Grace, Actual and Habitual: A Dogmatic Treatise

Joseph Pohle

Chapter I. The Nature Of Actual Grace

Chapter II. The Properties Of Actual Grace

Chapter III. Grace In Its Relation To Free-Will

Chapter I. The Genesis Of Sanctifying Grace, Or The Process Of Justification

Chapter II. The State Of Justification

Chapter III. The Fruits Of Justification, Or The Merit Of Good Works

Grace

Actual and Habitual

A Dogmatic Treatise

The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Pohle, Ph.D., D.D.

Formerly Professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, Leeds (England), Later Professor of Fundamental Theology at The Catholic University of America

Adapted and Edited by

Arthur Preuss

Third, Revised Edition

W. E. Blake & Son, Limited

Catholic Church Supplies

123 Church St.

Toronto, Canada

1919

Imprimatur
Introduction
Part I. Actual Grace
Chapter I. The Nature Of Actual Grace
Section 1. Definition Of Actual Grace
Section 2. Division Of Actual Grace
Chapter II. The Properties Of Actual Grace
Section 1. The Necessity Of Actual Grace
Article 1. The Capacity Of Mere Nature Without Grace
Article 2. The Necessity Of Actual Grace For All Salutary Acts
Article 3. The Necessity Of Actual Grace For The States Of Unbelief, Mortal Sin, And Justification
Section 2. The Gratuity Of Actual Grace
Section 3. The Universality Of Actual Grace
Article 1. The Universality Of God's Will To Save
Article 2. God's Will To Give Sufficient Grace To All Adult Human Beings In Particular
Article 3. The Predestination Of The Elect
Article 4. The Reprobation Of The Damned
Chapter III. Grace In Its Relation To Free-Will
Section 1. The Heresy of The Protestant Reformers And The Jansenists
Section 2. Theological Systems Devised To Harmonize The Dogmas Of Grace And Free-Will
Article 1. Thomism And Augustinianism
Article 2. Molinism And Congruism
Part II. Sanctifying Grace
Chapter I. The Genesis Of Sanctifying Grace, Or The Process Of Justification
Section 1. The Necessity Of Faith For Justification
Section 2. The Necessity Of Other Preparatory Acts Besides Faith
Chapter II. The State Of Justification
Section 1. The Nature Of Justification
Article 1. The Negative Element Of Justification
Article 2. The Positive Element Of Justification
Section 2. Justifying Or Sanctifying Grace
Article 1. The Nature Of Sanctifying Grace
Article 2. The Effects Of Sanctifying Grace
Article 3. The Supernatural Concomitants Of Sanctifying Grace
Section 3. The Properties Of Sanctifying Grace
Chapter III. The Fruits Of Justification, Or The Merit Of Good Works
Section 1. The Existence Of Merit
Section 2. The Requisites Of Merit
Section 3. The Objects Of Merit
Index
Footnotes

NIHIL OBSTAT

Sti. Ludovici, die 18 Jan. 1919

F. G. Holweck,
Censor Librorum

IMPRIMATUR

Sti. Ludovici, die 21 Jan. 1919

Joannes J. Glennon
Archiepiscopus
Sti. Ludovici

Printed in U. S. A.

BECKTOLD
PRINTING & BOOK MFG. CO.
ST. LOUIS. U. S. A.

[pg 001]

Introduction

Humanity was reconciled to God by the Redemption. This does not, however, mean that every individual human being was forthwith justified, for individual justification is wrought by the application to the soul of grace derived from the inexhaustible merits of Jesus Christ.

There are two kinds of grace: (1) actual and (2) habitual. Actual grace is a supernatural gift by which rational creatures are enabled to perform salutary acts. Habitual, or, as it is commonly called, sanctifying, grace is a habit, or more or less enduring state, which renders men pleasing to God.

This distinction is of comparatively recent date, but it furnishes an excellent principle of division for a dogmatic treatise on grace.1

[pg 003]

Actual grace is a transient supernatural help given by God from the treasury of the merits of Jesus Christ for the purpose of enabling man to work out his eternal salvation.

We shall consider: (1) The Nature of Actual Grace; (2) Its Properties, and (3) Its Relation to Free-Will.

General Readings:—St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, 1a 2ae, qu. 109-114, and the commentators, especially Billuart, De Gratia (ed. Lequette, t. III); the Salmanticenses, De Gratia Dei (Cursus Theologiae, Vol. IX sqq., Paris 1870); Thomas de Lemos, Panoplia Divinae Gratiae, LiÈge 1676; Dominicus Soto, De Natura et Gratia, l. III, Venice 1560; *Ripalda,2 De Ente Supernaturali, 3 vols. (I, Bordeaux 1634; II, Lyons 1645; III, Cologne 1648).

*C. v. SchÄzler, Natur und Übernatur: Das Dogma von der Gnade, Mainz 1865; Idem, Neue Untersuchungen Über das Dogma von der Gnade, Mainz 1867; *J. E. Kuhn, Die christliche Lehre von der gÖttlichen Gnade, TÜbingen 1868; Jos. Kleutgen, S. J., Theologie der Vorseit, Vol. II, 2nd ed., pp. 152 sqq., MÜnster 1872; R. CerciÀ, De Gratia Christi, 3 vols., Paris 1879; *C. Mazzella, S. J., De Gratia Christi, 4th ed., Rome 1895; *J. H. Oswald, Die Lehre von der Heiligung, d. i. Gnade, Rechtfertigung, Gnadenwahl, 3rd ed., Paderborn 1885; *D. Palmieri, S. J., De Gratia Divina Actuali, Gulpen 1885; *Heinrich-Gutberlet, Dogmatische Theologie, Vol. VIII, Mainz 1897; *S. Schiffini, S. J., De Gratia Divina, Freiburg 1901; G. Lahousse, S. J., De Gratia Divina, Louvain [pg 004] 1902; Chr. Pesch, S. J., Praelectiones Dogmaticae, Vol. V, 3rd ed., Freiburg 1908; G. van Noort, De Gratia Christi, Amsterdam 1908; E. J. Wirth, Divine Grace, New York 1903; S. J. Hunter, S. J., Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Vol. III, pp. 1 sqq.; Wilhelm-Scannell, A Manual of Catholic Theology, Vol. II, 2nd ed., pp. 227 sqq., London 1901; A. Devine, The Sacraments Explained, 3rd ed. pp. 1-43, London 1905.—L. Labauche, S. S., God and Man, Lectures on Dogmatic Theology II, pp. 123 sqq., New York 1916.—J. E. Nieremberg, S. J., The Marvels of Divine Grace, tr. by Lady Lovat, London 1917.

On the teaching of the Fathers cfr. Isaac Habert, Theologiae GrÆcorum Patrum Vindicatae circa Universam Materiam Gratiae Libri III, Paris 1646; E. Scholz, Die Lehre des hl. Basilius von der Gnade, Freiburg 1881; HÜmmer, Des hl. Gregor von Nazianz Lehre von der Gnade, Kempten 1890; E. Weigl, Die Heilslehre des hl. Cyrill von Alexandrien, Mainz 1905.

[pg 005]

Clyx.com

Contents

Introduction