Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Grace and Free Choice · Book IV: Grace and Free Choice in Natural and Civil Works
Chapter 11: Response is made to the arguments which the adversaries take from the divine writings
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 now the arguments of Calvin and of the other heretics are to be proposed and solved. And since they too draw arguments from the holy Scriptures, from the testimonies of the ancients, and from reason, we shall make our beginning from the Scriptures.
Calvin, then, produces these places. The first from the book of Exodus, chapter 11 [al. 12], where the Egyptians, impelled by God, gave to the Hebrews most precious vessels and garments, and very many other things, which without doubt they would never have given, had they truly had free choice. The second from Genesis 43, where Jacob says to his sons: May God grant you to find mercy before the man — which certainly he would not say, unless he judged that the hearts of men are bent and ruled by God. The third from that of Judges 15: The spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. The fourth from that of 2 Kings 17, where God brought it about that Absalom followed the counsel of Achitophel. The fifth from that of 3 Kings 12, where God inclined the heart of Roboam to follow the counsels of the young men. The sixth from that of Josue 2, where, Rahab witnessing, God at the entrance of the Hebrews into Palestine cast terror and dread into the hearts of those dwelling in that land. The seventh from Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, where God says to the Israelites: I will give you a fearful heart, and languishing eyes, etc.
To these let there come the testimonies which Luther and Melanchthon had proposed before. Let the eighth place, then, be from that of Isaias 26: Thou hast wrought all our works in us, O Lord. The ninth from that of Jeremias 10: I know, O Lord, that the way of a man is not his, neither is it in a man to direct his steps. The tenth from that of 1 Kings 2: They (the sons of Heli) hearkened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. The eleventh from that of 1 Kings 10: There went with him (Saul) a part of the army, whose hearts God had touched. The twelfth from that of Proverbs 16: It is the part of man to prepare the heart, but of the Lord to govern the tongue. Likewise: The heart of man disposeth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. The thirteenth from that of Proverbs 20: The steps of man are guided by the Lord; but who is the man that can understand his own way? The fourteenth from that of Proverbs 21: The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord; whithersoever he will, he shall turn it. The fifteenth from that of Matthew 10: Not one sparrow shall fall to the ground without your Father. The sixteenth from that of Romans 11: For of him, and in him, and by him, are all things. Likewise from that of 1 Corinthians 12: Who worketh all in all. Finally, from that of Ephesians 1: Who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will.
In the explication of these places a few things are to be noted. The first is that free election and free execution are not the same. For free election is necessary for conserving the liberty of choice, but not likewise free execution, as St. John Damascene rightly teaches in book 2 On the Faith, chapter 26. And so God — and not only God, but also men — can hinder someone from doing in very deed what he has chosen and determined, and yet the free choice of the will will suffer no detriment. And hence answer is made to the ninth, twelfth, and thirteenth testimonies. For the way of a man is said not to be his, because although he himself deliberates and purposes maturely, yet the progress of the affair is not in his power, since it can be hindered in many and various ways. And therefore the Wise Man says that the heart of man thinks out his way — that is, premeditates and orders what is to be done, and how — yet that the outcome is in the hand of God, from whom it is to be asked that he direct our steps. And not only in deeds, but also in words, the execution is oftentimes not in the power of man; for often we diligently meditate the words we are about to say, and resolve in mind so to speak that nothing false, nothing hurtful, nothing superfluous escape us; and yet, unless God govern the tongue by special grace, we do not fulfill what we purposed. Nor indeed does it follow hence (as the Pelagians would have it) that we can, without the help of God, prepare the heart, or think out our way, because it is written, it is the part of man to prepare the heart, and, man thinketh out his way. For neither are we sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, as the Apostle says, 2 Corinthians 3; nor are our steps so directed by God that we also do not direct them, according to that of Proverbs 15: A prudent man directeth his steps. But Scripture wished to indicate that thought and will are more in our power than the execution of the work.
