jam defuncU : et simul est judioinm ac
sentenlia, qua dcccrnnnlur ei bonores illi, (jui dc-
benlnr iis, qui cum Deo leliciler rcgnant. Qui qui-
dem honores (ul in seqnentibus disputalionibns
demonstralur) septcra esse solent.
Prinmin enim qui canonizanlur , inscribuntnr
in catalogo sanctornra, idesl, statuitur acjubelur,
ul ab omnibus publice babcantnr, et dicanlnr san-
13tl.LVUJI|,\l. Vol. II.
(II. SlMtUII(|iMllMlC.lllllll III pubilllA Kr.clCHioi' pic
ciltiis, 'IVrliu, lcmpl.i ul iiriMi iii CDruiii iiicMiuii.iin
dic.iilliir i)cu. (Jll.illo, hli(Mlll(Mil lillll i'licliliri:>llll<} ,
<|ii.uu l.iiidiim i-l pi('( iiiii , (|iii»l viil(4u (/lliciuni ,
sivit liuntr ciinoiiicim Miiiicup.iiiir, iii lionun.Mii ei»
riim licu piil)lic(! oltcriiiilur. (.iiiiulo, dic^ lc^li m
curniii uicmiiiiiiiii cclcliiiuiliir. Si.-xio, |iiiirMiulur
ciuum iiiiiiuiiics, tiddilo ('('ito (pioilaiii Imiiiui! iid
loiiiiiim diiidcmiiiis iti si;;miiii |(lori.'ic, (pi,iiii liii-
bciil 111 cdi-lis. Scpiiuio, curuiii rcliipiiiii! prclio-^iii
lliccis iiiclndmilur, cl pnlilicc lioiior.nitur.
Ilis cr^(» pntimiissis, iilile u»8o Hiiuclu.s ciiiioni
ziiri.liis iirnuiiKMilis dcmuiislriiri polcsl.PniiucOuiii
Diiis ipsc xduil ii Siinclis sc.i iplui ihus iiiinuliui iii
piirlictiliiri ^loriusiim vilaiii (!l iiiorlciii curiiiii, (pii
lcmpori! ipMirniii llorucruul. iil piili;t dc KccIcm.i
stico, ijiii cap. n. cl S('(|ii(Miliims ciiioiiiziivil piii-
riiiios simctu.N, iit llctiucli, iNiii!, Abniliiiiii, Isiiac,
Jiicob. Moysi'111. Aiironcin, Pliinccs, Josi/e, Calcb,
Sanmclcm. Diividcm. Kliiiiti, l'iiiSii(Mim,clc. Ilcin iii
T(>.^l.iiiiciiio iiovu s. Lnciis iii Aclis ciiiKimziiYil s.
Sl(>pliiimim cl Jacolnmi majurciii, iicciion Pclrnm.
l'iiuluiii. li.irtiiibiiiii, Silam. ct alios: i-;.Mtiit' crcdibi-
lc cst. codcin tiiodo Dcniu vcllc,nt (i(Miio'j|)S lial.
SiMMindu: Tcncnmr sanclos lionor;irc cl liindarc,
Inin i|uiii Scriplnrii lioo. Jubct. Kool(.'siiist. 41. .S'a-
picnliani iitsornin, iiiijuii,?tf/?Mv,'/i/ popiili, c.l lan-
doni oorniii. nnncioiil KcoAcsiac: tutii (juiii viilus
ipsornm lioc mcrctur. E.sl eniin (piusi iialurale
pr.KMnimn virtntis hoiior: tnin dcniijuc, (pni id lui-
l)is ntile cst ad pluriiiiii b(mclicia curuin iiilcrces-
sione proinerenda: Al nisi sciamus, qni siiil vi^ri
sancti, ct qni non, non p03sumus eos colerc, ut
oportct.
Tcrtio: Probatnr ex ralionc imilalionis. Sancli
eniin suiil excmpla quacdiitn virlnliim.ct nornia re-
ctae vitae.cl qmisi luccrnac quiicdiiin a l»coacceii-
sae, ul oinmbus aliis praciuccanl. L'udc Panius ad
Hebracos 13. Memcnlotc, iiiqnil, praeposilortim
vcslroriLm,qniioquulisnntvobis verbum.qnornm
inlncntes oxitum conversalionis, imitamini fi-
dcm. Al non possnmus accendi ad iimlalionem.n;-
si in particulari sciiifiins, qiii sinl iinilandi.ct quid
illi cgerinl, ant passi sinl. Et luccrna in candela-
bro poni dcbcd, id quod lil [)cr canonizationem.
(Juarto, ex conjunctione, qnam cuin illis liabe-
inu^. Siquidem sunius membra unius corporis, et
mcmbra invicem compaliunlur. ct congaudcnl;
oporlel ergo cos nobis compati, et pro nobis solli-
cilos esse. quod sine dubio liiciunl. etiam in par-
ticnlari, ul infra docebiraus,ct e conlrinio iius illis
congaudere,ct pro illornm gloria Dco grotias age-
re, quoe sine parlioulari notilia iicri iion possunl.
(Juinto, cx incommodis: nam nisi judicio Eccle-
siiic ccrli sancU proponerentur colcndi lacile licri
possel, ut populus saepe errarel, el duninalos pro
l)eatis colercl: nt aceidil tempore sancU ^lartiiii.
Scribit cnim Sulpilius. quod cnra populus quidani
colcret nescio quem hominem tnortnum, pru inar-
lyrc. et b. Marlino suspeota esset illa religio, quod
iiihil certi a majoribus de sanclo illo aocepisse^
tandem oraiili 31iirtino apparuil aniina ejus,qui ibi
oolebatur, et confessa est, se aniniam damnatain
esse lalronis cnjusdam,qui pro suis scelcribus cx-
4:18
1)E S.VISC'J0RU31 HEATITUDIKE
Irciui supplicii poenns Iiicral. Mcni ncoidil tem-
porc AiexHndri III. ul palel ex «;ap. Audivimiis,
CAlra de reliquiis, el sanrtornni vcneralione. ul)i
rf^prcheudil quosdani. (pii lioniinein in cbrielalc
oocisuni pro marlyrc venerabanUir.