Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book V: On the Merits of Works
Chapter 19: That God rewards good works above condignity
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Justificatione, Book V. 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).
The last question remains: whether God rewards good works of mere liberality above condignity. For the common opinion of the theologians constantly affirms it, as is plain from St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, Scotus, Durandus, and others, on book 4 of the Sentences, distinction 46. The contrary was taught by Andrew Vega, in the fifth question On Justification, and by that Doctor of Louvain, many of whose opinions Pope Pius V condemned. For among the condemned opinions is the fourteenth, expressed in these words: “The good works of the just shall not receive on the day of the last judgment an ampler reward than by the just judgment of God they merit to receive.” It is proved, then, briefly, that God rewards beyond or above condignity: first, from the divine letters. For Matthew 5, not without cause the Lord says: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. And more plainly Luke 6: Good measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall they give into your bosom. For certainly a just reward could be a good measure; but why is added, “pressed down, shaken together, running over,” if nothing is added above condignity? Likewise Luke 19, after the faithful servant who had gained ten pounds had received his reward — that is, authority over ten cities — again by an extraordinary gift is given to him the pound which had been taken away from the unfaithful and slothful servant. But what can this signify, if God in the judgment will give to no one anything unless he justly and of condignity merit it? Besides, Matthew 20, in the parable of the vineyard, we manifestly see a whole penny a day given to many, when yet they had not put a whole day in the work. And that this was done not of justice, but of liberality, the Lord indicates by those words: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil, because I am good? From which also we understand that what is added above condignity is not given equally, nor to all. Perhaps too hither pertains that of the Apostle, Romans 8: The sufferings of this time are not condign to the glory to come that shall be revealed in us — although this testimony can be expounded also otherwise, as we noted above. The same, second, can be proved from the Fathers. St. Basil, on Psalm 114, on that, Turn, O my soul, into thy rest: “Eternal rest is set forth for those who have lawfully contended in this life, which is rendered not according to the debt and merit of works, but is exhibited according to the magnificence of God to those who have hoped in him.” Which place we showed, chapter 6, to be ill alleged against merits of condignity, since it extenuates not merits, but amplifies the bounty of God in rendering rewards even above condignity. St. Fulgentius, in book 1 to Monimus, chapter 10, rendering the reason why eternal life is called grace, though it be the wage of merit, speaks thus: “But it is not unjustly called grace also, because God not only renders his gifts to his gifts, but because so much of the grace of the divine retribution there overflows, that it incomparably and ineffably exceeds every merit, however good and given of God, of the human will and operation.” Thus he. And so not rashly, nor without foundation, the schools of the theologians affirm that a reward is to be rendered by God to good works above condignity. But whether God renders to evil works a punishment below condignity does not seem to be so certain, nor are there found places of Scripture by which it may be easily confirmed; and although St. John Chrysostom, homily 37 on Genesis, seems to be a patron of this opinion, yet St. Augustine, book 21 of the City of God, chapter 24, rather tolerates than approves this very opinion. For when he had said that those words of Psalm 76, Will God then forget to show mercy? or will he in his anger shut up his mercies? pertain not to the reprobate, but to the elect, he thus subjoined: “But those to whom it is pleasing to extend this sentence even to those torments of the impious, let them at least so understand it, that, the anger of God remaining in them which is foretold in the eternal punishment, God shut not up in this his anger his mercies, and make them to be tormented not with so great an atrocity of punishments as they are worthy of — not that they either never undergo those punishments, or at some time end them, but that they suffer them milder and