after he had fought his fight and finished his course; and not to him only, but to all them also that love his coming, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. And seeing that Christ Jesus imparts energy to the justified, as the head to the members, and the vine to the branches; which energy always precedes, accompanies, and follows their, good works, and without which they could not be acceptable to God, nor meritorious; it must be believed that the justified are in no respect deficient, but that they may be considered as fully satisfying the divine law, (as far as is compatible with our present condition,) by their works, which are wrought in God, and as really deserv ing eternal life, to be bestowed in due time, if they die in a state of grace;5 52 for Christ our Saviour saith, 'He that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever, but the water that I shall give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.' John iv. 13, 14. So that neither is our righteousness set up as if it were actually derived from ourselves, nor is the righteousness of God unknown or disallowed. For it is called our righteous

52"Christ's paines or passions have not so satisfied for all that Christian men be discharged of their particular suffering or satisfying for each man's own part; neither be our paines nothing worth to the attainment of heaven, because Christ hath done enough, but quite contrary: he was by his passion exalted to the glory of heaven, therefore we by compassion or partaking with him in the like passions, shall atteine to be fellowes with him in his kingdome." Rhemish Testament, Rom. viii. 17. Elsewhere, the same writers affirm that "Christian men's workes" are "joyned with God's grace, as causes of our salvation," and that they "doe merit heaven!" Notes on Rom. ii. 6, 32.

"We will prove," says Bellarmine, "and this is the common opinion of all Catholics, that the good works of the just are truly and properly merits, deserving eternal life itself," De Justif. lib. V. c. 1.

6

"Not only are we promised those blessings which seem to have reference to earthly happiness, to be 'blessed in the city, and blessed in the field,' (Deut. xxviii. 3.,) but we are also promised 'a very great reward in heaven,' good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over,' (Mat. v. 12; Luke vi. 38,) which aided by the divine mercy, we merit by our actions when recommended by piety and justice."""When we offend God by sin, wrong our neiglibour, or injure ourselves, we appease the wrath of God by prayer; by alms-deeds we redeem our offences against man; and by fasting we appease God, and efface from our own souls the stains of sin," Catechism, pp. 347, 475.

Tress, because we are justified thereby, through its indwelling in us; and at the same time it is the righte ousness of God, because it is infused into us by God, through the merits of Christ. Nevertheless, it is not to be forgotten that though the sacred Scriptures attach so much value to good works, that Christ promises 'that whosoever shall give to drink to one of his little ones a cup of cold water only he shall not lose his reward,' (Mat. x. 42,) and the apostle testifies that that which is at present momentary and light of our affliction worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory,' (2 Cor. iv. 17;) yet far be it from a Christian man that he should trust or glory in himself, and not in the Lord, whose goodness towards all men is so great, that he wills those excellencies which are his own gifts to be also regarded as their merits. And since in many things we all offend, every one ought to set before his eyes the severity and justice of God, as well as his mercy and goodness, nor judge himself, although unconscious of guilt: for the actions of men are not to be examined and judged by human judgment, but by God's; who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise from God,' who, it is written, 'will render to every man according to his works.' 1 Cor. iv. 5; Rom, ii. 6."

"To this exposition of the Catholic doctrine of justification, without a sincere and firm faith in which no one can be justified, the holy council hath thought fit to subjoin these canons, that all may know, not only what is to be held and followed, but also what is to be rejected and shunned :

"Canon 1. Whoever shall affirm, that a man may be justified before God by his own works, whether performed by the strength of human nature, or according to the teaching of the law, without the grace of God in Christ Jesus, let him be accursed.

"2. Whoever shall affirm, that divine grace by Christ Jesus was given to this end only, that man might be better able to live righteously, and deserve eternal tife;

as if he could do both by his own free will, although with extreme difficulty: let him be accursed.

σε 3. Whoever shall affirm, that man is able to believe, hope, love, or repent as he ought, so as to attain to the grace of justification, without the preventing influence and aid of the Holy Spirit: let him be accursed.

"4. Whoever shall affirm, that when man's free will is moved and wrought upon by God, it does in no respect co operate and consent to divine influence and calling, so as to dispose and prepare him to obtain the grace of justification; or that he cannot refuse if he would, but is like a lifeless thing, altogether inert, and merely passive: let him be accursed.

"5. Whoever shall affirm, that the free will of man has been lost and extinct since the fall of Adam; or that it exists only in name, or rather as a name without substance; or that it is a fiction, introduced by Satan into the church: let him be accursed.

