Theological Theses · §2226 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

Fourth opinion: Vázquez and Alfonso de Castro, no wholly good moral work without grace

Yet not a few in the Roman School affirm that no moral work good in every circumstance can be done without the help of grace. This is Gabriel Vázquez's view on the Prima Secundae, vol. 2, disputation 190. There he cites very many Schoolmen, older and more recent, on his side.

Among them is Alfonso de Castro, who lays down as Catholic the assertion: 'Man's free choice, by its own power alone, even with God's common and general co-causation added, cannot do any good without some special help from God. For every such good is always preceded by some warning, drawing, inspiration, or some gift added over and above nature, which God himself gives purely as a gift to whom he pleases.' Adversus haereses, book 7, under 'Grace', heresy 1, assertion 3.

Latin

XIX. Attamen in Schola Romana reperiuntur non pauci qui affirmant nullum opus morale ex omni circumstantia bonum posse fieri sine auxilio gratiae. Haec est sententia Gabrielis Vasques in primam secundae tomo secundo disputatione centesima & nonagesima. Ubi pro se plurimos citat ex Scholasticis, tam veteribus quam recentioribus, Et inter alios Alphonsum a Castro, qui hanc assertionem ut Catholicam ponit, Liberum hominis arbitrium ex sola sua potestate, addita etiam illa communi & generali Dei concausatione, non potest sine aliquo Dei speciali auxilio bonum aliquod operari, quoniam semper circa illud praecedit quaedam monitio, aut attractio, aut inspiratio, aut aliquod donum naturae superadditum, quod ipse Deus mere gratis, quibus illi placet, donat. Libro septimo adversus haereses. Verbo Gratia: haeresi 1. assertione 3.

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