Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacraments in General · Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments
Chapter 30: On the state of the case
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).
Now, that we may understand the state of the case, three things are to be observed. First, that there are not a few things in which the adversaries agree with us. For, first, they confess that some ceremonies are necessary for the administration of the Sacraments, besides the ceremonies in which the essence of the Sacraments is contained. Second, that those ceremonies are to be used which have in Scripture a command or example, as prayers, thanksgivings, exhortations, psalmody; for that these were in use among the Apostles is plain from 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2. Third, they confess that the Church can establish, concerning these ceremonies which are had in the Scriptures, a certain order and manner in which they ought to be kept, lest there be confusion. So Luther in the book On pious ceremonies, and in the book On the form of the Mass; Calvin book 4 of the Institutes chapter 10 section 14; Kemnitz in the Examen second part page 474. Finally the same is proved by so many rituals which almost every one of their Churches has published.
Second, it is to be observed that many things are reprehended by the adversaries in the doctrine of the Catholics concerning ceremonies, but that all are their own falsehoods, not our dogmas; wherefore all these are to be noted and separated, that the true state of the case may appear. Kemnitz, then, in the second part of the Examen page 137 and following, attributes all these things to us. First, that the Council of Trent approved whatever rites devised by men, however absurd. The same has Calvin in the Antidote to this canon. But it is false; for the Council approves only the rites received by the universal Church, which Augustine too so approves, epistle 118, that he says to dispute against them is of most insolent madness. Second, that we assert that rites are to be retained which fight with the word of God. Third, that the Pope can change the institutions of Christ. Fourth, that it is a mortal sin, and worthy of anathema, to change even the least thing in these ceremonies. The same has Calvin in the Antidote. Fifth, that we prefer human ceremonies to the divine precepts. The same has Calvin book 4 of the Institutes chapter 10, and the Confession in the Apology of the Augsburg, articles 13 and last. Sixth, that we think the Sacraments have not truth and efficacy without these human rites. Which certainly is a most impudent falsehood; and yet the same falsehood is in Tileman Heshusius, book On the 600 errors of the Pontificians, title 10, error 13. Seventh, that we attribute to the several ceremonies some spiritual force. Eighth, that we attribute to some ceremonies the efficacy of Sacraments, as to the Paschal candle. Something like this Luther has in the last homily On Baptism, where he says that the Catholics think blessed water and like consecrated things to be Sacraments; although the contrary the same Luther says in the book On the Babylonian captivity, chapter On Order. Ninth, that we prefer our ceremonies to the very Sacraments of Christ. The same has Calvin in the Antidote, where he most impudently lies that we prefer salt and oil and spittle to the water of Baptism. Tenth, that Tertullian and Cyprian, from the error of the Montanists, taught that exorcisms and unction have spiritual effects. But we nowhere read that the Montanists taught any such thing; but in all the Fathers everywhere we read it. Eleventh, that Cyprian and Cornelius attributed to Unction the effect of Baptism, and that afterward, the Master of the Sentences being witness, these opinions were corrected, and yet now are again renewed by the Council of Trent. But all these are falsehoods. For Cornelius and Cyprian do not speak of Ecclesiastical ceremonies, but of the Sacrament of Confirmation; and to it they attribute not the effect of Baptism, but another proper one. Nor is there in the Master any word of the correction of this opinion; for only the error of Cyprian about Anabaptism is corrected, book 4 of the Sentences distinction 6.
To these others add that we think the chief worship of God consists in these ceremonies. So Calvin book 4 of the Institutes chapter 10 sections 9 and 12; likewise the Augsburg Confession article 26, which is on the distinction of foods. Likewise that through these ceremonies men are justified, and have in a manner succeeded into the place of Christ. So Calvin in the place cited section 15, and the Apology of the Confession article 15. But all these are falsehoods, and do not pertain to the state of the question. For we all Catholics confess that the Ecclesiastical ceremonies are not the chief worship; nor does the essence and efficacy of the Sacraments depend on them; nor have they the power of justifying, as the Sacraments have, and accordingly are inferior to the Sacraments; nor are those rites to be approved which fight with the word of God; nor are they to be too much multiplied, so that by their multitude they in a manner overwhelm the religion which they ought to serve. For as husbandmen desire in the vines, besides the grapes, also the leaves, by which the grapes may be adorned and helped; but if the leaves grow too much, and hinder rather than help, they cut them back; so it must be done in rites of this kind, teaches Augustine epistle 119 chapter 19. In these things, then, we agree with the adversaries.
