Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book IV: On the Justice of Works
Chapter 16: That good works are not sins, but truly good, is proved from the Fathers
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).
As regards the testimonies of the holy Fathers, if we wished to bring into the midst what they say in commendation of good works, there would be no end. We shall note, then, only a few, from which it can be gathered that the Fathers acknowledged works simply good, and truly and properly distinct from sins.
St. Ambrose, in the book of the Apology of David, chapter 6: “For since human frailty cannot be without sin, care must be taken that the sins be not more than the works of the virtues.” Where St. Ambrose openly distinguishes the works of the virtues from sins, and teaches that a man ought so to work good works that he do not commit sins, provided (for it cannot altogether be avoided) the works of the virtues be more than the sins.
St. Augustine, in the book On the Spirit and the Letter, last chapter: “There can be said a certain lesser justice suited to this life, by which the just man liveth by faith, although a pilgrim from the Lord, and therefore walking by faith, not yet by sight; it is not absurdly said to pertain to this justice too that he sin not. For if there cannot yet be so great a love of God as is due to that full and perfect knowledge, it is not yet to be reckoned a fault. For it is one thing not yet to attain the whole charity, another to follow no cupidity. Wherefore a man ought, although he love God far less than he can love him when beheld, yet to desire nothing unlawful; just as also, in those things which lie before the senses of the body, the eye can be delighted with no darkness, although it cannot be fixed upon the most brilliant light.” In this place St. Augustine confesses indeed that our justice in this life is less than it will be in the other life; yet in express words he affirms that it pertains to this justice of ours too that he sin not, and that a man can and ought to follow no cupidity.
The same, in the book On the Good of Marriage, chapter 6: “Conjugal intercourse for the sake of begetting has no fault; but for the sake of satisfying concupiscence, yet with a spouse, on account of the faith of the bed, it has a venial fault; but adultery or fornication has a deadly fault.” And chapter 7: “Continence is of ampler merit; to render the debt to a spouse is no fault, to demand it beyond the necessity of begetting is a venial fault.” Where St. Augustine attributes to one grade a venial fault, to the second grade no fault, to the first grade great merit. So great, forsooth, is the difference between the sentence of St. Augustine and of the Lutherans. The same St. Augustine, finally, in book 4 against Julian, chapter 3, and in very many places, contends that the works of infidels are sins — not because they cannot be good of their kind, but since a good intention is lacking to them, of directing those works to the true God, whom they know not, since they have not faith. Therefore the works of the faithful, according to the sentence of Augustine, will be able to be simply and absolutely good. For if the works of the faithful too were all sins, and indeed worthy of death, to what end had Augustine labored so greatly to prove that the works of infidels are sins?
St. Gregory, book 2 of the Morals, chapter 8: “If in his words we say that Job offended — which it is impious to think — we say that God lost the victory in his own proposition.” Likewise book 9, chapter 26: “Our very good things cannot escape the sword of the lurking fault, unless they be daily fortified by solicitous fear.” Where Gregory admits that it can come to pass that our good works avoid the sword of the lurking fault. The same, in the epistle to Augustine, response 10: “It is of good minds to acknowledge in some manner a fault even there where there is no fault.” St. Bernard, in the book On Precept and Dispensation, distinguishes between the good of obedience and the evil of disobedience, and sets several grades, as St. Augustine above set in the matter of conjugal intercourse. Where Bernard, since he says that obedience from the fear of gehenna is good, from charity better, understands that it can be rendered simply good, and without any sin, even venial. Otherwise he would not distinguish it from disobedience through negligence, which he says is a venial fault, and from the contempt of the law, which he says is criminal and damnable.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XVI.
Opera bona non esse peccata, sed vere bona,
probatur ex Patribus.
Quod attinet ad testimonia sanctorum Pa¬
trum si producere vellemus in medium, quae
illi dicunt in commendationem operum bono¬
rum, nullus 'esset finis. Solum igitur pauca
quaedam notabimus, ex quibus colligi possit,
agnovisse Patres opera simpliciter bona, at¬
que a peccatis, vere, proprieque distincta.
S. Ambrosius in libro de Apologia David,
cap. 6. «Etenim, inquit, quia non potest
sine peccato esse humana fragilitas, caven¬
dum est, ne plura peccata sint, quam opera
virtutum » . Ubi distinguit aperte S. Ambro-
(!) Jacob. III, 2. — (2) Ibid. II, 8. - (3) Psal. IV, 45; Isai. 1, 46; Joan. VIII, II; I Cor. XV, 34; 11
l>et 1, 10; 1 Jo. II, 1. - (4) Mal. III, 4; Sap. IX, 41; Act. X,35; I Pct. II, 5; Pliil. IV, 18.-(5) Mat.
V, 16; I Tim. VI, 17; Tit. III, 8; Eph. II, 10.
TOM. VI. 22
aius ppwii virtutem n. putatis, , quod. -UJW cijmima i;&11geMHi&'tra g«u'e-
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,m Ijt-pnlokija ooRVft^aiaibt^ndiS^e/iasat,
- sgd . , nititur . coutna PelagwHrkr^tendera; vi¬
tam humanam, etiam justorum , mdn , da esse
.posse . porfeotaru, '■•■ut -dongo> tempore «aveat
omnia; peccata, etiam quotidiana, et levia.
