A Treatise of Justification, Book 6 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Bellarmines arguments, that faith doth not justifie alone, first, because it doth not dispose alone to justification, there being seven dispositions whereof faith is but one, and, namely, the first.
§. I.
NOw let us see what arguments Bellarmine dothBellarmine disputeth the question three waies. bring to prove, that we are not justified by faith alone. Which question, in his opinion, may beeDe justis. l. 1. c. 12 disputed three wayes, either with relation to the time going before justification, or to the time of justification, or to the time following our justification. In respect of the first, the question which he maketh is, whether faith doth justifie alone by way of disposing unto justification. In respect of the second, whether faith be the onelyonly formall cause of our justification. In respect of the third, whether for the retaining and preserving of righteousnesse good workes be not required, but faith onelyonly sufficeth. The first he disputeth De justif. l. 1. c. 12. and in the twelve chapters following to the end of that booke. The second, that faith is not the onelyonly and entire formall cause of justification, he disputeth in the second booke. The third he disputeth in the fourth booke, Chap. 18. & 19. where he endevoureth to prove that good workes doe justifie. But in mine opinion hee should rather have disputed this question, whether faith doth justifie at all or not. For whereas they make two justifications, the first habituall; whereby of a sinner a man is made just: the second actuall, whereby a man of just is made more just; by their doctrine, faith doth not justifie as a part either of the one, or the other: but is required as a necessary companion, and as it were, causa sine qua non, which is no cause. For they make the formall cause of their first justification, which they say truely is but one, to be charity; and the meritorious cause of the second to be good workes. OnelyOnly, that charity, and those good workes, must not be without faith. All, which they ascribe to faith, is, that they make it the beginning of justification and a disposition to it. Neither doe we deny, but that true faith is the beginning and the root of sanctification, and of all inherent righteousnesse; insomuch that from it both charity it selfe, 1 Tim. 1. 5. and all other both internall graces, and externall obedience doe spring: but the act of justification, neither in the first, nor second doe they ascribe to faith. OnelyOnly unto the first justification they require it as a preparative disposition for the habit of grace to bee infused, which doth not differ from Charity; and when it is infused, to be a companion thereof. And to the second, as causa sine qua non, without which workes doe not justifie.
§. II. But to come to Bellarmines large discourse: the greatest partBellarmines dispute impertinent. thereof seemeth to bee impertinent, and besides the purpose. But to make all seeme pertinent, he maliciously calumniateth us, as if we held all those assertions, which hee with such eagernesse doth confute. But if we doe hold, that faith doth not justifie by way of disposing, either alone, or at all: and that it is not the formall cause of justification, either alone, as the entire cause; or at all, as any part thereof: and that it is not a consequent of justification at all, as works indeed are; to what end doth all this dispute serve? unlesse it be to make their seduced Catholiks, who never are permitted to read any of our writings, to beleeve, that he hath doughtily confuted us.
