Man become guilty, or, The corrruption of nature by sinne, according to St. Augustines sense written originally in French by Iohn-Francis Senault ; and put into English by ... Henry, Earle of Monmouth.

THE AUTHOURS PREFACE.

PRide hath made so powerfull an impression in the soule of man, as that all the paines he suffers are not able to efface it. He is proud amidst his Misfortunes; and though he have lost all those Advantages which caused Vaine-glory in him, yet ceaseth he not to be vaine-glorious amidst his Miseries. He is still flattered in his Exile with those promises which the Devill made him in Paradise: though he be slave to as many Masters as he hath Passions, yet he aspires to the Worlds Soveraignty; though his Doubts doe sufficiently prove his Ignorance, yet doth he pre∣tend * 1.1 to the Knowledge of Good and Evill; and though all the Sicknesses which assaile him, teach him that he is Mortall, yet doth he promise to himselfe Immortality. But, that which is more in∣supportable, and which renders his fault more insolent, is; that he hopes to arrive at all this happinesse by his Owne Strength: he thinks nothing impossible to a creaure that is Free and Rationall, that his Good depends upon his Will; and that without any other help then what he drawes from Nature, he may acquit himselfe of his Losses, and Recover his Innocence.

This Errour being the Outmost of all our evils, Religion labours only how to dis-abuse us therein, and all her Commandements and Advices tend only to make us Sensible of our misfortune. The Sacrifices teach us that we have deserved Death; the Law teacheth us that we are Blind, and the Difficulty we find in Keeping it doth prove our Want of Power. Grace doth yet more strongly insinuate this truth unto us; sh: u••dertakes not to cure us, till she hath per∣swaded us that we are Sick; and the First thing which she makes us acknowledge, is our Ignorance and Weaknesse. Nature, as proud as she is, agrees in this point with Grace: her Disorders are so many

Instructions, which will not suffer us to doubt of our Miseries; the * 1.2 Vnfaithfulnesse of our Senses, our Passions revolt, and the Fighting of those Elements which environ us, and whereof we are Compo∣sed, are Proofes which will convince the most Opinionated.

It must also be confest, that the Wisest Philosophers have acknow∣ledged that there was a Hidden Cause of all these Disorders; and being prest by their Consciences, they have confest, that since Na∣ture deales more hardly with Vs than with her Other Children, some secret fault must of necessity have been, which hath incensed her against us. The Platonists imagined, that our soules were in∣fused * 1.3 in o our Bodies, only to Expiate those sins on Earth, which they had committed in Heaven; the Academicks did not differ much from their opinion, and though in their complaints they did some∣time lose that Respect which they ought to God yet did they con∣fesse, that our Faults did precede our Miseries, and that the Heavens were too Iust to pun••h the Innocent.

Only the Stoicks, whose whole Philosophy is enlivened with Vain-glory, did beleeve that if man were irregular, 'twas on∣ly because he Would be so; and that as his Liberty had been the sole Cause of his Mischiefe, it m••ght also be the sole Remedy thereof: they imagined, that if he would take Nature and Reason for his * 1.4 guides, he might get againe into the path of Vertue, from whence he had Strayed, and that in so good a Schoole, he might easily re∣forme his Disorders and recover his Innocence. Peligianisme may be said to have had its Originall ris•• with this proud Sect, and that di∣verse ages before Pelagius his birth, Zeno and ••eneca had tane up∣on them the Defence of Corrupted Nature; for they allotted all her disorders to mans Constitution and Education; no•• knowing any other sinnes save such as be meerly Voluntary, they were ignorant of that sinne which we inhe•• from our Ancestors, and which pre∣ceding our Birth, makes us Crimin••ll ere we be Rationall: they taught precepts to shun Sin, h••y framed a method to acquire Ver∣tue, and proposing no other helps to their Disciples then Reason and Liberty, they upheld them in their Vain glory, and did not as∣sist them in their Weaknesse. These two Idols seemed powerfull enough to overcome all their Enemies, and not knowing that Reason was Blind, and Liberty a Captive, they impudently affirmed that there were no Inclinations so Bad, nor Habits so Obstinate, as

might not be overcome by this weak assistance; they boasted that their felicity depended upon their Owne proper Power, that they might be happy in Despight of Heaven, and that though their hap∣pinesse were not of so long Durance, yet was it of the same Tran∣quillity as that of God. * 1.5

Amongst so many Impieties and Blasphemies which Pride extort∣ed from out their mouthes, they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not sometime to be∣tray their owne cause, and publquely to acknowledge their owne Misery: For Nature, which cannot lye long, made them find her disorders, and forced them to confesse, that Faults were learnt with∣out Teachers, that we are Borne out of Order, and that wee have much Stronger inclinations to Vice then to Vertue.

