Ames: faith-in-itself requires greater certainty than fiducia born from faith
Ames further distinguishes faith-in-itself from fiducia that rises from faith — the trust by which we grasp a present good or hope a future one.
Greater certainty belongs to faith itself than to that born fiducia, even when the fiducia is loosely called faith.
So when believers are said to be divinely certain of accepted grace or coming salvation, Ames means fiducia from faith, not justifying faith as such — and that fiducia has lesser certainty.
Latin
CXXXVII. Praeterea indicat Amesius distinguendum esse, inter fidem in sese, & respectu actuum qui ad ejus essentiam requiruntur, consideratam; & inter fiduciam ex fide orientem, per quam vel praesens aliquod bonum apprehendimus, vel futurum speramus. Majorem autem certitudinis gradum in ipsa fide esse & requiri, quam in fiducia ex fide nascente, per quam, vel de bono praesenti, vel de futuro persuasi sumus; licet eadem fiducia, fidei quoque nomine designetur. Jam vero juxta Amesium, quum fideles dicuntur fide divina certi, vel de accepta gratia, vel de salute obtinenda, per fidem ibi intelligenda est, non fides justificans & salvifica in sese, sed fiducia ex fide oriens, per quam, vel apprehendimus jam concessam a Deo remissionem peccatorum, vel futuram salutem speramus. Proinde fiduciae isti, quae ex fide nascitur, ex mente Amesii minor competit certitudo, quam fidei, si in sese consideretur.
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.