Cap. 7 Contra Sol. 4: three reasons; Rupertus and Ambrose

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I answer: once a Divine fact stands, it is rash — not to say impious — to quarrel with its equity or fittingness. We have long shown that by Christ's death that covenant with the human race was fixed, by whose terms eternal life is promised to anyone under the condition of faith. On that covenant Rupert of Deutz (on Genesis 4.34) says: we call it a covenant many times promised but once struck, by which alone the enmities between God and humankind are dissolved — namely the passion of Christ the Son of God. There peace is settled without contradiction when God, receiving human faith, gives people the same Christ his Son that they may be saved through him. So there is no doubt about this Divine ordination, founded in Christ's death and merits and looking to every person. What is still doubted is whether, given this universal covenant of eternal life for all who believe, God may freely show special mercy in giving the elect the saving faith by which they believe — and that through Christ, for his merits applied to them by a peculiar privilege. The fact itself speaks. We see the elect alone, in the outcome, receive from God persevering saving faith. To imagine so great a gift given them in any other way or regard than for Christ's merits, ordained and applied by a special Divine intention, is plainly unlawful. As Ambrose says devoutly, every gift of grace is in Christ — pointing to Ephesians 1:3, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. That settled, though it is needless to debate the fittingness of Divine deeds when the deeds themselves are clear, still, to leave no scruple: first, this special intention by which God decreed, for Christ's merits, to give the elect the special benefits of efficacious grace and salvation does not fight the conditioned covenant Whoever believes will be saved; it is rather a special counsel subordinated to that universal covenant's sure fulfillment. Those left to their own choice under any helps of grace either push faith away or shake it off. Lest that universal covenant bring salvation's effect to no one, God by this special and secret intention saw to it that Christ's death-merit would be applied to some for the sure obtaining of faith and eternal life. Second, nothing unjust or incongruous follows if this special intention of efficacious application of Christ's merits puts forth its force in some, not in all: Christ's death is God's free gift to the human race, so free distribution and application of the overflowing merits ought by every right to hang on God's mere will. Third, God, who in the Gospel promised every person eternal life for Christ's merits if they believe, never promised any unbeliever that for those merits he would make him believe surely and perseveringly. So where is the incongruity? Not on the side of believers and the saved: to give singular persons, for Christ's merits, what was never singularly promised them is not blameworthy injustice but goodness to praise. Not on the side of the unbelieving and lost: to deny someone a benefit you owe him by no title is neither unjust in itself nor unfit for God's highest goodness.

Latin

Respondeo, ubi de facto aliquo Divino constat, temerarium est (ne dicam impium) de aequitate aut congruitate ejusdem dubitare. Jam vero Christi morte esse stabilitum illud pactum cum humano genere, ex cujus tenore vita aeterna cuivis homini sub Fidei conditione promittitur, jam pridem a nobis demonstratum est. De hoc pacto Rupertus, in 4. Genes. cap. 34, Dicimus pactum multoties quidem promissum, sed semel initum, quo solo inimicitiae solvuntur, quae erant inter Deum & homines, passio scilicet Christi Filii Dei. Illic enim absque ulla contradictione certa est constitutio pacis, dum accepta Deus Fide hominum dat hominibus eundem Christum Filium suum, ut salventur per ipsum. De hac itaque Dei ordinatione in Christi morte meritisque fundata, atque ad omnes & singulos spectante, non est ambigendum. Verum illud adhuc in dubium vocatur, utrum posito hoc universali pacto dandae vitae aeternae omnibus, si crediderint, Deus exerceat libertatem, & exserat specialem misericordiam in danda hac Fide salutifera electis qua credant; idque per Christum, & propter merita Christi peculiari quodam privilegio ad eos applicata. Res ipsa loquitur. Videmus enim electos, & solos electos, in eventu obtinere a Deo fidem perseverantem & salutiferam: Putare autem tantum ac tale donum illis specialiter donatum alio modo, aut intuitu quam propter merita Christi illis speciali quadam intentione Dei ordinata & applicata, plane nefas est. Nam, ut pie Ambrosius, Omne donum gratiae in Christo est, ad illud Apostoli, Ephes. i. 3. Benedixit nobis omni benedictione spirituali in Christo. Hisce constitutis, quamvis (ut dixi) supervacaneum est de congruitate Divinorum factorum disceptare ubi de ipsis factis constat, tamen, ne quid scrupuli relinquatur, primo dicimus, Hanc specialem Dei intentionem, juxta quam apud se decrevit propter merita Christi dare electis specialia beneficia gratiae efficacis & salutis, non pugnare cum pacto illo conditionato, Quisquis crediderit salvus erit, sed potius esse speciale quoddam consilium, ad universalis hujus pacti infallibilem impletionem subordinatum. Qui enim suo arbitrio committuntur sub quibusvis gratiae adminiculis, aut Fidem repellunt, aut excutiunt. Ne itaque pactum illud universale nemini effectum salutis apportaret, Deus speciali hac & arcana sua intentione curavit aliquibus applicatum iri mortis Christi meritum, ad Fidei vitaeque aeternae infallibilem consecutionem. Secundo, dicimus, Nihil iniqui aut incongrui esse, quod haec specialis intentio de efficaci applicatione meritorum Christi in aliquibus, non in omnibus vim suam exserat; quia cum mors Christi sit gratuitum Dei donum humano generi impensum, libera distributio & applicatio meritorum inde redundantium omni jure ex mera Dei voluntate dependere debeat. Tertio, & illud addimus, Deum, qui in Evangelio promisit omnibus & singulis vitam aeternam propter merita Christi, si crediderint, nulli tamen infidelium promisisse se illi propter merita Christi daturum ut infallibiliter & perseveranter credat. Quaero igitur, Ex qua parte versatur haec incongruitas? Non ex parte credentium & servatorum: Nam dare propter merita Christi singularibus personis quod illis singulariter minime promissum fuit, non est culpandae iniquitatis, sed celebrandae bonitatis. Non ex parte incredulorum & perditorum: Nam illud beneficium negare alicui, quod constat te nulla ratione illi debere, nec in se iniquum, nec summae bonitati Divinae incongruum judicari potest.

