Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book III: On the Uncertainty, Mutability, and Inequality of Justice
Chapter 15: Objections are solved
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Justificatione, Book III. 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).
There occur in the divine letters certain testimonies which partly the adversaries allege for their cause, partly are also such that in appearance they seem to favor them not a little. The first is that of Canticles 8: Many waters cannot quench charity, neither shall the floods drown it. But if charity cannot be extinguished, certainly neither can faith, since without faith charity cannot be. I answer: this testimony does not prove that charity cannot be lost, if one will put it off and receive cupidity in its place, as many daily do, to whom it is said in the Apocalypse, chapter 2: I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first charity. Be mindful therefore from whence thou art fallen. But it proves that, charity remaining, there is no tribulation which is not easily borne. For that by the name of waters in this place tribulations are signified Ambrose testifies, in the book On Jacob, chapter 7, and Gregory in the commentary on this place; but that charity bears all things the Apostle teaches, 1 Corinthians 13: Charity beareth all things, endureth all things, is kind, is patient, etc. The second testimony, John 4: He that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever; but it shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into life everlasting. I answer: the force of this testimony is the same as of the former. For in whom the grace of God, or charity, remains, he shall not thirst for ever, since he has in himself a living fountain; yet that fountain can be dried up and obstructed, while we are in this place of temptations. And if perhaps it be dried up — that is, if we fall from grace, according to that of Galatians 5, You are fallen from grace — what wonder if again, cupidity urging, we begin to thirst after vain delights? The third testimony, Romans 8: Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ? And below: I am sure that neither death, nor life, etc., shall be able to separate us from the charity of God. I answer: St. Augustine, in book 1 On the Manners of the Church, chapter 11 and following, explaining this place, teaches that here is explained the efficacy and power of charity, which, if it be present in our heart, overcomes all tribulations, so that the sense of that whole sentence is that there is no terror which can effect in a man, in whom charity burns, that he offend his God; yet in the same place the same Augustine admonishes that charity can be lost in this life, and therefore that so great a good is to be kept most diligently. But it could also be answered that the Apostle here speaks in the person of the elect, as we said above, chapter 9, in the explanation of the seventh testimony. The fourth testimony, 1 Corinthians 13: Charity never falleth away. I answer: charity never falleth away, because it is not broken by labors, but bears all things, as St. John Chrysostom expounds in this place. Again, and more to the letter, charity of itself never falls away, but we sometimes fall away from it. It (I say) of itself never falls away, since both in this life and in the future it has its place. But not so faith and hope, which after this life will not be. And so the Apostle does not signify that there is no one who loses charity, but shows that it is not repugnant to charity that it always flourish, as it is repugnant to faith and hope.
