On the threefold light: of nature, of faith or grace, and of glory
Article VI. On the threefold light: of nature, of faith or grace, and of glory.
1. Scholastic theology draws several distinctions from nature, grace, and glory. First: God's kingdom — of nature (his empire over all creatures), of grace (reign in the Church militant), and of glory (reign in the Church triumphant).
2. Second: God's presence — natural or essential (everywhere), gracious (in the just, who are his temple), and glorious (in heaven, manifesting majesty to the blessed).
3. Third: works ad extra — of nature (creation, conservation, cooperation — in him we live and move and are); of grace (the Word's incarnation, humiliation, exaltation, threefold office; effectual calling, regeneration, justification, sanctification); of glory (the elect's glorification and the reprobate's damnation).
4. Fourth: human life — natural (animal and rational), of grace (spiritual life to God by faith and charity), and of glory (seeing God face to face in the homeland).
5. Fifth: God's decree as ordering things of nature, grace, and glory.
6. Sixth, and most to our purpose: the mind's light — of nature (fallen man's power to grasp self-evident principles and natural conclusions); of faith or grace (supernatural illumination believing what Scripture reveals above natural reason); of glory (the blessed's naked, intuitive vision of God).
7. Faith's light stands between nature and glory: above nature (loftier objects, surer foundation), below glory (not intuition but inevident assent on God's testimony).
8. Papists invent a further "prophetic" light by which Church doctors — especially the Roman Pontiff — judge faith infallibly. Scripture does not support it; it shifts wayfarers' faith from God's word to men's judgments.
Latin
ART. VI. De triplici lumine, videlicet naturae, fidei seu gratiae, & gloriae. 1. In Theologia Scholastica variae inveniuntur distinctiones petitae ab istis tribus terminis: natura, gratia, & gloria. Prima est, qua DEI Opt. Max. regnum distinguitur, in regnum naturae, regnum gratiae, & regnum gloriae. Regnum naturae, est naturale illud imperium, quod DEUS habet in omnes res creatas, quas pro arbitrio regit & gubernat. Regnum gratiae, est quo DEUS regnat in Ecclesia sua in terris militante. Regnum gloriae est, quo regnat in Ecclesia in coelis triumphante. 2. Secunda distinctio est qua DEI localis praesentia distinguitur in praesentiam naturalem, seu essentialem, gratiosam, & gloriosam. Secundum praesentiam naturalem DEUS est ubique: per praesentiam gratiosam DEUS dicitur esse in justis & sanctis hominibus, & vicissim illi habitaculum & Templum DEI dicuntur; & per praesentiam gloriosam Deus dicitur esse in coelis, ubi gloriam suam & majestatem beatis hominibus & Angelis manifestat. 3. Tertia divisio est qua opera DEI ad extra dividuntur in opera naturae, opera gratiae, & opera gloriae. Opera naturae, sunt rerum visibilium & invisibilium creatio, conservatio, & cum iisdem cooperatio in omnibus earum actionibus: nam in eo vivimus, movemur, & sumus. Opera gratiae, sunt Verbi incarnatio, humiliatio, exaltatio, triplex ejus officium, videlicet Regium, Propheticum, & Sacerdotale: item electorum per verbi praedicationem & Sacramentorum administrationem efficax vocatio, eorundemque regeneratio, justificatio, sanctificatio, & conservatio in statu gratiae. Opera gloriae, sunt electorum glorificatio, & reproborum aeterna damnatio. 4. Quarta distinctio, est qua vita humana dividitur in vitam naturae, vitam gratiae, & vitam gloriae. Vita naturae est, qua vivimus vitam animalem & rationalem. Vita gratiae, est vita spiritualis, qua vivimus DEO per fidem & charitatem. Vita gloriae, est vita beata, qua in patria DEUM facie ad faciem videbimus. 5. Quinta divisio, est qua consilium & decretum DEI distinguitur in decretum naturae, gratiae, & gloriae — seu quo DEUS ordinat res naturales, res gratiae, & res gloriae. 6. Sexta & ad propositum maxime spectans distinctio, est qua lumen seu cognitio mentis humanae distinguitur in lumen naturae, lumen fidei seu gratiae, & lumen gloriae. Lumen naturae, est naturalis illa vis intelligendi, qua homo, etiam lapsus, percipit principia per se nota, & ex iis conclusionibus ratiocinando assequitur notitiam rerum naturalium. Lumen fidei seu gratiae, est supernaturalis illuminatio, qua credimus ea quae DEUS in Scriptura revelavit, & quae supra captum rationis naturalis elevantur. Lumen gloriae, est illa perfecta cognitio DEI, qua beati in patria DEUM nude & intuitive vident. 7. Ex his patet, lumen fidei medium esse inter lumen naturae & lumen gloriae: perfectius est lumine naturae, quia versatur circa objecta sublimiora, & nititur certiore fundamento; imperfectius est lumine gloriae, quia non est intuitiva DEI visio, sed assensus inevidens nitens DEI testimonio. 8. Pontificii non contenti isto triplici lumine, fingunt lumen aliquod propheticum, seu speciale donum, quo Doctores Ecclesiae, & praesertim Pontifex Romanus, infallibiliter de rebus fidei judicent. Sed hoc commentum nullo Scripturae testimonio nititur, & fidem viatorum transfert a DEI verbo ad hominum judicia.
About this text
Robert Baron — Philosophia theologiae ancillans from the 1658 Oxford Latin. Exercitatio Prima Art. I-XII On Being and Essence; Exercitatio Secunda Art. I-XV On the origin of the soul and the propagation of sin. Later Exercitationes / remainder of 213 pp remain.
English follows locked 1658 Oxford Latin. Prima Art. I-XII from IA PDF leaves ~15-53. Secunda Art. I-XV from PDF leaves 56-107 / printed pp.54-105 (tess+pdftotext+DjVu). No modern English copied. Exercitatio Tertia+ remain.
Catalogue & scope
Wing B887. IA bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_philosophia-theologi-an_baron-robert_1658. Exercitatio Prima Art. I-XII; Exercitatio Secunda Art. I-XV (De origine animae & propagatione peccati). Not whole Philosophia (213 pp). Exercitatio Tertia+ remain.
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