A Treatise of Justification, Book 2 · Chapter 4
CAP. IIII. The third and fourth signification of the word justification assigned by Bellarmine.
§. I.
THirdly, saith Bellarmine, justification is taken for increase His third signification▪ for increase of justice.of justice: for even as he is said to be heated, not only who of cold is màde hot, but also who of hot is made hotter: even so he is said to be justified, who not onelyonly of a sinner is made just, but also of just is made more just▪ Ans. In this comparison of like there is a great unlikenesse: for calefaction implyeth a reall mutation and a positive change in the subject from cold to hot: but in justification the change is not reall, but relative, as before hath beene shewed. Bellarmine therefore must prove, that to justifie doth signifie to make righteous formally by righteousnesse inherent, before he can prove that it signifieth the increase of inherent justice. But if the former cannot be proved, much lesse the latter. But yet he bringeth three proofes, such as they be.
§. II. The first Ecclus. 18. 21. Ne verearis usque ad mortem justificari, Bellarmines first proofe out of Ecclus. 18. 21.qu…niam merces Domini manet in aeternum: feare not to be justified untill death for the reward of the Lord adideth for ever. Answ. To omit, that the booke is Apocryphall, which ought not to bee alleaged in controversies of faith: the testimonie it selfe is vilely depraved. The words in the Originall are foreign, that is, stay not untill death to be justified; or as their own interlinear translation readethAriae Montani. it, ne expectes usque ad mortem justificari, wait not untill death to be justified: where it is evident, that he speaketh of justification in our first conversion, which he would not have differred untill the time of death, and not of the continuance or increase of it: for then the sentence would beare a contrary, and indeed an ungodly sense: foreign, abide not or continue not to be justified, or to be just untill thy death. And the words, untill death, are not to be joyned with the last word justified, but with the first, stay not untill death. And their translation of the words foreign, whether as Bellarmine here readeth, ne verearis, or as some editions have ne vetéris, hath no affinity with the Originall. But our interpretation, as it agreeth with the words of the Text, so it is confirmed by the context. Vse Physike before thou bee sicke, before judgement prepare thy selfe,—humble thy selfe before thou bee sicke, and in the time of sinnes (that is, whiles thou mai'st yet sinne) shew thy conversion; let nothing hinder thee to pay thy vowes in due season, and deferre not untill death to be justified, or to become just.
§ III. But this testimony Bellarmine urgeth againe in another place,The same place urged, de justif. l. 4. c.19. shewing that the place is to bee understood of continuing and proceeding in justice, and the words foreign, are as much as cease not. And this he would prove by that which goeth before, be not hindred to pray alwayes: where the wise man admonisheth us to increase our justice by continuall prayer: and also by that which immediately followeth, because the reward of the Lord endureth for ever: for reward agreeth not to the first justification of the wicked, but indulgence. Answ. This interpretation of Bellarmine may then be admitted, when it shal be proved: first, that foreign signifieth to cease: secondly, foreign to pray: thirdly, foreign alwaies: fourthly, that those words, but the reward of the Lord endureth for ever, are found in the Originall Text. But if Bellarmine knew, that foreign signifieth stay not, or waite not, and not cease not, foreign, to render the vow and not to pray; foreign in due season and without delay, and not alwayes; and that the clause concerning the reward of the Lord is not in the Greeke Text; then can it not be denied, but that Bellarmine endevoured against his owne conscience to father his errour upon the Sonne of Sirach: howbeit the reason which he rendreth is Pharisaicall: For unto the first justification, saith he, of sinners, not reward, but indulgence agreeth, as though there were any reward of our righteousnesse, (which alwayes in this life is impure and imperfect, Esai. 64. 6.) but by indulgence. If thou Lord should'st marke what is amisse, O Lord, who shall stand? but with thee there is mercy or indulgence, that thou maist be feared, Psal. 130. 3, 4. To them that love God, and keepe his Commandements, the Lord sheweth mercy, Exod. 20.6. To thee Lord merciemercy, for thou reward'st a man, (meaning the godly man) according to his works, Psalm. 62. 12. which plainely sheweth, that the reward of good workes is to be ascribed to Gods mercy and indulgence, and not to our defect: for it is great mercy that hee pardoneth the imperfection and iniquity of our good workes; greater, that he accepteth of them in Christ; but greatest, that hee graciously rewardeth them: and who knoweth not that eternall life it selfe, which is the reward that endureth for ever, is theRom. 6.23. free and undeserved gift of God, not rendred to our merits, but given of his free grace.
