Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Grace and Free Choice · Book II: On Predestination and Sufficient Grace
Chapter 6: That the help of God necessary for conversion is not present to sinners at every moment, but at fixed times, as God judges his gifts are to be distributed
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. V, De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio, Book II. 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).
The sixth proposition: “The help of God sufficient and necessary for rising again from sin, though it be lacking to no one according to place and time, yet is not present at all moments.” This proposition is not first asserted by us: before us the same was confirmed by Alphonsus, Bishop of Avila, on chapter 4 of Exodus, question 12; Pope Adrian VI in question 3 on penitence; Thomas Cardinal Cajetan in the first question of the eighth Jentaculum; John of Rochester in the refutation of article 36 of Luther; John Driedo in the book On the Captivity and Redemption of the Human Race, treatise 3; and Ruard Tapper in the explication of article 7 of the Louvain articles, who speaks thus: “To me it is certain that there is not always present to each and every man that help which is needed that the sinner be converted, or be able to be converted.” Andrew Vega, in book 13 on the Council of Trent, chapter 19, says indeed that sinners can be converted at every moment, but adds that they cannot at every moment reduce that power to act; and so in the substance he does not dissent from the rest.
This proposition, then, is proved from the divine writings. Ecclesiastes 7: Consider the works of God, that no man can correct whom he hath despised. Certainly he who said this seems to hold it for ascertained that some are at times so despised and deserted by God that they cannot be converted. Likewise John 12: Therefore they could not believe, because Isaias said again: He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart. In which place it is to be noted that that “they could not believe” was not said only on account of the certain foreknowledge of things to come — that is, because Isaias had foreseen they would not believe, in the manner we could say Peter could not but deny the Savior, seeing that Christ, who could not lie, had foretold that he would deny him. For this John had signified a little before, in those words: whereas he had done so many miracles before them, they believed not in him: that the saying of Isaias the prophet might be fulfilled… Lord, who hath believed our hearing? There, then, he gave the cause of their not believing from the prediction of Isaias; but presently he adjoins another cause, from the blinding, and of it he says: And therefore they could not believe, because Isaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes. Now the blinded not only do not see, but even, while the blinding lasts, cannot see. But, thou wilt say, though the blinded cannot see, yet they can remove the blinding, if they cooperate with preventing grace, and so absolutely they can see. I confess that the blinded can remove the blinding if they cooperate with preventing grace; but I affirm that preventing grace is not always present, and I say this is gathered from the place of the Gospel just cited: for when preventing grace is present, a man begins to see, or at least to be able to see — for preventing grace illuminates the heart; hence he is not simply blinded upon whom the light of divine grace shines; and if preventing grace were always present, through which all sinners could always see, none would be simply blinded — which certainly is repugnant to the Scripture alleged, and to very many others. Moreover blessed Paul, in the second epistle to Timothy, chapter 2, admonishes that sinners are to be rebuked patiently and mildly, and giving the cause says: if peradventure God may give them repentance to know the truth, and they may recover themselves from the snares of the devil. In which place we see that the gift of penitence is not always present, but is given by God when and to whom he himself wills; otherwise the Apostle would not say, “if peradventure he may give,” if he always gave.
Second, the same is proved from the Fathers. St. Augustine, book 4 against Julian, chapter 8: “They who now use the free choice of the will,” says he, “cannot will, save by his willing and coming to help by whom the will is prepared. And here, if thou say to me, Why then does he not convert the wills of all the unwilling? I shall answer: Why does he not adopt, by the laver of regeneration, all infants about to die?” Thou seest here Augustine affirming that men cannot, without preventing grace, will to be converted; and at the same time admitting that this preventing grace is not always given. St. Gregory, book 11 of the Morals, chapter 5 [al. 9]: “Cain,” says he, “could be admonished by the divine voice, and could not be changed; because, his fault of malice demanding it, God had inwardly abandoned the heart to which he outwardly spoke words for a testimony.” St. Fulgentius, in the book On the Incarnation and Grace of Christ, chapter 17: “That man may begin to believe in God, he receives from God repentance unto life — so that he can by no means believe unless he have received repentance by the gift of the pitying God.” And a little before he had said: “In very truth, according to the Apostle, God gives repentance, to know the truth, to whom he wills.” From which places we understand that the help necessary for believing — and thereby for conversion and salvation — is not always present to all. St. Isidore, in book 2 On the Highest Good, chapters 15 and 19, and St. Anselm in the commentary on chapter 12 of Matthew, openly say that some cannot be converted — which is to be understood for the time in which they lack the help necessary for conversion.
