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AND THEIR REFUTATION. 263
that Calvin himself knew that man never can be reconciled with
God unless internal and inherent justice is given to him :
" Nun-
quam reconciliamur Deo, quin simul donemur inhserente justitia"
(1). These are his own words, and how can he afterwards
say that through Faith alone we are justified with the imputative
justice of Christ, which is not ours, nor is in us, neither does it
belong to us, and is totally extern to us, and is merely extrinsi-
cally imputed to us, so that it does not make us just, only to be
reputed just? This has been justly condemned by the Council
of Trent (Sess. v, can. 10) :
"
Si quis dixerit, homines sine
Christi justitia, per quam nobis meruit, justificari ; aut per earn
ipsam formaliter justos esse; anathema sit." (Can. 11): "Si
quis dixerit homines justificari vel sola imputatione justitias
Christi, vel sola peccatorum remissione, exclusa gratia, et cari-
tate, quae
in illis inha3reat anathema sit."
33. They object, first, the text (Rom. iv, 5) :
" But
to him
that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly,
that here
his faith is reputed to justice." We answer, briefly,
the Apostle says that faith should be imputed to justice, to teach
us that the sinner is justified, not by his own works, but by his
faith in the merits of Christ ;
but he does not say, that in virtue
of this faith the justice of Christ is extrinsically imputed to the
sinner who, without being just, is reputed so.
34. They object, secondly, that St. Paul says
to Titus: "Not
by the works of justice which we have done, but according to his
mercy, he saved us by the labour of regeneration and renovation
of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath poured forth upon us abun
dantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Tit. iii, 5, 6). There
fore, they say, God justifies us by his mercy, and not by the
works, which we allege are necessary for justification. We reply,
that our works, as hope, charity, and repentance, with a purpose
of amendment, are necessary to render us disposed to receive
grace from God ;
but when the Almighty gives it to us, he does
so not for our works, but through his mercy alone, and the
merits of Jesus Christ. Let them particularly remark the words
"
renovation of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath poured forth
abundantly upon us, through ;"
(1) Calvin,
Jesus Christ our Saviour so that
/. de vera rat. Reform. Ecclcs.