Scribes and Pharisees drew a false conclusion, that internal sins were not prohibited; but in the New Law our Redeemer has explained that even wicked desires are forbidden: "You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. v. 27, 28). This stands to reason, for if we do not reject evil desires, it would be very difficult to avoid actual external sins; but when these desires are rejected, they are a matter of merit to us, instead of deserving of punishment. St. Paul deplored that he was tormented with carnal temptations, and prayed to God to free him from them, but was answered that his grace alone was sufficient: "There was given to me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan to buffet me, which thing thrice I besought the Lord that it might depart from me, and he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee, for is made perfect in infirmity" (2 Cor. xii. 7, &c.) Mark here, "power is made perfect," which proves that when evil desires are rejected, they increase, instead of weakening our virtue. Here we should also take occasion to remark, that the Apostle says that God does not permit that we should be tempted beyond our strength: " God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able" (1 Cor. x. 12).

power

6. They also assert that it is impossible to observe the first commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart." How is it possible, says Calvin, for us, living in a state of corruption, to keep our hearts continually occupied with the Divine love? Calvin understands the commandment in this way, but St. Augustin (1) does not, for he counsels us that we cannot observe it as to the words, but we can as to the obligation. We fulfil this commandment by loving God above all things, that is, by preferring the Divine grace to everything created. The angelic Doctor, St. Thomas (2) teaches the same. We observe, he says, the precept of loving God with all our hearts, when we love him above everything else: "Cum mandatur, quod Deum ex toto corde diligamus, datur intelligi, quod Deum super omnia debemus diligere." The substance of the first commandment, then, consists in the obligation of preferring God above all things else, and, therefore, Jesus says that "he who loves father or mother more than me... is not worthy of me" (Matt. x. 37). And St. Paul, confiding in the Divine grace, says that he is certain that nothing created could separate him from the love of God: "For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities... nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God" (Rom. viii. 38, 39). Calvin (3) not alone taught the impossibility of observing the first and tenth

(1) St. Aug. l. de Sp. & Lit. c. 1, & l. de Perf. just. Resp. (2) St. Thom. 2, 2 qu. 44, art. 8, ad 2. (3) Calvin in Antid. Con. Trid. Sess. vi. c. 12.

commandments, but even that the observance of any of the others was impossible.

7. They object, first, that St. Peter said, in the Council of Jerusalem: "Now, therefore, why tempt you God to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear" (Acts, xv. 10). Here the Apostle himself declares that the observance of the law is impossible. We answer, that St. Peter here does not speak of the moral, but of the ceremonial law, which should not be imposed on Christians, since the Hebrews themselves found it so difficult, that very few of them. observed it, though several, however, did so, as St. Luke tells us that St. Zachary and St. Elizabeth did: "They were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord, without blame" (Luke, i. 6).

8. They object, secondly, that text of the Apostle: "For I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good. For to will, is present with me; but to accomplish that which is good, I find not" (Romans, vii. 18). Now, when he says "that there dwelleth not in me that which is good" he tells us that the law cannot be observed; but we should not separate that passage from what follows: "that is to say, in my flesh." What St. Paul means to say is, that the flesh is opposed to the spirit, and no matter how good our will may be, we never can be exempt from every movement of concupiscence; but these movements, as we have already said, do not prevent us from observing the law.

9. They object, thirdly, that St. John says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John, i. 8). We answer that the Apostle does not mean by that, that it is impossible for us to observe the commandments, so that no one can escape falling into mortal sin, but that on account of the present weakness of corrupt nature, no one is exempt from venial sins, as the Council of Trent declared (Sess. vi. cap. 11): "Licet enim in hac mortali vita quantumvis sancti, et justi in levia saltem, et quotidiana, quæ etiam venialia dicuntur peccata, quandoque cadant, non propterea desinunt esse justi."

10. They object, fourthly, that St. Paul says: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us" (Gal. iii. 13). Therefore, say our adversaries, Christ, by the merits of his death, has exempted us from the obligation of observing the law. We answer: It is quite a different thing to say that Christ has freed us from the malediction of the law, since his grace gives us strength to observe, and thus avoid the malediction fulminated by the law against its transgressors, and to assert that he has freed us from the observance of the law, which is totally false.

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11. They object, fifthly, that the Apostle says, in another place: Knowing this, that the law is not made for the just man, but for the unjust and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners"

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(1 Tim. i. 9). Joining this passage with the other just quoted, they say that our Redeemer has freed us from the obligation of observing the commandments, and that when he told the young man (Matt. xix. 17), "If you wish to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments," he only spoke ironically, as much as to say, Keep them if you can," knowing that it was quite impossible for a child of Adam to observe them. We answer, with St. Thomas (4), that the law, as to the directive power, is given both to the just and to the unjust, to direct all men as to what they ought to do; but as to the co-active power, the law is not imposed on those who voluntarily observe it without being constrained to observe it, but on the wicked who wish to withdraw themselves from it, for it is these alone should be constrained to observe it. The explanation of the text, "Keep the commandments," given by the Reformers, that Christ spoke ironically, is not only heretical, but totally opposed to common sense and Scripture, and is not worth an answer. The true doctrine in this matter is that of the Council of Trent (5): "Deus impossibilia non jubet, sed jubendo monet, et facere quod possis, et petere quod non possis, et adjuvat ut possis" (Sess. vi. c. 13). He, therefore, gives to every one the ordinary grace to observe the commandments, and whenever a more abundant grace is required, if we pray to him for it, we are sure of obtaining it.

