A Treatise of Justification, Book 6 · Chapter 12
CAP. XII. Of foure other dispositions: viz. love, penitencie, a purpose and desire to receive the Sacrament, the purpose of a new life.
§. I.
HIs fourth disposition is Love, for so soone as a man Love the fourth disposition.doth hope for a benefit from another, as namely justificacation from God, hee beginneth to love him from whom hee doth expect it. In which words there is some shew, that hope disposeth to love; but that love doth dispose to justification, not so much as a shew. But that some love goeth before justification, and disposeth thereto, he endeavoureth to prove, which if he could performe, were to little purpose: …or so long as this love doth not justifie, his assertion doth not disprove justification by faith alone, but indeed he proveth it not, though to that purpose hee produceth, besides foure testimonies of Scripture, the authority of the Councell of Aurenge. His first testimony is a supposititious senrence ofHis first Testimony Eccles. 2. 10. juxta lati. nameditionem. an Apocryphall Booke. For neither is the sentence in the originall Greeke, nor the Booke canonicall; neither is the sentence it selfe to the purpose: Yee that feare the Lord love him, and your hearts shall be (he doth not say, justified, but) enlightened; that is, as Iansenius expoundeth, comforted. For they that feare God and love him are already justified by faith, from which both feare and love doe spring.
§. II. His second testimony, Luk. 7. 47. Many sinnes are forgiven her, because she loved much, therefore love is the cause of forgivenesse. I answer by denying the consequence. For here in the Papists are many times grossely mistaken: who thinke, that in every aetiologie, the reason which is rendred is a cause, so properly called, when as indeed it may be any other argument or reason, as well as the cause. For foreign the cause in a large sense, doth not onelyonly fignifie that which causeth the effect, which properly is called the cause of a thing or action, but also any reason, which proveth the thing propounded, which is a cause foreign not of the action or thing it selfe, but of the reasoning or conclusion; or as wee use to say, cons…quentiae, non consequentis, of the consequence not of the consequent. Thus it is called the fallacie foreign non causa pro causa, when that is brought for any argument which it is not. So the word foreign which is trāslated redditio causae is the rendring of any reason from any argument whatsoever. For in any syllogism, that which is the medium, though it bee the effect of the thing, is the cause of the conclusion; because it is the reason which proveth it, and in this sense a2 Tim. 1. 6. 12. … 13. Heb. 2, 11.foreign for which cause, and wherefore, is all one. Thus the Papists prove Christs humiliation to have beene the cause of his exaltation, as wee heard before, bLib. 1. Cap. 4. §. 11.because …he Apostle saith, therefore God exalted him &c thus they prove the workes of merciemercy to bee the cause of salvation, because our Saiour saith, for I was hungry, &c: so here, that love is the cause of forgivenesse, because it is said, for she loved much: when indeed our Saviour argueth not from the cause to the effect but from the effect to the cause, as is most evident. First, by the parable of a creditour who having two debtors, whereof the one owed him five hundred pence, the other fiftie, and neither of them having any thing to pay, he freely forgave them both their debt. Our Saviour ther…fore demanding of the Pharisee, who had invited him, which of these debtours would love the creditour most; the Pharisee truely answered, I suppose he, to whom he forgave most: which answer, approved by our Saviour, plainely proveth that love was not the cause of forgivenesse, but forgivenesse of love, and the forgiveing of more the cause of greater love, and the forgivenesse of lesse the cause of lesse love: and consequently, that the greater love was not the cause of greater forgivenesse, but the effect of it. This parable our Saviour applying to the Pharisee that invited him as the lesse debtour, and to the woman, which had been a notorious sinner, as the greater debtor, to both which he had forgiven their debts, they having nothing to pay, sheweth, that her grea…er love was an evidence of her greater debt forgiven. Secondly, by the antithesis in the same verse, but to whom little is forgiven, hee loveth but a little. It is therefore plaine that the forgivenesse is the cause of love, and the forgiving of more, of more love, and the forgiving of lesse, of lesse love. And as lesse love is a token of the lesse debt forgiven, so greater love of more forgiven: hee speaketh therefore of her love, not as the cause going before, but as the effect following after justification.
