Louis Le Blanc (†1675), a French reformed theologian, was incredible for his careful precision and detailed depth into theology.
The disputations he presided over as a professor at the academy at Sedan, covering much of the gamut of theology, were published in one volume. It has now become available in English through an AI translation.
One person has rightly said that an investigation into the teachings of Reformed Orthodoxy ought to now start here. His major opponent in this work was Romanism, which he lived in close proximity to. In accurately describing and responding to their view(s), he goes into a depth of theological detail you have not seen before in English.
AI translations, despite what some say, are typically decent (or better) and are better than that of amateurs. While there are some mistakes and inaccuracies, some “professional” translations have more. Do not despise the good and slight the grace of God because they are not perfect. AI translations will create exponentially more interest in Reformed Orthodoxy and texts, and hence many more specialists will arise with many more professional translations in the future.
Give glory to God in the highest and join our friends at Colloquia Scholastica at Discord who did the translation (with many more texts there available).
For a permanent reference to the work and its table of contents, see our page, Every Reformed Systematic Theology: Le Blanc.
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Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Louis – Theological Theses Published at Various Times in the Academy of Sedan 3rd ed. tr. by AI by Colloquia Scholastica at Discord (1675; London, 1683) 1,151 pp. Latin
To the Reader 1
Faith 5
Theology 15
Authority of Scripture, pt. 1, Light of Scripture 23
. pt. 2, Spirit’s Internal testimony 37
. pt. 3, Opinion of Papists, true opinion confirmed 50
. pt. 4, Objections solved 68
Scripture’s plenitude and sufficiency against necessity of some unwritten Word, pt. 1, Orthodox opinion 85
Authority of Vulgate, pt. 1, its author and authority according to Roman Church 93
. pt. 2, Opinion of Protestants confirmed 102
Use and necessity of vernacular versions of Scripture 115
Perspicuity of Scripture 124
Scripture’s plenitude and sufficiency against necessity of some unwritten Word, pt. 2, Papists’ opinion and the true opinion confirmed 134
. pt. 3, Objections to sufficiency solved 148
. pt. 4, Papal arguments to reconcile unwritten traditions with equal authority to Scripture are resolved 167
There is a God is demonstrated 177
Simplicity of God 188
Perfection and infinity of God 194
Immensity and omnipresence of God 199
Eternity and immutability of God 205
Life of God 209
Divine knowledge: that which is in God and object of it 214
Cause of predestination: whether in man is any cause of predestination 219
Eternal election and predestination of humans 228
Reprobation and its object, causes and effects: Roman Doctrine 236
Nature, object, cause and effects of reprobation: Reformed opinion compared with Roman 248
Order of divine decrees concerning the elect and reprobate: Roman & Reformed 261
Predestination and election of men: Remonstrants’ and Lutheran opinions 273
Certainty which belongs to faith 280
Whether sufficient grace for conversion and avoiding sins is given to all men? 291
Justifying faith: its nature and essence, distinction from historical, dead and idle faith: various opinions of Protestants 297
. pt. 2, Roman doctrine is compared with Protestant 338
Subject of faith, or on the faculty to which faith adheres, and on connection of faith with charity and good works 352
Use of word ‘justification’ in Scriptures and the schools 362
How we are justified by faith 373
On righteousness through the grace of Christ inherent in believers 389
Righteousness of Christ imputed to believers 404
Whether and how sin is removed in those who are justified 412
Certainty one can and should have about justification, pt. 1, Reformed view 419
. pt. 2, Roman opinion; state of the controversy is gathered and examined 426
Distinction between mortal and venial sin, pt. 1, the Roman Doctrine 445
. pt. 2, Protestant doctrine and state of the controversy is examined 451
Remission of Sins: what it is, and how and when it pertains to the elect 466
Veneration and adoration of images: the Roman doctrine 473
. pt. 2, Reformed doctrine is explained and confirmed 488
Worship and veneration of angels and saints: Roman school 498
. pt. 2, Protestant doctrine is explained, compared with the Roman, and confirmed 519
Immortality of the first man 546
Righteousness of the first man: whether it was natural or supernatural 551
Free will of man in general: Reformed doctrine is expounded 565
. pt. 2, Roman school 577
. pt. 3, State and significance of questions between Roman and Reformed schools 589
