Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsGalatians 5
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read Galatians 5 in the BibleGalatians 5:13
Liberty an occasion.
◦ They abuse the liberty of the Gospel to the advantage of their flesh, that under pretence thereof, shake off their obedience to the laws of man, to the decrees of the Church and Councels, that will live and believe as they list, and not be taught by their Superiors, but fornicate with every Sect-master that teacheth pleasant & licentious things: and all this under pretence of spirit, liberty, and freedom of the Gospel. Such must learn that all heresies, schisms, and rebellions against the Church and their lawful Prelates, be counted here among the works of the flesh. See S. Augustine de fid. & op. c. 24. 25.
- ◦ True liberty, not carnal and fleshly.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
Galatians 5:6
Faith.
This is the faith working by charity, which S. Paul meaneth else-where, when he saith that faith doth justice. And note well that by these terms, Circumcision & Prepuce not available to justification, it is plain that in other places he meaneth the works of Circumcision and Prepuce (that is, of the Jews and the Gentiles) without faith, which avail not, but faith working by charity: as who should say, faith and good works, not works without faith. [1] Again note here, that if the Protestants who pretend conference of places to be the best or only way to explicate hard speeches of the holy Scriptures, had followed but their own rule, this one text would have interpreted & cleared unto them all other whereby justice and salvation might seem to be attributed to faith alone: the Apostle here so expressly setting down, the faith which he commendeth so much before, not to be alone, but with charity: not to be idle, but to be working by Charity: as S. Augustine noteth. de fid. & op. c. 14. [2] Further the good Reader must observe, that whereas the Protestants some of them confess, that Charity and good works be joined and requisite also, and that they exclude them not, but commend them highly, yet so that the said Charity or good works are no part of our justice or any cause of justification, but as fruits and effects of faith only, which they say doth all, yea though the other be present: this false gloss also is reproved evidently by this place, which teacheth us clean contrary: to wit, [3] that faith hath her whole activity and operation toward justice and salvation, of charity, and not contrarywise: without which it cannot have any act meritorious or agreeable to God for our salvation. For which cause S. Augustine saith, li. 13. de Trin. c. 18. Fidem non facit utilem nisi charitas. nothing maketh faith profitable but charity. But the Heretics answer, that where the Apostle saith, faith worketh by charity, he maketh charity to be the instrument only of faith in well working, and therefore the inferior cause at the least. But this also is easily refuted by the Apostle's plain testimony, affirming that charity is [4] the greater virtue, & that if a man had all faith and lacked charity, he were worth nothing. And again, that Charity is the [5] perfection and [6] accomplishment of the Law (as faith is not) which cannot agree to the instrumental or inferior cause. [7] And therefore when it is said that faith worketh by charity, it is not as by an instrument, but as the body worketh by the soul, the matter by the form, without which they have no activity. Whereupon the Schools call charity, the form or life of faith, that is to say, the force, activity, & operative quality thereof, in respect to merit and justice. Which S. James doth plainly insinuate, when he maketh faith without Charity, to be as a dead corpse without soul or life, and therefore without profitable operation. c. 2. v. 26.