§. III. And that faith doth not justifie alone, by way of disposing, heThat faith doth not iustifie alone by way of disposing, Bellarmines proveth by five sorts of arguments. endeavoureth to prove by five sorts of arguments. The first, from those seven dispositions required by the Councell of Trent to justification, among which he reckoneth faith for one. Whereunto in generall I answere, that this whole discourse, besides that it is impertinent, for wee doe not hold, as I have said, that faith doth justifie by way of disposition,First, from the seven dispositions, which discourse is idle and impertinent. either alone or at all: it is also an idle speculation disagreeing from their practicke theologie, and that in two respects. First, to their speculative justification, they require foregoing preparations and dispositions: but to the obtayning of justification in deed and in practise, no such things are required. For, the efficacie of justifying a sinner they ascribe to their Sacraments, which they say doe conferre gratiam gratum facientem, that is, justifie, ex opere operato; requiring, as I conceive, no preceding preparation, or disposition in the party to be justified, so hee doe not interpose the obstacle of any mortall sinne. For if foregoing dispositions were required before the Sacraments; then they should not justifie, as I have said before, ex opere operato, but, ex opere operantis. Secondly, they doe teach, that in their first justification, Charity, and with it Faith and Hope are infused, whereby a man that before was a sinner is made righteous. And that therefore a man is first justified, when these are infused; and that these are first infused, when a man is justified: and yet they tell us of a true Faith, true Hope, true Love going before justification. Which by their doctrine, though they goe together, I meane Faith, Hope, and Charity, accompanied with other good dispositions, are neither graces nor gifts of grace infused. For before, or without the Sacrament there is no justification, which they have tyed to the Sacrament, and before justification, as themselves say, there is no grace. For if they were graces indeed (as no doubt but they are where they are true and goe together accompanied with other good dispositions) then men might be justified before the receit of the Sacrament, as Abraham was; and then the Sacrament to men so qualified, should not conserre grace, but seale it. Thus to mainetaine their pernicious errour concerning the efficacie of the Sacraments justifying ex opere operato (whereby they have turned religion into an outward formality) that Faith, that Hope, that Charity which goe before the Sacrament, as namely in Cornelius before his baptisme, should be no true graces, because all true justifying and saving grace is insused in the administration of the Sacrament: and this infusion of grace is that, which they call justification. By their doctrine therefore justifying faith is that which in the very act of justification is infused, and being infused doth justifie, not by way of disposing, but formally; it selfe being informed by Charity. And therefore according to their owne doctrine, that faith which disposeth to justification, is not justifying Faith. And consequently all this discourse concerning six other preparative dispositions concurring with faith, to prove that we are not justified by faith alone, is besides the purpose. For that faith, which they make their first preparative disposition, is not justisying faith; neither doth justifie otherwise by Bellarmines owne confession, than its next companion, viz, servile feare, doth. But wee, when we say, that faith alone doth justifie, speake not of a bare and naked assent which is common to the wicked which cannot justifie, either alone, or at all; but of a true, lively, effectuall faith, which worketh by love: and therefore, I say againe, this whole dispute of the seven dispositions is meerely impertinent.
§. IV. But some will say, doe you require no preparative dispositionsPreparative dispositions to justifying faith. going before justification? I answer, that in adult is we doe: but that no way hindereth the truth of our assertion concerning justification by faith alone: wee doe confesse, that to the begetting of justifying faith preparative dispositions are ordinarily required in adultis, in those who be of yeares, wrought partly by private education and use of other private meanes, as reading, meditation, conference, &c. and partly, by the publicke ministery both of the Law and of the Gospell, by which, first, our minds are illuminated to know God and our selves, and what wee shall bee in Christ if wee beleeve in him. Secondly hee mollifieth our hearts and humbleth our soules ordinarily by the ministery of the Law and extraordinarily by afflictions, either outward or inward, which are the terrours of a distressed conscience, by which when the Word will not serve, the Lord draweth men, as it were, with a strong hand: that being thus humbled we may become fit auditours of the Gospell, In which the Lord to the humbled and prepared soule revealeth his unspeakeable mercies in Christ, stirreth us up, by the ministers of reconciliation, to accept of his merciemercy in Christ, intreating and perswading us in the name of God, and in Christs stead, that wee would be reconciled unto God. The holy Ghost, having thus knocked at the doore of our hearts, at length in his good time he himselfe openeth our hearts to receive Christ by faith, working in our judgments a lively assent to the doctrine of salvation by Christ, and by it both an earnest desire in our hearts, to be made partakers of Christ (which is the desire of application) and also in our wils a setled resolution to acknowledge him to be our Saviour, and to rest upon him alone for salvation, which is the will and purpose of application. Having thus received and embraced Christ by a lively assent or beliefe, and so having the condition of the promise, which is faith; in the next place wee proceed to actuall application by speciall faith; which is farther to be confirmed by the Sacraments, which are the seales of that righteousnesse which is by faith; and by the practise of piety or leading of a godly life; whereby wee are to make, as our election, and calling, so also our justification sure unto us.