Divine concurrence and cooperation with the freedom of human will can be reconciled 599
Concord of human liberty with divine foreknowledge 611
. pt. 1, On knowledge attributed to God of contingent future events, not absolutely, but conditionally, called ‘Middle Knowledge’ 620
. pt. 2, Roman opinion 635
. pt. 3, Reformed opinion 642
How man’s free will stands in nature’s fallen state with respect to spiritual and salvific good 653
Necessity of grace and human free will’s powers about moral good in fallen nature: Roman school 666
. pt. 2, Protestant doctrine 679
Various distinctions and acceptances of ‘grace’ 695
. pt. 2, Reformed Schools 709
. pt. 3 Roman School: Sufficient and efficacious; harmony of human liberty with the efficacy of grace 718
. pt. 4, Protestants: Sufficient and efficacious; harmony of human liberty with the efficacy of grace 750
Extent a person can fulfill the Law through the grace of Christ and keep God’s commandments 756
Truth of good works done by the regenerate 779
Extent the faithful are obliged to keep God’s Law and perform good works 793
Relation of good works to eternal life, pt. 1, Reformed Church 804
. pt. 2, Roman opinion and state of controversy is examined 816
. pt. 3, Roman errors are refuted 839
Necessity of grace for fallen nature for salvific good and true piety: Roman doctrine 847
. pt. 2, Protestants’ doctrine compared with Roman 859
Whether man, in a state of sin, can prepare and dispose himself for grace by his natural powers alone 867
. pt. 2, Roman school 879
. pt. 3, Protestant and Roman opinions are compared 891
Use and efficacy of NT sacraments: Roman doctrine 906
. pt. 2, Protestant and Roman doctrine compared 912
. pt. 3, Whether the minister’s intention is necessary for the sacrament’s validity and efficacy: Roman and Protestant doctrine is compared 930
Whether Christ is Mediator according to both natures: Roman opinion compared with Protestant 944
Whether from the proposed Reformed and Lutheran union, union with the Roman Church follows 950
Posthumous works: Preface 957
1. Controversies on Scripture 957
1. Canonical and apocryphal books 957
2. Integrity and authority of the Hebrew Text of the OT and Greek
Text of the NT 960
3. On the Septuagint 965
4. Necessity of Scripture 966
2. Controversies on Christ’s Person & Office 967
1. Whether Christ is Autotheos 967
2. Union of two natures in Christ, and the resulting communication of properties 969
3. Knowledge of Christ’s soul, and his grace and blessedness 974
4. Did Christ ever do anything that required correction? 982
5. Roman opinion on Christ’s descent into Hell is explained and questions arising from it 982
6. Various opinions of our theologians on Christ’s descent are reported 987
7. Whether Christ merited anything for Himself 989
3. Controversies on Church’s Governance and Roman Pontiff 991
1. Nature of the governance instituted by Christ in the Church 991
2. Primacy of Peter 994
3. Succession of Pope in place of Peter 996
4. Pope’s infallibility in judging controversies of faith and morals 1000
5. Certainty of Papal judgment or the Pope’s infallibility 1001
6. Infallibility of the particular Roman Church 1004
7. Whether the Roman Pontiff and all Church prelates have coercive jurisdiction so they can enact laws that bind in conscience, and judge and punish transgressors 1005
8. Whether Christ conferred ecclesiastical jurisdiction directly to the Roman Pontiff alone, from whom it derives to other bishops? 1011
9. Temporal power of the pope and other Church officials 1013
10. Antichrist 1020
11. Elijah and Enoch (the two witnesses of Revelation) 1024
4. Controversies on Councils 1026
1. Origin, necessity and use of councils 1026
2. Who are to be called to councils, and of what kind of persons they should consist 1029
3. Who should preside over councils 1031
4. Who should convene councils 1032
5. Authority of councils, what it is and how great 1035
5. Controversies on the Church Militant 1045
1. Nature and definition of the Church 1045
2. Visibility and Invisibility of the Church 1063
3. Can the church fail, or on the Church’s perennial duration 1068
4. Can the Church err, or on the Church’s constancy in retaining the Faith 1071
5. Church’s marks according to the Papists 1076
6. Church’s marks: Opinion of our doctors 1085
6. Controversies on the Members of the Militant Church
1. Designation of ‘clergy’ and ‘laity’ 1087
2. Ranks and distinction of the Church’s ministers 1089
3. Grades and distinction of Church ministers according to our theologians 1094
4. Institution or creation of Church ministers 1098
5. Celibacy and bigamy [remarriages] of ministers of the Church 1103
Whether worship should be celebrated publicly and privately in the vernacular language understood by the people 1104
Oration on Scripture’s Divine Origin 1129