It is proved last by reason. For no one can be converted without preventing grace, since it is written, John 6: No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; but this preventing grace is not always present, as experience itself witnesses — for we do not feel ourselves continually illuminated by God, or good desires sent in by which we are stirred to conversion; therefore we do not always have sufficient help for conversion. To this reason they answer in two ways. For some say that God indeed perpetually knocks at the door of the heart and calls sinners, but that they, intent on other things, do not perceive the calling of God. Others say that God indeed does not always call, but is prepared to do so, if we will. But this latter answer manifestly falls into the error of Cassian and Faustus, which we refuted in chapter 2, and altogether takes preventing grace out of the way: for how is grace preventing, if it always waits to be prevented by the human will? Nor is he to be said to be drawn who, before he is drawn, has the will of going. Finally, he who knocks at the door of the heart waits indeed for it to be opened, and therefore says: If any man shall… open to me, I will come in to him; but he does not wait to be invited to knock: he himself prevents, by knocking and calling, as was defined in the Council of Orange, canon 4. And the former answer fights most openly with experience itself: for since that calling, knocking, drawing, stirring of God is our own action, though not free — namely a good thought and good desire suddenly and divinely sent in — how can it come to pass that it be not felt by us, if it is wrought not only in us, but also by us? Moreover, if such preventing grace were always present, we should always actually think and will good things; and who in his senses would dare say this? Wherefore in Psalm 94, when the Holy Spirit says, To day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts, he therefore names “to day,” and adds the condition, “if you shall hear,” because his voice does not sound daily, nor without intermission, but at a fixed time he visits and stirs us.
But against this some object: first, the Scriptures which exhort men to conversion, and reprehend those who are not speedily converted — Ezechiel 33, Turn ye, turn ye; Ecclesiasticus 5, Delay not to be converted to the Lord. Second, the decree of the Lateran Council, which is had in the chapter Firmiter, on the Highest Trinity and the Catholic Faith, by which we are taught that fallen man can always be repaired through true penitence. Third, the judgment of St. Thomas, who in part 3, question 86, article 1, says that the opinion of those is erroneous who hold that someone in this life cannot do penance and amend his ways. But these are dissolved without any trouble. The Scriptures, when they exhort men to conversion, admonish this: that when they are called and stirred by God, they resist not the Holy Spirit — according to the Psalm cited a little before: To day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts. The Lateran Council delivers the doctrine of the Sacraments, and teaches that after Baptism there is another Sacrament, namely of penitence, through which they can always be repaired who duly receive it; but the Council does not deny that preventing grace is required for true penitence, and that that grace is dispensed not always, but according to place and time. Finally, St. Thomas himself expounds himself in the place noted: for he writes that it is an error if anyone say that some in this life are so hardened that they cannot be softened by the grace of God — as though they had an inflexible judgment and will; for that is repugnant, as the same rightly says, to the state of wayfarers. But the state of wayfarers does not require that at every single moment they have preventing grace, but that, it being present, they can be converted and not converted; and that they be not so certainly and absolutely destitute of the help of God through their whole life that they could despair of salvation.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VI.
Auxilium I)ei necessarium ad conversionem ,
non adest peccatoribus omnibus momentis,
sed certis temporibus prout judicat Deus
munera sua esse distribuenda.
Sexta propositio : « Auxilium Dei sufficiens
et necessarium ad resurgendum a peccato,
et si nulli desit pro loco et tempore, non ta¬
men adest omnibus momentis. » Haec pro¬
positio non a nobis primum asseritur, sed
ante nos confirmarunt eamdem Alphonsus
Episcopus Abulensis in cap. 4. Exodi quaest.
12. Adrianus VI. Papa in quaest. 3. de poeni¬
tentia. Thomas Cardinalis Cajetanus in i.
quaest. Jentaculi 8. Joannes Roffensis in re¬
futatione art. 36. Lutheri. Joannes Driedo
in lib. de capt. et redemptione generis hu¬
mani tract. o. et Ruardus Tapperusin expli¬
catione art. 7. Lovaniensium, qui sic loqui¬
tur ; « Mihi certum est non omnibus et sin¬
gulis semper adesse hujusmodi auxilium,
quo opus est ut convertatur, aut converti
possit peccator. » Andreas Vega in lib. xm.
in Concilium Tridentinum cap. 19. dicit qui¬
dem peccatores omni momento posse con¬
verti, sed addit, non posse omni momento
eam potentiam in actum deducere ; itaque
in re non dissentit a caetcris.
Probatur igitur haec propositio ex divinis
litteris, Eccles. vii : Considera opera Dei,
quod nemo potest coi'rigcre , quem ille despe¬
xit (1). .Certe qui hoc dixit pro comperto vi¬
detur habere, aliquos a Deo interdum ita
despici ac deseri, ut converti nequeant. Item
Joannes xn : Propterea non poterant credere ,
quia iterum dixit Isaias : Excxcavit oculos
eorum, et induravit cor eorum (2).