Their Sect was borne down when the Pelagians raised up their * 1.6 heresie upon its ruines, and when undertaking to defend Corrupt∣ed Nature they declared warre against the Grace of Iesus Christ; they made all our Disorders to passe for Natural Effects, they laught at Originall Sin and maintained that Man had no Other off••nces then what he committed by his Own proper Will: they thought all our Bad inclinat••ons sufficiently recompenced by Liberty, and confiding strangely in their Owne Strength, they would not be be∣holden to Grace, to withstand Vice, nor to defend Vertue. Though * 1.7 St. Austin by his Learning and Humility hath triumphed over this proud and learned heresie, yet hath it out-lived that defeat, and found partakers after his Death: we run into the errours thereof at unawares, we speak the Language of the Pelagians, not having their Beliefe; and attributing more to Liberty, or Free-will, then to Grace, we will be Our Selves, the Authors of our Salvation.

To remedy this evill, which appears, much more in our Acti∣ons then in our Words, I thought it became me to represent the de∣plorable Condition whereinto Sinne had reduced Nature; and to make it evident in this worke, that there is no faculty of our Soules, nor part of our Bodies, which is not out of order. The pro∣fit will not be small, if we can tell how to husband it well: for to b••ot that our Misery will cause confusion in us by reason of our Sinne, and make us abborre it, 'twill lessen the haughty Confidence which we have in our Free-will, and make us acknowledge the Need we have to be assisted by Crace: the being sensible of our Ma∣lady, will be a Disposition to our Cure, and the weight of our Irons

may serve to heighten our Saviours Merits. The high opinion we have of our Owne strength, is injurious to His Glory, and those * 1.8 good inclinations of Nature, which we call Seeds of Vertue, doe not seem to lessen Adams sin, save so farre as to set a greater value up∣on the Grace of Iesus Christ: but the perfect knowledge of our Misery, cannot but produce good eff••cts: and when we shall be fully perswaded that we can doe nothing that is pleasing to God; without his Son's help, we will endeavour to obtain that assistance by our Prayers, and to procure it by our Teares.

Following this designe, I shall then make it appeare, that there * 1.9 is an Originall sinne, which is the fruitfull Spring-head of all our Misfortunes, and penetrating to within the Soule of Man, I will shew that her principall faculties retaine no longer their first Purity, nor their anc••ent Vigour, and that all the Vertues which are the Work∣manship thereof, are accompanied with so many Def••cts, as that they doe not deserve the glorious Name which they beare. From thence I shall descend to mans Body, the Constitution and Miseries whereof I will examine. Then, quitting Man, I shall consider all the Obiects which doe environ him, and which may cause Love or Hatred in him. And concluding finally by the Disorders which are in the World, I will shew that the Parts wherof it is Composed, have been out of Order, only since Sinne: I'le prove that Deluges and Devastations by Fire, are punishments which Divine Iustice hath invented to punish Guilty man withall; and will make it clearly appeare, as I hope, that there were no Monsters nor Poysons in the State of Innocency.

I have in all this my worke endeavour'd to mingle Eloquence with Doctrine; and knowing that I was to be accountable t•• All the World, I have sometimes suffer'd my thoughts to flie a Lower pitch, that they might be the more intelligible: I have been of * 1.10 opinion that Descriptions did not injure Argumentations, and in writing like a Christian Philosopher, I might b•• permitt••ed to play the Oratour. If any man shall thinke me too Copious, I am of His opinion; but to boot that this fault wants neither Example nor Excuse; I have striven to use no manner of Enlargement, but what would bring with it some New Light to the Vnderstanding, and which might serve for Ornament to the Truth, if not for her Defence.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vult homo i∣mitari Deum sed perversè, non esse sub illius potesta∣te, sed habere contra illum potestatem. Aug. in Psal. 60.
• * 1.2

  Neque enim sub Deo justo ••iser esse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 potest, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mer••tur. ••g. L. oper. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.3

  Poenam i••am esse quis dubi∣tet? omnis au∣tem poena si justa est pec∣cati poena est, & supplicium nominatur. D Aug. lib. 3. de Arbitr. cap. 18.
• * 1.4

  Bonum homi∣nis, animus & ratio in animo perfecta: quid autem ab illo exigis? rem facillimum, se∣cundùm Na∣turam vivere. Senec. Epist. 41.
• * 1.5

  Est aliqu id quo sapiens antecedat De∣um: ecce res magna habere imbecillitatem hominis secu∣ritatem Dei. Senec. Epist. 44.
• * 1.6

  Oblivione•• & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 non ••b∣jacere pec••ato quo••am ••on secun••ùm ••o∣luntatem sed secundum ne∣cessitatem eve∣niunt Dogma suit. Pelagij.
• * 1.7

  Item victori∣am nostram non esse ex Dei adjutorio sed ex libero arbitrio.
• * 1.8

  Vicinior est ••mmortalitati sanitas d••len∣tis quàm stu∣por non senti∣entis A••g. in Psal. 55.
• * 1.9

  Lacrymae non 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 sed me∣rentur. Greg. Mag.
• * 1.10

  Est enim pro∣prium Orato 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 q••. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lib. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. de Officiis.