Le Blanc holds the latter — grace-persuasion presupposes faith already in the heart

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Le Blanc’s earlier theses already took the Perkins–Ames side — and he still holds it.

Persuasion that I am reconciled and received into grace is secondary/accidental, not primary/essential.

Without special revelation it is only the conclusion of a syllogism: living faith working through love → reconciled; I find such faith in myself → therefore reconciled.

So the persuasion presupposes faith already in the heart — it cannot be faith’s essence.

Latin

C. Et nos quoque Thesibus editis annis superioribus posteriorem illam sententiam amplexi sumus, & omnino tenendam esse existimamus. Quod enim ista fiducia qua quis certo statuit, & sibi persuadet, se Deo esse reconciliatum, & ab eo per Christum in gratiam receptum, non sit actus fidei primarius & essentialis, sed solum secundarius atque accidentalis, evidenter probari & demonstrari potest. Quippe nemo potest istud vere & legitime sibi persuadere, & apud se certo statuere, quin prius in se animum reflectens, & propriam conscientiam discutens atque examinans, veram vivamque fidem, ex contentis ejus in Scriptura notis, in se agnoverit atque perceperit. Nam talis persuasio, absque revelatione quadam speciali & extraordinaria, vera esse non potest, quin sit conclusio talis Syllogismi, Qui credit in Christum fide viva & operante per dilectionem Deo reconciliatus est, & ab eo per Christum in gratiam receptus. At dum ego propriam conscientiam excutio, agnosco in me talem fidem. Ergo sum Deo reconciliatus, & ab eo per Christum in gratiam receptus. Ac proinde haec persuasio praesupponit fidem jam in corde existentem, & sic non potest ejus essentiam constituere.

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.