Quo loco notandum est, illud, non poterant
credere, non esse dictum solum propter cer¬
tam praescientiam futurorum, id est, quia
praeviderat Isaias eos non credituros, quo¬
modo possemus dicere, non poterat Petrus
non negare salvatorem, quandoquidem Chri¬
stus, qui mentiri non poterat, eum negatu¬
rum fuisse praedixerat. Nam hoc paulo ante
significaverat Joannes illis verbis : Cum au¬
tem tanta signa fecisset, non credebant in eum,
ut sermo Isaix impleretur, Domine, quis cre¬
didit auditui nostro ? Ibi igitur causam red¬
didit cur non crederent ex praedictione Isaiae ;
sed mox adjungit aliam causam ab excaeca¬
tione ; et de ea dicit : Et propterea non po¬
terant credere, quia iterum dixit Isaias , excx-
cavit oculos eorum. Porro excaecati non so¬
lum non vident, sed etiam videre, duranto
excaecatione, non possunt.
At, inquies, quamvis excaecati videre non
possint, tamen removere possunt excaecatio¬
nem, si cooperentur gratiae praevenienti, et
sic absolute videre possunt. Fateor, excaeca-
tos posse removere excaecationem, si gratiae
praevenienti cooperentur; sed gratiam prae¬
venientem non semper adesse confirmo, id-
que colligi dico ex loco Evangelii jam citato;
nam cum adest gratia praeveniens , incipit
homo videre, aut certe posse videre, gratia
enim praeveniens illuminat cor, proinde non
est ille simpliciter excaecatus, cui gratiae di¬
vinae lumen affulget; et si semper adesset
gratia praeveniens, per quam possent omnes
peccatores semper videre, nulli essent sim¬
pliciter excaecati ; quod certo repugnat Scri¬
pturae allegatae aliisque quamplurimis.
Praeterea R. Paulus in posteriore epist. ad
Timoth. cap. ii. admonet, patienter ac man¬
suete corripiendos esse peccatores, et cau¬
sam reddens ait : Ne quando Deus det illis
poenitentiam ad cognoscendem veritatem , et
resipiscant a diaboli laqueis (3). Quo loco vi¬
demus, donum poenitentiae non semper ad¬
esse, sed dari a Deo quando et quibus ipse
voluerit, alioqui non diceret Apostolus, ne
quando det, si semper daret.
Secundo probatur idem ex Patribus. S»
(4) Eccl. VII, 14. - (2) Joan. XII, 4. - (3) II Tim. II, 25.
346
LIBER 11.
Augustinus lib. iv. in Julian. cap. 8. « Qui
jam utuntur, inquit, libero voluntatis arbi¬
trio, nisi eo volente ac subveniente a quo
praeparatur voluntas, velle non possunt; ubi
si dixeris mihi, cur ergo non convertit om¬
nium nolentium voluntates ? respondebo,
cur non omnes morituros adoptat lavacro
regenerationis infantes? » Yides hic Augu¬
stinum affirmare non posse homines sine
gratia praeveniente velle converti, et simul
admittere, non semper dari gratiam istam
praevenientem.
S. Gregorius lib. xi. Moral.cap. 5: «Cain,
inquit, divina voce admoneri potuit, et mu¬
tari non potuit, quia exigente culpa malitias
am intus Deus cor reliquerat, cui foris ad
testimonium verba faciebat. »
S. Fulgentius in lib. de incarnatione et
gratia Christi cap. 17 : « Ut homo in Deum,
inquit, credere incipiat, a Deo accipit poeni¬
tentiam ad vitam, ita ut omnino credere non
possit, nisi poenitentiam dono Dei miserantis
acceperit. » Et paulo ante dixerat : « Re ve¬
ra, secundum Apostolum, Deus quibus vo¬
luerit dat poenitentiam, ad cognoscendam
veritatem. » Ex quibus locis intelligimus,
auxilium necessarium ad credendum, ac per
hoc, ad conversionem et salutem, non sem¬
per omnibus adesse.
S. Isidorus in lib. n. de summo bono cap.
15. et 19. et S. Anselmus in commentario
ad cap. 12. Matth. aperte dicunt, aliquos
non posse converti, quod intelligendum est
pro tempore, quo carent auxilio necessario
ad conversionem.