About this text

John Davenant — Dissertationes duae from the 1650 Cambridge Latin. Honest partial through De praedestinatione Cap. 1 subject tip; Cap. 1 mid-Thesis and remainder remain; De praedestinatione Cap. 1 Prolegomena IV distinguishing conditions tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Variae (Pelagian opening) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Scholastici / Vasquez Arg. 1 tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 2 praescientia tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 3 (1 Cor. 2:9) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 4 (2 Tim. 2:21) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 5 (1 Tim. 2:4) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 6 (James 2:5) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 7 (Apoc. 3:11) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 1 (common inefficacious will) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 2 (Vasquez physical vs moral media) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 3 (king/prize / victory foresight) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 4 (optimum modus / crown of justice) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 5 (acceptor personarum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 6 (misericordia/congruitas) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 7 (equal disposition) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 8 (few saved / major part) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 9 (Stephen / glory from others' sins) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 10 (mere beneplacitum / Predestinati) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III reprobation ratio (foresight of sin) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 12 (efficacious election / free choice) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 13 (hortation/prayer) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 14 (decree/execution conformity) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arminianorum open tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 1 Sol tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 7 (τρόπος; Rom. 9:22) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 8 (ordo exsecutionis) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 9 (Christus fundamentum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 1 (amor ad salutem) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 2 (actualis vitae datio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 3 (qualis existens) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 4 (justitiae satisfactio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 5 (natura vitae aeternae) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 6 (Christus a decreto) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 7 (Evangelium invertitur) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 8 (arcana/revelata) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI (Orthodoxa sententia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 2 (gratia specialis) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 3 (Scripturae) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 4 (vocatio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 5 (adjutorium) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 7 (inconveniens) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 8 (perseverantia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 9 (unica ratio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 10 (abyssus) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 11 (efficacia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 12 (segregativum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 13 (pura gratia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VII open (reprobatio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VII Junius trifariam tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VIII open (adversariorum) tip; Cap. VIII peccata-causa tip; Cap. VIII fewer-reprobates tip; Cap. VIII Argentina tip; Cap. VIII dives-misericordia tip; Cap. VIII Corvinus tip into Cap. IX; Cap. IX Ab Adae tip; Cap. IX Ab Adae Christus omnibus+Minor tip; Cap. IX Arg. 3 Sol tip; Cap. IX vocatione Evangelica tip; Cap. IX vocatione Sol cont. tip; Cap. IX Arg. 6 Sol cont. tip.

English follows locked 1650 Cambridge Latin of De morte Christi Cap. 1-6 opening (origin + Thesis 1 + Cap. 2 Rat. 1-ultima + Cap. 3 Satisfit through Obj. 17 + Cap. 4 Thesis 2 tip through Mem. 1 close + Cap. 4 Mem. 2 through Mem. 3 tip + Cap. 4 Mem. 3 possible-faith through Thesis 2 close + Cap. 5 Thesis 3 tip through Mem. 2 Scripture close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Rat. 1-4 + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Huberiana objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 elect-from-eternity objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Scripture elect objections tip through Cap. 5 thesis close + Cap. 6 opening tip through Arg. 1 close before Arg. 2), reconstructed from the Internet Archive PDF (pdftotext + tesseract) of the Roger Daniel folio with DjVu OCR check. The 1683 reprint was not used as copy-text. No modern English was copied.

Witnesses

Copy-text Locked Latin, De morte Christi Cap. 1-5 densify through Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip (Daniel 1650) (Latin)
Print Facsimile Internet Archive PDF of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)
Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.