Theological Theses · §2399 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

Peter Martyr's own words against habitual grace that makes pleasing

Thesis X. That this is what those doctors hold is clear from their own words. Peter Martyr, in his Commonplaces (class 3, locus 2, paragraph 8), speaking of the scholastics' infused grace, writes: It is no small error that they want us to be made pleasing to God by this habit or created thing. When he has endowed us with such a gift, he must have loved us first, for God's love comes before all his gifts.

And in paragraph 13 he says: Those who chatter in the schools that grace freely given is one thing and grace that makes pleasing another are just as wrong. All grace has to be given freely, for otherwise, as Paul says, it would not be grace. And since by grace that makes pleasing they mean a habit, as we showed above, they are wrong to lay down that people become pleasing to God through such gifts. With him we are received into favour by his mercy alone and for Christ's sake.

Latin

X. Hanc autem esse Doctorum illorum sententiam patet ex ipsorum verbis. Sic enim Petrus Martyr in locis communibus Classe tertia loco secundo numero octavo de gratia infusa Scholasticorum loquens, Non est, inquit, parvus error quod volunt nos hoc habitu, seu creatura reddi gratos Deo. Necessarium enim est, cum ille nos hujusmodi dono affecerit, eum nos amasse prius. Amor enim Dei praecedit omnia ejus dona: Et numero decimo tertio. Nec minus errant, inquit, qui garriunt in scholis, aliam esse gratiam gratis datam, aliam gratum facientem. Omnem enim gratiam oportet gratis dari. Nam alioqui, ut Paulus ait, non esset gratia. Cumque per gratiam gratum facientem intelligant habitum, ut supra docuimus, male statuunt homines per ejusmodi dona apud Deum gratos effici. Nam apud eum per solam ejus misericordiam, & propter Christum recipimur in gratiam.

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