lighter than their merits are. For so both the anger of God will remain, and in that his anger he will not shut up his mercies. Which indeed I therefore confirm not, because I resist it not.” Thus he. Yet because this opinion of punishments below condignity has both pleased many theologians, and is by St. Augustine by no means refuted, it will be needful to answer four testimonies of the divine Scripture which seem to fight against it. The first testimony is that: Thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing, Matthew 5. But the answer is easy. For, whether this place be understood of the punishments of purgatory, as we showed in the first book On Purgatory, and in the first book On the State of Sin, or also of the punishments of hell, the Lord signifies that no sin will remain without its torment, but not that no part of that torment which is owed to each sin is to be diminished. Then the Lord speaks of the punishment which will remain to be paid after the sentence of the Judge is passed, not of that which the Judge will constitute when he shall pass sentence. For although God, when he shall judge sinners, will perhaps judge below condignity, yet after the sentence is passed nothing will ever be diminished of the punishment. The second testimony is Luke 6: With what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again. But without doubt this sentence is to be taken generally, so that the sense is: they who have been good shall receive good; they who have been evil, evil; and they who have been very good shall receive much good; they who very evil, much evil. For if an equality of the reward to the merits were described, this sentence would be repugnant to those words which we cited from the same chapter, “good measure and pressed down,” etc. The third testimony is James 2: Judgment without mercy to him that hath not done mercy. But the Apostle speaks in that place of mercy not any whatsoever, but saving, and delivering a man from eternal damnation. Of which the Lord speaks, Matthew 5: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The last testimony is in the Apocalypse, chapter 18: As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her. But this place teaches that there will be a certain proportion between the fault and the punishment, that to a greater fault a greater punishment answer, and a lesser to a lesser; yet it is not necessary from this proportion to gather an equality. But of these things enough, especially since concerning the inflicting of punishments below condignity the matter is (as we said) sufficiently uncertain.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XIX. Deum remunerare opera bona supra condignum. Postrema restat quaestio, Num Deus ope¬ ra bona remuneret ex mera liberalitate supra condignum. Communis enim Theologorum sententia id constanter affirmat, ut perspi¬ cuum est ex Sancto Thoma, sancto Bona- ventura, Scoto, Durando et aliis in 4. sent. dist. 46. Contrarium docuit Andreas Yega, in 5. quaest. de justificatione, et doctor ille Lova- niensis, cujus multas sententias Pius V. Pon¬ tifex damnavit. Est enim inter damnatas, sententias quarta decima his verbis expressa : « Opera bona justorum non accipient in die judicii extremi ampliorem mercedem, quam justo Dei judicio mereantur accipere ». Probatur igitur breviter, Deum remune¬ rare ultra vel supra condignum, primo, ex divinis litteris. Nam Matth. v. non sine cau¬ sa Dominus ait : Gaudete et exultate, quoniam merces vestra copiosa est in coelis. Et apertius Luc. vi. Mensuram bonam , et confertam, et coa¬ gitatam, et supereffluentem dabunt in sinus ve¬ stros (1). Certe enim justa merces esse poterat mensura bona ; cur autem additur, confer¬ ta, coagitata, supereffluens, si nihil additur supra condignum? Item Luc. xix. posteaquam servus fidelis qui lucratus fuerat decem mnas, acceperat (1) Mat. V, 12; Luc. VI, 58. CAPUT XIX. 383 praemium suum, iil est, imperium supra de¬ cem civitates; rursus extraordinario mune¬ re datur ei mna, quae fuerat ablata a servo infideli et pigro. Quid autem hoc significare potest, si Deus in judicio nulli dabit aliquid, nisi juste et ex condigno illud mereatur. Adhoec, Matth. xx. in parabola vineee, ma¬ nifeste videmus multis dari integrum diur¬ num denarium, cum tamen non integrum diem in opere posuissent. Atque id non ex justitia, sed ex liberalitate factum esse, in¬ dicat Dominus illis verbis : Volo huic clare , sicut et tibi. An non licet mihi quod volo face¬ re? An oculus tuus nequam est, quia ego bo¬ nus sum? Ex quo etiam intelligimus, id, quod supra condignum additur, non dari ex sequo, nec omnibus. Fortasse etiam huc pertinet illud Apostoli ad Roman. vnr. Non