Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Indulgences and the Jubilee · Book II: Against the Adversaries of Indulgences
Chapter 7: The objections of Tilmann Heshusius are refuted
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VII, De Indulgentiis et Jubilaeo, Book II, a treatise of the Controversies. 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).
Tilmann Heshusius, in the book which he entitled On the Six Hundred Errors of the Papists, though it could much more justly be entitled On the Six Hundred Lies of the Lutherans, in title 32, which is on indulgences, contends that indulgences are to be rooted out under a fourfold head, because they undermine, as he puts it, four principal heads of heavenly doctrine: namely on the office and merit of Jesus Christ, on true penance, on faith alone justifying, and on the power of the keys. But he proves what he says so coldly and insipidly that it can be refuted without any trouble.
As to the first head, he lays down this principle: “Christ by his blood expiated the sins of the world.” And he proves it from those words, “This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins,” Matthew 26. Likewise from these: “The Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption,” in Greek lytron, “for many,” Matthew 20. Likewise from these: “He is the propitiation for our sins,” and so on, 1 John 2. Likewise from these: “In whom we have redemption through his blood,” Ephesians 1. Likewise from these: “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all,” Isaiah 53. Finally from these: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world,” John 1. From these testimonies, barely recited, he concludes in these words: “Since, then, we have been redeemed at so dear a price and reconciled to the Father, what is that impudence and insult against the Son of God, that that impostor promises for counted money the remission and indulgence of deserved punishments? And since Christ has satisfied the Father for the sins of the whole world, it is a blasphemous lie which the Papists invent, that the faithful must satisfy for their own sins. Once the error about satisfaction is removed, the fiction of indulgences vanishes of itself.” This is Heshusius's first demonstration, that is, the old Lutheran song, refuted a thousand times by Catholics. For we confess that Christ satisfied God the Father for us and for the whole world entirely, indeed most fully, as the Scriptures alleged, and very many others, teach us. But we deny that it follows from this that the faithful ought not to satisfy the Lord for their own sins, that is, for expiating the guilt of temporal punishment. Just as we also confess that Christ acquired and merited for us grace and glory by his blood; and yet we must seek grace through faith and the sacraments, and merit glory, as a palm and a prize, by striving and running; for the Apostle says to all, “So run that you may obtain,” 1 Corinthians 9, and of himself, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice,” 2 Timothy 4. The reason for all this is that the price of redemption and satisfaction paid by Christ does not profit any but those to whom it is applied through certain means or instruments, which the adversaries also confess; and if they denied it, they could give no reason why pagans, Mohammedans, Jews and the other unbelievers perish, since Christ satisfied for the whole world and merited grace and glory for all men. And so, besides that principle which Heshusius lays down, that Christ satisfied for our sins, this other must be laid down, that that satisfaction profits no one unless it is applied through certain means and instruments; and then the controversy remains, what those means are, which controversy Heshusius did not touch in this place, and therefore accomplishes nothing at all by his clamours. For we think that the price of the blood of Christ is applied to those who are converted from unbelief to the faith through faith and baptism; but to those who after baptism return to sins, and are again converted from sins to God, it is applied through the sacrament of penance, whose parts are contrition, confession and satisfaction. Heshusius on the contrary thinks it is applied by faith alone, or at least through faith and baptism. But he proves none of this, nor can he prove it. For the books both of the prophets and Apostles, and also of the holy Fathers, are full of testimonies for the satisfaction which God requires of us after fault is remitted. And as it is not an insult or blasphemy against Christ to say that the price of his blood does not profit unbelievers unless it is applied to them through faith and baptism, so it is not an insult or blasphemy to say that it does not profit penitent believers unless it is applied through the sacrament of penance, and thereby through contrition, confession and satisfaction. But once the necessity of satisfaction is admitted, the doctrine of indulgences is most easily established. For as the price of the blood of Christ does not profit for the remission of fault and everlasting punishment unless it is applied through faith and the sacrament, so without any insult to Christ it can be said that the same price does not always profit for the remission of the whole temporal punishment unless it is applied through works of penance or through indulgences. But what we said, that through works of penance, that is, through our satisfaction, the price of the Lord's blood, that is, his satisfaction, is applied to us, we do not understand as if our satisfaction were not a satisfaction in the true sense of the name. For it is both a true satisfaction, as we showed in the fourth book on penance, and at the same time, together with it and through it, the satisfaction of Christ is applied to us. Nor is our satisfaction joined to the satisfaction of Christ because his would not suffice by itself, but because he himself willed to bestow on us also the grace of satisfying, so that the efficacy of his blood might shine the more, while he not only satisfied himself, but also communicated to his members the power of satisfying.
