Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book IV: On the Justice of Works
Chapter 11: That the law of God is possible is proved from the divine writings
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Justificatione, 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).
That the law of God is possible we prove: first, by those testimonies which the Council of Trent uses, session 6, chapter 11, which testify that the commandments are not only possible, but also easy. Matthew 11: My yoke is sweet, and my burden light. And 1 John 5: And his commandments are not heavy. Calvin in the Antidote, and Chemnitz in the Examination, answer that the law of God is called a sweet yoke and a light burden, and the commandments not heavy, because to the reborn the transgression is not imputed. For Christ freed us from the curse of the law, as is said Galatians 3; and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, as is said Romans 8. But this solution takes not away, nor lessens, the force of the argument. For, first, either that non-imputation takes away the obligation of the law, so that the transgressor incurs no guilt, or it takes away the guilt contracted by transgression. If it takes away the obligation, it makes the law not a law, and the yoke not a yoke; and accordingly Scripture falsely says that the law is a sweet yoke, and the commandments not heavy, for without obligation there can be no law. But if it permits guilt to be contracted, but afterward takes away the contracted guilt, then it makes not the yoke sweet, nor the burden light; nay, it shows the yoke to be most hard, and the burden most heavy, seeing it cannot be borne. Certainly, if oxen under the yoke fell at every step, though by the diligence of the ploughman they at once rose again, yet their yoke would not therefore be said to be sweet, and the burden light. But the words of the Lord and of the Apostle indicate that the law of God is a yoke which is easily borne, and that his commandments are not heavy, but kept with little labor — which David more evidently expressed under the metaphor of a way, when he says in Psalm 118: I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart. And the Apostle, Philippians 4: I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. Where thou seest that the enlargement of the heart by infused charity, and the grace of the Lord strengthening, effect that the commandments are easily kept. Which long before Ezechiel foretold would come to pass, chapter 36, when he says: I will put my spirit in the midst of you, and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments. And this same the places confirm which they adduce against us. For Christ freed us from the curse of the law, because he effected that we should fulfil the commandment; and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ, not because the transgression is not imputed, but because they walk not according to the flesh, and because through the grace of God it comes to pass that the justification of the law is fulfilled in them, as the Apostle there subjoins.
Second, it is proved from testimonies which teach that the commandments are kept by those who love, as the Council also argues in the same place. John 14: He that loveth me will keep my word. Romans 13: He that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. Galatians 5: All the law is fulfilled in one word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But certainly we ought, and are able, to love God and neighbor; otherwise we cannot be the disciples of Christ, since he says, John 13, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. Nor could we ever be made friends of Christ, if we could not love. For he says, John 15, You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. But what he commands he there explains, saying: This is my commandment, that you love one another. To this argument Calvin and Chemnitz answer, in the places noted, that he who loves fulfils the law, but that there is no one who loves as he ought, that the divine precept be satisfied. For here (they say) love is only inchoate, not perfect. But we confess that love in this life is imperfect, because it can grow, and because it will be greater in the fatherland; yet that it cannot be even so perfect as to suffice for fulfilling the precept, we altogether deny. For, first (as we said), we could not be the disciples and friends of Christ unless we fulfilled this precept of love. But it is very absurd that no one can be a disciple, or a friend, of Christ. Then, God requires nothing, when he commands love, but that we love with the whole heart; but that this can not only be done, but even would be done in the state of the New Testament, Scripture testifies, Deuteronomy 30: The Lord will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul. Finally, Scripture teaches that men can be perfect in this life, and thereby truly and perfectly love; for charity is the bond of perfection. Genesis 6: Noe was a just and perfect man. Genesis 17: Walk before me, and be perfect. Matthew 5: Be ye perfect. Matthew 19: If thou wilt be perfect. Philippians 3: As many as are perfect. 1 John 2: He that keepeth his word, in him in very deed the charity of God is perfect. Further, Philip Melanchthon in the Apology, under the title of the fulfilment of the law, in the solution of the arguments, seems to grant that the neighbor can be loved, but denies that by him who loves the neighbor the law is fulfilled. For he says it is foolish to dream that the love of the neighbor justifies before God, and satisfies the divine law. But this is to deny the express Word of God. For what can be written more openly than, “he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law”?