sunt condi - gnse passiones hujus temporis ad futuram glo- riam , qua; revelabitur in nobis (1), quamvis et aliter hoc testimonium exponi possit, ut su¬ pra notavimus. Idem secundo, ex Patribus probari potest, S. Basilius, in Psalrn. cxiv. in illud : Con¬ vertere anima mea in requiem tuam : « Pro¬ posita est, inquit, aeterna requies his, qui le¬ gitime in hac vita decertarunt, quae non se¬ cundum operum debitum ac meritum retri¬ buitur, sed juxta magnificentiam Dei his, qui in ipsum speraverunt, exhibetur. » Quem locum ostendimus cap. 6. male allegari con¬ tra merita ex condigno, cum non extenuet merita, sed amplificet munificentiam Dei in retribuendis praemiis etiam supra condi¬ gnum. S. Fulgentius in lib. i. ad Monimum cap. 10. reddens rationem cur vita aeterna dicatur gratia, cum merces sit meriti, ita loquitur : « Gratia autem etiam ipsa non injuste dici¬ tur, quia non solum donis suis Deus dona sua reddit; sed quia tantum etiam ibi gratiae divinae retributionis exuberat, ut incompara¬ biliter, atque ineffabiliter omne meritum, quantumvis bonae, et ex Deo datae, humanae voluntatis atque operationis excedat ». Haec i(Te. Itaque non temere, nec sine fundamen¬ to scholae Theologorum praemium operibus bonis a Deo supra condignum reddendum esse confirmant. Utrum autem operibus malis Deus poenam reddat citra condignum, non videtur ita es¬ se certum, nec inveniuntur loca Scripturae, quibus id facile' confirmetur; et quamvis S. Joannes Chrysostomus hora. 37. in Genes, hujus sententiae patronus esse videatur, ta¬ men S. Augustinus lib. xxi. de Giv. Dei cap. 24. hanc ipsam sententiam tolerat potius, quam probat. Nam cum dixisset illa verba Psal. Lxxvi, « Numquid obliviscetur misere¬ ri Deus, aut continebit in ira sua misericor¬ dias suas, non pertinere ad reprobos, sed ad electos, ita subjunxit : « Sed quibus placet, istam sententiam usque ad illa impiorum tormenta protendere, saltem sic intelligant, ut manente in eis ira Dei qua? in eeterno est prsenunciata supplicio, non contineat Deus in hac ira sua miserationes suas et faciat eos non tanta, quanta digni sunt poenarum atro¬ citate cruciari : non ut eas poenas vel mim- quam subeant, vel aliquando finiant, sed ut eas mitiores, quam merita sunt eorum, le- vioresque patiantur. Sic enim et ira Dei ma¬ nebit, et in ipsa ira sua miserationes suas non continebit. Quod quidem non ideo con¬ firmo, quia non resisto » . Haec ille. Quia tamen haec sententia de poenis citra condignum, et multis Theologis placuit, et a sancto Augustino minime refutatur ; re¬ spondendum erit quatuor testimoniis Scri¬ pturae divinae, quae contra eam pugnare vi¬ dentur. Primum testimonium est illud : Non exi¬ bis inde, donec reddas novissimum (quadran¬ tem (2). Matth. y. Sed facilis est responsio. Nam, sive hic locus intclligatur de poenis pur¬ gatorii, ut nos in i. lib. de purgatorio, et in i. lib. de statu peccati ostendimus, sive etiam de poenis gehennae, significat Dominus nul¬ lum peccatum sine suo cruciatu mansurum, non autem nullam partem ejus cruciatus qui singulis peccatis debetur esse minuendam. Deinde loquitur Dominus de poena, quae sol¬ venda manebit post latam Judicis senten¬ tiam, non de ea, quam Judex constituet, cum sententiam feret. Quamvis enim Deus, cum peccatores judicabit, citra condignun; fortasse judicabit. ; sed post sententiam la¬ tam nihil unquam de poena minuetur. Alterum testimonium est Luc. v Qua men¬ sura mensi fueritis remetietur vobis (3). Sed absque dubio sententia haec generatim acci¬ pienda est, ut sensus sit, Qui boni fuerint, bona recipient; qui mali, mala ; et qui valde boni fuerint, multum boni recipient ;^jui valde mali, multum mali. Nam si aequalitas praemii ad merita describeretur, repugnaret haec sen¬ ii) Roro. VIII, 18.- (2) Mat. V, 20. - (3) Luc. VI, 38. . * A LIBER V. *>Q \ .10 i tentia verbis illis, quas ex eodem capite nos citavimus, mensuram bonam et confertam etc. Tertium testimonium est Jac. 11. judicium sine misericordia ei, qui non fecerit miseri¬ cordiam (I). Sed loquitur Apostolus eo loco de misericordia non quacumque sed salvante, atque a damnatione aeterna hominem libe¬ rante. De qua loquitur Dominus Matth. v. Beati misericordes, quoniam ipsi misericor¬ diam consequentur (2). Postremum testimonium est in Apocalypsi cap. XVlli. Quantum se glorificavit , et in de¬ liciis fuit , tantum date illi tormentum et lu¬ ctum (3). C soterum hic locus docet proportio¬ nem quamdam futuram inter culpam et poe¬ nam, ut majori culpae major poena respon¬ deat, et minor minori ; non tamen necesse est ex hac proportione aequalitatem colligere. Sed de his satis, praesertim cum de suppli¬ ciis citra condignum inferendis res sit (ut di¬ ximus) satis incerta.