Further, what Heshusius adds, that the Pontiff remits sins and gives indulgence for counted money, is sheer calumny. For the Pontiffs exact no money for indulgences, but bid those who desire to obtain indulgences to pray, to fast, to give alms, either to the poor in common or to some particular pious work, such as the building of a basilica; but the former is more frequent, and at this time alone in use, that alms be ordered to be given to the poor in common.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VII. Refelluntur objectiones Tilmanni Heshusii. Tilmannus Ileshusius in libro, quem in¬ scripsit de sexcentis erroribus Pontificiorum, cum multo justius inscribi possit de sexcen¬ tis mendaciis Lutheranorum tit. 32. qui est de indulgentiis, contendit, indulgentias qua¬ druplici nomine exterminandas esse, quod labefactent, ut ipse loquitur, quatuor pra;ci- pua capita doctrinae ccelestiS, videlicet de of¬ ficio et merito Jesu Christi, de vera poeni¬ tentia, de sola fide justificante, et de potes¬ tate clavium. Tam autem frigide, et insulse probat quae dicit, ut nullo negotio refelli possit. Quod enim ad primum caput attinet, po¬ nit hoc principium : « Christus sanguine suo expiavit peccata mundi » . Idque probat ex illis verbis : Hic est sanguis novi testamenti , qui pro vobis effundetur in remissionem pecca¬ torum, , Matth. xxvi. Item ex illis : Filius ho¬ minis venit in hunc mundum non ministrari , sed ministrare , et dare animam suam redem¬ ptionem , Graece Aiixpov, pro multis. Matth. xx. Item ex illis : Ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris etc. I Joan. ii. Item ex illis : In quo habemus redemptionem per sanguinem ipsius , ad Ephes. i. Item ex illis : Deus posuit in eo iniquitates omnium nostrum , Isai. liii. Deni¬ que ex illis : Ecce Agnus Dei , ecce qui tollit 70 LIBER II. peccata mundi (1), Joan. i. Ex his testimoniis nude recitatis, concludit his verbis : « Cum ergo tam caro pretio redempti, et Patri re¬ conciliati simus, quee est illa impudentia, et contumelia in Fiium Dei, quod impostor ille promittit pro numerata pecunia remissio¬ nem, et meritarum poenarum indulgentiam? et cum Christus satisfecerit Patri pro totius mundi peccatis, blasphemum est menda¬ cium, quod tingunt Pontificii, oportere fide¬ les pro suis peccatis satisfacere. Sublato errore de satisfactione, sponte evanescit fig¬ mentum de indulgentiis. » Hcec est prima Heshusii demonstratio, id est, antiqua Lu- theranorum cantilena, millies a Catholicis refutata. Fatemur enim Christum pro nobis, et pro toto mundo integre, immo plenissime Deo Patri satisfecisse, ut Scripturae allegatae, aliaeque permulta? nos docent. Sed negamus, inde sequi, non debere fideles pro suis pec¬ catis, id est, pro reatu poenae temporalis expiando Domino satisfacere. Sicut etiam fatemur, Christum nobis gratiarn, et gloriam sanguine suo acquisivisse, ac promeruisse : et tamen debemus gratiam per fidem, et sa¬ cramenta quaerere, et gloriam quasi palmam et bravium certando, et currendo promereri : Apostolus enim omnibus dicit : Sic currite , ut comprehendatis, I Cor. ix. et de se : Bo¬ num certamen certavi , cursum consummavi , fidem servavi, ideoque reposita est mihi corona justitiae (2). I Timoth. iv. Ratio autem ho¬ rum omnium est, quoniam pretium redem¬ ptionis, et satisfactionis a Christo persolu¬ tum, non prodest nisi