Third, it is proved from testimonies which teach that some kept the commandments, and chiefly concerning loving with the whole heart, and not coveting. Psalm 118, David says: With my whole heart have I sought thee. And of the same it is said, 3 Kings 14: Thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and followed me with all his heart, doing that which was well-pleasing in my sight. And Acts 13: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my wills. And 3 Kings 15: Because David had done that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not declined from all that he commanded him all the days of his life, except the matter of Urias. Likewise of Josias, 4 Kings 23: There was no king before him like unto him, that returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength. Likewise of Asa and the people, 2 Paralipomenon 15: With their whole will they sought the Lord, and they found him. Likewise of Josue, in his book, chapter 11: As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Josue, and he accomplished all. He left not one thing undone of all the commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses. Nor is there doubt that the like can be said of Abraham, of Moses, of Samuel, of Elias, of Eliseus, Isaias, Jeremias, and the other Prophets. In the New Testament we read, Luke 1, of Zachary and his wife: They were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame. Of the Apostles the Lord says, John 17: They were thine, and to me thou gavest them; and they have kept thy word. The same he calls also friends, Luke 12: But I say to you, my friends. And John 15: But I have called you friends. And yet in the same place he had already said that they alone are friends who keep the commandments. But the Apostle Paul, Romans 7, speaking of the precept, “Thou shalt not covet”: What I hate, that I do; now if I do that which I will not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Where he openly demonstrates that he sins not while unwilling he covets, since he himself does not do that work, and accordingly that he keeps the law, which, when it bids, “Thou shalt not covet,” commands the will, that it will not to covet, not the sense, which is not capable of law. Whence he there adds: I myself with my mind serve the law of God. But if with his mind he served the law, certainly he sinned not; for sin can be only in the mind, or with some consent of the mind. But what we read of the Apostles cannot be doubted to be able to be said also of John the Baptist, since among those born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. We have, then, that many kept the law of God; from which it evidently follows that it is not impossible. Nor can the common solution of the Lutherans be applied to this argument — that the holy Fathers are said to have kept the commandments, both on account of inchoate obedience, and on account of the non-imputation of God. For he cannot be said to fulfil the commandment absolutely, but rather to transgress it absolutely, who so imperfectly keeps it that he sins mortally, and is worthy, on account of that work, of the hatred and wrath of God and eternal punishment. But Scripture says that they kept it absolutely, nay even with the whole heart; Ezechias adds too, Isaias 38, that he had walked in truth and with a perfect heart before God. And that he lied not, God was witness, who heard him. And if Ezechias walked with a perfect heart before the Lord, who will deny it of Abraham, to whom it was said, Walk before me, and be perfect? Who will deny the same of David, Moses, Elias, and the like, to whom no sane man would dare prefer Ezechias?
