adiumento abstinere possunt, et pro quibus a Christi gratia separantur. help of divine grace, they can refrain, and on account of which they are separated from the grace of Christ. Caput XVI. Chapter XVI. De fructu justificationis, hoc est, de merito bonorum operum, deque ipsius meriti ratione. On the fruit of Justification, that is, on the merit of good works, and on the nature of that merit. Hac igitur ratione justificatis hominibus, sive acceptam gratiam perpetuo conservaverint, sive amissam recuperaverint, proponenda sunt apostoli verba: Abundate in omni opere bono, scientes, quod labor vester non est inanis in Domino; non enim injustus est Deus, ut obliviscatur operis vestri et dilectionis, quam ostendistis in nomine ipsius; et: Nolite amittere confidentiam vestram, quæ magnam habet remunerationem. Atque ideo bene operantibus usque in finem, et in Deo sperantibus proponenda est vita æterna, et tanquam gratia filiis Dei per Christum Iesum misericorditer promissa, et tanquam merces ex ipsius Dei promissione bonis ipsorum operibus et mentis fideliter reddenda. Hæc est enim illa corona justitiæ, quam post suum certamen et cursum repositam sibi esse aiebat apostolus, a justo Before men, therefore, who have been justified in this manner,--whether they have preserved uninterruptedly the grace received, or whether they have recovered it when lost,--are to be set the words of the Apostle: Abound in every good work, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord; [177] for God is not unjust, that he should forget your work, and the love which you have shown in his name; [178] and, do not lose your confidence, which hath, a great reward. [179] And, for this cause, life eternal is to be proposed to those working well unto the end, [180] and hoping in God, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Jesus Christ, and as a reward which is according to the promise of God himself, to be faithfully rendered to their good works and merits. For this is that crown of justice which the Apostle declared was, after his fight and course, laid up
judice sibi reddendam; non solum autem sibi, sed et omnibus, qui diligunt adventum ejus: cum enim ille ipse Christus Iesus, tanquam caput in membra et tanquam vitis in palmites, in ipsos justificatos jugiter virtutem influat, quæ virtus bona eorum opera semper antecedit et comitatur et subsequitur, et sine qua nullo pacto Deo grata, et meritoria esse possent: nihil ipsis justificatis amplius deesse credendum est, quo minus plene illis quidem operibus, quæ in Deo sunt facta, divinæ legi pro hujus vitæ statu satisfecisse, et vitam æternam suo etiam tempore (si tamen in gratia decesserint), consequendam, vere promeruisse censeantur, cum Christus, Salvator noster, dicat: Si (quis biberit ex aqua, quam ego dabo ei, non sitiet in æternum, sed fiet in eo fons aquæ salientis in vitam æternam for him, to be rendered to him by the just Judge, and not only to him, but also to all that love his coming. [181] For, whereas Jesus Christ himself continually infuses his virtue into the said justified,--as the head into the members, and the vine into the branches,--and this virtue always precedes and accompanies and follows their good works, which without it could not in any wise be pleasing and meritorious before God,--we must believe that nothing further is wanting to the justified, to prevent their being accounted to have, by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited eternal life, to be obtained also in its (due) time, if so be, however, that they depart in grace: seeing that Christ, our Saviour, saith: If any one shall drink of the water that I will give him, he shall not thirst forever; but it shall become in him, a fountain of water springing up unto life everlasting. [182] Ita neque propria nostra justitia, tanquam ex nobis propria statuitur, neque ignoratur aut repudiatur justitia Dei; quæ enim justitia nostra dicitur, quia per eam nobis inhærentem justificamur, illa eadem Thus, neither is our own justice established as our own as from ourselves; [183] nor is the justice of God ignored or repudiated: for that justice which is called ours, because that we are justified from its being inherent in us, that same is (the justice) of
Dei est, quia a Deo nobis infunditur per Christi meritum. Neque vero illud omittendum est, quod licet bonis operibus in sacris litteris usque adeo tribuatur, ut etiam qui uni ex minimis suis potum aquæ frigidæ dederit, promittat Christus eum non esse sua mercede cariturum, et apostolus testetur, id quod in præsenti est momentaneum et leve tribulationis nostræ, supra modum in sublimitate æternum glorias pondus operari in nobis: absit tamen, ut Christianus homo in se ipso vel confidat vel glorietur, et non in Domino, cujus tanta est erga omnes homines bonitas, ut eorum velit esse merita, quæ sunt ipsius dona. Et quia in multis offendimus omnes, unusquisque, sicut misericordiam et bonitatem, ita severitatem et judicium ante oculos habere debet, neque se ipsum aliquis, etiam si nihil sibi conscius fuerit, judicare; quoniam omnis hominum vita non humano judido examinanda et judicanda est, sed Dei, qui illuminabit abscondita tenebrarum, et manifestabit consilia cordium: et tunc laus erit unicuique a Deo, qui, ut scriptum God, because that it is infused into us of God, through the merit of Christ. Neither is this to be omitted,--that although, in the sacred writings, so much is attributed to good works, that Christ promises, that even he that shall give a drink of cold water to one of his least ones, shall not lose his reward; [184] and the Apostle testifies that, That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; [185] nevertheless God forbid that a Christian should either trust or glory in himself, and not in the Lord, whose bounty towards all men is so great, that he will have the things which are his own gifts be their merits. And forasmuch as in many things we all offend, [186] each one ought to have before his eyes, as well the severity and judgment, as the mercy and goodness (of God); neither ought any one to judge himself, even though he be not conscious to himself of any thing; [187] because the whole life of man is to be examined and judged, not by the judgment of man, but of God, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man
