Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book IV: On the Justice of Works
Chapter 17: That good works are not sins, but truly good, is proved by reasons
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).
Now the same truth can be proved by manifest reasons. The first reason: if the good works of the just were all vitiated and corrupt, so that they ought by their own nature to be called mortal sins, that without doubt would be either from innate concupiscence, or from a defect of the love of God, or from the admixture of venial sins. For these causes the adversaries are wont to render, why works good of their kind, or commanded by God, and done with good intention, they yet contend to be mortal sins. But none of these three can corrupt the good works of the just. For, first, concupiscence itself is not a sin, unless it be consented to. Whence St. Augustine, in the book On the Perfection of Justice and elsewhere, often repeats that we ought not, for the involuntary motions of concupiscence, to say, “Forgive us our debts.” Then, even if it were a sin, yet it is not always mingled with our works. And the defect of the love of God — that is, that we love God less than he is lovable — is not a fault, but the condition of this life; nor does the admixture of venial sins, which are beside the law, corrupt those works which are done according to the law. It would be most absurd, then, to expect from the just judge the crown of justice for works — that is, for mortal sins.
Moreover, if all the works of the just were mortal sins, it would follow that God himself sins mortally; for it is God who works in us when we do good works, as the Apostle says, Philippians 1 and 2 — nor do the adversaries deny this. Likewise a great injury would be done to the Redeemer, who, as the Apostle says, Titus 2, gave himself, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and cleanse to himself an acceptable people, a pursuer of good works. For he would have redeemed us from no iniquity truly, nor truly have cleansed his people, nor made us pursuers of works truly good, but of mortal sins. Add that, if all good works are mortal sins, it follows that some mortal sins are good works; and that these syllogisms can be made: All good works are to be done; some mortal sins are good works; therefore some mortal sins are to be done. Likewise: No mortal sin is to be done; all good works are mortal sins; therefore no good work is to be done. Conclusions truly worthy of the Lutherans: some mortal sins are to be done, and no good work is to be done. Finally, who does not see that for good works to be mortal sins implies and involves a contradiction? For they will be good works and not good; worthy of reward and of punishment; and by them we shall serve God and the devil, and at once be sons of God and sons of the devil.
They will say, perhaps, what Luther says in the assertion of article 6, that the same works are good as they are done by God, evil as they are done by us, or in us; or that they are good of their kind, or from the object, but evil from the circumstance — that is, on account of the cupidity by which they are done. But the former distinction is empty, since God does not make our good works good save through us — that is, by making us do them; and thereby, if as they are done by us they are evil, they are simply evil, not good. Which can be understood from Luther’s own example: “If one,” he says, “cut with an axe that is corroded and jagged, although the workman be a good smith, yet the axe makes evil and difficult and deformed cuts; so God working through us,” etc. From this similitude it is manifestly gathered that our works are not good and evil, but only evil. For a good smith through an evil axe makes not good, but evil cuts; so, then, God working through us will make not good works, but evil. The latter distinction too does not loose the knot. For works good of their kind, or from the object, but evil from the circumstance, are not simply good, but evil; since (as we said above) good exists only from an entire cause, but evil from any vice whatever. Wherefore the Lord, Matthew 6 and 7, condemns simply prayers, fasts, and alms, which are good of their kind, and says that they lack reward with God, if they be done with the intention of catching the breath of popular favor. The adversaries, then, teach contradictories, when they define the good works of the just to be at once good works and mortal sins.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
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. vet;.e- bona prol>Qfyt].$c^winiSr4i perfectus. Ephess. i. Ut essemus' cStuictf^, et
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Jam vero potest, eadem veritas manifestis . ■ fttm.que . per.^ hoc sentiajp.^ ■. mtl.
rationibus comprobari. cxvi ii. Beati immaculati in via^ qui ambiant
Prima ratio, si opera bona justoTOm,esgent in lege Domini. Similiq bft^fii; §>;.
