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 ninth Discourse.

Wherefore Concupiscence remains in Man after Baptisme.

WE are taught by Divinity, that nothing but the Power of God can make all things out of nothing; nothing but his Providence can draw good out of evill, and make a mans fault to amend his life. Naturall Phylosophy cannot compre∣hend the former of these wonders, and morall Phylosopy cannot comprehend the second. Nature worketh nothing without materi∣als, her workmanships are rather alterations then productions; shee may well change one thing into another, but she cannot make a new thing, and there is so little proportion between nothing and subsist∣ancy, as Aristotle chose rather to believe that the World was eter∣nall, then that God created it of Nothing. This great Genjus found it lesse inconvenient to acknowledge numberless causes, then to con∣fess one only, the power thereof was unlimited; and morall Phy∣losophy, which is not greatly more enlightned then naturall Phylo∣phy, findes such opposition between good and evill, as shee would rather think to draw light out of darkness, and beauty out of defor∣mity, then Vertue out of Vice: but Religion which adores in God Almighty a Power which hath no bounds, and an unclouded Pro∣vidence confesseth also, that the one may have framed the World out of nothing, and that the other may have extracted Grace, out of sin, in effect the work of our Redemption, is the sequell of ou•• loss. And if Adams sin be not the cause, it is at least the occasion of our salvation, the same sin which hath drawn reproches from forth our mouth, hath return'd prayses for it, And the Church calleth that sin, fortunate, a which hath merited so excellent a Redeemer, Concu∣piscence being the daughter of sin, we must not wonder if divine Providence hath made it serviceable to her designes, and if she em∣ploy her Enemy to execute her will, for though this guilty habit be past, as it were into nature, and that it makes sin so hard to be over∣come, yet did God leave it in the souls of his faithfull Ones to exer∣cise their vertue, to allay their Pride, and to make them have their

Remembrance of their misfortune always before them. During the happy estate of their Innocencie, Vertue was so naturall to man as it met with no Resistance. Man took delight in doing what was good, and the greatness of Merit was not measured by the dif∣ficulty of the work, his passions were obedient to reason, his senses were faithfull to his soule, and his body had no other moti∣ons then those of the soule, the practise of Piety was not as yet be∣come a Combate, Continencie and Fortitude were not enforced to give battaile, to bear away the victory; and these two Noble Habits were given man, rather for his ornament then for his defence, so we must confess that if he had more quiet then we, hee had less glory, and that if he tasted more delight, he could not hope for so great re∣ward, for all our life is spent in Exercise and fighting, all our vertues are austeer, they are always environed with Enemies, they cannot go out of their ordinary tracks, without falling into a Precepice, and they are Reduced to the b Necessity of Continuall fighting unlesse they will be defeated, but of all the Enemies that sets upon them, they are most vext with Concupiscence, and yet win most glory thereby, for she is so opinionated as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cannot be overcome, Grace which triumphs over all our Evill, complains of being resisted by this, although it lose it's vigour, it loseth not it's courage, and though the Saints do still weaken it yet they cannot stifle it; they must dye to defeat it, and it must cost them their life, to get the full victory, yet is this the field wherein they purchase all their Bayes, tis the matter of their fights and Triumphs: and their vertues would lan∣guish in Idleness, did not this domestick Enemy keep them in breath. To say truth, they run much danger but gain much Glory; the same subject which causeth their Pain heighthens their courage and in∣creaseth their merit.

If Concupiscence be of use to vertue, she is no lesse fatall to sin, for though she be her Daughter she is likewise oft her Murtherer; and of all the remedies which Grace hath ordained to cure us of Pride, there is none more safe then that of this disorder. We are na∣turally Proud and Miserable, and it is hard to say whether Pride or misery makes the greater Impression in our souls. Pride is so well engraven therein, as we in our sad Condition continue the coveting after all those greatnesses which we did possess whilest innocent; We perswade our selves that we are Princes, because our Father was

so: We will have Nature to obey us because she bore respect to his will, and we think that all honours are due to us, because he enjoyed them in the Earthly Paradice. Death which is the reward of sin can∣not be the cure thereof; the Creatures revolt cannot perswade us, that we have lost the Empire of the world, and the sicknesses, which do alter our Tempers, cannot teach us that the Elements are our ene∣mies, but Concupiscence teacheth us humility, this insolent Mistris teacheth us obedience; c and her frequent rebellions makes us know that we are no longer Masters of our selves, by two contrary Motions, she inspires us with Pride, and teacheth us modesty, she fils us with courage, and makes us know our weaknesse, she incites us against Heaven, and obligeth us to implore the assistance thereof▪ In fine, she wounds and cures us, at the same time; and like to those prepared poysons, whereof Medicines are made, she is the antidote of al our evils. For who is so proud a Prince as doth not humble himself, when hee sees he is less absolute in his person then his state, that his▪ Passions are more rebellious then his subjects, that there goes more to tame them, then to reduce Rebels to obedience, and that though reason super-intend in his soul, she hath irrationall subjects who despise her Authority. Saint Augustine confesseth that this Punish∣ment is as shamefull as cruell, and of as many Irregularities as sin hath produced in men, hee findes none more infamous then Concupis∣cence.