Note, third, that the whole controversy consists in six heads. The first is, whether there are any ceremonies instituted by Christ or the Apostles which are not had in Scripture, but are known from tradition alone. The second is, whether the ceremonies which are not Sacraments have any spiritual force, as of coercing demons. The third is, whether the Church can institute new ceremonies. The fourth, whether it can so institute them that the faithful be bound in conscience to keep them, even apart from scandal. The fifth, whether ceremonies of this kind are good and meritorious things, and some part of the divine worship. The sixth, whether the Sacraments are to be celebrated and ministered in the Latin tongue. To all these the Catholics answer affirmatively; to the same heads, the third alone excepted, almost all the Lutherans and Calvinists answer negatively; on the third they do not agree among themselves. For Luther in the book On the form of the Mass, and in the book On pious ceremonies, and the Augsburg Confession articles 15 and 26, and Philip in the Commonplaces under the title On ceremonies, and Illyricus in the Apology for the Antwerp Confession chapter 10, and commonly the Lutherans, confess that the Church can institute some ceremonies for the instruction, splendor, and order of the Church, provided obligation and the opinion of worship be absent. But Calvin book 4 of the Institutes chapter 10 section 11 contends that this is in no way lawful; and the same Brentius seems to think, in the Württemberg Confession, chapter On ceremonies. For he says that the Church can institute the disposition of sermons, readings, feasts, and other things which are celebrated according to the commands or examples of the Scriptures; but that it is not lawful to devise new rites to adumbrate a truth already laid open in the Gospel — such as to light candles by day, to use standards or crosses to signify the victory of Christ, etc. The same finally Kemnitz plainly enough teaches, page 116. For after he had said that it is an arduous question whether it is permitted to men to superadd any rites, with whatever counsel, to those which the Son of God instituted, he subjoins that nothing is to be added to or subtracted from the divine institution; and that those who add seem to do it as though the ceremonies instituted by Christ were not fit and sufficient enough.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XXX. De statu causae. Jam ut statum causae intelligamus, obser¬ vanda sunt tria. Primo non pauca esse, in quibus adversarii nobiscura conveniunt. Pri¬ mo enim fatentur aliquas caeremonias neces¬ sarias esse ad Sacramentorum administra- tionem, praeter caeremonias, quibus conti¬ netur Sacramentoz-um essentia. Secundo eas caeremonias esse adhibendas, quae habent in Scriptura mandatum, vel exemplum, ut orationes, gratiarum actiones, exhortatio¬ nes, psalmodiam : ista enim fuisse in usu Apostolorum, patet ex I Corinth. XIV. et I Timot. II. Tertio fatentur posse Ecclesiam statuere de his caeremoniis, quae habentur in Scriptulis, certum ordinem, et modum, quo servari debent, ne sit confusio. Ita Lu- therus in lib. de piis caeremoniis, et in lib. de formula Missae. Calvinus lib. IV. Institut. cap. 10. §. 14. Kemnitius in Examine, 2. par. pag. 474. Denique idem probant tot agendae, quas singulae fere Ecclesiae ipsorum ediderunt. Secundo observandum est, multa ab ad¬ versariis reprehendi in doctrina de caeremo¬ niis Catholicorum, sed omnia esse ipsorum mendacia, non dogmata nostra : quocirca sunt haec omnia notanda, et separanda, ut verus causae status appareat. Igitur Kemnitius in 2. par. Examin. pag. 4 37. et sequentibus, haec omnia nobis tri¬ buit. Primo, quod Concilium Tridentinum approbaverit quoscumque ritus ab homini¬ bus excogitatos, licet absurdissimos. Idem habet Calvinus in Antidoto hujus canonis. At falsum est : nam Concilium non appro¬ bat, nisi ritus receptos ab Ecclesia univer¬ sali, quos etiam ita approbat Augustinus epist. 448. ut dicat contra eos disputare esse insolentissimae insania;. Secundo, quod asseramus retinendos ra¬ tus, qui pugnant cum Dei verbo. Tertio, quod Papa possit immutare Christi instituta. Quarto, quod sit peccatum mortale, et ana¬ themate dignum, mutare vel minimum in his caeremoniis. Idem habet Calvinus in An¬ tidoto. Quinto, quod anteponamus humanas caeremonias divinis praeceptis. Idem habet Calvinus lib. IV. Institut. cap. 10. et Con¬ fessio in A polog. August. artic. 