Rome's Church-testimony claim collapses by the same standard they press against Scripture
Whichever way Rome turns, it must confess that the Church's testimony — which it offers as faith's first and supreme principle — is not evident of itself, and cannot well be proved by the Church's own voice. Yet they still want that testimony to hang on no prior authority and to hold among the faithful of itself. They fight themselves when, from Scripture's inability to prove Scripture, they conclude that Scripture's authority is not first and needs a superior testimony to establish it for us.
The sum of our reply comes to this: Scripture cannot indeed be proved by Scripture itself; yet it does not follow that its authority hangs elsewhere and must be proved to us by the Church as a principle prior and superior to Scripture. As faith's first principle, Scripture wins the faithful's belief and assent not by such a proof intervening, but immediately, by the Spirit's inward efficacy impressing a sure persuasion of it on our minds.
Latin
VII. Et certe quocunque se vertant Pontificii, omnino fateri cogentur Ecclesiae testimonium, quod tanquam primum et supremum fidei principium obtendunt, non esse rem per se evidentem, nec per ipsam Ecclesiae vocem et testimonium idonee posse probari. Cum ergo nihilominus Ecclesiae testimonium ab alia nulla priori authoritate pendere, sed per se suam authoritatem apud fideles obtinere velint, aperte contra seipsos pugnant, quum ex eo quod Scriptura per Scripturam probari non possit, concludunt authoritatem illius non esse primam, et illam superiori indigere testimonio, quo nobis comprobetur. Huc ergo redit summa responsionis nostrae, Scripturam quidem per Scripturam ipsam probari non posse; non tamen inde sequi authoritatem ejus aliunde pendere, et nobis per authoritatem Ecclesiae debere probari, tanquam per quoddam fidei principium Scriptura ipsa prius et superius: quoniam Scriptura, tanquam primum fidei principium, fidem et assensum apud fideles obtinet, non probationis talis interventu, sed immediate per internam Spiritus efficaciam certam de illa persuasionem mentibus nostris imprimentis.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (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.