Article — Billuart, Summa Summae · from Schola Thomistica
Article IV
On the other acts required for the justification of adults. Chapter 6 teaches that, besides faith, five other acts are required on the part of the sinner for his justification, namely, the act of fear, of hope, of the love of God, of contrition, and the resolve to receive the sacraments instituted for the remission of sins and to keep the divine commandments. Now these acts are deduced thus. Faith, enlightening the mind of the sinner, sets before him, on the one hand, the divine justice reserving punishments for him, on the other, the divine mercy offering him pardon. Thence there arises in his will the fear of divine justice, then hope or confidence of obtaining pardon. Hope is followed by the incipient love of God as of the fountain of all justice; for from this very fact that God, merciful, offers pardon to the sinner who fears punishment, not only is hope stirred up, but also love of so great a goodness, at least incipient, concerning whose necessity for justification, together with the sacrament of penance, there was a celebrated controversy to be settled in its place.
De aliis actibus ad justificationem adulti requisitis. cap. 6, praeter fidem, quinque alios actus requiri ex parte peccatoris ad sui justificationem, scilicet, actum timoris, spei, dilectionis Dei, contritionis, et propositum suscipiendi sacramenta ad remissionem peccatorum instituta et mandata divina servandi. Hi autem actus sic deducuntur. Fides illustrans mentem peccatoris exhibet ei, hinc divinam justitiam ipsi poenas reservantem, illinc divinam misericordiam illi veniam offerentem. Inde exsurgit in ejus voluntate timor divinae justitiae, deinde spes seu fiducia veniae obtinendae. Spem sequitur inchoata dilectio Dei ut totius justitiae fontis ; ex hoc enim quod Deus misericors peccatori poenam timenti offert veniam, non solum spes excitatur, sed etiam tantae bonitatis amor, saltem inchoatus, de cujus necessitate ad justificationem cum poenitentiae sacramento celebris fuit controversia suo loco dirimenda.
From faith, hope and incipient love of God is born the detestation of sin; because this very fact that the sinner knows that punishments are reserved for his sins, and from this fact that he begins to love God as prepared to forgive them to him, he is moved to hatred of sin, as harmful to himself and offensive to the divine goodness. This hatred is called contrition, perfect indeed, if sin displeases principally as offensive to God; imperfect, if sin displeases principally as harmful to the sinner.
Ex fide, spe et inchoata dilectione Dei nascitur peccati detestatio ; quia hoc ipso quod peccator novit reservari peccatis suis poenas, et ex hoc quod Deum ea sibi condonare paratum diligere incipit, movetur odio in peccatum, ut sibi nocivum et divinae bonitatis offensivum. Hoc autem odium contritio dicitur, perfecta quidem, si peccatum displiceat principaliter ut Dei offensivum ; imperfecta, si principaliter displiceat peccatum ut nocivum peccatori.
This contrition has necessarily attached to it the resolve of beginning a new life and keeping the divine commandments; for there is not in anyone sincere sorrow for sins unless he sincerely wills henceforth to avoid them.
Haec autem contritio habet necessario adjunctum propositum novam vitam inchoandi et mandata divina servandi ; non enim est in aliquo sincerus dolor de peccatis, nisi sincere velit ea deinceps vitare.
You will ask from what effective principle proceed the acts of contrition and charity which ultimately dispose to habitual grace.
Petes a quo principio effective procedant actus contritionis et charitatis qui ultimo disponunt ad gratiam habitualem.
I answer. Theologians differ among themselves in this part. Some say that these further dispositions toward habitual grace are effectively from the actual transient help communicated.
Resp. Dissentire in hac parte inter se theologos. Quidam dicunt has ulteriores ad gratiam habitualem dispositiones esse effective ab auxilio actuali transeunter communicato.
So, among the Thomists, John of St. Thomas, Sylvius, Contenson, with many outsiders. Some assert that they are effectively from habitual grace itself. So Gonet, Serra and others. The third opinion, which strives to reconcile both, holds that these acts ultimately disposing to justification are effectively from the infused virtue of charity and penance, communicated not permanently by way of habit, but transiently by way of actual help and motion. Whence grace by way of help precedes those acts, which grace by way of habit follows, although all these things take place in the same real instant. So Fr. Goudin. Whoever wishes to weigh the merits of these opinions should seek them in our Billuart, in his more ample Summa. Besides, it seems to matter little which appears preferable to each one.]
Ita ex thomistis Joannes a S. Thoma, Sylvius, Contenson, cum pluribus extraneis. Quidam asserunt eas esse effective ab ipsa gratia habituali. Ita Gonet, Serra et alii. Tertia sententia, quae utramque conciliare nititur, tenet hos actus ultimo disponentes ad justificationem esse effective a virtute charitatis infusae et poenitentiae, non permanenter per modum habitus, sed transeunter per modum actualis auxilii et motionis communicata. Unde gratia per modum auxilii praevenit illos actus, quos sequitur gratia per modum habitus, licet haec omnia fiant in eodem instanti reali. Ita P. Goudin. Qui perpendere vult harum sententiarum momenta, ea requirat apud nostrum Billuart, in sua fusiori Summa. De caetero, non magni referre videtur quanam cuique potior appareat.]