Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacraments in General · Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments
Chapter 10: The objections drawn from the Fathers are solved
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. III, De Sacramentis in Genere, Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments. 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).
First they object Augustine, who says that not the Sacrament, but the faith of the Sacrament, justifies. This opinion, without the name of Augustine, as a common proverb, Martin Luther cites in the book On the Babylonian captivity, chapter On Baptism, and in the assertion of the first article; but in the book against Cochlaeus he cites it under the name of Augustine. Which Philip also does in the Apology article 13, where, after he had said that no letter can be produced from the ancients for the opinion of the Scholastics, he adds: “Nay, on the contrary Augustine says that the faith of the Sacrament, not the Sacrament, justifies.” I answer that Augustine says no such thing in express words, but rather the contrary. For in epistle 23 to Boniface Augustine says that little ones are faithful, and are saved if they die after Baptism, because, although they have not faith, yet they have the Sacrament of faith; which is the same as if he said: Little ones are saved not by faith, but by the Sacrament of faith. Perhaps Luther gathered that opinion from tract 80 on John, where Augustine says that by the water of Baptism the heart is cleansed, the word doing it, not because it is said, but because it is believed. But we have already shown above, in the question on the form of the Sacrament, that that (“because it is believed”) does not signify the act of faith, but the object. But if that opinion were found anywhere in express words, without doubt it would have to be expounded for that time alone in which one cannot have the Sacrament; for in such necessity the faith of the Sacrament, with the desire of it, suffices, as Augustine says, book 4 On Baptism chapter 22; just as also, on the contrary, in little ones, who cannot have actual faith, the Sacrament of faith suffices, as we have already proved from epistle 23 of Augustine.
Secondly they bring forward those words of Augustine from the book of Questions of the Old and New Testament, question 59: “He who thinks that Baptism consists in a carnal manner is not spiritual; nor will he be able to obtain the heavenly gift who believes himself to be changed by water, not by faith.” I answer, first, that the book cited is not Augustine's, but some heretic's, who teaches many things both against the faith and against Augustine — as that woman was not created to the image of God, question 21; that Melchisedech was the Holy Spirit, question 109; and that Adam had not the Holy Spirit, question 123. Secondly I say that the testimony brought forward is not against us, but for us. For this author speaks of the formal cause, not of the efficient cause of justification, and says that a man is changed and renewed not by the external washing — as though our Baptism were nothing but a cleansing of the flesh, like the Baptisms of the Jews of old — but by faith, which, when it is perfect and living, formally cleanses and justifies, according to that of Peter, Acts 15: Purifying their hearts by faith. But this faith — that is, formal justification — this author says is given in Baptism: “The water,” he says, “is seen, but he who is not seen, the Spirit, works, that faith may be in it.” Where he cannot speak of the imperfect and inchoate faith which according to us disposes to justification, and which according to the Lutherans apprehends justification; for this must precede Baptism. He speaks, then, of perfect faith, which is infused in Baptism, and which justifies formally. Which same the Council of Trent defined, session 6 chapter 7.
Thirdly Calvin brings forward, book 4 of the Institutes chapter 14, another place of Augustine, from book 3 of Questions on Leviticus question 84, where Augustine says two things. First, that the human minister only presents the visible Sacrament, but God presents the invisible grace. Second, that these two are so separated that in some there is the sensible Sacrament without the invisible grace, as in Simon Magus baptized by Philip; in some the invisible grace without the visible Sacrament, as in the good thief. To the first I answer that a man ministers the Sacraments in two ways. In one way, by doing what he can from his natural virtue. In another way, by applying the Sacraments as instruments moved by God and elevated to do a supernatural action. In the first way we truly say that a man does not justify, but only washes the body, or something of this kind; and so Augustine speaks. In the other way we truly say that a man justifies, but by no other action than that which God himself uses to justify. And in this manner is to be expounded what St. Jerome says on chapter 4 of Isaias, where he says: “Man presents the water, but God the Holy Spirit.” To the second I say that those can be separated, not because the sensible Sacrament is not the cause of the invisible grace, but because its effect can be impeded by an obstacle or the indisposition of the subject, and because God can give his grace even without the Sacrament.
