Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CCXXII. Whether is harder, for a Vertuous Man to do that which is Evil; or for a Vicious to do that which is Good. (Book 222)

BEfore we come to the Resolution of this Question, we are to consider two things; the former, that Man consists of two parts, the Superiour, which is the Soul; and the Inferiour, which is the Body; and whereas these two parts have different objects, and such as which contradict one the other, there hap∣pens to be a great Conflict; the body being strongly inclin'd to sensuality, and the Soul endeavouring to raise her self up to spi∣ritual things. But in regard the Organs she makes use of are ma∣terial,

such as are also the Senses, which assist her in her operati∣ons, it is not to be thought she can overcome without great pains; inasmuch as the instruments which she stands in need of, for the exercise of Virtue, hold a greater correspondence with the Bo∣dy; and as they derive their Being from matter, so they betray the Resolutions of the Soul, reducing her under a Tyrannical Subjection. Whence it follows, that the wicked or vicious per∣son finds it the greater difficulty to do well; inasmuch as being enslav'd to vice and sin, he cannot shake off that yoke, as having a constant inclination to evil.

The Second thing to be consider'd, is good and evil in it self; for, according to Nature, there is no evil in Humane Actions, in∣asmuch as in appearance they are all good; otherwise the Will, the object whereof is that which is Good and pleasing, would not be inclin'd thereto, since good is that which all things desire. There are therefore two sorts of good, and as many of evils, one Na∣tural, and the other Moral; the Soul is easily enclin'd to the Mo∣ral good, and the Body to the Natural; and, consequently, it is much more easie for the Vicious person to do a Moral good, than it is for the Virtuous Man to do a Moral Evil.

The Second said, That it is harder for a good Man to do evil, in regard that to the virtuous man Virtue seems so fair and taking, that he finds it the greatest difficulty in the world to for∣sake her, and so to embrace Vice, which he looks upon as a hideous Monster, inasmuch as Beings and Substances are more amiable than Privations are odious; in regard that as Love re∣spects the things that are amiable, and aversion is not extended to that which is not; in like manner, Vice is not so much shun'd, as Vertue is belov'd: Whence it follows, that it is a greater trouble for the good man to do that which is evil, in regard he knows the perfection of good, as much as the vicious person is ignorant of it; and, from that ignorance, there must needs pro∣ceed a difficulty and backwardness of embracing it.

The Third said, That the vicious person finds it a harder task to do well, in regard that Nature is strongly bent towards that which is evil; and, consequently, the virtuous person, when he does that which is evil, easily falls down into the bottom; accord∣ing to the descent of humane inclinations; and the vicious per∣son, when he does that which is good, climes up a high Mountain full of Rocks and Precipices, and engages against Nature her self, being in open hostility against the sensual Appetite, and, accord∣ing to the Scripture, We do not the good which we would do, but the evil we would not do, that we do: To shew that the difficulties men find in the pursuance of good are so great, that Saint Paul himself complains of his having a Law within him which rebelled against the Law of God. This Nature of ours being full of the imperfections conceiv'd in Original Sin, hath so great a repug∣nance to good, that there was a necessity of a Law of Grace to regenerate it, in order to the pursuit of good, a complyance

with the true sentiments of Religion, and the knowledge of God; not to urge, that Pleasure hath so great attractions and charms, that it is almost impossible to over-master them. Thence it came that Ʋlysses order'd himself to be bound to the mast of his Ship, and caus'd his ears to be stopp'd, that he might not hear the har∣monious voices of the Syrens; otherwise his Reason would not have been so strong as to over-master his sensual Appetites, which must be either destroy'd, or so fetter'd, that the Soul may not be drawn away by pernicious temptations.

The Fourth said, That Virtue was natural to Man before Adam's Transgression, and, from the time of his rebellion against God, Vice hath seated it self in her place; so that when Inno∣cence forsook our first Parent, all vices and imperfections possess'd themselves of his Mind, and are become so naturaliz'd there, that it begat a necessity of establishing Divine and Humane Laws: whereof some were for the eradication of Vices; others, for the punishment of Crimes; all which trouble might have been spar'd, if there had not been so much difficulty in the doing of that which is good.