Second, it must be known that liberty of choice does not exclude the cooperation and help of God. For man is not said to be free in deliberating and choosing because he can do this by his own powers alone, but because, even the divine cooperation being posited, it is in his power to choose this or that, and again to choose or not choose. In the way we are said freely to see all the things we see — not that we can see anything in the absence of light, but that, the light being present, it is placed in us to discern this or that, and even to discern or not discern; that is, to turn the eyes toward the thing to be seen, or to turn them away from it. And hence answer is made to the eighth, fifteenth, and sixteenth testimonies. For the Lord works all our works, but not without us; and the sparrow does not fall to the ground without our Father, because his providence extends itself to all things, even the most minute; and of him are all things; he works all in all; and he works according to the counsel of his will — but so sweetly that he lets even created things carry on their own motions, and by cooperating does not take away or destroy, but helps and perfects nature. Although that of Isaias 26 — Thou hast wrought all our works in us, O Lord — is more rightly understood of the divine scourges or miracles than of the works of free choice. For there precedes in Isaias: Thou wilt give peace, O Lord; and there follows: Lords have possessed us without thee. St. Jerome, in the commentary, understands by “works” the scourges — so that the sense is: Thou wilt give peace, O Lord; for all the scourges we have suffered came to us from thee; for lords have possessed us without thee, etc. With which explication agrees the interpretation of the Seventy Elders, which has: Give peace, O Lord, for thou hast repaid all things to us. St. Cyril, in the commentary on the same place, understands by “works” the divine miracles and benefits — so that the sense is: Thou wilt give us peace, seeing that all our wonderful works — that is, the things done in us — are thy gifts; and yet lords have possessed us without thee, etc.
Third, it is to be observed that the will can be inclined by God in four ways to desire or flee something. First, efficiently and physically, by immediately moving it and determining it to one thing; for if it can determine itself, why could not God also determine it? Second, efficiently indeed, but by the mediation of some form which he impresses on the will; for by infusing grace and the virtues, through them he inclines the will to good actions. And these two ways St. Thomas noted in question 22 On Truth, article 8 [al. 9]. Third, objectively — that is, through an internal persuasion, but a most efficacious one, such that it cannot be resisted; for if a vehement passion sometimes carries off the will to consent, certainly God can do that much more easily. Fourth, objectively indeed and efficaciously, but so that the efficacy proceeds not so much from the vehemence of the persuasion as from the disposition of the will, which God foresees — namely, when God so proposes something by internal persuasion as he sees the will to be apt to consent.
Of these ways, whether God uses the first and the third, and whether, if he use them, the liberty of the will remains entire, we shall see afterwards. But it is certain that God often uses the second and the fourth; nor is it less certain that those two ways are not repugnant to the liberty of choice. For as to the second: there is no habit of virtue — excepting the charity which is in the blessed in heaven — which determines the will from necessity. And as to the fourth: that to which God inclines in that fourth way comes to pass infallibly indeed, but the liberty remains entire, since the infallibility does not arise from the vehemence of the divine motion, but from the foresight of the aptitude of the will itself; and foresight imposes no necessity. And since all the testimonies adduced by Calvin and Luther, besides those already explained, can be brought back to the second and fourth ways, therefore they effect nothing against the liberty of choice.
For to the first, about the Egyptians, we answer that God inclined the hearts of the Egyptians willingly to give the Hebrews precious garments and vessels, because he brought it about that some reason occurred to their mind which he foresaw to be fit, that through it they should judge it good to lend those vessels and garments to the Hebrews. Or certainly God infused benevolence into the Egyptians toward the Hebrews, and through that benevolence inclined their hearts to share their wealth with them. For this those words seem to signify, Exodus 12: The Lord gave favor to the people in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them; and they stripped the Egyptians.