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XX. Legem Dei esse possibilem probatur ex\divinis litteris. Legem igitur Dei esse possibilem, proba¬ mus primo iis testimoniis, quibus utitur Con¬ cilium Tridentinum sess. 6. cap. 11. quae non solum possibilia, sed etiam facilia testan¬ tur esse mandata, Matthaei xl. Jugum meum suave est, et onus meum leve. Et in I Joan. v: Et mandata ejus gravia non sunt (1). Respondent, Calvinus in antidoto, et Kem¬ nitius in Examine, legem Dei vocari jugum suave et onus leve, et mandata non gravia, quoniam renatis non imputatur praevarica¬ tio. Christus enim nos liberavit de maledicto egis, ut dicitur ad Galat. m. et nihil damna. (l)Matth. XI, 30: Joan. V, 3. 320 LIBER IV. tionis est his, qui sunt in Christo Jesu, ut di¬ citur ad Roman. vm. At haec solutio non tollit, nec minuit vim argumenti, nam in primis vel illa non impu¬ tatio tollit obligationem legis, ita ut praeva¬ ricator non incurrat reatum ; vel tollit re¬ atum ex praevaricatione contractum. Si tollit obligationem, facit, ut lex non sit lex, et ju¬ gum non sit jugum. Proinde Scriptura falso dicit, legem esse jugum suave, et mandata non esse gravia. Neque enim sine obligatione lex esse potest. Si vero permittit contrahi reatum, sed contractum postea tollit, tunc non facit ju¬ gum esse suave, neque onus leve, immo ostendit jugum esse durissimum, et onus gra¬ vissimum, quippe quod portari non potest. Certe si boves sub jugo ad singulos passus caderent, etiamsi aratoris industria conti¬ nuo resurgerent, non tamen propterea dice¬ retur jugum eorum suave, et onus leve. Do¬ mini autem et Apostoli verba indicant, legem Dei esse jugum, quod facile portatur, et mandata ejus non esse gravia, sed parvo ne¬ gotio custodiri, quod evidentius expressit David sub metaphora via*, cum ait in Psalm. cxviii. Viam mandatorum tuorum cucurri , cum dilatasti cor mtutn, Et Apostolus ad Phi- lippen. IV. Omnia possum in eo, qui me con¬ fortat (l).Ubi vides dilatationenj cordis per in¬ fusam charitatem et gratiam Domini confor¬ tantem efficere, ut mandata facile conserven¬ tur. Quod multo ante futurum praedixit Eze- chicl cap. xxxvi. cum ait: Spiritum ponam in medio vestri, et faciam, ut in praeceptis me¬ is ambuletis, et judicia mea custodiatis (2). Et hoc idem confirmant loca, quse illi con¬ tra adducunt. Nam Christus liberavit nos de maledicto legis, quia fecit ut mandatum impleremus, et nulla damnatio est his, qui sunt in Christo, non quia non imputatur prae¬ varicatio, sed quia ii non secundum carnem ambulant, et quia per gratiam Dei fit, ut ju¬ stificatio legis impleatur in ipsis, ut ibidem subjungit Apostolus. Secundo probatur ex testimoniis, quae do¬ cent mandata servari ab his, qui diligunt, ut etiam Concilium in eodem loco argumenta¬ tur. Joan. xiv : Qui diligit me, sennonem me¬ um servabit. Roman. xm : Qui diligit proxi¬ mum, legem implevit. Galat. v : Omnis lex in uno sermone impletur : Diliges proximum tu¬ um sicut te ipsum (3). At certe debemus et pos¬ sumus diligere Deum et proximum, alioqui non possumus esse Christi discipuli, cum ip¬ se dicat Joan xm. In hoc cognoscent omnes, quod discipuli mei estis, si dilectionem habue¬ ritis ad invicem (4). Nec possemus unquam amici Christi fieri, si non possemus diligere. Ipse enim ait Joan. xv : Eos amici mei eritis, si feceritis quae ego pi%xcipio vobis (5). Quid autem prajcipiat, explicat ibidem dicens : Hoc est praeceptum meum, ut diligatis invi¬ cem. Ad hoc argumentum respondent Calvinus, et Kemnitius, locis notatis, eum, qui diligit, legem implere, sed neminem esse qui diligat sicut oportet, ut praecepto divino satisfiat. Hic enim inchoa! am tantum esse dilectio¬ nem, non perfectam. At nos fatemur dilectionem in hac vita im¬ perfectam esse, quia potest crescere, et quia major erit in patria : tamen non posse esse e- tiam tam perfectam, ut praecepto adimplendo sufficiat, omnino negamus. Nam in primis (ut diximus) non possemus esse Christi disci¬ puli et amici, nisi hoc praeceptum dilectionis impleremus. Yalde autem absurdum est, ne¬ minem esse posse Christi discipulum, vel amicum. Deinde nihil Deus requirit, cum dilectio¬ nem praecipit, nisi ut diligamus ex toto cor¬ de : at hoc non solum posse fieri, sed etiam fuisse futurum in statu Testamenti novi testa¬ tur Scriptura Qeut. xxx. Circumcidet, inquit Dominus, cor tuum, et cor seminis tui, ut dili¬ gas Dominum Deum tuum in toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua (6). Denique Scriptura: docet, homines posse esse perfectos in hac vita ac per hoc vere, perfeeteque diligere : charitas enim est vinculum perfectionis. Ge¬ nes. vi. Noe vir justus fuit atque perfectus. Gen. xvn. Ambula coram me et esto perfe¬ ctus. Matth. v. Estote perfecti. Matt. xix. Si vis perfectus esse. Philip, m. Quicumque per¬ fecti sumus. I Joan. ii. Qui servat verbum ejus, vere in hoc