Ames with the British: 'my sins are remitted' is a deduced conclusion, lesser certainty than principles
Ames aligns with the British: answering Bellarmine's framed question — can one without special revelation be certain with divine-faith certainty that sins are remitted? — Ames says Bellarmine fails to distinguish degrees: principles immediately revealed versus deduced conclusions, and faith-in-itself versus fiducia in apprehension or hope.
Once ambiguities are cleared, Ames defends the affirmative against Rome's denial — but not with equal certainty across all that is called divine faith.
Because 'my sins are remitted' is a deduced conclusion, not an immediately revealed principle, faith holds it with lesser certainty than the principles.
Latin
CXXXVI. Deinde cum Theologis illis Magnae Britanniae, idem hac in parte sentire Amesium, clare ostendunt ejus verba quae alicubi citat in rem suam vir doctus. Dixerat Bellarminus statum quaestionis de certitudine quam quis habere possit, vel debeat de sua justificatione, & remissione peccatorum suorum, si absque fallacia & ambiguitate constituatur, hunc esse: Utrum debeat, aut possit aliquis, sine speciali revelatione, certus esse certitudine fidei divinae, cui nullo modo potest subesse falsum, sibi esse remissa peccata. Respondet Amesius his verbis: Sine omni fallacia & ambiguitate, non ponitur in hoc statu certitudo fidei divinae; quia non distinguit Bellarminus inter gradus certitudinis hujus, respectu principiorum quae immediate revelantur, & conclusionum ex illis evidenter deductarum, & inter certitudinem fidei in sese & illam quae est ex fide vel in apprehensione, vel in spe. Sed istis ambiguitatibus, admittimus hunc statum quaestionis, & affirmativam partem tuebimur contra Pontificiorum negativam. Sensus Amesii satis manifestus est illis qui sunt in Amesii lectione & doctrina versati, nempe in omnibus, quae dicuntur fide divina credi, non esse parem certitudinis gradum: Nam fide divina creditur non tantum principia immediate revelata, sed etiam conclusiones, quae ex principiis illis evidenter deducuntur; fidem autem non pari cum certitudine versari circa conclusiones & circa principia. Proinde cum haec propositio, mihi sunt remissa peccata, non sit immediate a Deo revelata, sed solum conclusio ex principiis revelatis deducta, fidem minori cum certitudine illam amplecti, quam ipsa principia.