§ IV. His second testimony is, Iam. 2.24. You see then that a man is His second proofe out of Iam. 2.24.justified by workes, and not by faith onelyonly. Answ. Of this place wee are hereafter to treat more fully. Now we are onelyonly to cleare the signification of the word, which in this place most evidently signifieth, not to bee justified before God or made just, but to bee approved or declared just. In which sense the Schoolemen themselves doe teach, that good workes doe justifie declarativè. But here it may be objected, that Saint Iames in this place speaketh of that justification whereunto faith concurreth with good workes, and good workes with faith. But to declare a man to bee justified, faith being an inward and hidden grace of the heart, hath no use or efficacy; but it selfe is to be declared and manifested by workes, as it is verse 18. Answ. The Apostle doth not speakeJam. 2.18. of justifying faith it selfe, but of the profession thereof, or of saith professed onelyonly, as appeareth by the fourteenth verse, where the question is propounded; What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man shall say hee hath faith, and have not workes, can that faith, which is in profession onelyonly, save him? Now to the justification of a man before men, and declaration of him to bee a man justified before God, two things are requisite; the profession of the true faith, and a godly conversation answerable to that profession. For neither good workss declare a man to bee justified, if they bee not joyned with the profession of the true faith: neither doth the profession of faith justifie a man before men, if his faith cannot bee demonstrated by good workes. And in this sense it is said, that a man is justified, that is, knowne to bee just by workes, and not by faith onelyonly.
§ V. His third testimony is, Apoc. 22.11. Qui justus est justificetur adhuc, hee that is just let him bee justified still. Answ. The word foreign in this place doth not signifie to bee justified, but to be just, as the word is often used not onelyonly in the translation of the Septuagints, but also in the new Testament, as I have shewed before, as being the translation not of the passive, but of tsadaq the verbe neuter in Cal, which signifieth not to bee justified, but to bee just. And this exposition is confirmed, first, by the words going before; He that doth wrong let him doe wrong still, hee that is filthy let him bee filthy still; and so, hee that is just let him bee just still. Secondly, by the authority of the Complutensis editio, of the Kings Bible, of Andraeas Caesariensis, and of Arethas in Apoc. who instead of foreign read foreign, let him worke righteousnesse; of some Latine editions of the vulgar translation, which instead of justificetur, read justitiam faciat; and lastly of Cyprian, who rendreth the place thus, justus adhuc justiora faciat. ThisDe bono patienti…. place therefore doth not speake of the encrease of our justification before God which cannot bee encreased, and much lesse are wee exhorted unto it (for as soone as a man is justified, hee standeth righteous before God in the most perfect righteousnesse of CHRIST, which admitteth no encrease) but of perseverance in righteousnesse. Moreover, the word foreign still, doth not signifie encrease, but continuance.
§ VI. And these were Bellarmine his three first significations ofThe fourth signi…ication of the word justification. the word justification, whereof not any one can bee proved out of the word of God. Fourthly, saith he, It is taken for the declaration of justice after a judiciall manner, in which sense hee …s said to be justified, who when he had beene by the accuser made guilty of some iniquity, is by the sentence of the Iudge declared iust and absolved. And to this purpose hee alleageth not onelyonly Prov. 17. 15. hee that justifieth the wicked and condemneth the just, &c. And Esay 5. 23. But (which are not so pertinent) Luk. 7. 35. and Luk. 10. 29. Now, saith hee, of the foure acceptions of the word our adversaries teach this fourth to be most proper. As for the …econd, and the third which ariseth from the second, they say it is improper, and not to bee found in any approved Authors. But of this matter, saith hee, wee will discourse Libro 2. Cap. 3. whether wee will follow him. In the meane time let it bee observed, that the Papists who cannot approve their owne acceptions of the word by any one place of Scripture, doe neverthelesse acknowledge that use of the word which we doe maintaine. But whereas hee doth insinuate, that we doe therefore reject the second and third significations, because the word is not so used in approved Authors: I answer, if hee speake of the Latine word (as hee doth) that it is not used of the Authors of the Latine tongue at all; and in the Latine edition of the Scriptures, and from thence in other Ecclesiasticall writers, it is used as the translation of the Hebrew and the Greeke, and must accordingly bee understood. And if of the Greeke, that it is not used indeed of the Authors of the Greeke tongue in the Popish sense. But that is not the reason why wee reject those senses, but because they are not to bee found in the holy Scriptures.