Instrument / condition / moral disposition coincide — no split of disposing vs formally justifying act

Splitting a “disposing” act from a “formally justifying” act is not solid.

Reformers: faith justifies not as an infused form, but as instrument apprehending Christ’s merit, or as covenant-of-grace condition God imputes for Christ — which carefully weighed are the same.

Faith is not a physical instrument; only a moral one, because God promised remission to believers through living efficacious faith — i.e., the gracious covenant’s condition.

Moral disposition = the condition under which the benefit is received; so moral instrument, moral disposition, and condition coincide.

Therefore do not distinguish disposing faith from formally justifying faith.

Latin

CVIII. Deinde non satis solidum & accuratum videtur, quod distinguunt actum qui disponit ad justificationem, ab eo quem dicunt esse formaliter justificatorium. Nec enim, ex sententia Reformatorum, fides justificat, tanquam forma quaedam per quam justificamur; sed vel ut instrumentum Christi meritum apprehendens, sicut loquuntur multi; vel ut alii non pauci loqui malunt, tanquam conditio foederis gratiae, quam Deus propter Christum ad justitiam imputat. Quae tamen, si accuratius perpendantur, eodem recidunt. Nec enim ullus dixerit fidem esse nostrae justificationis instrumentum Physicum; neque aliter potest hic intervenire fides, quam ut instrumentum morale. Instrumentum autem morale justificationis fidei esse non potest, nisi quatenus Deus credentibus promisit remissionem peccatorum, quam nemo assequi potest, nisi fidei vivae & efficacis interventu. Quod idem plane est, ac esse conditionem foederis gratuiti, quo Deus gratiam & gloriam offert credentibus & resipiscentibus. Similiter fides ad justificationem, non disponit Physice, sed tantum moraliter. Sed dispositio moralis ad beneficium aliquod, non aliud est quam conditio, sub qua illud obtinendum & recipiendum est. Ac proinde fides non aliter justificat, quam per modum cujusdam dispositionis; siquidem eodem hac in parte redeunt, instrumentum morale, dispositio moralis, & conditio sub qua aliquid recipitur. Unde sequitur, hic non esse distinguendum inter actum fidei qui disponit ad justificationem, & inter eum qui formaliter justificat.

About this text

Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Sedan Theses, newly rendered from Latin: from theology proper through the Roman theses I–77 and the Reformed theses of Part Two. The theses only — not the collected works.

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.