Theological Theses · §2118 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

For evil actions God neither inclines nor corrupts, but arranges objects; the result follows necessarily yet freely

As for evil actions, however fully they are subject to the divine decrees, he thinks it can easily be shown from his principles that God can in no way be called their author. God does not incline men's minds and wills to evil or corrupt them in any way; he only allows them to put forth their own motions of their own accord.

Divine providence is involved with these actions only in arranging or permitting that these objects rather than others be offered to them, and in this way rather than that. From this, nevertheless, these or those actions necessarily result, as the relation of proportion and fit between such objects and faculties disposed in this or that way requires.

So the divine decrees about them are carried out without fail, and meanwhile the faculties themselves move freely, since no force is applied to them and they act only as their own nature and disposition lead.

Latin

XXII. Quod spectat autem malas actiones quantumcunque decretis divinis subjaceant, ex suis principiis ostendi facile posse existimat Deum nullatenus earum authorem dici posse: quoniam Deus hominum mentem & voluntatem ad malum non inclinat, nec eas ulla ratione vitiat, sed solum proprios motus ultro exerere sinit: neque alia ratione circa eas versatur divina providentia, quam quod ista potius quam alia objecta, hacque potius quam illa ratione ipsis offerri procurat aut permittit. Unde tamen necessario resultant istae vel illae actiones, prout exigit relatio proportionis & convenientiae inter talia objecta, & facultates sic vel sic affectas. Quo fit ut decreta divina de illis & circa illas indeclinabiliter executioni mandentur: nec minus interea facultates ipsae libere moveantur; quandoquidem vis nulla ipsis infertur, neque aliter agunt quam fert ipsarum natura atque dispositio.

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