Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Grace and Free Choice · Book IV: Grace and Free Choice in Natural and Civil Works
Chapter 3: Objections are solved
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio, Book IV. 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).
But against this, two arguments can be objected. The first is that testimony of the Gospel: The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Likewise: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not, John 1. The other is from Augustine, book 10 of the Confessions, chapter 6, where he says that heaven and earth cry out with a great voice to all men, “He made us, and not we ourselves” — but yet they sing to the deaf, unless God have mercy more deeply. For from these testimonies of St. John and St. Augustine it is gathered that God indeed gave men arguments great enough by which they could know him, were they not blind; but that through the sin of the first parent the whole human race has been so blinded that now no one can know God from those arguments, except him whose mind God has illuminated by special grace.
But it will be easy to refute both arguments. For that men have not been altogether blinded through the sin of the first man, even in those things which pertain to the knowledge of God, is clear from the places alleged, Wisdom 13 and Romans 1. “For” (to use the very words of St. Augustine, in the exposition of certain propositions of the epistle to the Romans, at the beginning) “those whom Solomon reproves, Wisdom 13, did not know the creator through the creature; but those whom the Apostle reproves knew him, but did not give thanks.” Now they who did not know would not be reproved, if they could not have known; nor are they blind who either knew, or certainly could have known.
But that saying — The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it — and that other — The world was made by him, and the world knew him not — seem to be understood of the Word, that is, of the Son of God, and thereby of the mystery of the Trinity; which we confess cannot be known by the light of reason alone. Then, those words could also have this sense: the light of the divine wisdom shines even in darkness, since it appears in those things which lack all light of wisdom — that is, in the animals devoid of reason, in trees, in stones, in the other things which, because they lack reason, can be called darkness; and of these it is understood to be rightly written, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Nor is it ill said, with Chrysostom and Theophylact, that the clause, and the darkness did not comprehend it, is the same as if it had been said, “and the darkness did not prevail against it.” For the light illuminates the darkness, and the darkness does not obscure the light; that is, the light of the knowledge of God, even in impious men, is not conquered by any multitude or density of darkness. Finally, it can be said, with St. Augustine and St. Cyril, that the darkness is ignorant men and sinners, who did not perceive that light — which yet, had they willed, they could have perceived.
But that passage of St. Augustine from book 10 of the Confessions does not touch the matter. For St. Augustine speaks in that place not of knowledge, but of love: “Lord,” says he, “I love thee; thou hast smitten my heart with thy word, and I have loved thee. But heaven too, and earth, and all things that are in them — behold, on every side they tell me to love thee, nor do they cease to say it to all, so that they are inexcusable. But more deeply wilt thou have mercy on whom thou wilt have mercy. Otherwise heaven and earth sing thy praises to the deaf.” And so, as we are said to sing to the deaf when they to whom we urge something with many words will not do it, though they understand easily enough what we say — so also heaven and earth sing the praises of God to the deaf, when men from the works of God do indeed acknowledge the maker, but do not love, venerate, and worship him as the maker.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT III. Solvuntur objectiones. Sed contra duo argumenta objici possunt. Primum est testimonium illud Evangelii : Lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt . Item : In mundo crati et (1) Sap. XIII, 5. CAPUT IV. mundus per ipsum factus est , et mundus eum non cognovit (1). Joan. i. Alterum est ex Augustino lib. x. Confess. cap. G. ubi dicit, coelum et terram omnibus hominibus magna voce clamare, ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos; sed tamen surdis canere, nisi Deus altius misereatur. Ex bis enim S. Joannis, et S. Augustinitestimoniis colligitur, Deum quidem dedisse hominibus argumenta satis, magna quibus eum cognoscere possent, nisi essent cseci : sed tamen per peccatum primi paren¬ tis ita esse totum genus humanum exca)ca- tum, ut jam Deum nemo cognoscere possit ex argumentis illis, nisi cui speciali gratia Deus illuminaverit mentem. Sed facile erit argumentum utrumque re¬ fellere. Nam non esse omnino excaecatos ho¬ mines per peccatum primi hominis, in iis etiam, qua) ad Dei notitiam pertinent ; per¬ spicuum est ex locis allegatis, Sap. xm. et Iloman. i. « Nam (ut ipsis verbis sancti Au¬ gustini utar, in expositione quarumdam pro¬ positionum epistola) ad Romanos, in princi¬ pio) quos arguit Salomon Sap. xm. non cognoverunt per creaturam creatorem; quos autem arguit Apostolus, cognoverunt, sed gratias non egerunt. » Non autem arguen¬ tur, qui non cognoverunt, si cognoscere non potuissent : neque caeci sunt, qui aut cogno¬ verunt, aut certe cognoscere potuerunt. Illud vero : Lux in tenebris lucet, et tenc- brx eam non comprehenderunt . Et illud : Mundus per ipsum factus est, et mundus eum non cognovit; intelligenda videntur de Verbo, id est, de filio Dei, ac per lioc* de mysterio Trinitatis : quod fatemur non posse cogno¬ sci solo lumine rationis. Deinde, possent etiam ea verba hunc sensum habere, Lux divinae sapientia) lucet etiam im tenebris, cum appereat in iis rebus, quae omni luce sapientiae carent, id est, in animantibus ra¬ tionis expertibus, in arboribus, in lapidibus, in rebus caderis, qua) quod ratione careant, tenebrae dici possunt, et de iis recte scriptum esse intelligitur, et tenebra) eam non com¬ prehenderunt. Nec male, cum Chrysostomo, acTheophy- lacto dici potest, illud, et lencbrx eam non comprehenderunt, idem esse, ac si dictum fuisset, et tenebrae ei non praevaluerunt. Lux enim illuminat tenebras, et tenebra) non ob¬ scurant lucem : hoc est, lux notitiae Dei in hominibus quoque impiis, quavis tenebra- « ' 11 rum multitudine, vel densitate non vincitur. Denique, cum sancto Augustino, sanctoque Cyrillo dici potest, tenebras esse homines ignorantes et peccatores, qui lucem istam non perceperunt, quam tamen si voluissent, percipere potuissent. Illud autem S. Augustini ex lib. x. Con¬ fessionum, ad rem non facit. Non enim de cognitione, sed de amore loquitur eo loco S. Augustinus : « Domine, inquit, amo te, per¬ cussisti cor meum verbo tuo, et amavi te. Sed et coelum et terra, et omnia qua) in eis sunt, eccc undique mihi dicunt, ut te amem, nec cessant dicere omnibus, ut sint inexcu¬ sabiles. Altius autem tu misereberis, cujus misertus eris. Alioquin coelum et terra surdis canunt laudes tuas. » Itaque sicut nos surdis canere dicimur, cum ii, quibus multis verbis aliquid suademus, nolunt illud facere, licet satis facile intelligant, quae dicimus : sic etiam coelum, terra, surdis canunt laudes Dei, cum homines ex operibus Dei condito¬ rem quidem agnoscunt, red non sicut condi¬ torem diligunt, venerantur ct colunt.