So also Jacob prays (which was the second testimony) that God grant his sons to find mercy before the man — that is, breathe into the man benevolence toward his sons, etc. And that the spirit of the Lord is said to have rushed upon Saul [al. Samson] (which was the third) signifies that a spirit of zeal and fortitude was given by God to him, through which he was inclined and incited to battle against the Ammonites. But that Absalom did not hear the counsel of Achitophel (which was the fourth) came to pass because God brought it about that Chusai refuted the opinion of Achitophel with those reasons which the same God had foreseen would be approved by Absalom. The same is to be said of this, that Roboam did not hear the counsels of the elders, but of the young men; and that the sons of Heli did not hear the admonitions of their father — which were the fifth and tenth testimonies. And to those about the dread cast into the hearts of the Philistines or of the Hebrews, which were the sixth and seventh, we answer that they pertain to the same way; for God could easily bring it about that reasons occurred to their thought on account of which they judged there was cause to fear, and contrariwise that reasons did not occur by which they could be raised to hope. And that those followed Saul whose hearts God had touched (which was the eleventh) came to pass because God sent into them veneration toward the king — whether by infusing a good quality, or by persuading their minds that it was good to obey the king chosen by God.
Finally, to that saying — As the divisions of waters, so the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord — two responses are wont to be given. One, that this place be understood of execution, and the sense be that God alone can hinder the execution of royal wills. For in the Greek this proverb reads thus: as the rush of water cannot be hindered and restrained except by some great force, so also what Kings will cannot be hindered, except by God. The other response is that this place be understood of the very wills of kings, and the sense be that it is easy for God to change the wills of men, even though they be kings. For in the Hebrew no mention is made of a rush, but water is simply named — “divisions of waters, the heart of the king in the hand of God” — that is: as easy as it is for the farmer to lead streams of water from some spring whithersoever he will, since water flows most easily by whatever way is given it, so easy is it for God to bend the hearts of kings, however powerful and proud — namely, by proposing to them inwardly the things he knows to be congruent to their disposition. And thus all the arguments are solved which the adversaries have brought forward from the divine writings.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XI. Respondetur ad argumenta , qux sumunt ad¬ versarii ex divinis litteris. » Sed jam argumenta Calvini, aliorumque haereticorum proponenda et solvenda sunt. Et quoniam ducunt etiam ipsi argumenta a Scriptoris sanctis, a testimoniis veterum, et a ratione , initium a Scripturis facie¬ mus. Calvinus igitur producit haec loca. Primum ex lib. Exodi cap. xl. ubi ^Egyptii a Deo im¬ pulsi, dederunt Hebraeis pretiosissima vasa, et vestes, aliaque permulta, quae sine dubio numquam daturi fuissent, si vere liberum arbitrium habuissent. Secundum ex Genes. xliii. ubi Jacob dicitfiliis suis : Detvobis Deus invenire misericordiam coram viro (1). Quod certe non diceret, nisi existimaret a Deo flecti et regi corda hominum. Tertium ex illo Jud. xv, 14. Irruit super eum spiritus