The anatomy of Arminianisme: or The opening of the controuersies lately handled in the Low-Countryes, concerning the doctrine of prouidence, of predestination, of the death of Christ, of nature and grace. By Peter Moulin, pastor of the church at Paris. Carefully translated out of the originall Latine copy

CHAP. VIII.

What Originall sinne is, and whether it be truely and properly sinne.

I. ORiginall sinne is the deprauation of mans nature, contracted and drawne from the very generation it selfe, and deriued from Adam into all mankinde; consisting of

the priuation or want of originall righteousnesse, and the pronenesse to euill.

II. These two things, to wit, the priuation or want of originall righteousnesse, and the inclinablenesse to euill, are in originall sinne. For as sicknesse is not onely a priuation of health, but also an euill affection of the body from the distemper of the humours: so this hereditary blot, is not onely the want of righ∣teousnesse, but also the inclinablenesse to vnrigh∣teousnesse.

III. The last of these proceedes from the former. For the soule, which by originall sinne hath ceased to be good, is necessarily euill; and the soule being in∣structed by the will, which cannot be idle, holines and righteousnesse being lost, must needes turne to the contrary part.

IV. This corruption brings blindnesse to the minde, peruersenesse to the will, perturbation to the appetites, the losse of supernaturall gifts, and the cor∣ruption of those that are naturall.

V. And although in Adam the minde was first stained with errour, before the will was infected with peruersenesse; yet is the corruption of the will farre worse, and that blot more foule, because wee are not made good or euill by the vnderstanding, but by the wi••l, for whatsoeuer euill is committed, it is the sinne of the will; the committing of wickednesse is a greater sinne then the ignorance of the truth.

VI. The guilt or obliging to punishment, can∣not be any part of the definition of Originall sinne, * 1.1 seeing it is the effect of it.

VII. Lombard, and Thomas, and the other schoole∣men,

who say that originall sinne is concupiscence, doe not attaine sufficiently to the nature of concupi∣scence: For Originall sinne doth infect all the facul∣ties of the reasonable soule, and concupiscence is the disease of the will and appetite; also concupiscence, is contrary to one commandement of the Law, and Originall sinne, is contrary to the whole Law: Nei∣ther by it, doe men sinne more against the second ta∣ble of the law then against the first. What? that con∣cupiscence is forbidden by a proper law: But I know not whether Originall sin may be said to be forbidden by the law; for God doth not command, that wee should be generated or begotten pure & without sin, for so God should speak to man before he were born. Surely man is not bound to obey the law, before he be man; and seeing the law doth not speak, but to them that heare, & are partakers of reason, to think that the law commands a man that is growne to age, to be born without sin, is a ridiculous thing, & well nigh a dreame: For so the law, should command him to be born, that is already born, & him to be begotten, that is already grown a man. The law doth not command, but presuppose Originall righteousnes & doth speake to man, being considered in the state wherein he was before the fall, requiring that old debt and naturall obedience: Whence it is manifest, that Originall sin, is condemned by the law, but not forbidden.

VIII. Of this sinne, although the Scripture speaketh so expressely, and sense it selfe and experi∣ence doth abundantly testifie it, yet there haue not beene wanting some who did deny this sinne, and would not acknowledge mankinde from his first

stock, and originall, to be infected with sinne. Cyril∣lus Ierosolomytanus, or whosoeuer else is the author of those Catechismes which goe vnder his name, in his fourth part of his Catechisme, hath these words. Thou dost not sinne by generation, thou dost play the adul∣terer by fortune. And a little after. Wee come without sinne, but now we sinne by our owne election.

IX. In Saint Austins age, Pelagius & Celestius did deny Originall sinne, and did contend, that sinne did passe from fathers to their issue, onely by exam∣ple and imitation: They did deny that sinne was remitted to infants by Baptisme, because they had none; and did affirme, that by it onely, the kingdome of heauen was opened to them; whose heresie is long agoe hissed out, and strongly confuted by Saint Austin.

X. Saint Hierome (or whosoeuer else is the author of those briefe comentaries vpon the Epistle of Saint Paule, which are put in among Saint Hieromes works) doth fauour Pelagius: For those words of the Apo∣stle, Rom. 5. in whom all haue sinned, he restraines to example, and doth take them as spoken of the imita∣tion of the sinne of Adam.