She makes us also see the unfortunate state of our condemna••n, and even in the State of Grace, she presents unto us the Condition▪ of sin; for we are divided between Adam▪ and Jesus Christ, we be∣long to two Masters, we are the Members of two opposite Com∣manders, and we the Children of two Fathers, that war one against the other▪ Wee hol•• still with Adam, according to the flesh, wee follow his Inclinations, and in Christian Religion, we forbeare, not to ob••y his will, his sin hath made such an Impression in our d soul, as we continue to bear about with us all the marks of his Rebellion, and unlesse we contend against our senses, we find by experience; that our desires▪ are the Pictures of his.

All our sins are so many undertakings against the Authority of God, we will be Independent in our Government, we will tast de∣lights unmingled with bitternesse, and have knowledge ••exempt from errour, we still seek after the effects of those abusive promises,

which the wicked Fiend made unto us, and pretend in the depth of our Miseries, to arrive at the height of greatnesse, from whence we are faln, thus doth Adams sin triumph yet in our souls, and this Fa∣ther which is dead so many ages ago, lives yet in his Children. Tis true that according to the spirit we belong to the only Son of God, his Grace is shed abroad throughout our hearts, we work by his Mo∣tions, if we be inanimated by his spirit, and we desire to kill Adam, that Jesus Christ may live in his place; but this is but a languishing life, we are but imperfect works, Grace meets always with contra∣dictions in her designs, and the soul being engaged in the bodies re∣bellion, hath very much ado to submit her self to the Spirit of God. We e wait for the day of resurrection, to the end that Jesus Christ may be the Father both of our body, and soul, and that the two parts whereof we are Composed may submit themselves to his will. We wish that death may bereave us of all that Adam gave us, and to the end that Jesus Christ may reign absolutely in our Soul we▪ de∣sire that our soul may be loosened from the sinfull body which she inanimates; from thence derive the opposite motions which divide the greatest Saints, from thence arise those contrary desires which divide their wils, from thence finally proceeds those differing in∣clinations which do so diversly agitate them, and which teach them that though they be Subjects to the Empire of Grace, they are not notwithstanding freed from the Tyranny of sin, tis true that they Comfort themselves amidst their misfortune; When they consider that they are not made guilty by the motions of Concupiscence, save when they are voluntary, and that Baptisme, which hath left them languishing, hath not left them Criminall, for our revolts are not al∣ways sins, if our will approve not of them, they are rather Subjects of Glory then Confusion. The disorders of our Passions become not offences, save when they draw along our consent, as long as the soul opposeth the disorders of the senses, she is innocent, and as long as she surpasseth Sorrow and Anger, f if she do not triumph she is at least victorious. He who looks Pale and sigheth, is not always over∣born with Feare, or Sorrow, he whose colour riseth when he is offended is not always overcome by choller. These Passions must be voluntary to be Criminall, and to be really tearmed sins, they must pass from the body to the soul, he who trembleth is not affraid if he will not Commit some base act, he who weeps is not sad, if he

will wipe away his tears; he who finds Anger to arise in him is not irritated, if he endeavour to quench his flames, and amidst all these Passions a man may boast that he is void of fear; Grief; and Anger, if his will goe not along with their motions, by all this discourse a man may easily gather, that g Concupiscence may be made good use of by the Faithfull, and that if, of her own Inclination, she be the root of all vice, when conducted by Grace she may become the seed of all vertues.

Notes

• a

  O 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cul∣•• quae talem ac tantum meruit habere Redem∣ptorem.
• b

  Vita justi in isto corpore ad∣huc bellum est, nondum trium∣phans. Ergo hic semper pug••an∣dum est▪ quia ipsa concupis∣centia cum qua nati sum•• fi∣niri non potest q••mdiu vivi∣m••s. Quotidiè minui potest fi∣niri non potest. Beda in Rom. 8. in August.
• c

  Quae hominis alia est major miseria nisi ad∣versus eum ip∣sum, inobedien∣tia ejus ipsius. Aug. lib. 14▪ de Civit. cap. 15.
• d

  Neque viv•• ut vult homo nisi 〈◊〉〈◊〉 perv••e∣ris ubi mori sal∣••i 〈◊〉〈◊〉 offendi non possit. August. lib. 14. deCivit. cap. 25.
• e

  Vt sim•• ini∣tium aliquod c••caturae ejus. Jacob ideo Chri∣stus vocatur pa∣ter futuri sae∣culi.
• f

  Concupiscenti•• host is mea quo∣modo agit ma∣lum & non per∣ficit malum: a∣git malum quia movet desideriū malum: non p••rficit malum quia nos non trahit ad ma∣lum & in isto bello est tota vi∣ta sanctorum. Bed. in Rom. 8.
• g

  Agit caro de∣sideria sua age tu tua: non op∣primuntar, non extinguntur à te desideriaejus, non extinguat tua, ut in certa∣mine labores & non victus tra∣betis. Bed. in Rom. 8.