Fourthly there is wont to be brought from Augustine another place, from book 15 On the Trinity chapter 26, where he says that God alone can give the Holy Spirit, and therefore that the Apostles did not give the Holy Spirit to those on whom they imposed hands, but prayed that he might descend. I answer: the gifts of the Holy Spirit are one thing, the Holy Spirit himself another. The gifts of the Holy Spirit the Sacraments give; the Holy Spirit himself none can properly give but he from whom he proceeds. It could also be said that the Holy Spirit is not given from authority except by God, from whom he proceeds, yet is given instrumentally even by men. For Acts 8 we read that through the hands of the Apostles the Holy Spirit was given, which Augustine also there confesses. Fifthly they bring from Augustine book 19 against Faustus chapter 16 those words: “What are the several corporeal Sacraments, but certain visible words?” For hence they think it is gathered that the Sacraments do not justify except after the manner of a sermon or a picture, which acts only by representing. I answer: Augustine in that place assigns one effect of the Sacrament, that is, signification, but does not therefore deny the others, which elsewhere he often set down. But why in that place he treats only of signification, the cause was that he was disputing of the Sacraments in general — that is, of the Sacraments of both Testaments; and accordingly he had to set down the effect common to all the Sacraments. And why he called the Sacraments visible words, this was the cause: that he was disputing against the Manichees, who reprehended the change of the old Sacraments into the new; and he had said that the words had necessarily to be changed after the coming of Christ; for whereas the ancients said, Christ will come, will die, will rise again, we must say: He came, died, rose again. Thence he gathered that the Sacraments too had to be changed, lest they now falsely signify. And that the likeness might be most aptly demonstrated, he said: “What are the Sacraments (namely, as to signification) but visible words?”
Sixthly Kemnitz brings another place of Augustine, from book 21 of the City of God chapter 25, where blessed Augustine reprehends those who thought that they cannot be damned who receive the Sacraments of Baptism and of the Lord's supper, though they hold neither faith nor a good life. For these seem altogether to have thought that the Sacraments justify ex opere operato, so that they justify by their own force, not through faith. I answer: Augustine deservedly reprehends them, because they believed not only that the Sacraments justify ex opere operato, but believed that the grace and salvation once received in the Sacrament cannot be lost through any sins whatsoever afterward accruing; which opinion is not ours, but rather Martin Luther's, who in the book On the Babylonian captivity, chapter On Baptism, says: “You see how rich the Christian man, or the baptized, is, who even willing cannot lose his salvation by however great sins, unless he will not to believe.” Seventhly Bernard is wont to be objected, who in the sermon On the Lord's supper thus says: “As a Canon is invested by the book, an Abbot by the staff, a Bishop by the ring, so the divisions of graces are handed over to the diverse Sacraments.” I answer: Bernard does not compare the Sacraments with the book, staff, and ring by reason of efficiency, but only by reason of the diversity of the Sacraments. For otherwise in the same place he teaches that the Sacraments confer grace, as we cited above. Lastly they bring forward Tertullian, who in the book On penance calls Baptism the sealing of faith; in which manner Basil too speaks, book 3 against Eunomius, and the book On the Holy Spirit chapter 12. But to these we answered above, chapter 17, where we showed that Baptism is called the seal of faith, not because it excites faith, but because through Baptism he who is baptized testifies that he believes, and also the Church baptizing gives him a public testimony of his faith. But although the Fathers truly attribute this to Baptism, yet they do not deny that it has also other more excellent effects; nay, they assert them, as I showed above.