Do¬ mini (2). Quartum ex illo ii. Reg. xvn. ubi Deus effecit, ut Absalon sequeretur consi¬ lium Achitophel. Quintum ex illo iii. Reg. xn. ubi Deus inclinavit cor Roboain, ut seque¬ retur consilia juvenum. Sextum ex illo Josue 2. ubi teste Rahab Deus ad introitum He¬ braeorum in Palestinam, immisit terrorem et pavorem in corda incolentium terram illam. Septimum ex Levit, xvi. et Deuter. xxviii. ubi Deus Israelitis ait : Dabo vobis cor pavidum, et oculos deficientes (3), etc. His accedant testimonia, quae ante propo¬ suerant Lutherus et Melanchthon. Sit igitur Octavus locus ex illo Isaiae xxvi. Omnia opera nostra in nobis operatus es, Domine. No¬ nus ex illo Hierem. x. Scio Domine quia non est in homine via ejus, nec viri ut dirigat gressus suos. Decimus ex illo I Reg. ii. Non audierunt vocem patris sui (filii Ileli) quia vo¬ luit Dominus occidere eos. Undecimus ex illo I Reg. x. Abiit eum eo (Saul) pars exercitus, quorum tetigerat Deus corda; Duodecimus ex illo Proverb. xvi. Hominis est pneparare cor, Domini autem est gubernare linguam. Item : Cor hominis cogitat viam suam , et Dominus dirigit gressus ejus. Tertius decimus ex illo Proverbior. xx. A Domino diriguntur gressus viri, quis autem hominum potest intelligere viam suam? Quartusdecimus exilio Proverb. xxi. Cor Regis in manu Domini, quacumque voluerit inclinabit illud. Quintusdecimus ex illo Matth. x. Unus passer non cadit in terram sine Patre vestro. Sextus decimus ex illo Rom. xi. Quoniam ex ipso, et in ipso, et per ipsum sunt omnia. Item ex illo 1 Corinth. xn. Om¬ nia in omnibus operatur. Denique ex illo Ephes. 1 . Qui operatur omnia secundum con¬ silium voluntatis suie (4). In explicatione horum locorum pauca quae¬ dam notanda sunt. Primum est, non esse idem liberam electionem et liberam execu- tionem. Libera enim electio necessaria est ad libertatem arbitrii conservandam, non item libera exeeutio, ut S. Joan. Damasce¬ nus recte docet in lib. n. de fide cap. 26. Itaque potest Deus nec solum Deus, sed etiam homines impedire, quo minus aliquis re ipsa faciat quod elegit ac decrevit, nec tamen detrimentum ullum patietur liberum voluntatis arbitrium. Atque hinc respondetur ad testimonium nonum, duodecimum, et tertium decimum. Nam dicitur, non esse in*homine via ejus, quia quamvis ipse mature deliberet et pro¬ ponat, tamen non est in ejus potestate pro¬ gressus negotii, cum multis variisque modis impediri possit. Et ideo Sapiens dicit, cor hominis cogitare viam suam, idest, praeme¬ ditari et ordinare quid, et quomodo sit fa¬ ciendum ; tamen eventum esse in manu Dei, a quo petendum esse, ut dirigat gressus. Ned solum in factis, sed etiam in verbis, saepenumero exeeutio non est in potestate hominis : saepe enim diligenter meditamur verba, quae dicturi sumus, et statuimus animo ita loqui ut nihil falsi, nihil noxii, nihil supervacanei nobis excidat, et tamen, nisi Deus speciali gratia linguam gubernet, non implemus quod proposuimus. Neque vero hinc sequitur (ut Pelagiani volebant) posse nos sine Dei auxilio, praepa¬ rare cor, aut cogitare viam nostram, quia scriptum est, hominis est pneparare cor : et, homo cogitat viam suam. Nam neque sumus sufficientes, cogitare aliquid ex nobis, tam¬ quam ex nobis, ut Apostolus ait n. Corinth. iii. Neque ita diriguntur gressus nostri a Deo, ut non etiam eos nos dirigamus, juxta (1) Gen. XLIII, 14. - (2) Jud. XV, 14. - (3) Deut. XXVIII, 65. — (4i Isaie, XXVI, 12; Hier. X. 23; I Reg. II, 25; I Reg. X, 26; Pro. XVI. 1; Pro. XX. 24; ibid. XXI, 1; Matth. X, 29; Rom. XI. 36; J Corin. XII. 0; Eph. I, I I. 24 LIBER IV. illud Proverb. xv. Vir prudens