§. III. And such is Bellarmines argument out of 1 Ioh. 3. 14. we are1 Ioh. 3. 14. translated from death to life, that is, we are justified because we love the brethren, therefore the love of the brethren is the cause of justification. I deny the consequence: the love of the brethren is not the cause, but the fruit of our justification, whereby it may be knowne. And this appeareth manifestly out of these words which Bellarmine hath fraudulently omitted. Nos scimus quia translati sumus, &c. wee know that wee are translated from death to life, because wee love the brethren. Our louelove then is not the cause of justification, but a manifest signe and evidence whereby it is knowne, that we are already justified: for so he saith speaking in the time past, foreign that we are already passed or translated from death to life. And to the like effect our Saviour speaketh Luk. 7. 47. as if hee had said, hereby it appeareth, that many sinnes are forgiven her because shee loved much. But that it was not her love, that justified her, but her faith, our Saviour, who had so highly commended her love doth in expresse termes testifie: thy faith hath saved thee, goe in peace, upon which wordes of our Saviour shee, who was formerly justified before God by a true justifying faith, which our Saviour professeth, and which shee testified by her love and by her repentance, departed home justified in the Court of her owne conscience by speciall faith, and being justified by faith, had peace with God.
4. As for his allegation out of Gal. 5. 6, that faith worketh by love: it hath no colour of proofe that love disposeth unto justification, but rather the contrary. For he that is indued with faith working by love, is already justified.
§. IV. The Councell of Aurenge hee alleageth against himselfe.Concil. Arausican. Ca…ult▪ For if God doe first inspire faith and love (it speaketh of those who are adult… ) that wee may faithfully require the sacrament of Baptisme; then are we first justified by faith, and afterwards receive the sacrament, as Abraham did circumcision, as the sac…ament and seal… of justification by faith. And this is generally to be understood of Sacraments received by them, who are come to yeares of discretion; that they must be endued with justifying faith when they come to receive the Sacraments; otherwise they receive no benefit by them. For as touching Baptisme, our Saviour saith, hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved; but hee that beleeveth not (whether hee be baptized, or not bapti…ed,) he shall bee condemned. And as touching the Eucharist, it is certaine, that no man can receive Christ therein without faith: which is both the hand of the soule to receive him: and as it were the mouth of the soule to eat his body and to drinke his bloud. And further, Sacraments are seales anne…ed to the letters patents of Gods promises in the Gospell, and therefore confirme or assure nothing, but what is contained in the promise, and upon the same conditions. The condition is faith.
Obiect. But you will say, if a man must be justified before he receive the Sacrament, to what end doth hee then receive it? Answ. that hee who is justified before God by the former degree of faith, may by speciall faith, confirmed by the Sacrament, bee justified in his owne conscience, that is, that hee may in some measure be assured thereof.
§. V. Bellarmine, having produced his owne arguments, hee commethBèllarmines answeres to our arguments. The first, 1 Ioh. 4. 19. now to answer such, as he saith, are ours. The first, out of 1 Ioh. 4. 19. wee love God, because he first loved us. Now God loveth no man actually whom hee doth not justifie, and reconcile unto himselfe in Christ; for untill then wee are in the state of enemies. Neither doth any that is not justified nor reconciled to God in Christ, love him: or if hee doe then doth hee love God before God loveth him. Gods love therefore goeth before our justification, and our justification goeth before our love of God. Neither is this onelyonly true, that God loveth us before wee love him, but before wee can love him aright, wee must bee perswaded of his love towards us, which perswasion is faith, from which love proceedeth, 1 Tim. 1. 5. Bellarmine answereth, that God indeed loveth men first, and by loving them maketh them just but by little and little and by certaine meanes. For whom hee loveth, hee first calleth to faith, then he inspireth into them hope and feare and love inchoated, lastly, he justifieth and infuseth perfect charity. Reply, First, that which he speaketh of making just by little and little may agree to sanctification, but to justification it agreeth not; for thereof there are no degrees. Secondly, It would bee knowne, whether this beginning of charity, which he saith goeth before justification, bee the same which in justification is infused, differing only in degree, If it be not the same, how is it charitas inchoata and if it be not infused, as well as that in the act of justification, why doth he say it is inspired? If it bee the same, then gratia gratum faciens is inspired before regeneration, before which wee are nothing but flesh, and in our flesh there is no good thing. And by this reason justification shall bee nothing else but the perfecting of that charity which before was begun: neither can a man bee truely said to bee justified by charity, who is not endu…d with perfect charity, perfectly and fully expelling all sin: which in this life is never perfect (much lesse in incipients) nor ever doth so expell sinne, but that allwayes whiles wee are in our mortall bodies sinne remaineth in us. Wherefore the Papists doe never attaine to that which they call justification, which indeed is not justification, but the perfection of sanctification. Or if they say they doe attaine unto it, and that they have no sinne, they are lyars, and there is no truth in them.