12. This was the answer of St. Augustin to the Adrometines, who objected to him, that if God does not give us sufficient grace to observe the law, he should not chastise us for violating it: "Cur me corripis? et non potius Ipsum rogas, ut in me operetur et velle" (6). And the Saint answers: Qui corrigi non vult, et dicit, Ora potius pro me; ideo corripiendus est, ut faciat (id est oret) etiam ipse pro se." Therefore, says St. Augustin, although man does not receive efficacious grace from God to fulfil the law, still he should be punished, and commits a sin by violating it, because, having it in his power to pray, and by prayer obtain more abundant assistance to enable him to observe it, he neglects to pray, and thus does not observe the law. It would be quite otherwise, if it were not granted to all to pray, and, by prayer, obtain strength to do what is right. But another efficacious grace is necessary to pray, and, in my opinion, St. Augustin would not have answered the Adrometines rationally, that man should be punished if he did not pray for himself, for they might in that case answer him, how can he pray, if he have not efficacious grace to pray?

SEC. III.—THAT GOOD WORKS ARE NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, AND THAT FAITH ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT.

13. LUTHER said that, not alone the works of infidels and sinners

(4) St. Thom. 1, 2, qu. 96, art. 5. (5) Ap. St. Aug. de Corrept. et Grat. t. 10, c. 4, n. 6, in fine. (6) St. Aug. ibid. c. 5, n. 7.

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were of no use, but that even works performed by the just are mere sins, or, at all events, vitiated by sin. Here are his words: In omni opere bono justus peccat (1). Opus bonum, optime factum, est mortale peccatum secundum judicium Dei (2). Justus in bono opere peccat mortaliter" (3). Becanus (4) says that Calvin taught the same, that the works of the just are nothing but iniquity. O, my God, how blind is the human understanding, when it loses the light of Faith! This blasphemy of Luther and Calvin was properly condemned by the Council of Trent (Sess. vi. Can. 22): "Si quis in quodlibet bono opere justum saltem venialiter peccare dixerit, aut quod intolerabilius est, mortaliter, atque ideo pœnas æternas mereri; tantumque ob id non damnari, quia Deus ea opera non imputet ad damnationem; anathema sit." They quote Isaias, however, who says (lxiv. 6): "And we have all become as one unclean, and all our justices," &c. But, as St. Cyril explains this text, the Prophet here is not speaking of the works of the just, but of the iniquity of the Jews of that day. How could good works possibly be sinful, when Christ exhorts us to perform them: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works" (Matt. v. 16). They are not sins; but, on the contrary, God delights in them, and without them we cannot obtain salvation. Nothing can be clearer than the Scripture on this point: "Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father" (Matt. vii. 21). To do the will of God is to do good works: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. xix. 17). When God shall condemn the wicked, he shall say to them: "“Go from me, ye accursed." And why? "For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink" (Matt. xxv. 42). "Patience is necessary for you: that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise" (Heb. x. 36). "What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall Faith be able to save him?" (James, ii. 14). Here it is proved that works are necessary for salvation, and that Faith is not alone sufficient. We will treat this subject more extensively by-and-by.

14. Our adversaries object, that St. Paul, writing to Titus (iii. 5-7), says: "Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost. Whom he hath poured forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: That being justified by his grace, we may be heirs, according to hope of life everlasting." Therefore, they say that no work of ours, though a work of justice, is available to salvation; but that we should rest

(2) Idem. art. 33.

(1) Luther, in Assert. art. 31. (3) Idem. art. 36 (4) Becan. Man. contr. l. 1, c. 18, ex Calv. Inst. l. 2, t. 1, sec. 9, &c.

all our hopes of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, who, by his merits, has obtained both grace and salvation for us. To answer this argument clearly, we must make several distinctions. We can deserve grace and eternal salvation in two ways-de condigno and de congruo. To deserve it de condigno, it is necessary that the remunerator should be obliged to reward us, as a debt of justice; but to deserve it, de congruo, the remunerator has no obligation to reward us—it is fit that he should do so, but it is totally an act of liberality on his part. Now, as far as human merit is with God as a matter of justice, several conditions are requisite. The act itself must be good; it is requisite that he who performs it be in a state of grace, and, on the part of the Almighty it is necessary that he should have promised to reward us, for he, as man's supreme Lord, might require all service from him, without any reward at all. To make it a debt of justice, therefore, it is necessary that a gratuitous Divine promise should have been already given, by which God himself gratuitously makes himself a debtor for the reward promised. It is after this manner that St. Paul could say that he expected, in justice, eternal life, as the reward of his good works: "I have fought the good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the Faith. As to the next, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge, will render to me in that day" (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). And here St. Augustin (5) says: "Debitorem Dominus ipse se fecit, non accipiendo, sed promittendo. Non ei dicimus: Redde quod accepisti, sed redde quod promisisti."

15. Here, then, is what the Catholic Church teaches. No man can merit actual justifying grace de condigno, but only de congruo, and Melancthon stated a falsehood in his Apology of the Confession of Augsburg (p. 137), when he asserted that we believe we can merit justification by our works. The Council of Trent has declared, and this is our faith, and no other, that sinners are justified gratuitously by God, and that no work of theirs preceding their justification can deserve it. But the Council has also said that man justified, although he cannot de condigno merit final perseverance (Sess. vi. c. 13), still can merit de condigno, by the good works he does, assisted by Divine grace, and the merits of Christ, the augmentation of grace and eternal life. The Council fulminates its anathema against all who deny this doctrine, in the Sixth Session (Can. 33): "Si quis dixerit hominis justificati bona opera ita esse dona Dei, ut non sint etiam bona ipsius justificati merita; aut ipsum justificatum bonis operibus, quæ ab eo per Dei gratiam, et per Jesu Christi meritum, cujus vivum membrum est, fiunt, non vere mereri augmentum gratiæ, vitam æternam, et ipsius vitæ æternæ (si tamen in gratia decesserit) consecutionem, atque etiam

(5) St. Augus. in Psalm, 83.