§. V. But come we to his argument drawne from the seven preparativeThe first disposition. Faith. dispositions. And first, for faith, he saith, he shall not need to prove, that it doth justifie, because we confesse it; but that it doth not justifie alone. Answ. That justifying saith, which is a grace infused in our regeneration, we deny to justifie by way of disposing: that faith, which goeth before regeneration, and is not infused, we deny to justifie at all. And such is that faith whereof he speaketh; and therefore hee reckoneth without his host. From our assertion he should rather have concluded thus. That, which is but a preparative disposition to justification, doth not justifie at all: that faith which goeth before regeneration, is but a preparative disposition to justification, as Bellarmine teacheth: therefore that faith, which goeth before regeneration, doth not justifie at all. Or thus: a preparative disposition to justification doth not justifie: but faith, as all confesse, doth justifie: therefore it is not a preparative disposition to justification.Bellarmines argument, faith doth but begin justification, and therefore doth not justifie alone.
§. VI. Yea but he will prove by authority of Scriptures, by testimonies of Fathers, and by reason, that faith doth not justifie alone, because it is but the beginning of justification: and therefore other things must accompany and follow it to perfect our justification. Answ. That it is the beginning of sanctification, and the root of all sanctifying graces, I have already confessed. But the concurrence both of other inward graces, and of outward obedience unto sanctification, doth not hinder, but that faith doth justifie alone. Neither doth faith justifie, as the beginning of justification only: first, because there are no degrees of justification before God; for in the first act it is perfect: and to that act continued throughout this life, faith, as I shewed before out of divers of the Fathers sufficeth. I say, sufficeth to justification: and therefore is not the beginning onelyonly, but also the continuance and consummation thereof: for as in the first act it justifieth, so also in the continuance of justification, for by it weaRom 5. 2. stand, and by it we livebHab. 2. 4. Gal. 2. 20., and so long as we have faith, it is imputed unto us for righteousnesse even from faith to faithcRom. 1. 17., as it was to dGen. 15 6.Abraham, after he had long continued in the faith.
§. VII. His first proofe is Heb. 11. 6. Hee that commeth to God,His first testimony, Heb. 11. 6. must beleeve that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him. Therefore faith is the first motion of comming to God, which wee willingly confesse. But he should have done well, to have told us, what is meant by comming unto God. For to come unto Christ is to beleeve in him, Ioh. 6. 35, 37, 44, 65. And if that bee the meaning of the holy Ghost in this place, then to come unto God is to beleeve in him by speciall faith, otherwise the Apostle should enunciate idem per idem. And then the meaning is this, hee that would beleeve that God is his God, and that he will be gracious unto him, must first beleeve that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him. Or thus, wouldest thou beleeve that Christ is thy Saviour, then must thou first beleeve that hee is the Saviour of all that truely beleeve in him. Or, it may be, that the word come, in this place is to bee expounded by the word seeking. He that will come unto God, that is, hee that will seeke God, must beleeve that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him. For these words, comming, returning, seeking, which properly betoken the actions of the body, are by a MetaphorecEsa. 21. 12. translated to the actions of the soule, whereby is meant, sometimes our conversion and turning unto God, Deut. 4. 29. 30. 2 Chron. 15. 4. Esa. 9. 13. Hos. 3. 5. & 5. 15. cum 6. 1. & 7. 10. And if that bee the meaning of this place, then nothing else can bee gathered from it; but, that faith is the beginning of our repentance and turning unto God. Sometimes the whole study of piety, whereby wee endevour to know God, and to serve him. 1 Chro. 28. 9. If thou seeke him, that is, if thou endevour to know and to serve him with an upright heart and with a willing mind, 2 Chron. 14. 4. & 15. 12. & 17. 4. Act. 17. 27. Psal. 119. 2, 3. whereupon godly and religious men are said to bee seekers of the Lord, Psal. 22. 26. & 24. 6. & 40. 16. Esa. 51. 1. And thus, faith is the beginning of all piety and of the true worship of God. Sometimes it signifieth affiance in God, Psal. 9. 10. Esa. 11. 10. compared with Rom. 15. 12. Psal. 69. 6 And so faith is the cause of affiance: for by faith wee have affiance, Eph. 3. 12. Sometimes it signifieth invocation and calling upon the name of God So David sought God, 2 Sam. 12. 16. that is besought him So Esa. 55. 6. Psal. 34. 4. Matth. 7. 7, 8. Ier. 29. 12, 13. Zach. 8. 21. 22. 2 Chron. 2. 3, 4. and thus faith is the cause of prayer: which if it bee effectuall, is called the prayer of faith. Iam. 5. 16. And this is …ignified in.