dirigit gressus suos (1). Sed Scriptura indicare voluit, magis in potestate nostra esse cogitationem et vo¬ luntatem, quam operis executionem. Secundo sciendum est , libertatem arbi¬ trii non excludere cooperationem et auxi¬ lium Dei. Non enim ideo dicitur homo esse liber in deliberando et eligendo, quia possit id facere suis solis viribus ; sed quia posita etiam cooperatione divina, in potestate ejus sit hoc aut illud eligere, et rursus eligere vel non eligere. Quomodo libere dicimur, videre omnia quo videmus, non quod absente lumine quidquam videre possimus, sed quod pro- sente lumine situm in nobis sit cernere hoc aut illud, et etiam cernere vel non cernere, hoc est. oculos ad rem videndam advertere, vel ab eadem illos avertere. Atque hinc respondetur ad testimonium octavum, quintum decimum, et sextum de¬ cimum. Nam omnia opera nostra operatur Dominus, sed non sine nobis : et passer non cadit in terram sine Patre nostro, quia pro¬ videntia ejus ad omnia etiam minutissima se extendit : et ex ipso sunt omnia ; operatur omnia in omnibus; et operatur secundum consilium voluntatis suae, sed ita suaviter, ut sinat etiam res creatas agere motus suos ; neque cooperando tollat, aut destruat, sed adjuvet, perticiatque naturam. Quamquam illud Isaio xxvi : Omnia opera nostra operatus cs in nobis, Domine (4), rectius intelligitur de ilagellis aut miraculis divinis, quamde ope¬ ribus liberi arbitrii. Quoniam praecedit in Isaia: Dabis pacem, Domine . Et sequitur : Possederunt nos Domini absque te. S. Hieronymus in commentar, per opera intelligit flagella, ut sensus sit, dabis pacem Domine : omnia enim flagella qua) passi su¬ mus, a te nobis venerunt ; possederunt enim nos Domini absque te, etc. cui explicationi consentanea est interpretatio lxx. Seniorum, qua; habet : Da pacem, Domine, quoniam om¬ nia reddidisti nobis. Sanctus Cyrillus in commentar, ejusdem loci, intelligit (per opera) miracula et bene¬ ficia divina, ut sensus sit, Dabis pacem no¬ bis, quandoquidem omnia mirabilia opera nostra, id est, qua) facta sunt in nobis munera tua sunt, et tamen possederunt nos Domini absque te etc. Tertio est observandum, posse Quatuor modis voluntatem a Deo inclinari ad aliquid appetendum vel fugiendum. Primo, efficien¬ ter et physice immediate illam movendo et determinando ad unum. Nam si potest ipsa se determinare, ..cur non possit etiam Deus eam determinare ? Secundo, efficienter quidem sed mediante aliqua forma, quam imprimat in voluntate. Nam infundendo gratiam et virtutes, per eas inclinat voluntatem ad bonas actiones. Et hos duos modos notavit S. Thomas in quost. 22. de veritate art. 8. Tertio, objective, id est, per inteniam sua¬ sionem, sed efficacissimam, ut resisti non possit. Nam si passio vehemens rapit ali¬ quando voluntatem ad consensum, certe multo facilius potest Deus id' facere. Quarto, objective quidem et efficaciter, sed ita ut efficacia proveniat non tam ex ve¬ hementia persuasionis, quam ex dispositione voluntatis, quam Deus praevidet. Nimirum cum Deus ita proponit aliquid interna 'per¬ suasione, ut videt voluntatem aptam esse ad consentiendum. Ex his modis, utrum Deus utatur primo et tertio, et utrum si illis utatur maneat inte¬ gra libertas voluntatis, postea videbimus : certum autem est, Deum sope uti- secundo et quarto. Nec minus est certum, eos duos modos non repugnare arbitrii libertati. Nam quod attinet ad secundum, nullus est habi¬ tus virtutis, excepta charitate, qua) est in beatis in colo, qui ex necessitate determinet voluntatem. Quod autem ad quartum perti¬ net, infallibiliter quidem fit id, ad quod Deus inclinat