13. et ult. Sexto, quod putemus sine his ritibus huma¬ nis non habere Sacramenta veiitatem, et ef¬ ficaciam. Quod sano est mendacium impu- dentissimum : et idem tamen mendacium est apud Tilmannum Heshusium lib. de 600 erroribus' Pontificiorum, tit. 10. errore 13. Septimo, quod singulis ca;remoniis tribua¬ mus vim aliquam spiritualem. Octavo, quod aliquibus caeremoniis tribuamus efficaciam Sacramentorum, ut cereo Paschali. Simile quid habet Lutherus in ult. homil. de Bap¬ tismo, ubi dicit Catholicos putare aquam benedictam, et similes res consecratas, esse Sacramenta : quamvis contrarium idem Lu¬ therus dicat in lib. de captivit. Babylon, cap. de ordine. Nono, quod praeferamus cae¬ remonias nostras ipsis Christi Sacramentis. Idem habet Calvinus in Antidoto, ubi impu¬ dentissime mentitur, nos anteponere salem, et oleum, et sputum aquae Baptismi. Deci¬ mo, quod Tertullianus, et Cyprianus ex er¬ rore Montanistarum docuerint, exorcismos, et unctionem habere spirituales effectus. At 496 LIBER II. nihil tale docuisse Montanistas usquam legi¬ mus : sed in Patribus omnibus passim id legimus. Undecimo, quod Cyprianus et Cor¬ nelius tribuerint Unctioni effectum Baptismi, et quod postea, teste Magistro Sententia¬ rum, correctae fuerint istae opinicnes, et nunc tamen a Concilio Tridentino iterum reno¬ ventur. Sed ista omnia mendacia sunt. Nam Cornelius, et Cyprianus non loquuntur de caeremoniis Ecclesiasticis, sed de Sacramen¬ to Conlirmationis ; et ei tribuunt non effec¬ tum Baptismi, sed alium proprium. Neque apud Magistrum exstat ullum verbum de correctione hujus sententia? ; solum enim corrigitur error Cypriani de Anabaptismo lib. 1Y, sentent. distinet. 6. His addunt alii quod sentiamus praecipuum Dei cultum in his caeremoniis consistere. Ita Calvinus lib. 1Y Institut. c. 10, §. 9. et 12. item Confessio Augustana art.26. qui est de discrimine ciborum. Item per has caeremo¬ nias homines justificari, et, in Christi locum quodammodo successisse. Ita Calvinus loco citato §. 15. et Apologia Confess. artic. 15. Sed haec omnia mendacia sunt, et ad statum quaestionis non pertinent. Fatemur enim omnes Catholici caeremonias Ecclesiasticas non esse praecipuum cultum; nec ab iis pen¬ dere essentiam , et efficaciam Sacramento¬ rum; nec habere vim justificandi, ut habent Sacramenta , proinde inferiora esse Sacra¬ mentis, nec esse approbandos ritus qui pug¬ nant cum verbo Dei ; nec esse nimis multi¬ plicandas, ita ut sua multitudine obruant quodammodo religionem, cui servire debent. Ut enim agricolae cupiunt in vitibus praeter uvas etiam pampinos , quibus ornentur, et adjuventur uvae ; sed si nimium pampini crescant, et impediant potius, quam juverit, eos resecant : ita faciendum esse in ejus¬ modi ritibus, docet Augustinus epist. 119. cap. 19. In his ergo cum adversariis conve¬ nimus. Nota tertio, totam controversiam consis¬ tere in sex capitibus. Primum est, an sint aliquae caeremoniae a Christo , vel Apostolis institutae, quae non habeantur in Scriptura, sed ex traditione sola cognoscantur. Secun¬ dum est, an caeremoniae, quae non sunt Sa¬ cramenta , habeant vim aliquam spiritua¬ lem, ut coercendi daemones. Tertium est, an Ecclesia possit instituere novas caeremo¬ nias. Quartum, an possit eas ita instituere, ut teneantur fideles, in conscientia eas ser¬ vare, etiam citra scandalum. Quintum , an ejusmodi caeremoniae sint res bonae , et me¬ ritoriae, et pars aliqua divini cultus. Sextum, an lingua Latina Sacramenta celebranda, et ministranda sint. Ad haec omnia Catholici respondent affir¬ mative, ad eadem capita, solo excepto ter¬ tio, omnes fere Lutherani, et Calvi nistae res¬ pondent negative : de tertio inter se non con¬ veniunt. Lutherus enim in lib. de formula Missae, et in libro de piis, caeremoniis et Con¬ fessio Augustana art. 1 5. et 26. et Philippus in locis titulo de caeremoniis, et Illyricus in Apologia pro Confessione Antuerpiensi, cap. 10. et communiter Lutherani, fatentur posse Ecclesiam instituere aliquas caeremonias ad eruditionem, et splendorem, et ordinem Ec¬ clesiae ; modo absit obligatio , et opinio cul¬ tus. At Calvinus lib. IV Instit. c. 10, § 11. contendit id non licere ullo modo, et idem sentire videtur Brentius in Confessione Wir- tembergensi, c. de caeremoniis. Dicit enim, posse Ecclesiam instituere dispositionem concionum, lectionum, festorum, et aliarum rerum, quae secundum mandata , vel exem¬ pla Scripturarum celebrantur : sed non li¬ cere comminisci novos ritus ad adumbran¬ dam veritatem , jam in Evangelio patefac¬ tam; quales sunt interdiu accendere cereos, uti vexillis, seu crucibus, ad significandam victoriam Christi etc. Idem denique satis aperte docet Kemnitius, pagin. It6. Nam posteaquam dixit arduam quaestionem esse, an hominibus permissum sit, aliquos ritus quocumque consilio superaddere iis, quos Dei Filius instituit : subjungit, divinae insti¬ tutioni nihil addendum, aut detrahendum esse ; et eos qui addunt, id videri facere, quasi caeremoniae a Christo institutae, non sint satis idoneae, et sufficientes.