Do not define justifying faith by the consequent persuasion — or by refuge alone
Ill-formed: defining justifying faith as sure persuasion that God’s goodwill and Gospel goods are ours.
That persuasion follows justification already done; weak faith can briefly stand without it.
Unreasonable to define justifying faith by an act that presupposes justification — and can be parted from faith — rather than by the act through which we are justified.
Also unreasonable to pin the definition on one act when several necessary acts concur — including those who mention only refuge-fiducia fleeing to God for grace.
Latin
LXXXVII. Sed tamen incommode & imperfecte fidem justificantem definiunt, qui dicunt illam esse certam persuasionem de Dei erga nos benevolentia & misericordia, & quod bona Evangelio promissa ad nos pertineant. Nec enim ista persuasio est actus quo justificamur, sed qui justificationem jam factam consequitur; & sine illo fides, saltem infirma, potest ad tempus subsistere. Jam autem est contra rationem, ut fides justificans describatur ab eo actu qui justificationem jam factam praesupponit, potius quam ab eo per quem justificamur; imo a tali actu sine quo fides consistere potest, & a quo potest separari: Adde quod est etiam a ratione alienum fidem justificantem ab unico actu describere, cum tamen ad eam concurrant alii actus eo non minus necessarii. Contra quod peccant illi quoque qui in fide definienda mentionem faciunt solius istius fiduciae per quam ad Deum confugimus, & gratiam ab eo quaerimus & expectamus.
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.