Faith is a prudent assent; certainty still rests on divine revelation alone

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Nor do the scholastic doctors deny that the faith we give to divine revelation is a prudent assent: the one who believes God's Word is moved by arguments that can persuade a prudent mind that what is set before him as God's Word truly is. Faith's certainty does not hang on those arguments, nor properly lean on them. Gregory of Valencia makes the distinction sharpest in Analysis of Faith 1.1: because divine revelation is not evident to human reason, other arguments besides revelation are needed, so that men may prudently persuade themselves that Christian doctrine is true.

Yet those arguments are not required so that people believe properly, surely, and firmly because of them. The certainty and firmness of faith — and the assent itself — lean of themselves on divine revelation alone as their foundation. The arguments only supply clearer motives by which the mind may prudently will to believe surely and firmly because of divine revelation, with God's help. Two soul-motions must be told apart in those who take hold of faith. First, even under prudence's dictate, they judge Christ's doctrine worthy of sure and firm belief. Then, helped by God, they believe by faith's assent that it is true. That sure, firm, God-helped assent must be referred to the divine testimony alone contained in revelation, as the cause and reason of believing; and to the Church's proposing only as a condition without which Christian faith would scarcely be given. The first prudent judgment — that this doctrine may rightly be held as divine and true — is a judgment of prudence, and it properly leans on arguments other than revelation itself.

Canus teaches the same in Loci Theologici 2.8, reply to the fourth argument. It is not enough that the things of faith be simply proposed by a man to the one about to believe, as first principles to a pupil; some exterior persuasion and human inducement must also be used. He proves it from those moved to believe by miracles and other reasons. Once that is set out, he adds, what we said a little earlier is easy to see: certain human, outward supports must intervene for believing, yet they are not fit of themselves, and faith's resolution is not made into them, but into an interior divine cause that stirs and moves us to believe. That is the common teaching of the Roman school, so far as I know with no dissent — so further witnesses would be surplus.

Latin

XVIII. Nec etiam negant Doctores Scholastici fidem, quam revelationi divinae adhibemus, esse prudentem assensum, hoc est, illum qui verbo Dei credit, ad id moveri quibusdam argumentis, quae viro prudenti suadere possunt revera Dei verbum esse quod ut tale ipsi proponitur. Licet non pendeat ab istis argumentis fidei certitudo, aut eis proprie nitatur: ut praesertim videre est apud Gregor. de Valentia, Analyf. fidei, lib. 1. cap. 1. ubi haec sunt illius verba, Sed quia rationi humanae revelatio divina non evidenter patet, aliis quibusdam, praeter revelationem divinam, argumentis, opus est, quibus homines etiam inducti, prudenter sibi persuadeant doctrinam Christianam veram esse. Nec vero ejusmodi argumenta ad eam rem requiruntur, ut propter illa proprie, certe ac firmiter homines credant, (certitudo enim et firmitas fidei, atque adeo ipsius assensio, per se divinae revelationi soli, tanquam fundamento innititur.) Sed ut clariora quaedam habeant motiva, quibus prudenter animum inducant velle certe ac firmiter, propter divinam revelationem, Deo adjuvante, credere. Etenim accurate discernendi sunt animi motus duo in iis qui fidem amplectuntur. Nam et prudentia etiam dictante, judicant dignam esse Christi doctrinam quae certo ac firmiter credatur, et demum credunt assensione fidei, adiuti divinitus, eam veram esse. Quod assensione fidei certa atque firma, adiuti divinitus, credunt doctrinam Christi veram esse, id in solum divinum testimonium, quod revelatione divina continetur, tanquam in causam quidem rationemque credendi, referri debet. Itemque, in Ecclesiae propositionem, tanquam in quandam conditionem, sine qua, Christiana quidem fide minime crederetur. Quod autem in primis prudenter deliberant, atque statuunt merito eam a se doctrinam, tanquam divinam ac veram, certo ac firmiter credi posse, id vero prudentiae judicium quoddam est, quod proprie argumentis aliis praeter divinam revelationem nititur. Quibus conformia tradit Melchior Canus lib. 2. cap. 8. resp. ad quartum arg. Non solum, inquit, necessarium est, ut credituro ea quae sunt fidei simpliciter ab homine proponantur, quasi prima principia discipulo, verum etiam opus est exteriorem aliquam persuasionem, et humanum incitamentum adhiberi. Idque probat exemplis eorum qui miraculis et aliis rationibus commoti crediderunt. Et postea quoque addit, quibus rebus expositis, facile, ut opinor, intelligi potest vera esse quae paulo ante a nobis dicta, hoc est, oportere humana quaedam et exteriora adminicula intervenire ad credendum, nec tamen ea esse idonea per se, nec fidei nostrae resolutionem in ejusmodi fieri, sed in interiorem causam divinam quae excitet et moveat ut credamus. Atque haec est etiam communis sententia scholae Romanae nullo, quod sciam, refragante: ut superfluum sit plura cumulare testimonia.

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.