N. Different Conclusions: Habitus
N. Different Conclusions: Habitus
While this point is perhaps minor compared to the others, it is worth considering. As we have observed, Newman disavows habitus as the internal form of righteousness by which one is justified. He does, however, come close to affirming the idea in the third edition of his Lectures when he acknowledges that the infusion of an inherent righteousness is the formal ground of justification: “In this then I conceive to lie the unity of Catholic doctrine on the subject of justification, that we are saved by Christ’s imputed righteousness, and by our own inchoate righteousness at once.”1012 As we noted, this was one of the more significant developments of Newman’s doctrine after his conversion to Catholicism. The basis of his formal cause of justification moved from the forensic imputation of righteousness to the impartation of an inherent righteousness.1013 Even as a Catholic, Newman did not explicitly call this inherent righteousness “habitus.” However, his description of its capacity to grow, even describing it as “habitual,”1014 suggests that this internal disposition of righteousness is essentially habitus.
By contrast, Peter Martyr readily affirms the progressive development of holiness in terms of a “habit” of righteousness.1015 Because men and women in Christ are having their minds and wills renovated by the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, they “cooperate with the power of God.”1016 Such cooperation grows in time and actually becomes a form of iustitia inhaerens which leads to further acts of piety.1017 This, in Vermigli’s words, is the “inherent righteousness which is rooted in us, which we obtain and confirm by leading a continually upright life.”1018
In the final analysis, the question of whether Newman and Vermigli agree on this point depends on how one understands the development of Newman’s doctrine from the first to the third editions of his Lectures. Those who recognize continuity between these works will argue that Newman maintains his rejection of habitus. For those who think Newman altered his position in a more Catholic direction, Newman came to embrace habitus, even without the specific term. The latter of these positions seems more probable.