§. VI. Our second argument: no man can love God in any acceptableOur second argument. measure, unlesse hee have the Spirit of God dwelling in him: for love is a fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22. to this purpose hee citeth for us, Rom. 5. 5. which allegation hee cannot answere, because he understandeth the place of our love of God, which is shed abroad into our har…s by the holy Ghost. Now no men have the Spirit of God, but they who are regenerated and justified: for the Spirit of truth the world cannot receive. Ioh. 14. 27. Bellarmine saith, this is true of perfect love, but imperfect love and inchoated which even now out of the Counsel of Aureng he confessed to be inspired of the holy Spirit, may be had without the Spirit; but not without Gods speciall helpe. Which words discover unto us one of the depthes of Satan in the mystery of iniquity. For the Papists, as they doe wonderfully extenuate originall sinne, so doe they use to magnifie the strength of nature corrupted. They doe not acknowledge that, which the Scriptures plainely teach, that by nature cEph. 2. 1, 5. Joh. 5. 25. Col. 2. 13. Rom. 8. 6wee are dead in sinne: onelyonly they say that we are diseased with sinne, and entangled and bound with the chaines of sinne, so that if wee bee not holpen of God, wee are not able to doe that which is good. But if God doe afford u… his speciall helpe, then we can have faith, and feare, and hope, and love, and the other preparations. And further the privative corruption which they cannot deny to be in originall sinne, they confesse by the halves, or not so much: for the privation which is in originall sinne is not onelyonly of the act, which they doe not wholly confesse but of the power and the habit it selfe. So that in us by nature there is a meere impotencie to that which is spiritually good, in respect whereof wee have lost bonum possibilitatis as Augustine teacheth. Wherefore that wee may bee enabled to beleeve, to hope, to love, to feare God, to purpose amendment of life, &c. it is necessary that wee should bee not holpen, or loosed, but renewed, regenerated, created a new, and raised from the grave of sinne.
§. VII. And here I am to mention two things, both for the comfortWhether the beginnings of grace be graces of true though weake Christians, and also for the detestation of popery. These beginnings of faith, of hope, of love, of amendment of life, the Papists doe not acknowledge to be graces infused, but the fruits of nature assisted with Gods special helpe, by which, they being holpen of God doe prepare and dispose themselves to the grace of justification, which is given to man according to their owne preparative dispositions. But forasmuch as these beginnings of faith and other vertues are not the fruits of nature (for in our flesh there is no good thing, and that which is borne of the flesh is flesh; the very disposition of our nature being enmity against God) but of the regenerating spirit: the weake Christians therefore; though the graces of God in them are weake and small, even as a graine of Mustard-seed: yet if they bee true and unfained, they are to be perswaded, that the Lord, who in his children accepteth the will for the deed, will accept of them, as the fruits of his spirit; seeing hee professeth, that hee will not quench the dMat. 12. 20.smoaking flaxe, nor breake the bruised reed. And surely, if the Spirit of God bee the author of no charity, but that which is perfect, then is he author of none in this life, wherein wee receive but the first cRom. 8. 23.fruits of the Spirit.
2. The Papists doe not hold themselves to bee justified untill perfect charity bee infused into them, by infusion whereof all sinne is expelled. So that in any one of them being justified no sinne remaineth. And therefore whiles sinne remaineth in them (as it doth alwayes even in the best, during this life) they are not justified. No marvell then that Papists cannot be assured of their justification, seeing they may bee assured that they are never justified because they never attaine to perfect righteousnesse in this life, and because sinne doth alwayes remaine in them.
§. VIII. Our third argument I propound thus:Our third argument.
None that is a child of wrath and an enemy to God can love
God whiles he continueth in that estate.
But untill their reconciliation and justification all men are children of wrath, and enemies to God.
Therefore before reconciliation and justification no man can love God.
Bellarmine answereth that a man may love God, though God be angry with him: which is in respect of Gods children, who are justified and reconciled unto him; but the question is, whether those that are not yet reconciled and justified, can love God: wee know that Gods anger may stand with reconciliation. For God is angry with his dearest Children when they sinne fEsai. 64. 5. 2 Sam. 11. 27. c. 12. 10, 14.against him, and in his anger hee doth also correct them, with whom notwithstanding he is reconciled for he doth correct them in love and for their good. Gods children therefore may love God, where they know him to be justly angry with them: but they that are enemies, as all are untill they be reconciled, doe not love God: but the very disposition of their corrupt nature is gRom. 8. 7.enmity against God.
§. IX. His fifth disposition is Penitencie, which, as he saith, is a sorowHis fifth disposition, is Petencie. for sinne and a detestation of it: which I deny not, ordinarily to be a disposition in the children of God to repentance. But this is to be understood of the godly sorrow which some call contrition, which is not to be found in naturall men, which is a sorrow conceived, not so much for the punishment deserved, as for the offence of God, whom they have displeased and dishonoured being so gracious a God unto them. This proceedeth from faith and from love. Of this it is said, 2 Cor. 7. 10. that foreign godly sorrow worketh repentance never to be repented of. As for that sorrow, which is conceived not for the offence of God, but for the shame and punishment which follow sinne, which some call attrition, it is of the same nature with servile fear…: which, though in it owne nature it rather driveth from God than draweth to him, as we see in hMat. 27. 3, 5.Iudas; yet God is pleased sometimes to use it as a meanes to draw his elect unto him. But though contrition dispose men to repentance, and attrition be used sometimes as a preparative to faith, because humiliation is the way to exaltation: yet neither of both justifie: and therefore, for all them, faith alone doth justifie.