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT X. Solvuntur objectiones ex Patribus. Primo objiciunt Augustinum, qui ait, non Sacramentum, sed fidem Sacramenti justi¬ ficare. Hanc sententiam sine nomine Augus¬ tini, ut proverbium vulgare, citat Martinus Lutherus in lib. de captivit. Babylonica, cap. de Baptismo, et in assert. artic. 1. sed in lib. contra Cochlaeum citat nomine Augusti¬ ni. Quod etiam facit Philippus in Apologia, art. 13. ubi postquam dixerat, non posse produci ullam litteram ex veteribus pro sen¬ tentia Scholasticorum ; addit : « Imo in con¬ trarium ait Augustinus, quod fides Sacra¬ menti, non Sacramentum justificet. » Respondeo , Augustinum nihil ejusmodi dicere expressis verbis, sed contrarium po¬ tius. Nam in epist. 23. ad Bonifacium dicit Augustinus, parvulos esse fideles, et salvari, si moriuntur post Baptismum, quia etiamsi non habent fidem, habent tamen fidei Sacra¬ mentum ; quod -est idem, ac si diceret : Par¬ vulos non salvat fides, sed Sacramentum fi¬ dei. Fortasse Lutherus collegit eam senten¬ tiam ex tract. 80. in Jo. ubi Augustinus ait, aqua Baptismi mundari cor, id faciente ver- (1) I. Cor. VII, 19; Tit. III, 5. — (2) Luc. V, 21 et 24. — (3) Joan. XX, 25. — (4) Eph. V. 26 : Rom. X, 17; I. Petr. III, 21. — (5) Rom. IV, 25. 444 LIBER II. bo, non quia dicitur, sed quia creditur. Sed jam supra ostendimus in quaestione deforma Sacramenti, illud (quia creditur) non signi¬ ficare actum fidei, sed objectum. Quod si alicubi inveniretur disertis verbis ea senten¬ tia, sine dubio exponenda esset pro eo solo tempore, quo quis non potest habere Sacra¬ mentum : in ejusmodi enim necessitate suf¬ ficit fides Sacramenti cum voto ejusdem, ut Augustinus dicit, lib. IV de Baptismo, c. 22. sicut etiam e contrario in parvulis , qui non possunt habere fidem actualem, sufficit fidei Sacramentum; ut ex ep. 23. Augustini jam probavimus. Secundo proferunt illa verba Augustini ex lib. quaestionum veteris et novi Testa¬ menti, quaest 59: «Qui Baptismum putat car¬ nali ratione consistere, hic non est spiritua¬ lis : nec donum coeleste poterit consequi, qui se per aquam, non per fidem commutari credit. » Respondeo Primo , librum citatum non esse Augustini , sed alicujus haeretici, qui multa docet, et contra fidem, et contra Au¬ gustinum, ut quod mulier non sit creata ad imaginem Dei, quaest. 21. quod Melchise- dech fuerit Spiritus sanctus, q. 109. et quod Adam non habuerit Spiritum sanctum q. 123. Secundo dico , testimonium allatum non esse contra nos, sed pro nobis. Nam auctor hic loquitur de causa formali , non de effi¬ ciente justificationis, ac dicit hominem im¬ mutari, et renovari non per externam lotio¬ nem, quasi nihil sit Baptismus noster, nisi mundatio carnis, ut olim Baptismata Ju¬ daeorum; sed per fidem, quae cum est per¬ fecta et viva, formaliter mundat et justificat, juxta illud Petri, Actor. XV : Fide purificans corda eorum (1). Hanc autem fidem, id est, formalem justificationem hic auctor dicit dari in Baptismo : «Aqua, inquit, cernitur, sed qui non videtur, Spiritus operatur, ut fides in ipso sit. » Ubi non potest loqui de fide imperfecta, et inchoata, quae secundum nos disponit ad justificationem , et quae se¬ cundum Lutheranos, apprehendit justifica¬ tionem; ista enim praicedere debet Baptis¬ mum. Loquitur igitur de fide perfecta , quae infunditur in Baptismo , et quae justificat formaliter. Quod idem definivit Concilium Trident. ses-. VI, cap. 7. Tertio profert Calvinus, lib. IV Inst. c. 14. alium locum Augustini, ex lib III. quaest. in Levetic. qu. 84, ubi Augustinus duo dicit. Primo, ministrum hominem solum praebere Sacramentum visibile, Deum autem praebere invisibilem gratiam. Secundo, ita separari haec duo, ut in quibusdam sit Sacramentum sensibile sine gratia invisibili, ut in Simone Mago a Philippo baptizato ; in quibusdam invisibilem gratiam sine Sacramento visibili, ut in bono latrone. Ad Primum respondeo, duobus modis ho¬ minem ministrare Sacramenta. Uno modo faciendo quod potest ex naturali sua virtute. Alio modo applicando Sacramenta ut ins¬ trumenta a Deo mota , et elevata ad actio¬ nem supernaturalem faciendam. Primo mo¬ do vere dicimus, hominem non justificare, sed solum lavare corpus, aut aliquid hujus¬ modi; et sic loquitur Augustinus. Alio modo vere dicimus, hominem justificare , sed non alia actione, quam illa, qua