quarto illo modo, sed integra manet libertas, cum infallibilitas non oriatur ex vehementia motionis divino, sed ex provi¬ sione aptitudinis ipsius voluntatis : provisio enim nullam imponit necessitatem. Et quo¬ niam omnia testimonia a Calvino et Luthero adducta, praeter ea, quojam explicata sunt, ad secundum et quartum modum revocari possunt, ideo nihil efficiunt contra arbitrii libertatem. Ad primum enim de /Egyptiis responde¬ mus, Deum inclinasse corda Aegyptiorum, ut libenter darent Hebraeis pretiosas vestes et vasa, quia fecit, ut occurreret menti eorum aliqua ratio, quam providebat idoneam esse, ut per eam indicarent bonum esse commo¬ dare vasa illa et vestes Hebraeis. Vel certe infudit Deus benevolentiam Aegyptiis erga (I) Prov. XV. 21. - (2) Isai. XXVI, 12. CAPUT XII. 23 Hebraeos, et per eam benevolentiam inclina¬ vit corda eorum ad communicandas opes suas cum illis. Id enim significare videntur illa verba, Exod. xii : Dominus dedit gratiam populo coram JE gyptiis , ut commodarent eis, et spoliaverunt JEgyptios (1). Sic etiam precatur Jacob (quod erat se¬ cundum testimonium) ut Dens det filiis suis invenire misericordiam coram viro, id est, aspiret viro benevolentiam erga filios suos etc. Quod autem irruisse dicitur spiritus Do¬ mini in Saul (quod erat tertium) significat spiritum zeli et fortitudmis, donatum fuisse a Deo ipsi Sauli, per quem inclinabatur et incitabatur ad praelium contra Ammonitas. Quod vero non audierit Absalon consilium Achitopliel (quod erat quartum) factum est, quia Deus fecit, ut Chusai iis rationibus refu¬ taret sententiam Achitophelis, quas idem Deus praeviderat probandas ab Absalone. Idem dicendum est de eo, quod non audivit Roboam consilia seniorum, sed juvenum; et quod filii Heli non audierunt admonitiones patris sui; quae erant testimonia quintum et decimum. Ad illa vero de pavore immisso in corda Philistinorum vel Hebraeorum ; quae erant sextum et septimum, respondemus ea perti¬ nere ad eumdem modum. Facile enim potuit Deus efficere, ut occurrerent cogitationi eo- 1'ura rationes, ob quas timendum esse judi¬ carent : et contra non occurrerent rationes, ob quas in spem erigi possent. Quod vero secuti sunt Saulem ii, quorum Deus tetigerat corda (quod erat undecimum) factum est, quia Deus immisit in eis venera¬ tionem erga regem, sive infundendo bonam qualitatem, sive persuadendo mentibus eo¬ rum bonum esse obedire regi a Deo electo. Denique ad illud : Sicut divisiones aquarum, ita cor Regis in manu Domini ; duae dari so¬ lent responsiones. Una, ut hic locus intclli- gatur de execiitione, et sensus sit, solum Deum posse impedire exeeutionem regiarum voluntatum. Nam in Graeco sic legitur hoc proverbium «airsp Sogvi ilSa-ro;, outto y.axota PasiXIw; Iv yetpi vou ©o Z,/ioc est , sicut impetus aqux non potest impediri et coerceri , nisi a ma¬ gna aliqua vi : sic etiam quod Reges volunt, impediri non potest, nisi a Deo. Alia est responsio, ut hic locus intelliga- tur de ipsis voluntatibus regum, et sensus sit, facile esse Deo mutare voluntates homi¬ ni) Exod. XII, oG. T(7H. VI. num, etiamsi reges sint. Nam in Hebraeo non fit mentio impetus, sed simpliciter nominatur aqua -fi 5 JTlSY' T3 ^2 rivi aqua¬ rum, cor regis in manu Dei, hoc est, quam facile est agricolae ducere ab aliquo fonte ri¬ vos aquarum quocumque voluerit, cum aqua facillime fluat, qua via datur : tam est facile Deo flectere corda reguui quamvis poten¬ tium et superborum, nimirum interius cis proponendo, quae novit eorum ingenio con¬ gruere. Atque ita soluta sunt argumenta om¬ nia, quae ex divinis litteris adversarii protule¬ runt.