§. X. But let us examine his proofes: wherein, though his premissesBellarmines proofes. be very weake, yet his conclusion (as allwayes) is very confident. His proofes are these, Act. 11. 18. Therefore God hath given to the Gentiles penance unto life. 2 Cor. 7. 10. The sorrow which is according unto God worketh penance to salvation that is stable. Ezek. 18. 27. when a wicked man shall turne himselfe from his wickednesse, hee shall quicken his soule. What can be more cleare? if penance be given of God unto life, that is, to obtaine life, if sorrow for sinne undertaken for God worke penance to salvation, if he which doth penance doth quicken his owne soule: how doth faith alone justifie, or how doth penance not justifie? Answ. When I consider your arguments, I wonder at your confidence. The word which in the vulgar latine is in the two first places translated poenitentia, and by the Rhemists penance, in the originall is foreign, which is not sorrow for sin, but repentance it selfe, which importeth a change of a mans mind and disposition, and is not a forerunner, but a consequent of justification before God: which in the first place is called repentance unto life, because though it bee no cause, but a consequent of justification, yet it is the way to life, and a necessary forerunner to glorification. The godly sorrow in the second place is commended as an excellent disposition to the renewing ofrepentance in the faithfull not to bee repented of. The third Bellarmine readeth thus: when a wicked man shall turne himselfe from his wickednesse, hee shall make alive his soule, as if a wicked man could either turne himselfe from his wickednesse, or quicken his owne soule, or as if a dead man could restore himselfe to life. But then is the wicked turned, when God doth turne him: and then is his soule quickned, when God doth quicken him. The words are, when the wicked turneth from his wickednesse, hee shall preserve his soule from death; that is, as it is expounded in the next verse, he shall live. Howsoever, this place speaketh not of any foregoing disposition, but of repentance it selfe, which in order of nature never goeth before justification, though many times it be discerned before it, as the cause many times is knowne by the effect. But not whatsoever is necessary to salvation, doth justifie. All the graces of sanctification, and namely repentance, have their necessary use: But justification is ascribed onelyonly to faith, because it is the onelyonly instrument ordained of God to receive Christ, who onelyonly is our righteousnesse.
§. XI. His sixth disposition is a purpose and desire to receive theHis sixth disposition, a desire and purpose to receive the Sacrament. Sacrament: by which, as he conceiveth, justification is conferd. Answ. If we did hold with them (as we doe not) that the Sacraments doe conferre grace ex opere operato, and that without them no man could be justified, and therefore also that they who would be justified▪ ought to desire and purpose to be made pertakers of the Sacrament: yet what would this hinder the justification by faith alone? which if Bellarmine disprove not, all that hee saith is impertinent. How much more, if neither the Sacraments doe conferre grace according to the Popish conceit, nor the desire of the Sacrament be a disposition to justification. All that in this case can truely be said is, that forasmuch as God in his great mercy hath ordained the Sacraments, as effectuall meanes to confirme our faith, and to seale unto us our justification, that it is a signe of a prophane and unsanctified heart, to neglect or to despise such holy ordinances of God.
§. XII. His seventh disposition, is the purpose of a new life, and ofHis seventh disposition a purpose of a new life. observing all the commandements of God, without which wee ought not to be made pertakers of the Sacraments. Answ. This purpose of a new life, is that which the Scriptures call foreign repentance; which is a fruit of justifying faith and a consequent of justification. Seeing therefore those adulti, which come to the Sacraments, ought to bring with them this purpose; it followeth, that they ought first to be justified before God by faith, as Abraham was, and then to receive the Sacrament as a seale of that righteousnesse which is by faith. So that this purpose; though it be necessary to salvation, yet neither doth justifie, nor dispose to justification. The place, which hee citeth out of Ezek. 18. 31. is an exhortation to both the parts of sanctification, viz. mortification, in those words, cast from you all your transgressions: vivification, in those, and make you a new heart and a new spirit. But of justification he speaketh not. Neither are we any where exhorted thereto, or to the parts thereof, which are not our acts, but the actions of God himselfe, who onelyonly remitteth our sinnes and accepteth of us as righteous in Christ by imputation of his righteousnesse. Thus much of his first principall argument taken from the seven dispositions.