§. VIII. The next place which Bellarmine alleageth, viz. Rom. 10.His second testimonie. Rom. 10. 13. 14. 13. 14. whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall bee saved. How then shall they call upon him in whom they have not beleeved, and how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard, and how should they heare without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent? Where Bellarmine observeth this order of justification, (he should have said of salvation.) First, sending of Preachers. Secondly, preaching. Thirdly, faith. Fourthly, invocations. Fisthly, salvation, that is, saith he, justification, which is, as he saith, the healing of the soule from the disease of sinne. Of these, saith he, sending and preaching are without us, therfore the first beginning of justification, within us, is faith, which invocation doth follow, and the rest in their order. I answere, first, that the Apostle setteth downe in order the degrees, not of justification, but of salvation. Whereof the first, after election, is vocation; unto which three of these degrees are referred. First, sending of Preachers. Secondly, Preaching. Thirdly, hearing, by which faith commeth. The second is justification by faith. Thirdly, sanctification, whereof one principall duety is mentioned, viz. invocation, which seemeth to bee put, as sometimes it is,fEsa. 56. 7. for the whole worship of God, or religion, Fourthly, salvation. Secondly, in reckoning these degrees he omi…teth one, in favour of their implicite faith. For where the Apostle saith, how shall they callupon him, in whom they have not beleeved, how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard, and consequently by hearing knowne, this degree he leaveth out; which proveth, that men cannot beleeve in God, who have not heard of him, nor by hearing knowne him. Thirdly, his inference is of no force at all, For by this place it is not proved, that faith is the first beginning of justification: but this is proved, that as the word begetteth faith, which doth justifie, or as the Apostle speaketh in other words, Rom. 8. 30, whom the Lord doth call, them he doth justifie: so faith begetteth invocation and all other dueties of sanctification, for whom God doth justifie, hee doth sanctifie. Now sanctification is the beginning of glorification in this life: for by it the Lord beginneth in us a spirituall and eternall life: and as glory is gratia consummata, so grace is gloria inchoata. So that from this place compared with Rom. 8. 30. and 2 Thess. 2. 13, 14. wee may be bold to set dowue the degrees of salvation in this order, Election, Vocation, Iustification, Glorification, and that either begun in this life, which is sanctification, or consummate in the life to come, which is our eternall salvation.
