St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

The fall of the first man, wherein nature was made good, and cannot be repaired but by the maker. CHAP. 11.

BVt God, foreknowing althings, could not but know that man would fall: there∣fore wee must ground our City vpon his prescience and ordinance, not vpon that which we know not, and God hath vnreuealed For mans sinne, could not dis∣turbe Gods decree, nor force him to change his resolue: God fore-knew and preuented both, that is, how bad man (whome hee had made) should become and what good hee meant to deriue from him, for all his badnesse. For though God bee said to change his res•…•… (as the scriptures (a) tropically say that hee repented, &c.) Yet this is in respect of mans hope, or natures order, not ac∣cording to his own prescience. So then God made man, vpright, and consequently well-willed: otherwise he could not haue beene vpright. So that this good will, was Gods worke, man being there-with created. But the euill will, which was in man before his euill worke, was rather a fayling from the worke of God to the owne workes, then any worke at all. And therefore were the workes euill, because they were according to them-selues, and not to God, this euill will be∣ing as a tree bearing such bad fruite, or man himselfe, in respect of his euill will. Now this euill will, though it do not follow, but oppose nature, being a falt: yet is it of the same nature that vice is, which cannot but bee in some nature: but it must bee in that nature which God made of nothing, not in that which he begot of himselfe, as his word is, whereby althings were made: for although God made man of dust, yet hee made dust of nothing, and hee made the soule of no∣thing, which he ioyned with the body, making full man. But euills are so farre vnder that which is good, that though they be permitted to bee for to shew what good vse Gods prouident iustice can make of them, yet may that which is good, consist without them, as that true and glorious God him selfe, and all the visible resplendent heauens do, aboue this darkned & misty aire of ours: but euills cannot consist but in that which is good, for all the natures wherein they abide being considered as meere natures, are good. And euill is drawne from nature, not by abscission of any nature contrary to this or any part of this, but by purifiying of that onely, which was thus depraued. Then (b) therefore is the will truely free, when it serueth neither vice nor sin. Such God gaue vs, such we lost, and can∣not recouer but by him that gaue it: as the truth saith: If the sonne free you, you shalbe truly freed, it is all one as if hee should say: If the sonne saue you, you shalbe truely sa∣ued, (c) for hee is the freer, that is the Sauiour. Wherefore (d) in Paradise both locall, and spirituall man made God his rule to liue by, for it was not a Paradise locall, for the bodies good, and not spirituall for the spirits: nor was it a spiritu∣all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the spirits good, and no locall one for the bodies: Noe, it was both for both. But after that (e) that proud, and therefore enuious Angell, falling through that pride from God vnto him-selfe, and choosing in a tiranicall vain glory ra∣•…•…r to rule then to be ruled, fell from the spirituall paradise, (of whose fall, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fellowes, that therevpon of good Angells became his, I disputed in my ninth booke 〈◊〉〈◊〉 God gaue grace and meanes) hee desiring to creepe into mans minde by his ill-perswading suttlely, and enuying mans constancy in his owne fall chose the serpent, one of the creatures that as then liued hurtlesse with the man

〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…oman in the earthly paradise, a beast slippery, and moueable, wreatchd •…•…ots, and fit (f) for his worke, this hee chose to speake through: abusing it, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 subiect vnto the greater excellency of his angelicall nature, and making it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…rument of his spirituall wickdnesse, through it he began to speake deceit∣•…•… vnto the woman: beginning at the meaner part of man-kind, to inuade the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by degrees: thinking the man was not so credulous, nor so soone deluded 〈◊〉〈◊〉 would be, seing another so serued before him, for as Aaron consented not by •…•…sion, but yeelded by compulsion vnto the Hebrewes idolatry, to make 〈◊〉〈◊〉 an Idol, nor Salomon (as it is credible) yeelded worship to idols of his owne •…•…ous beleefe, but was brought vnto that sacriledge by his wiues perswa∣•…•…: So is it to bee thought, that the first man did not yeeld to his wife in this •…•…ession of Gods precept, as if hee thought shee said two; but onely being •…•…elled to it by this sociall loue to her, being but one with one, and both of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ture and kind, for it is not in vaine that the Apostle saith: Adam was not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…iued: but the woman was deceiued: but it sheweth that the woman did 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the serpents words true, but Adam onely would not breake company 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…is fellow, were it in sinne, and so sinned wittingly: wherefore the Apostle 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not, He sinned not: but, He was not seduced, for hee sheweth that hee sinned 〈◊〉〈◊〉: by one man sinne entred into the world; and a little after more plainely: after •…•…er of the transgression of Adam. And those he meanes are seduced, that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the first to be no sinn, which he knew to bee a sinne, otherwise why should 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Adam was not seduced? But he that is not acquainted with the diuine se∣•…•… might therein be deceiued to conceiue that his sinne was but veniall. And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in that the woman was seduced he was not, but this was it that (i) decei∣•…•…, that hee was to bee iudged, for all that he had this excuse. The woman 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gauest me to be with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I did eate, what need we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 then? though they were not both seduced, they were both taken in sin 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the diuells captiues.

L. VIVES.

•…•…ally. (a) Say.] Figuratiuely. A trope (saith Quintilian, is the translation of one word 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the fit signification of another, from the owne: that God repented, is a Metaphor, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 figure that who so knowes not and yet would learne, for the vnderstanding of scrip∣•…•… not go vnto Tully, or Quintilian, but vnto our great declamers, who knowing not y^• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 betweene Gramar and Rhetorike, call it all by the name of grammer. (b) Then there∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that it is otherwise not free: for suppose it had not sinned: but because then it is •…•…m the burden of all crimes, from all euill customes, and is no more molested by the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 invasions of vice. (c) He is the.] They are both onely from God. (d) In Paradise,] Par∣•…•… •…•…asure and delight. Man being placed in earthly Paradise had great ioy corporally, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 greater spiritually: for without this, the bodies were painefull rather then pleasing: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is the fountaine of delight, which being sad, what ioy hath man in any thing. (e) 〈◊〉〈◊〉.] Enuy immediately succedeth pride by nature, for a proud man so loueth himselfe •…•…eues that any one should excell him, nay equalize him, which when he cannot auoid •…•…es them: whence it comes that enuy •…•…itts chiefely amongst the highest honors, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the peoples fauor doth not alwaies grace the Prince alone. Swetonius saith that Cali∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the meanest, some for that the people fauored them, others for their forme or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the diuell enuy mans holding of so high a place, and this enuy brought death 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…d, (f) Fit for.] Hee saith super genes. ad. lit. that the deuill was not permitted to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 other creature but this: that the woman might learne that from a poisonous crea∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nothing but poyson, Pherecides the Syrian saith the diuells were cast from hea∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and that their chiefe was Ophioneus, that is, Serpentine.

(g) Subiect] The diuell tooke the serpents body, and therfore was the serpent held the most suttle creature of all, as Augustine saith vpon Genesis. (h) Sociall loue] Necessitudo, is oftne•…•… taken for loue and kinred then for need or necessity. (i) Deceiued him] Adam was deceiued in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that he thought hee had a good excuse to appease Gods wrath withal, in saying that he did it to gratifie his fellow, and such an one as God God had ordayned to dwell with him.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Ioh. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Exod 32. Kin. 11.
• 1. Ti. 2. 14.
• Rom 5. 12. 14.
• Gen. 3. 12.
• a Trope.
• Paradise.