iis, quibus per certa media, sive instrumenta applicatur, quod etiam adversarii confitentur, et si negarent, nullam causam reddere possent, cur pagani, Mahumethani , Judaei, ceeterique infideles pereant, cum Christus pro toto mundo satis¬ fecerit, et omnibus hominibus gratiam, et gloriam promeruerit. Itaque praeter illud principium, quod Heshusius ponit, Christum satisfecisse pro peccatis nostris, ponendum est hoc aliud, eam satisfactionem nemini prodesse, nisi per certa media, et instrumen¬ ta applicetur, et tum remanet controversia, quae sint illa media, quam controversiam Heshusius hoc loco non attigit, et ideo nihil omnino suis clamoribus efficit. Nos enim existimamus pretium sanguinis Christi iis, q 1 1 itb iafiJeiltite piamini convertuntur applicari per fidem, et baptismum ; iis au¬ tem, qui post baptismum ad peccata rede¬ unt, et rursum a peccatis convertuntur ad Deum, applicari per sacramentum boeniten- tiae, cujus partes sunt contritio, confessio, satisfactio. Heshusius contra existimat, sola fide applicari, vel certe per fidem, et bapti¬ smum. Sed nihil horum probat, nec probare potest. Pleni sunt enim libri tum Propheta¬ rum, et Apostolorum, tum etiam SS. Patrum testimoniis pro satisfactione, quam Deus post remissam culpam a nobis requirit. Et quemadmodum non est contumelia, vel blaspbemia in Christum, dicere, pretium sanguinis ejus non prodesse infidelibus, nisi per fidem, et baptismum illis applicetur : ita non est contumelia, vel blasphemia, di¬ cere fidelibus poenitentibus non prodesse, nisi per sacramentum pcenitentiee, ac per hoc per contritionem, confessionem, et satisfa¬ ctionem applicetur. Admissa autem necessi¬ tate satisfactionis, dogma de indulgentiis facillime constituitur. Nam sicut pretium sanguinis Christi non prodest ad remissio¬ nem culpee, et poenae sempiternae, nisi per fidem, et Sacramentum applicetur : ita sine ulla Christi contumelia dici potest, idem pretium non semper prodesse ad remissio¬ nem totius poenae temporalis, nisi per opera poenitentiae, vel per indulgentias applicetur. Quod autem diximus, per opera poenitentiae, id est, per nostram satisfactionem, pretium sanguinis Domini, id est, ejus satisfactionem nobis applicari, non sic intelligimus, quasj nostra satisfactio non sit veri nominis satis¬ factio. Nam et vera satisfactio est, ut in lib. iv. de poenitentia demonstravimus, et simul tamen cum ea, et per eam Christi satisfactio nobis applicatur. Neque nostra satisfactio Christi satisfactioni adjungitur, quod illa per se non sufficeret : sed quia voluit ipse nobis etiam gratiam satisfaciendi tribuere, ut effi¬ cacia sanguinis ipsius magis splendesceret, dum non solum ipse satisfaceret, sed etiam membris suis virtutem satisfaciendi commu¬ nicaret. Porro quod addit Heshusius, Pontificem pro numerata pecunia peccata remittere, atque indulgentiam dare, mera calumnia est. Neque enim Pontifices pecunias ullds pro indulgentiis exigunt, sed jubent eos,qUi , indulgentias consequi cupiunt, orare, jeju- (2) I Cor. (1) Mat. XXVl. 28: Mat. XX. 28 : I Joan. II. 2; Eph. I, 7 ; Isai Llil, 0 ; Joan. 1, ‘79. - IX, 24; ii Tim. IV, 7. / CAPUT VIII. 71 naro, eleemosynas facere, vel in commune pauperibus, vel in certum aliquod pium opus, ut in Basilicae aedificationem, sed i.lud est frequentius, et hoc tempore solum in usu, ut eleemosynae pauperibus in communi ero¬ gari jubeantur.