§. IX. His third testimony, is Ioh. 1. 12. So many as received him, to them hee gave power to be made the sonnes of God, to them which beleeve in his name. Where, saith he, Saint Iohn plainly teacheth, that these who receive Christ by faith, are not yet the Sonnes of God, but may bee made the Sonnes of God, if they goe on further, so that they begin also to hope and to love; for love properly maketh men the Sonnes of God. Answ. The words are foreign Where Bellarmine by foreign which the vulgar Latine readeth potestatem, understandeth possibility, as if he had said, potentiam; and the Verbe foreign which is the aorist, hee understandeth as if it were the future, as if the meaning were, that those, who receive Christ by faith, are in a good possibility to become hereafter the Sonnes of God, if to their faith they shall adde hope and love: for it is love properly, saith he and not faith, that maketh men Gods children. But the word foreign never signifieth possibility, but as in other places it is translated power or authority; so here, as also, 1 Cor. 8. 9. & 9. 12. right, or priviledge, or as Iansenius gConcord. Evang. cap….interpreteth, authoritatem, dignitat…m, jus. And the word foreign doth signifie, not that they may be made hereafter, but that so soone as men beleeve they are already the Sonnes of God: hee gave them this right, or priviledge, this prerogative, dignity or preheminence, to bee the Sonnes of God. And so Iansenius; the word foreign may bee rendred not onelyonly fieri to bee made, but also esse to be, that is now, saith hee, may bee the sense, hee gave them that authority, right, and dignity, ut sint Dei filii: that they are the Sonnes of God not onelyonly after, but when they doe receive him, For of them that receive Christ, even by the first degree of faith, it is said, that they are borne of God, 1 Ioh. 5. 1. Whosoever beleeveth, that Iesus is Christ, is borne of God: hee doth not say, is in possibility to bee hereafter; but hee speaketh in the time past, foreign hee is already borne of God: and in this very place Ioh. 1. 12, 13. they that beleeve in Christ foreign are borne of God. For indeed regeneration in order of nature, though not in time, goeth before faith, which the Spirit, when hee doth regenerate us, worketh in us. Iansenius well observeth, that the parts of this text understood according to Bellarmines sence, cannot well stand together: that those who are said to have received Christ should have power given them wherby they may be made the Sonnes of God. For if they have received him, they are already the Sonnes of God, and need not to bee made Sonnes of God. And on the contrary, if they are in possibility to be made Sons then now they are not, and if they be not Sonnes, then they have not yet received him. And further he observeth, that of them, who are here said to have power given them to be the Sons of God, in the next verse it is said, that they are born of God. Besides, those who have not yet received Christ by faith, are notwithstanding in possibility to be made the Sons of God, whiles they are capable of faith, and are in possibility to beleeve. The place to which he referreth us, is 1 Ioh. 2. 19. Ye know, that hee, who worketh righteousnesse, is borne of God: from whence this may be gathered, that working of righteousnesse is an evident signe or marke of him that is borne of God: not that working righteousnesse is the cause to make a man Gods child, but an evidence to declare that hee is the child of God. For he that is borne of God committeth not sinne 1 Ioh. 3. 9. as a servant of sinne, Ioh. 8. 34. and hereby we doe know that we are passed from death to life, that is, that wee are justified, because wee love the brethren, 1 Ioh. 3. 14. Hereby the sonnes of God are manifest and the sonnes of the Devill; hee that worketh not righteousnesse is not of God, nor hee that loveth not his brother, vers. 10. Hereby, saith our Saviour, shall men know you to be my disciples, if you love one another Ioh. 13. 35. I conclude with Saint Paul, Gal. 3. 26. By faith in Iesus Christ, (hee doth not say by love, but by faith;) yee are, (hee doth not say, yee may bee, but yee are) all, that beleeve, the Sonnes of God, upon which words, as I noted before, Thomas Aquinas observeth, Faith alone maketh men the adoptive Sonnes of God.
