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 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.