6. "Whoever shall affirm, that it is not in the power of man to commit sin of himself, but that evil as well as good works are wrought by God, not only permissively, but really, as his own act; so that the treachery of Judas was no less his work than the calling of Paul: let him be accursed.

"7. Whoever shall affirm, that all works done before justification, in whatever way performed, are actually sins, and deserve God's hatred; or that the more earnestly a man labours to dispose himself for grace, he does but sin the more: let him be accursed. 5 3

"8. Whoever shall affirm, that the fear of hell, under the influence of which we flee to the mercy of God, sorrowing for sin and abstaining therefrom, is itself sin, or makes sinners worse: let him be accursed.

"9. Whoever shall affirm, that the ungodly is justified by faith only, so that it is to be understood that nothing else is to be required, to co-operate therewith in order to obtain justification; and that it is on no ac

53"They curse the Apostle who denies that any one can please God without faith. They curse Christ and Paul, who pronounce all unbelievers to be dead, and to be awakened from the sleep of death by the Gospel." Calvin. Antidot. p. 230.

count necessary that he should prepare and dispose himself by the effect of his own will: let him be accursed.

10. Whoever shall affirm, that men are justified without the righteousness of Christ, by which he has merited for us; or that they are thereby formally just;5 let him be accursed.

"11. Whoever shall affirm, that men are justified solely by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, or the remission of sin, to the exclusion of grace and charity, which is shed abroad in their hearts, and inheres in them; or that the grace by which we are justified is only the favour of God; 55 let him be accursed.

"12. Whoever shall affirm, that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy, by which sins are forgiven for Christ's sake; or that it is that confidence only by which we are justified: let him be accursed.

"13. Whoever shall affirm, that in order to obtain the forgiveness of sin it is necessary in all cases that the individual should firmly believe, without any doubt concerning his own infirmity and corruption, that his sins are forgiven: let him be accursed.

"14. Whoever shall affirm, that a man is forgiven and justified, because he steadfastly believes that he is forgiven and justified; or that no one is truly justified unless he believes himself to be so; or that it is by such faith only that pardon and justification are obtained: let him be accursed. 5 6

54 It has been already affirmed, that "inherent" righteousness is the formal cause of justification; the redemption of Christ is termed the meritorious cause, not because thereby solely we are accepted before God-this is denied in the next canon, but because it gives efficacy to our righteousness; so that, according to the Roman Cas tholic scheme, salvation is of works.

55 Bellarmine gives this gloss upon Rom. iii. 24. "The 'favour of God,' is sufficiently explained by the word 'freely,' for he whe justifies freely, certainly justifies out of benevolence and liberality. Therefore the additional clause, 'by his grace,' does not signify his favour, but something else, namely, the effect thereof." De Justific. lib. ii. c. 3.

56 "I do not see why they should condemn the same individual twice; unless they were afraid that the thunderbolt did not strike him the first time." Calvin ut sup. p. 251.

"15. Whoever shall affirm, that the faith of a renewed and justified man requires him to believe that he is certainly one of the predestinate: let him be accursed.

"16. Whoever shall affirm, that he shall most surely, certainly, and infallibly enjoy the great gift of perseverance unto the end; unless he hath learned the same by special revelation; let him be accursed.

"17. Whoever shall affirm, that the grace of justification belongs only to those who are predestinated to life; and that all others though they are called, are not called to receive grace, being by the ordinance of God predestinated to misery; let him be accursed.

"18. Whoever shall affirm, that it is impossible even for a justified man, living in a state of grace, to keep the commandments of God; let him be accursed.

"19. Whoever shall affirm, that the gospel contains no positive command but to believe; and that all the rest are indifferent, being neither enjoined nor prohibited, but free; or that the ten commandments are not binding upon Christians; let him be accursed.

"20. Whoever shall affirm, that a justified man, how perfect soever, is not bound to keep the commandments of God and the church, but only to believe; as if the gospel were a naked and absolute promise of eternal life, without the condition of keeping the commandments: let him be accursed.

"21. Whoever shall affirm, that Christ Jesus was given by God to men as a Redeemer to be trusted in, but not also as a Lawgiver to be obeyed; let him be accursed.

"22. Whoever shall affirm, that a justified man is able to persevere in righteousness received without the special help of God; or with that help he cannot: let him be accursed.

"23. Whoever shall affirm, that a man once justified cannot fall into sin any more, nor lose grace, and therefore that he who falls into sin never was truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, all his life long, to avoid all sins, even such as are venial, and that without a special privilege from God, such as the church believes was granted to the blessed Virgin; let him be accursed.