§. X. To these places of Scripture Bellarmine addeth the testimonies of the Fathers; who, if they speake as Bellarmine citeth them, they say nothing but what wee willingly confesse; to wit, that faith is, as Clemens Alexandrinus speaketh,hStrom. lib. 2. foreign the first propension or inclination to salvation; that it is, as it were, the eye of the soule, and the LampeiCatech. 1. to finde the way to salvation, as Cyrill of Hierusalem, that it is the light of the soule, the dore of life, the foundation of salvation, askHomil. 2. de symb. E…sebius Emissemus: that it is the beginning of righteousnesse inherent, aslDe fide spe & charit. Chrysostome, that it is the gate and the way unto life asmLib. 4. in Ioan. cap. 9. Cyrill of Alexandria that it is the first grace in a Christian, as Ambrose nDe sacramentis lib. 1,that it is the beginning and originall of as…iance and accesse to God, asoIn Eph. 3. Ierome, that wee are made the sonnes of Wisedome, the faithpAugust. in Gal. 3. of the Mediatour preparing and working it, that it is first given,qDe praedestin. S. c. 7. and by it the rest, that to a Christian the true beginningrDe bono persever. c 2. is to beleeve in Christ, that by faith wee obtaine grace,sDe spiritu & litera c. 30. and by grace the health of the soule, that the house of GodtDe verb. Apostoli serm. 2. (whereby is meant the whole oeconomy of our salvation in this life) is founded on faith, raised by hope, and perfected by charity, as Augustine. That faith is the foundation of righteousnesse,uProsper, de vita contempl. l. 3. c. 21. which no good workes precede, and from which all proceede, that it is the foundation*Respons. ad dub. 8. Gen. of all vertues as Prosper. That if faith bee not first begotten in the heart, the rest cannot bee good, asxMoral. l. 2. c. 33 Gregory. All this and more wee affirme concerning faith, But although many other graces besides faith are required unto sanctification, as forerunners fitting us unto salvation: yet none concurre with it to the act of justification. And although it be the beginning of sanctification and of all other graces: yet it is not onelyonly the beginner, but the continuer also of sanctification, purifying still the heart, and working by love; by which we stand, by which wee live, being by the powery1 Pet. 1. 5. of God through faith, preserved unto salvation. And although it be termed by some the beginning (as it is) of inherent righteousnesse; yet it alone, as I shewed before by diuers testimonies of the Fathers, sufficeth to justification. And therefore by it wee have not a partiall or inchoated, but a perfect and plenary justification.
§. XI. To these testimonies saith he, naturall reason may be added; andBellarmines reasons. well may hee call it naturall, for there is little art in it: and although it bee very simple, yet it is double containing two slender proofes. The former, because faith is the foundation of hope and charity: but neither hope nor charity is the foundation of faith. For a man may beleeve that which hee neither hopeth for, nor loveth, but hee cannot hope for, or love that, which hee doth not beleeve. And what then? therfore faith is the beginning of other graces. And what then? therefore it followeth, that it doth not sanctifie alone, for it is but one among many: but it doth not follow, that therfore it doth not justifie alone. And where hee saith that faith is the foundation of hope, and that a man cannot hope for that which he doth not beleeve; this overthroweth a maine Doctrine of the Church of Rome maintained by Bellarmine, in other places, that a man may hope well for the remission of his fins, and for his salvation, but without speciall revelation he may not beleeve it. His second reason hath no soundnesse in it. In bodily diseases, saith hee, the beginning of health is, for a man to beleeve, that hee is sicke, and to beleeve the Physitian, that taketh upon him to cure him, and yet not that faith alone is entire health. Where Bellarmine compareth justification to health recovered from sicknesse to which not justification may bee compared, but sanctification. For the disease of the soule, as well as of the body, is not onelyonly a privation or absence of health, but also an evill disposition or habit: which is cured by the contrary disposition or habit: for as the whole body of sinne is cured in some measure by the grace of regeneration or sanctification: so the severall members thereof: as infidelity by faith, despaire by hope, hatred by charity, pride by humility, uncleannesse by chastitie, drunkennesse by sobriety, &c. Secondly, he compareth the beleefe of a sicke man beleeving that the Physitian will cure him, which is no health at all, nor meanes of health, but in conceit, for many times it proveth otherwise, (the promise of the Physitian being deceiveable and the event uncertaine) to the faith of an humbled sinner grounded on the infallible promises of God, which are alwayes performed, to them that beleeve.