The fifth testimony, 1 John 3: Whosoever is born of God committeth not sin, for his seed abideth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. I answer: there are various expositions of this place, which is the most difficult of all. The first is St. Ambrose’s, in the commentary on Isaias (as St. Augustine testifies, book 4 to Boniface, chapter 7). This exposition refers this place to the state of future glory, so that the sense is that they cannot sin who are born of God through that second regeneration of which it is said, Matthew 19, In the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit, etc. This doctrine is true; but Ambrose seems rather to have wished to allude to this place than to explain it of set purpose. For the Apostle John teaches in that chapter by what sign the sons of God can in this life be discerned from the sons of the devil, and says that this is the primary sign, that the sons of God sin not, the sons of the devil sin; and so both imitate their own father — the former God, who is justice itself; the latter the devil, who sins from the beginning. The second exposition is St. Bernard’s, in sermon 1 on Septuagesima, and sermon 23 on the Canticles, who by the seed of God understands the grace of predestination, and says that the predestined cannot sin — not that in fact they do not sometimes sin, but that it is just as if they never sinned, since it is certain that their sins are to be remitted them; nay, that their very sins work together unto good for them. This exposition too contains true doctrine; but it does not properly explain the sense of the Apostle; and it is credible that St. Bernard, after his manner, wished to use the words of Scripture to explain a certain true sentence, though not one intended in that place by him who had written those words. Certainly St. John, as he says that everyone who is born of God sins not, so also says that everyone who does justice is born of God; nor yet did he mean to signify that everyone who does justice is predestined. Moreover the Apostle intends to teach (as we said) how the sons of God are discerned from the sons of the devil, but not how the elect are discerned from the reprobate. For of the elect and reprobate he makes not even a word, nor can they in this life be discerned, as we taught above. The third exposition is of others, who teach that that, “he cannot sin,” is set for that which is “he ought not to sin.” St. Augustine reports this sentence, in the book On Nature and Grace, chapter 14. But this sentence seems not to make much to the matter. For even he who is not born of God ought not to sin. For no one ought to sin; otherwise it would not be sin, if it ought to be done. The fourth exposition is St. Augustine’s, in book 2 On the Merits and Remission of Sins, chapter 7, On the Grace of Christ, chapter 21, and elsewhere, who refers this place to venial sins, so that the sense is that he who is born of God cannot sin even venially, insofar as he is a son of God — that is, insofar as he works from charity; but that the same can yet sin, insofar as the same, by reason of the corruption of the flesh, is still a son of this world. But without doubt better is the fifth exposition, which is of the same Augustine, tractate 5 on the epistle of John, and of Jerome, book 1 against the Pelagians, and book 2 against Jovinian. This sentence teaches that St. John speaks of deadly sins, not of venial. For he distinguishes the sons of God from the sons of the devil by this, which is to sin and not to sin; but the sons of God are not distinguished from the sons of the devil — that is, the just from the impious — by this, that the just sin not venially, and the impious sin venially. Therefore the sentence of the Apostle is this: he who is born of God sins not, nor can sin deadly, while he perseveres a son of God, since his seed — that is, charity, which is contrary to all deadly sins — abides in him. For charity is the fulness of the law, and thereby it can in no way be that he be a transgressor who has charity. Which cannot be said of any other virtue. For he who has faith, who has temperance, who has liberality, who has fortitude, who has the other virtues, can, that one being retained, sin against another; but he who has charity cannot, it being retained, commit sins against another virtue, since charity contains all the virtues. It is kind, is patient, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, etc. Wherefore it alone is the most certain mark by which the sons of God are discerned from the sons of the devil. From which we understand that all five testimonies adduced for the immobility of charity prove the excellence of charity, but not its immobility; since, if it remain, it effects that a man sin not, nor can sin; yet it can not remain, if one (as we said) cast it away, and of his own accord succumb to cupidity.