XI. Saint Chrisostome in many places, doth seeme to creepe into this error. In his Homily vpon new Conuerts, he denyeth Baptisme to be profitable only to the remission of sinnes: For (saith he) wee Baptise infants, although they are not polluted with sinne, that holinesse, and righteousnesse, adoption, and the inheri∣tance, &c may be added to them. And in his tenth Ho∣misie vpon the Epistle to the Romanes, expounding that of Saint Paule, Rom. 5. By the disobedience of one,

many were made sinners, by sinners, hee would haue vs vnderstand, those that are guilty of punishment, and mortall, and not those that are defiled by the blot of sinne.

XII. Lombard, lib 2. distinct. 30. litera E. saith, there were some that said, Originall sinne was no vice in vs, but onely the guilt of punishment, euen of that eternall punishment, which is due to vs, for the sinne of Adam, vnlesse we be freed by Christ. The Armi∣nians doe not much differ from this opinion, who doe not care who they imitate, so they inuent something that may make for the safeguard of their errour. * 1.2 Arnoldus after Arminius doth teach, that Originall sinne, hath no respect of vice, or sinne, properly so called, for nothing is sinne or vice, vnlesse it be committed by the free-will. In the same place hee denieth that Originall sin deserues punishment, but saith, that it is a punishment. And he doth confesse, * 1.3 that Arminius doth deny that Originall sinne, is sinne, properly so called. Arminius himselfe, Resp. ad 9. Quaest. P. 174. hath these words, It is peruersely said, that Originall sinne doth make a man guilty of death.

XIII. The reasoning then of Saint Paule the Apo∣stle, doth fall to the ground, Rom. 5.13.14, where speaking of sinne which hath flowed from Adam, in∣to his posterity, when he had said, That sinne was in the world vntill the Law, hee afterward proues it, by the death of the infants, who were dead before the daies of Moses: Death (saith he) raigned from Adam to Mo∣ses, euen ouer them that had not sinned after the simili∣tude of Adams transgression, that is, ouer infants which had not sinned actually: Hee thereby proueth, that

sinne was in those infants, because death is the fruit and punishment of sinne. Seeing therefore the death of infants is a punishment of Originall sinne, if this Originall sinne were not truely sinne, but onely the punishment of sinne, then this death of infants would be the punishment of a punishment, and not the pu∣nishment of sinne; but to say that God doth punish punishments, and not sinnes, is vncomely for any, e∣specially for those who professe themselues to be maintainers of Gods iustice.

XIV. And if the Originall blot of infants is not sinne, but onely the punishment of sinne, they are baptised in vaine: For, baptisme is not profitable to wash away punishments, but to wash away sinnes. In vain are they washed, that are without the filth of sin. Why is it necessary men should be borne againe; but because they are dead in sinne? Whence is that per∣uersenes, by which naturally men are prone to euill; but from vice? and what is this vice but sinne?

XV. But (you say) it is not sinne, vnlesse it be voluntary. I confesse it, if you speake of actuall sinnes; but if you speake of the naturall staine and blot, it is not necessary, that this naturall blot be procured by euery ones owne will; it is enough if it be contrary to the Law: For this is the best difinition of sinne, that Saint Iohn layeth downe, that sinne is, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the breach of the Law: And it cannot be doubted, but that that is contrary to the law, which doth stirre vp a man to rebell against the law. For although Origi∣nall sinne hath not yet stirred vp the infant to sinne in act, yet is it apt and prone to stirre him vp: No o∣therwise then the Snake which hath not yet infected

any one with her poysoning biting, hath yet an en∣grafted poyson in her, and a naturall readinesse to hurt. Originall sinne also, may be said to be volun∣tary, because by it we sinne voluntarily, and also be∣cause we sinned in Adam, and therefore in him wee were desirous of this corruption. Finally, wee must rather beleeue Saint Paul, that teacheth vs that sinne is in infants, then these men, who strike them∣selues with their owne stings, and entangle them∣selues.

XVI. For, seeing that the Arminians teach, that by the death of Christ, all mankinde is reconciled to God, and that remission of sinnes is obtained for all men: I demand, for what sinnes are infants puni∣shed, and doe fall into torments of body, and doe suf∣fer the assaults of Diuels? Is it for the sinne of Adam? that, the Arminians affirme, is forgiuen them. Is it for any actuall sinne? they haue committed none. It re∣maines therefore, that they are punished for Origi∣nall sinne, * 1.4 vnlesse we will brand God with the marke of iniustice, as he that torments the innocents and they that are guilty of no sinne.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lombard. lib. 2. dist. 30. Th••mas t. 2 Quest. ••2. art. 3.
• * 1.2

  Pag. 388. in Tilenum.
• * 1.3

  Pag. 389. & 390.
• * 1.4

  Vide Aransic. Concil. secund Chap. 2.