Probatur ultimo ratione. Nam non potest
ullus converti sine gratia praeveniente, cum
scriptum sit Joan. vi : Nemo potest ad me ve¬
nire , nisi Pater , qui misit , me traxerit (1) ;
gratia vero ista praeveniens, non semper ad¬
est, ut vel experientia ipsa testatur ; non
enim sentimus assidue nos illuminari a Deo,
aut immitti bona desideria, qmbus excite¬
mur ad conversionem ; non igitur semper
habemus auxilium sufficiens ad conversio¬
nem.
Respondent ad hanc rationem duobus mo¬
dis; dicunt enim aliqui, Deum quidem per¬
petuo pulsare ad ostium cordis, et peccato¬
res vocare, sed eos aliis rebus intentos non
percipere vocationem Dei. Alii dicunt, Deum
quidem non semper vocare, sed paratum
esse id facere, si velimus.
At posterior haec responsio, manifeste in¬
cidit in errorem Cassiani et Fausti, quem
refutavimus cap. 2. et omnino tollit e medio
gratiam praevenientem, quomodo enim gra¬
tia pra;veniens est, si semper expectat ut a
voluntate humana praeveniatur ? Sed neque
trahi dicendus est, qui antequam trahatur,
voluntatem habet eundi. Denique, expectat
quidem ille, qui pulsat ad ostium cordis, ut
aperiatur, et ideo dicit : Si quis aperuerit
mihi, intrabo ad eum ; sed non expectat, ut
invitetur ad pulsandum, sed ipse praevenit
pulsando et vocando, ut definitum est in
Concilio Arausicano. can. 4.
Prior autem responsio cum ipso experi¬
mento apertissime pugnat, nam cum voca¬
tio, pulsus, tractus, excitatio illa Dei, sit
actio nostra, quamvis non libera, nimirum
bona cogitatio, bonumque desiderium repen¬
te ac divinitus immissum ; quomodo potest
fieri ut non sentiatur a nobis, si fit non so¬
lum in nobis, sed etiam a nobis? Praeterea
si semper adesset talis gratia praeveniens,
semper actu bona cogitaremus et vellemus ;
quis autem hoc sanus dicere audeat? quare
in Psalm. xexiv. cum Spiritus sanctus dicit :
Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, nolite obdurare
corda vestra (2), ideo nominat hodie, et con¬
ditionem addit, si audieritis, quia non quo¬
tidie, nec sine intermissione sonat vox ejus,
sed certo tempore nos visitat atque exci¬
tat.
At contre objiciunt aliqui. Primo, Scri¬
pturas, quae hortantur homines ad conver¬
sionem, eosque reprehendunt, qui non cele¬
riter convertuntur. Ezech. xxxm : Converti¬
mini, convertimini. Eccles. v : Ne tardes con¬
verti ad Dominum {3).
Secundo, decretum Concilii Lateranensis,
quod habetur in cap. Firmiter, de summa
Trin. et fide Catholica ; quo docemur sem¬
per posse hominem lapsum per veram poe¬
nitentiam reparari.
Tertio, sententiam sancti Thomae, qui in
3. par. quaest. 8G. art. 1. dicit, erroneam
esse opinionem illorum, qui sentiunt aliquem
in hac vita poenitentiam agere , et mores
suos emendare non posse.
Sed haec nullo negotio dissolvuntur; Scri¬
pturae siquidem dum hortantur homines ad
conversionem, id monent, ut cum a Deo vo¬
cantur et excitantur, non resistant Spiritui
sancto, juxta Psalmum paulo ante citatum :
(1) Joan. VI, 44. — (2) Psal. XCIV, 8. —(3) Ezecli. XXXIII, 14; Eccl. V, 8.
MgOM
CAPUT VII.
hodie si vocem ejus audieritis , nolite obdurare
corda vestra .
Concilium vero Lateranense Sacramento¬
rum doctrinam tradit, ac docet, post bapti¬
smum esse aliud Sacramentum, videlicet
poenitentiae, per quod semper reparari pos¬
sunt qui illud rite suscipiunt; non autem Con¬
cilium negat, requiri gratiam praevenientem
ad veram poenitentiam , eamque gratiam
non semper, sed pro loco, et tempore dis¬
pensari.
Denique S. Thom. ipse se loco not. expo¬
nit, scribit enim errqrem esse, si quis dicat,
ita esse aliquos in hac vita obduratos, ut per
Dei gratiam emolliri non queant, quasi, in-
flcxile judicium et voluntatem habeant. Id
enim repugnat, ut recte idem ait, statui via¬
torum ; at non requirit status viatorum, ut
singulis momentis habeant gratiam praeve¬
nientem, sed ut ea praesente possint converti
et non converti, et ut non ita certo et abso¬
lute per omnem vitam destituantur auxilio
Dei, ut de salute desperare possint.