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CAPUT XY. Solvuntur objectiones. Occurruntin divinis litteris testimonia quae¬ dam, quae partim adversarii pro causa sua allegant, partim etiam talia sunt, ut eis in speciem non parum favere videantur. Primum est illud Cantic. vm. Aqux mullx non poterunt extinguere charitatem, neque flu¬ mina obruent illam (4). Quod si charitas non potest extingui, certe nec fides, cum sine fide charitas esse non possit. Respondeo, hoc testimonium non probat, non posse amitti charitatem, si quis velit eam exuere, et cupi¬ ditatem in ejus locum recipere, ut multi quo¬ tidie faciunt, quibus dicitur in Apocalypsi, cap. ii. Habeo adversum te pauca , quia primam charitatem reliquisti. Memor esto unde exci¬ deris (5). Sed probat, manente charitate nul¬ lam esse tribulationem, quae non facile tole¬ retur. Nam aquarum nomine hoc loco tribula¬ tiones significari testantur Ambrosius, inlib. (1) Ezech. XVIII, 24; II Tim. II, 12. — (2) Act. XX, 30 ; II Tim. II, 17$ Tit. III, 10. - (3; Prov. XXVII, 1; Eccl, XI, 30; Jacob. IV, 14. - (4) Cant. VIII, 7. - (5) Apo. II, 4. LIBER III. 290 I de Jacob cap vil. Et Gregorius in comment. hujus loci, charitatem autem omnia tolerare docet Apostolus, I Corinth. xiu. Charitas omnia suffer'., omnia sustinet, benigna est, pa¬ tiens est , etc. (1). Secundum testimonium Joan. iv. Qui bibe¬ rit ex aqua , quam ego dabo ei, non sitiet in aeternum, sed fiet in eo fons aquas salientis in vitam aeternam (2). Respondeo, eadem est vis hujus testimonii, quae superioris. Nam in quo manet gratia Dei, sive charitas, is non sitiet in aeternum, cum habeat in se fontem vivum: tamen fons ille siccari et obstrui potest, dum sumus in hoc loco tentationum. Etsi forte siccetur, id est, si excidamus a gratia, juxta illud Galat. v. A gratia excidistis (9) ; quid mi¬ rum, si iterum dilectationes vanas, urgente cupiditate, sitire incipiamus ? Tertium testimonium Rom. viii. Quis nos separabit a charitate Christi ? Et infra : Certus sum, quia neque moi's, neque vita etc. poterit nos separare a charitate Dei (4). Res¬ pondeo : S. Augustinus, in lib. i. de mori¬ bus Ecclesiae cap. H. et sequentibus, expli¬ cans hunc locum, docet, hic explicari effi¬ caciam et potentiam charitatis, quae si ad¬ sit in corde nostro, omnes tribulationes vin¬ cit, ut sensus totius illius sententiae sit, nul¬ lum esse terrorem, qui possit efficere in ho¬ mine, in quo ardeat charitas, ut Deum suum offendat ; tamen ibidem idem Augustinus monet, posse in hac vita amitti charitatem, et ideo diligentissime tantum bonum esse servandum. Posset tamen etiam responderi, Apostolum hic loqui in persona electorum, ut supra diximus cap. 9. in explicatione te¬ stimonii septimi. Quartum testimonium, I Corinth. xm. Charitas numquam excidit (5). Respondeo : charitas numquam excidit, quia non fran¬ gitur laboribus, sed omnia tolerat, ut expo¬ nit hoc loco S. Joan. Chrysostomus. Rursus et magis ad litteram, charitas ex se num¬ quam excidit, sed nos ab illa interdum ex¬ cidimus. Ipsa (inquam) ex se numquam exci¬ dit, quia et in hac vita, et in futura locum suum habet. Non sic autem fides et spes, qua? post hanc vitam non erunt. Itaque non significat Apostolus, nullum esse, qui chari¬ tatem amittat, sed ostendit, non repugnare charitati, ut semper vigeat, sicut id fidei et spei repugnat. Quintum testimonium I Joan. m : Qui natus est ex Deo, peccatum non facit, quoniam semen illius in eo manet, et non potest peccare, quoniam ex Deo natus est (6). Respondeo : variae sunt hujus loci, qui omnium est diffi¬ cillimus, expositiones. Prima est S. Ambrosii, in commentario Isaiee (ut S. Augustinus testatur lib. iv. ab Bonifacium cap. vn). Refert haec expositio hunc locum ad statum futurae gloriae, ut sen¬ sus sit, eos non posse peccare, qui nati sunt ex Deo, per secundam Ulam regenerationem, de qua dicitur Matth. xix. Inregeneratione cum sederit filius hominis etc. (7). Yera est haec do¬ ctrina, sed videtur Ambrosius potius allu¬ dere voluisse ad hunc locum, quam cum ex proposito explicare. Apostolus enim Joannes docet in eo capite, quo signo internosci pos¬ sint in hac vita filii Dei, a filiis diaboli, et dicit, illud esse primarium signum, quod fi¬ lii Dei non peccant, filii diaboli peccant, at¬ que ita utrique patrem suum imitantur, illi Deum, qui est ipsa justitia, isti diabolum, qui ab initio peccat. Secunda expositio est S. Bernardi, in i. sermone de septuaginta, etserm. 