The Fifth said, That it being suppos'd, (as indeed it is true) that Humane Nature is more inclin'd to Vice than to Virtue for the reasons before alledg'd, yet is there a certain means to fru∣strate and destroy that Inclination, and advance the Soul to a so∣vereignty over the Body, by abolishing and destroying the Sen∣ses, and those intellectual powers whereby the Organs are go∣vern'd. For if the Body have the Mastership, the Soul will be forc'd to obey; but if the Soul commands, she will bring the Body into subjection to all the vertuous actions she pleases her self. And then the Vertues will be naturaliz'd in man, and the Question propos'd will meet with a contrary Solution; for in that Case, it will be much more hard for the vertuous man to do that which is evil, than for the vicious to do well; inasmuch as the virtuous person by that mortification of the Senses, will be in a manner reduc'd to the state of original innocence, and re∣stor'd to the glorious condition Man was in before the Fall.

The Sixth said, That such a moral regeneration is a great Cabalistical Secret, unknown to all the learned; that such a mortification and destruction of the Senses as was propos'd, is a work not yet well discover'd to the Curious, as transcending all common rules. For, if the Soul acts not without the assistance of the Organs, and the interior and exterior Senses, the weak∣ning or destroying of these will contribute to the weakning of the Soul; and instead of making a Prophet, the transformation will be into some Hypochondriack, or extravagant Phanatick, as it happens to those who macerate their Bodies by an indiscreet zeal; insomuch that having not the perfect knowledg of that Science, it were more expedient that men had a recourse to the ordinary means of Morality, to regulate the Passions of the Soul, and bring her to the pursuance of Virtue. Now according to the rules of Mo∣rality,

even those who are good, are much inclin'd to evil, and find it no easie matter to oppose it.

The Seventh said, That it is as hard a matter for the vicious person to do well, as it is for the virtuous to do ill, in regard that the inclination, which the good man hath to do good and eschew evil, is equal to that of the wicked person, which is always bent to do evil, it being very difficult for him to embrace Virtue by shunning Vice, by reason of the aversion which he hath to that which is good. And to make this the more clear, we common∣ly find some persons so naturally addicted to the exercises of Vir∣tues, that what they do seems to be without any study. Whence it may be deduc'd, that the first seeds of Virtue and Good proceed from those natural Dispositions, which are called Inclinations, and, consequently, the difficulties in both are concluded to be equal. And that may also be observ'd in Socrates, who himself acknowledg'd, that his natural Inclinations were so bent to Vice, that if the dictates of Philosophy had not wrought things in him beseeming the person, whom the Oracle had declar'd wise, he would have been carry'd away with sensual Appetites, accord∣ing to his natural Inclinations; there being some Natures truly Heroick, and ever doing well; and others brutish, and always inclin'd to evil. To this we are to add the consideration of the persons, their qualities, and age; inasmuch as there being somewhat particular in any of these circumstances, it changes the resolution in the general proposition, which being universal, and of a large extent, it were necessary, in order to the finding out of the Truth, that we confin'd our selves to these circumstances, yet still following the forementioned opinion. For as fire finds no difficulty to ascend, no more than the water does to flow down∣wards and make towards its centre; so every one complying with his own Inclinations, stands in an equal bent towards good and evil, without any trouble or difficulty; but to proceed contrary to that motion, the virtuous person finds the trouble attending the doing of a evil action, equal to that of the vicious in doing a bad one.

The Eighth said, That this bent of the Inclinations ceases in those who are one while inclin'd to the doing of that which is good, another, to the doing of that which is evil, as may be observ'd in Nero, who, during the first five years of his Govern∣ment, was the mildest of any of the Emperours, yet afterwards gave himself over to all manner of Cruelty. For what can be said of this alteration, and if a man be naturally inclin'd to good, Why is not the same inclination continued in him? Does this inconstancy proceed from the mind or from the body? If it proceeds from the mind, since the powers thereof have a cer∣tain knowledge of the Good, Why does it not embrace that which is good, answerably to its knowledge of the same? If it proceeds from the body, since this hath a dependance on the mind, why does it not follow the impressions which it derives

from the other? The Professors of Astrology, who give so much credit to their Influences; affirm, that these diversities proceed from those Constellations, whereby that change is caused, and by which the Will is moved, and receives a bent either to good or evil; but if Reason have the sovereignty, it ought to be conform∣able, and produce such effects as are answerable thereto. There is therefore a great probability, that the causes of good and bad actions are to be referr'd to the regeneration of the Elect, and the reprobation of the wicked, who are left to the pursuance of their sensuality; and thence it will follow, that it shall be as hard for a truly-devout person to sin, as for a reprobate to do well; and so the Question is to be referr'd to the decision of Theology.