Ubi tamen admittit j: saltem aliquanto .tem¬
pore, posse hominem diligentem jtai.vivene,
-i ut .nullum, peceufuup. ne veniale- quidem . ad¬
mittat, ac; per hoc aliqua ; opera facere ab
-:omrii;vitio., puramt. iotegj-a..
Sanctus A Ogustiuus in libra-de ; spiritu -et
'littera, cap. ultim, dtDici potestiquaxlamju-
stitia minor, huic vitae competens.,, >qnaaju-
- stus ex fide vivit, quamvis peregrinus a Do-
- minq^et ideo. pfer. fidem ambulans, nondum
per speciem .; non absurde dieilur etiam . ad
istam pertinere, me peccet.. Neque enim si
- . nonclum.esse:potcst tanta dilectio: Dei , quanta
illi cognitioni plenae, perfectseque debetur,
jam culpae deputanddm est. Aliud est enim
totam nondum assequi charitatem, aliud nul¬
lam sequi cupiditatem. Quamobrem debet
homo, quamvis longe minus amet Deum,
quam eum potest amare conspectum,, nihil
tamen appetere illicitum, sicut etiam in his,
quae adjacent sensibus corporis, potest ocu¬
lus nullis, tenebris delectari, quamvis , non
ppssit in ialgentissima luce defigi «.. . H,oc
loco sanctus Augustinus fatetur quidem ju¬
stitiam nostram in hac vita esse minorem,
quam sit futura in alia vita, tamen disertis
verbis . affirmat, ad hanc etiam justitiam no¬
stram pertinere, ut non peccet ; et posse, ac
debere hominem nullam sequi cupiditatem.
Idem in libro de bono conjugali, cap. ,6.
« Conjugalis, inquit, concubitus generandi
gratia nQn habet culpam \ concupiscentia!
vero satiandae, sed tamen cum conjuge pro¬
pter fidem tliori, venialem habet culpam ;
: adulterium vero, sive fornicatio lethalom
habet culpam >> ., Et cap. 7. « Continentia
meriti est amplioris ; reddere debitum con¬
fis?, NgffluSi rfiOiMfW^an&hh«m^i ^noqbite
f qqfl SfbS w , iT;® *
v, causa. .pecaatum^stnumnf ,<e.\.;q>&vle mqrfgtie,
. v,quidmit cpn^iibif qsj^u^a fibid-iu issaiimida',
_ ;ttissi . : pu.Cicartum.-. io -S pi ritum, ctgm.ir fi BP d
non remittitur, neque in hoc ssecuhmneque
in futuro,?. At S. Augustinus huic^eriiq gra-
dui . tribuit culpam venialem : secundo gra-
dui nullam culpam, primo gradui. meritem
ingeus. Tantum videlicet interost inter sen¬
tentiam S. ,AugusDpi.<|t.,.^o-5rfljborufli. :
,, Idem dcniqae. sanctus. A:Ugu.sl(inus> lib. tv.
iS(^..«Jpl|qnum cap. ,3, at. ^s^jo^isj.piuri-
ruis, contendit operajnfideli.ufnq^se.peoqata,
nou quod mm sint, vel psse,.possint .bqua ex
genfre:suo, sed quqniamvde.est.illisrjiutentio
bona, .dirigendi : opera illa. ad verum . Deum,
quem ignorant, cum fidem non habeant.
Igitur opera fidelium ex .segtentia .^.1
. .stipi; poterunt esse simpliciter^, pt nbsolute
, bona. Nam si fidelium quoque, opera .essept
omnia peccata, et quideuj.^mqrte digna,
quqrsumi tantopere l.aborasset.Aug,ustinus, ut
probaret opera infidelium esse peccata ?
S,. Gregorius lib. k Moral. cap.. 8. « Si in
. .sqmonibus, inquit, .s,qis,\ dicimus Job deli-
. quisse, quod -sentire nefas est, Deum dici¬
mus in sua propositione victoriam perdidis-
se )). I . lVt.
. ‘.rtem lib. ix. cap, 26.. a ipsa, inquit, bona
nostra insidiantis . culpm evadere gladium
. nequeunt, nisi, sollicito quotidie tiinoro mu¬
niantur i>. Ubi admittit Gregorius po$se
fieri, ut bona , nostra insidiantis culpa! gla¬
dium vitent. Idein in epist. ad Augustinum
respons, 10, << Bonarum, inquit, mentium est,
ibi etiam aliquo modo, culpam agnoscere,
ubi culpa non , eat » ^ ; < 1
S. Bernardus in librp de prmcepto et dis¬
pensatione distinguit inter bonum obedien-
tim, et malum inobedientim, et ponit aliquot
gradus, ut supra S. Augustinus, ponebat in
concubitu « Bonus, inquit, obedientiac gra-
QADDT XVII.
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ex metu gehenna* esse bonam, ex.4jiari^te ^jestReeesse, n,t.iR sipg4is.^p?yci^i}s,}a^||i^cea-
meliorem, intelligit bonam simpliciter, et . r ftege^tajtn^^t.
sine ullo peccato, etiam veniali posse prae- .tuui est, et experientia ipsa docet. .Tum;etia|m
stari. Alioqul bo&^i^&gqjgfcfet eam ab inobe- quis1 .peccatuip,-ye4ia|q ..noji; pgt , coniv/wdtjun
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atque damnabilem. _,diimjs omnes, et si dixqrimu.Snqnigfpecftaiafn
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