est, reddet unicuique opera sua. have praise from God, [188] who, as it is written, will render to every man according to his works. [189] Post hanc catholicam de justificatione doctrinam, quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque receperit, justificari non poterit, placuit sanctæ synodo hos canones subjungere, ut omnes sciant, non solum quid tenere et sequi, sed etiam quid vitare et fugere debeant. After this Catholic doctrine on Justification, which whoso receiveth not faithfully and firmly can not be justified, it hath seemed good to the holy Synod to subjoin these canons, that all may know not only what they ought to hold and follow, but also what to avoid and shun. DE JUSTIFICATIONE. ON JUSTIFICATION. Canon I.--Si quis dixerit, hominem suis operibus, quæ vel per humanæ naturæ vires, vel per legis doctrinam fiant, absque divina per Iesum Christum gratia posse justificari coram Deo: anathema sit. CANON I.--If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ: let him be anathema. Canon II.--Si quis dixerit, ad hoc solum divinam gratiam per Christum Iesum dari, ut facilius homo juste vivere, ac vitam æternam promereri possit; quasi per liberum arbitrium sine gratia utrumque, sed ægre tamen et difficulter possit: anathema, sit. CANON II.--If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free-will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty: let him be anathema. Canon III.--Si quis dixerit, sine præveniente Spiritus Sancti inspiratione atque ejus adjutorio hominem credere, sperare, diligere, aut pænitere posse, sicut CANON III.--If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he
oportet, ut ei justificationis gratia conferatur: anathema sit. ought, so that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him: let him be anathema. Canon IV.--Si quis dixerit, liberum hominis arbitrium a Deo motum et excitatum nihil cooperari assentiendo Deo excitanti atque vocanti, quo ad obtinendam justificationis gratiam se disponat ac præparet; neque posse dissentire, si velit, sed veluti inanime quoddam nihil omnino agere, mereque passive se habere: anathema sit. CANON IV.--If any one saith, that man's free-will moved and excited by God, by assenting to God exciting and calling, nowise co-coperates towards disposing and preparing itself for obtaining the grace of Justification; that it can not refuse its consent, if it would, but that, as something inanimate, it does nothing whatever and is merely passive: let him be anathema. Canon V.--Si quis liberum hominis arbitrium post Adæ peccatum amissum et extinctum esse dixerit, aut rem esse de solo titulo, imo titulum sine re, figmentum denique a Satana invectum in ecclesiam: anathema sit. CANON V.--If any one saith, that, since Adam's sin, the free-will of man is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing with only a name, yea a name without a reality, a figment, in fine, introduced into the Church by Satan: let him be anathema. Canon VI.--Si quis dixerit, non esse in potestate hominis, vias suas malas facere, sed mala opera ita, ut bona, Deum operari, non permissive solum, sed etiam proprie et per se, adeo ut sit proprium ejus opus non minus proditio Iudæ, quam vocatio Pauli: anathema sit. CANON VI.--If any one saith, that it is not in man's power to make his ways evil, but that the works that are evil God worketh as well as those that are good, not permissively only, but properly, and of himself, in such wise that the treason of Judas is no less his own proper work than the vocation of Paul: let him be anathema. Canon VII.--Si quis dixerit, opera omnia, quæ ante justiftcationem fiunt, quacumque ratione CANON VII.--If any one saith, that all works done before Justification, in whatsoever way they be
facta sint, vere esse peccata, vel odium Dei mereri, aut, quanto vehementius quis nititur se disponere ad gratiam, tanto eum gravius peccare: anathema sit. done, are truly sins, or merit the hatred of God; or that the more earnestly one strives to dispose himself for grace, the more grievously he sins: let him be anathema. Canon VIII.--Si quis dixerit, gehennæ metum, per quem ad misericordiam Dei de peccatis dolendo confugimus vel a peccando abstinemus, peccatum esse, aut peccatores peiores facere: anathema sit. CANON VIII.--If any one saith, that the fear of hell,--whereby, by grieving for our sins, we flee unto the mercy of God, or refrain from sinning,--is a sin, or makes sinners worse: let him be anathema. Canon IX.--Si quis dixerit, sola fide impium justificari, ita ut intelligat nihil aliud requiri, quod ad justificationis gratiam consequendam cooperetur, et nulla ex parte necesse esse, eum suæ voluntatis motu præparari atque disponi: anathema sit. CANON IX.--If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified, in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will: let him be anathema. Canon X.--Si quis dixerit, homines sine Christi justitia, per quam nobis meruit, justificari, aut per eam ipsam formaliter justos esse: anathema sit. CANON X.--If any one saith, that men are just without the justice of Christ, whereby he merited for us to be justified; or that it is by that justice itself that they are formally just: let him be anathema. Canon XI.--Si quis dixerit, homines justificari, vel sola imputatione justitiæ Christi, vel sola peccatorum remissione, exclusa gratia et caritate, quæ in cordibus eorum per Spiritum Sanctum diffundatur atque illis CANON XI.--If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, [190]