23. in Can¬ tica, qui per semen Dei intelligit gratiam prae¬ destinationis, ac dicit, praedestinatos non pos¬ se peccare, non quod revera quandoque non peccent, sed quodperinde sit, ac si numquam peccarent, cum certum sit, eis peccata re¬ mittenda esse, immo ipsa etiam peccata eis cooperentur in bonum. Haec quoque expo¬ sitio veram doctrinam continet: sed non ex¬ plicat proprie sensum Apostoli, et credibile est, S. Bernardum, more suo uti voluisse scripturae verbis, ad sententiam quamdam veram explicandam, quamvis non eo loco in¬ tentam ab eo, qui verba illa conscripserat. Certe S. Joannes sicut dicit, omnem, qui est natus ex Deo, non peccare ; ita etiam dicit, omnem, qui facit justitiam, ex Deo natum esse. Nec tamen significare voluit, omnem, qui facit justitiam, esse praedestinatum. Prae¬ terea docere intendit Apostolus (ut diximus) quo modo discernatur filii Dei a filiis diaboli, non autem quo modo internoscantur electi a reprobis. Nam de electis et reprobis ne ver¬ bum quidem facit, neque possunt in hac vita discerni, ut supra docuimus. Tertia expositio est aliorum, qui docent, illud ( non potest peccare) positum esse pro eo, (1) I Cor. XIII, 7. - (2) Joan. IV, 14. - (3) Gal.Y, 4. - (4) Rom. VIII, 35. — (5) I Cor, XIII, 8. (6) 1 Joan, III, 9. — (7) Matth. XIX, 28. * I fiAPUT XYT. 991 quod est, non debet peccare. Refert hanc sententiam S. Augustinus, in lib. de natura et gratia cap 14. Sed non videtur haec sen¬ tentia multum ad rem facere. Nam etiam qui non est natus ex Deo, non debet peccare. Nemo enim debetpeccare, alioqui peccatum non esset, si fieri deberet. Quarta expositio estS. Augustini, in lib. H. de peccatorum meritis et rerniss. cap. 7. de gratia Christi cap. 21. et alibi, qui refert hune locum ad peccata venialia,, ut sensus sit, eum, qui natus est ex Deo, non posse peccare etiam venialiter, quatenus est filius Dei, id est, quatenus operatur ex charitate : sed posse tamen eumdem peccare, quatenus idem ipse ratione corruptionis carnis est ad¬ huc filius hujus saeculi. Sed procul dubio melior est expositio quin¬ ta, quae est ejusdem Augustini tract. 5. in epist. Joannis, et Hyeronymilib i. adversus Pelagianos, et lib. 2. adversus Jovinianum. Haec sententia docet, S. Joannem loqui, de peccatis lethalibus, non de venialibus. Nam di¬ stinguit filios Dei a filiis diaboli per hoc, quod est peccare et non peccare : non autem distin¬ guuntur filii Dei a filiis diaboli, id est, justi ab impiisper hoc, quodjusti nonpeccent veniali¬ ter, et impii venialiterpeccent.Igitur sententia Apostoli haec est : qui natus est ex Deo non peccat, nec peccare potest lethaliter, dum perseverat filius Dei, quoniam semen illius, id est, charitas, quae omnibus peccatis letha¬ libus contraria est, in ipso manet. Charitas enim est plenitudo legis, ac per hoc nullo modo fieri potest, ut sit praevaricator, qui charitatem habet. Id quod de nulla alia vir¬ tute dici potest : Nam qui fidem habet, qui temperantiam habet, qui liberalitatem ha¬ bet, qui fortitudinem habet, qui reliquas vir¬ tutes habet, potest qualibet earum retenta contra aliam peccare : at qui charitatem ha¬ bet, non potest ea retenta contra aliam vir¬ tutem peccata committere, quoniam chari¬ tas virtutes omnes continet. Benigna est, ; 'patiens , omnia credit, omnia sperat , omnia sustinet etc. Quare ipsa sola est certissima nota, qua discernuntur filii Dei a filiis dia¬ boli. Ex quo intelligimus, omnia quinque testi¬ monia pro immobilitate charitatis adducta, excellentiam charitatis probare, non autem immobilitatem : quoniam si maneat, efficit ut homo non peccet, nec possit peccare : tamen potest non manere, si quis (ut diximus) eam abjiciat et cupiditati sponte succumbat.