charitas Dei perfecta est (7). Porro Philippus Melanchthon inApologia, titulo de impletione legis, in solutione argu¬ mentorum, videtur concedere, posse diligi proximum, sed negat ab eo, qui diligit pro¬ ximum, legem impleri. Stultum enim esse (I) Psal. CXVIII, 32; Phib IV, 13. — (2) Ezech. XXXVI, 27. — (3) Joan. XIV, 21; Rom. XIII, 8; Gal. V, 14. — (i) Joan. VIII, 35. — (5) Joan. XV, 14, 12. — (6) Deut.. XXX. 6. — (7) *Gen. VI, 9; ibid. XVII, 1; Mat. V, 48; ibid. XIX, 21; PhR. III, 15; I Joan. II, 5. CAPUT XII. 321 dicit, somniare, quod dilectio proximi justi¬ ficet coram Deo, et legi divina} satisfaciat. At hoc est negare Verbum Dei expressum. Quid enim apertius scribi potest, quam, qui diligit proximum, legem implevit? Tertio probatur ex testimoniis, quse do¬ cent, aliquos servasse mandata, ac praecipue de dilectione ex toto corde, et de non con¬ cupiscendo. Psalm. cxvm. inquit David : In toto corde meo exquisivi te. Et de eodem dici¬ tur lib. iii. Reg. xiv. non fuisti sicut servus meus David , qui custodivit mandata mea , et secutus est me in toto corde suo, faciens quod placitum esset in conspectu meo. Et Actor xm. Inveni , inquit, David filium Jesse , virum se¬ cundum cor meum, qui omnes voluntates meas faciet et m. Reg. cap. xv. Eo quod fecisset David rectum in oculis Domini , et non decli- nasset ab omnibus, quse prseceperat ei cunctis diebus vitae suae, excepto sermone Urise. Item de Josia lib. iv. Reg. cap. xxm : Similis non fuit ante eum Rex, qui reverteretur ad Domi¬ num omni corde suo, in tota anima sua, et in universa virtute sua. Item de Asa, et populo lib. ii. Paralip. cap. xv : In tota voluntate sua' quaesierunt Dominum, et invenerunt. Item de Josue in ejus lib. cap. xv. Sicut praeceperat Dominus, Mosi servo suo, ith praecepit Moses Josue, et ille universa complevit. Non praeteriit de universis mandatis nec unum quidem ver¬ bum, quod j usserat Dominus Mosi (I). Neque dubium est, quin simila dici possint de Abraham, de Mose de Samuele, de Helia, de Helisaeo, Isaia, Hieremia, aliisque Pro¬ phetis. In Testamento novo legimus Luc i. de Zacharia et uxore: Erant justi ambo ante Deum, incedentes in omnibus mandatis et justi¬ ficationibus Domini sine querela (2). De Apostolis Dominus ait Joan. xvii. Tui erant, et mihi eos dedisti, et sermonem tuum servaverunt. Eosdem etiam vocat amicos, Luc. xn. Dico autem vobis amicis meis. Et Joan. xv. Vos autem dixi amicos (3). Et ta¬ men ibidem jam dixerat, solos amicos esse, qui praecepta custodiunt, ■ . Apostolus vero Paulus ad Roman. vii. de prsecepto, Non concupisces, verba faciens: Quod nolo, inquit, facio, si autem quod nolo facio, jam non ego operor illud, sed quod habitat in me peccatum (4). Ubi aperte de¬ monstrat, se non peccare, dum invitus con¬ cupiscit, quia non ipse illud opus facit, proinde servare se legem, quae cum jubet, non concupisces, voluntati praecipit, ne velit concupiscere, non sensui, qui legis capax non est. Unde ibidem addit : Ego ipse men¬ te servio legi Dei. At si mente serviebat legi, certe non peccabat non enim peccatum esse potest nisi in mente, aut cum aliquo mentis consensu. Quod autem de Apostolis legimus? ambigi non potest, quin etiam de Joanne Baptista dici possit, cum inter natos mulie¬ rum non surrexerit major Joanne Baptistq. Habemus igitur multos servasse legem Dei, ex quo evidenter sequitur, ut non sit impos¬ sibilis. Neque ad hoc argumentum applicari po¬ test communis Lutheranorum solutio, quod sancti Patres mandata servasse dicantur, tum propter inchoatam obedientiam, tum pro¬ pter non imputationem Dei. Non enim dici po¬ test, absolute implere mandatum, sed potius absolute praevaricari, qui tam imperfecte il¬ lud servat, ut peccet mortaliter, et dignus sit propter illud opus odio, et ira Dei, et sup¬ plicio sempiterno. Scriptura autem dicit, il¬ los absolute servasse, immo etiam toto corde servasse, addit etiam Ezechias, Isai. xxxviii. se in veritate et in corde perfecto ambulasse coram Deo. Et non esse mentitum, testis fuit Deus, qui eum exaudivit. Et si Ezechias cor¬ de perfecto coram Domino ambulavit, quis id negabit Abrahamo, cui dictum est : Ambula coram me, et esto perfectus ? Quis idem ne¬ gabit Davidi, Mosi, Helise et similibus, qui¬ bus Ezechiam praeferre nemo sanus aude¬ ret?