Faith accepts revealed things by the word — but the word itself by innate notes
The objection assumes faith accepts only what another divine word proves — true for revealed things, not for the word itself.
Things revealed are believed because God testifies in his word; the word itself cannot be propped by infinite regress of further words.
Faith must finally rest in a word received for its own sake, made known by implanted signs and notes under the Spirit's light.
Scripture needs no second word to witness its divinity — it is still faith's proper object.
Rome's own faith likewise bottoms out in some word accepted by motives, not by yet another divine word.
Latin
XXXII. Praeterea istud argumentum supponit nihil nos per fidem amplecti, nisi quod probari potest divino quodam verbo atque testimonio: quod, licet prima fronte videatur esse verissimum atque indubitatum, undiquaque tamen verum non est. Etenim fides nostra aliter accipit res in verbo Dei revelatas, & aliter ipsum Dei verbum, seu divinam revelationem. Siquidem res ipsas a Deo revelatas credimus & suscipimus propter divinam revelationem, & quoniam Deus illis in verbo suo testimonium perhibet. At de ipso Dei verbo, seu divina revelatione alia ratio est. Nam una pars verbi divini potest quidem alteri testimonium perhibere, & una revelatio suscipi propter aliam revelationem qua nobis confirmetur; Verum hic dari non potest progressus in infinitum: Sed tandem sistendum est in aliquo Dei verbo, quod fides nostra propter se suscipiat, & quod authoritatem suam non mutuetur ab aliquo alio extra se Dei verbo, cujus testimonio de eo certi reddamur. Itaque necesse est esse aliquod Dei verbum quod per se nobis innotescat, id est, ex signis & notis insitis, aliisque argumentis atque incitamentis, quibus mens nostra a Spiritu sancto illuminata moveatur ut credat revera tale verbum divinum esse, & ad Deum suam referre originem. Quamvis ergo non sit aliud Dei verbum, quod Scripturae divinitati testimonium perhibeat, nihilominus Scriptura erit legitimum fidei nostrae objectum, si quidem fides est assensus quo verbum Dei amplectimur, & propter illud quaecunque testimonio illius confirmantur. Nec effugere possunt adversarii quin fides eorum tandem resolvatur in aliquod Dei verbum cui fidem adhibeant inducti tantum argumentis & motivis quibusdam, non vero propter aliud verbum Dei, cujus testimonio sanciatur ejus authoritas.
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.