. omnia, vitiata., -..-jet , corrupta,, ita ut ..peccata ... ia.j[ib,_qg^^gpcq^f9r^.^af|j'^ ^y^giissi-
. mortaliq.. e'x-.patura,sua dicLdeberept,’ id. sine ane cap..xu. rt,xiu.,et in lib. ni.; contra .dyas
dubio, vel , ex innata .concupiscentia, vel .ex ; ,. epi^tpla^^Qlggianorum cap, £, rjhm 00g
.y^defectu dilectionis Dei,, _yel ex admixtione Secunda, x;aiio, .ducitur ab aba;iU‘dis, ^ra11*
, peccatorum \ enijtlium nasceretur. Istas enim . si .ojonaia, Justfirpm . 9pera!..fissent,fpe^!afa,
• causas adversarii reddere .splent, cur opera 'etiam opus fidei quo jusjtiflcamur,_,ea§q|jpcc-
ex genere suo bona, vela Deo mandata, et , catum, ;.ct.4Ia. prutio, quprpLj^undijpus^ cum
bona intentione facta, tamen peccata morfa- dicimus : Dmitte , nubis iabita . n<?sO;g,;1g^et
lia esse contendunt,, At;, nihil.. horam trium ‘ ,peccalaii^.rj-jyt Jftonpd. 4?W.4^siftm^ $pt,
coptandnavo. pntest. opera, justorn m; bp na,, .; bpminem pepe^tum justificari,, et jpejvpcqfa-
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_ oportere pro mptibup . .qqncqpiscentj®. wo- ..... Nihil, mihi\CQmm^^um> ?
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(1) Gen. VI, 9; Eph. I, 4; Phil. DI, 15; Ps. CXIVU, 1. ,« u >d(M,
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332
LIBER IV.
ribus, id est, peccatis mortalibus cxpectare
a justo judice coronam justitiae ?
Praeterea si omnia justorum opera essent
peccata mortalia, sequeretur, ipsum Deum
peccare mortaliter : Deus enim est , qui ope¬
ratur in nobis. Cum bona opera facimus, ut
dicit Apostolus ad Philipp. i et ii. neque
adversarii id negant.
Item fieret ingens injuria Redemptori, qui
ut Apostolus ait ad Titum n. Dedit semeti-
psum , ut nos redimeret ab omni iniquitate , et
mundaret sibi populum acceptabilem , secta¬
torem bonorum operum (l). Nam a nulla nos
iniquitate vere redemisset, nec vere po¬
pulum suum mundasset, nec sectatores nos
operum vere bonorum, sed peccatorum mor¬
talium effecisset.
Adhaec si omnia opera bona sunt peccata
mortalia, sequitur, ut aliqua peccata morta¬
lia sint opera bona ; et posse fieri hos syllo¬
gismos : Omnia opera bona sunt facienda,
aliqua peccala mortalia sunt opera bona, igi¬
tur aliqua peccata mortalia sunt facienda.
Item : nullum peccatum mortale est facien¬
dum, omnia opera bona sunt peccath morta¬
lia, igitur nullum opus bonum est facien¬
dum. Dignae sane Lutheranis conclusiones,
aliqua peccata mortalia sunt facienda, ct
nullum bonum opus est faciendum.
Denique quis non videt, opera bona esse
peccata mortalia, contradictionem implicare,
atque involvere ! Nam erunt opera bona et
non bona ; digna praemio et poena ; et perca
serviemus Deo et diabolo, et simul erimus
filii Dei et filii diaboli.
Dicent fortasse, quod Lutherus dicit in as-
sert. art. 6. eadem opera esse bona, ut fiunt a
Deo, mala ut fiunt a nobis, vel in nobis. Vel
esse bona ex genere suo, sive ex objecto,
mala ex circumstantia, id est, propter cupi¬
ditatem, qua fiunt.
At prior distinctio inanis est, cum Deus
non faciat nostra opera bona, nisi per nos,
id est, faciendo ut nos illa faciamus ; ac per
hoc si ut a nobis fiunt mala sunt, simpliciter
mala, non bona sunt. Id quod ex ipso Luthcri
exemplo intelligi potest : « Si quis, inquit,
securi corrosa et dentata sccet, licet opera¬
tor sit bonus faber, tamen securis facit ma¬
las, et difficiles, et deformes incisiones, sic
Deus per nos operans etc. » Ex hac similitu¬
dine manifeste colligitur, opera nostra non
esse bona et mala, sed tantum mala. Bonus
enim faber per malam securim non facit bo¬
nas, sed malas incisiones : sic igitur Deus
per nos operans non faciet opera bona, sed
mala.
Posterior quoque distinctio non solvit no¬
dum. Nam opera bona ex genere, sive ex
objecto, sed mala ex circumstantia, non sunt
bona simpliciter, sed mala. Quoniam (ut su¬
pra diximus) bonum non existit nisi ex inte¬
gra causa, malum vero ex quolibet vitio.
Quare Dominus Matth. vi et vil. orationes, je¬
junia et eleemosynas, quae sunt bona ex ge¬
nere suo, simpliciter damnat, et mercede
apud Deum carere dicit, si fiant intentione
captandae aurae popularis. Pugnantia igitur
adversarii docent, cum opera bona justorum
bona opera, et peccata mortalia simul esse
definiunt.