Philosophy the Handmaid of Theology · §36 · Robert Baron

The opinion of Nicolaas Grevinchoven is refuted — that the habit of faith is not infused but acquired

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

Article IX. The opinion of Nicolaas Grevinchoven is refuted — that the habit of faith is not infused but acquired.

1. Grevinchoven, a Remonstrant, holds that faith's habit is not infused by God but acquired by using the means and hearing the word diligently — as arts and sciences are acquired. The Orthodox reject this.

2. Scripture calls faith God's gift, not a human work (Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 1:29 — it has been granted to you to believe in Christ).

3. Justifying faith is supernatural; its objects surpass nature's grasp. It cannot be acquired by nature's powers; it needs God's infusion and the Spirit's operation.

4. If faith were merely acquired, it would differ only in degree from demons' and hypocrites' historical faith. Scripture and the Church teach that saving faith differs in kind — bringing charity and trust, produced by the regenerating Spirit.

5. Grevinchoven's view opens onto Pelagianism and Arminianism, giving man power to believe from himself without special prevenient and operating grace. It is to be rejected.

Latin

ART. IX. Refellitur Sententia Nicolai Grevinchovii, dicentis habitum fidei non esse infusum, sed acquisitum. 1. Nicolaus Grevinchovius, Remonstrantium Theologus, asserit habitum fidei non infundi a DEO, sed ab homine acquiri per usum mediiorum & assiduam verbi auditionem — perinde ac habitus scientiarum & artium acquiruntur. Hanc sententiam Orthodoxi rejiciunt. 2. Primo, quia Scriptura fidem appellat donum DEI, non opus humanum: Ephes.2.8. gratia estis salvati per fidem; & hoc non ex vobis, DEI donum est. Philipp.1.29. vobis donatum est in CHRISTUM credere. 3. Secundo, quia fides justificans est supernaturalis, & objectum habet mysteria captum naturae superantia; ergo non potest acquiri viribus naturae, sed requirit specialem DEI infusionem & Spiritus Sancti operationem. 4. Tertio, quia si fides esset habitus acquisitus, differret solum gradu a fide historica daemonum & hypocriticorum; at Scriptura & Ecclesiae consensus docent fidem salvificam specie differre, utpote quae charitatem & fiduciam secum fert, & a Spiritu Sancto regenerante producitur. 5. Quarto, Grevinchovii sententia viam sternit Pelagianismo & Arminianismo, tribuendo homini vires credendi ex se, absque speciali gratiae praevenientis & operantis auxilio. Ideoque rejicienda est.

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

Robert Baron, Philosophia theologiae ancillans (Philosophy in Service to Theology): exercises on being and essence, on the origin of the soul and the spread of sin, and on faith, science, and opinion, rendered from the 1658 Latin.

Dateby 1621 AD (first printed at St Andrews, 1621; this text is from the corrected Oxford reprint of 1658; Reformed)

English follows 1658 Oxford Latin. Prima Art. I-XII from IA PDF leaves ~15-53. Secunda Art. I-XV from PDF leaves 56-107 / printed pp.54-105 (tess+pdftotext+DjVu). No modern English copied. The third exercise, on faith, science, and opinion, is included.

Reference

Wing B887. IA bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_philosophia-theologi-an_baron-robert_1658. Exercitatio Prima Art. I-XII; Exercitatio Secunda Art. I-XV (De origine animae & propagatione peccati). Exercitatio Tertia Art. I-XXX is included.

Printed text used

Translated from Latin (Oxford 1658) (Latin)
Also checked Text extract of Art. I-II (Latin)
Also checked machine-read text of the 1658 volume (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. III (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. IV PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. V PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. VI PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. VI (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. VII PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. VII (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. VIII PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. VIII (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. IX PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. IX (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. X PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. X (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. XI PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. XI (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Art. XII PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Art. XII (Latin)
Also checked Tesseract machine-read text of Secunda Art. I PDF pages (Latin)
Also checked IA Text PDF page extract of Secunda Art. I (Latin)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Latin on any section, or the Latin source link, to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

Report a mistake