Rome assumes even the vicious must believe themselves just; Reformed teach they are on the path of perdition until living faith
Le Blanc did not claim Rome expressly says the Reformed teach every Gospel hearer in external communion — however he lives — must by certain faith believe himself just; rather Rome's anti-Reformed disputations manifestly assume that.
The opponent's book keeps pressing that, for Calvinists, even the vicious and dying flagitious need only firm belief that grace is theirs — as if that were the formal justifying act.
If that assumption were right, every external church member would be bound to believe himself just whatever his life; but Reformed sense is the opposite: such persons must believe they are on the path of perdition until they truly renounce vice and believe with a faith efficacious through love (Galatians 5:6) — only then may they believe themselves just and reconciled through Christ. The contrary is atrocious calumny.
Latin
CXLIV. Neque etiam dixi a Doctoribus Ecclesiae Romanae expresse & verbis totidem affirmari, quod communi consensu Reformati doceant, omnes & singulos quibus praedicatur Evangelium, & qui sunt in externa Ecclesiae communione, posse & debere certa fide credere, quomodocunque vivant, se justos esse coram Deo, & sibi esse remissa peccata; sed hoc manifeste supponi in illorum contra Reformatos disputationibus: Cujus rei liber viri Docti plenam fidem facere potest. Quid enim aliud toto libro inculcat, quam juxta Reformatos, illos ipsos qui in vitiis volutantur, & atrocium criminum sunt rei, posse & debere certo & firmiter credere se gratiam Dei esse consecutos, & sibi esse peccata remissa; ac in eo consistere actum fidei per quem justificamur: & nihil aliud in Calvinistarum communione requiri, a peccatore etiam flagitiosissimo, ut moribundus in coelum evoleat? Jam vero si juxta Reformatos, illi ipsi qui totos libidinibus & vitiis se dedunt, tenentur certo credere peccata sibi esse condonata, & in hoc consistit formalis fidei actus per quem justificamur, nec aliud ab ipsis ad peccatoris salutem exigitur, annon secundum eorum doctrinam, omnes & singuli quibus Evangelium praedicatur, & qui sunt in externa Ecclesiae communione, tenentur istud credere, qualiscunque sit eorum vita; cum teneantur omnes fidei justificantis formalem actum elicere? Et tamen falsissimum est, ex Reformatorum sensu, omnes & singulos qui vivunt in externa Ecclesiae communione, quanquam perdite vivant, & in vitiis volutentur, debere certa fide credere se fore salvos, & sibi esse remissa peccata. Imo docent & inculcant apud suos Reformati, ejusmodi homines teneri credere quod sunt in via perditionis, nec aliter possunt ad vitam pertinere, quam serio & reapse criminibus & vitiis suis renunciando, & credendo fide quae sit per dilectionem efficax. Qua fide demum posita, & in se ab ipsis agnita, credere possunt & debent se justos esse coram Deo, & Deum sibi per Christum reconciliatum esse. Neque contrarium potest Reformatis tribui, vel de iis supponi, absque atroci calumnia.
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.