Deus ipse utitur ad justificandum. Atque ad hunc modum exponendum est, quod ait S. Hieronymus in cap. IV Isaioj, ubi dicit: «Homo aquam praebet, Deus autem Spiritum sanctum. » Ad secundum dico, illa posse separari ; non quod Sacramentum sensibile non sit causa invisibilis gratiae, sed quod possit impediii ejus effectus per obicem, vel indispositio— nem subjecti, et quod possit Deus sine Sa¬ cramento etiam dare gratiam suam. Quarto solet adferri ex Augustino alius locus cx lib. XV Trinit. cap. 26. ubi dicit, solum Deum posse dare Spiritum sanctum, et ideo Apostolos non dedisse Spiritum sanc¬ tum, quibus manus imponebant, sed orasse, ut descenderet. Respondeo : aliud esre dona Spiritus sanc¬ ti, aliud ipsum Spiritum sanctum. Dona Spi¬ ritus sancti dant Sacramenta; ipsum Spiri¬ tum sanctum non potest proprie dare, nisi is, a quo ille procedit. Posset etiam dici, Spiritum sanctum ex auctoritate non dari, nisi a Deo, a quo procedit, tamen instru- mentaliter dari etiam ab hominibus. Nam Act. VIII legimus, per manus Apostolorum datum fuisse Spiritum sanctum, quod etiam ibidem fatetur Augustinus. Quinto proferunt ex Augustino lib. XIX. contra Faustum, cap. 16. illa verba : « Quid sunt, quaeque corporalia Sacramenta, nisi quaedam verba visibilia? » Hinc enim colligi putant, Sacramenta non justificare, nisi more (1) Act. XV, 9. CAPUT X. 145 concionis, aut picturse , quae solum reprae¬ sentando agit. Respondeo : Augustinum eo loco assigna¬ re unum Sacramenti effectum , id est, signi¬ ficationem, sed non propterea negare caete- ros, quos alibi saepe posuit. Cur autem eo loco solum de significatione agat; causa fuit, quia disputabat de Sacramentis in genere, id est, de Sacramentis utriusque Testamenti : proinde ponere debuit effectum communem omnibus Sacramentis. Cur autem appellave¬ rit Sacramenta visibilia verba, illa fuit causa, quia disputabat contra Manichaeos, qui re¬ prehendebant mutationem Sacramentorum veterum in nova : ac dixerat necessario mu¬ tanda fuisse verba post Christi adventum ; nam cum veteres dicerent , Christus veniet, morietur, resurget; nos dicere debemus: Venit, mortuus est, resurrexit. Inde collegit etiam Sacramenta mutanda fuisse , ne jam falso significarent. Ut autem similitudo ap¬ tissima demonstraretur , dixit: « Quid sunt Sacramenta (nimirum quoad significationem) nisi visibilia verba? » Sexto profert Kemnitius alium locum Au¬ gustini, ex lib. XXI. de civit. Dei, cap, 25. ubi B. Augustinus reprehendit eos, qui sen¬ tiebant non posse damnari eos, qui Sacra¬ menta percipiunt Baptismi , et coena: Domi¬ ni, licet nec fidem, nec bonam vitam te¬ neant. Isti enim videntur omnino sensisse Sacramenta justificare ex opere operato, ita ut vi sua justificarent, non per fidem. Respondeo : Augustinus merito filos re¬ prehendit, quia illi non solum credebant, Sacramenta justificare ex opere operato, sed credebant non posse amitti gratiam , ct salutem semel acceptam in Sacramento per quaecumque peccata postea accedentia; qua: sententia non est nostra, sed potius Martini Lutheri, qui in lib. de captivit. Babylon, cap. de Baptismo, ait : « Vides quam dives sit homo Christianus, seu baptizatus, qui etiam volens , non potest perdere salutem suam quantiscumque peccatis, nisi nolit cre¬ dere ? » Septimo solet objici Bernardus, qui in serm. de coena Domini sic ait : « Sicut in¬ vestitur Canonicus per librum , Abbas per baculum. Episcopus per annulum , sic divi¬ siones gratiarum diversis sunt tradita: Sa¬ cramentis. » Respondeo : non comparat Bernardus Sa¬ cramenta cum libro, baculo, et anriulo, ra¬ tione efficientia:, sed solum ratione ‘diversi¬ tatis Sacramentorum. Nam alioqui ibidem docet, Sacramenta conferre gratiam, ut su¬ pra citavimus. Ultimo proferunt Tertullianum, qui in lib. de Poenitentia vocat Baptismum fidei obsig¬ nationem : quomodo etiam loquitur Basilius, lib. III. in Eunomium, et lib. de Spiritu sancto, cap. 12. Sed ad hrec respondimus supra cap. 17. ubi ostendimus, Baptismum vocari sigillum fidei, non quia excitet fidem , sed quia per Baptismum testatur is, qui baptizatur, se credere, et etiam Ecclesia baptizans dat illi publicum testimonium ipsius fidei. Sed quam¬ quam Patres id vere tribuant Baptismo, non tamen negant habere etiam alios effectus prastantiores; imo etiam eos asserunt, ut supra ostendi.