A Treatise of Paradise, Chapter 63
CHAP. LXIII.
What puniſhment is due vntounto originall ſin in the other life.
AL the difficultie of this point is wholly as concerning thoſe who depart out of this world without baptiſme, whereby the guilt of originall ſinne (as many hold) ſhould hauehave been taken away: wherefore the queſtion is, what becommeth of theſe, or what puniſhment is due vntounto them for this ſin, ſuppoſing that it be not taken away, as certainly it is not, at leaſtway in thoſe that are not comprehended in the couenant of grace.
The common opinion of the ſchoole-Diuines in this point, is, that the innocents vnbaptiſed, either baptiſmo ſanguinis, fluminis, or flaminis, either with the baptiſme of bloud, to wit, of martyrdome; or of the holy Ghoſt, by ſome ſupernaturall act or habit, ſufficient to iuſtification; or finally by the ordinary baptiſme of water, that ſuch (I ſay) are puniſhed with the loſſe of their ſupernaturall bleſſedneſſe, though not with any other ſenſible puniſhment.
This is expreſly the opinion of S. Ambroſe vponupon that of the 5. chapter to the Romans, as by one man, where thus hee declareth his minde in this point: Death is the reſolution of the body, when the ſoule is ſeparated from the body: there is alſo another death, which is called the ſecond death vntounto hell; which wee doe not ſuffer through Adams ſinne, but this is gotten by our owne proper actuall ſinne, though by the occaſion of the other.
Yea if wee onelyonly attend vntounto the nature of originall ſinne, contracted by the aforeſaid innocents; we ſhall finde that they are altogether vncapable of the puniſhment of hell fire: for who will ſay that a man might iuſtly bee caſt in priſon, or beaten for his originall ſin, ſeeing it was neuer in his power to auoid it? much leſſe therefore were it iuſt,Lumbar. 2. diſt. 33. Bonau. ibid. ar. 3. q. 1. Rich. ar. 3. q. 1. Dur. q. 3. Scotus q. vnica. Gal r. q. 1. ar. 2. concla. 1. & ſeq. Marſil. in 2 q. 19. ar. 5. poſt 2. concluſionem. Alex. 1. par. q. 39. mem. 3 ar. 4. Dom. Sotus l. 1. de natura & gratia, ar. 4. cap. 14. Cath. in opuſc. peculiari de hac re. that any man ſhould ſuffer the eternall torments of hell fire, for that ſinne which hee neuer committed, neither was euer in his power to auoid it. wherefore this is the moſt common opinion of the Schooles, that the infants, or others who die with originall ſinne only, ſhall not ſuffer any ſenſible torment of hell fire, though they bee eternally excluded from the company of the bleſſed in heauen, and the glorious ſight of Almighty God: and this in particular is the opinion of the maſter of the ſentences, Bonauenture, Richardus Durand, Scotus, Marſilius, Gabriel, Alexander, Sotus, and laſtly of the Councell of Florence in the laſt ſeſſion, in literis vnionis.
The ſecond opinion of other ſchoole-Diuines is, that the ſaid vnbaptiſed innocents are to bee puniſhed in the other world, not only with the loſſe of the ſight of God, their eſſentiall bliſſe, but alſo with other ſenſible torments, euen with hell fire it ſelfe.
This is plainly the opinion of S. Auſtine, l. 5. hypognoſticon poſt medium, and in his booke de fide ad Petrum, c. 27. & 44. But if theſe be not ſo certainly Auſtines workes, the ſecond at leaſt is of the learned Biſhop Fulgentius, and the other of ſome learned Author: yea whoſoeuer be the authors of thoſe, it is moſt certaine that Auſtine was of this opinion in his 14. ſermon of the words of the Apoſtle, where he ſaith, infantes in peccato originali diſcedentes ex hac vita, deputandos eſſe ad ſiniſtram, ad ignem aeternum: that the infants that depart out of this world in originall ſinne, are to be deputed to the left hand vntounto euerlaſting fire.
Againe, in his fift booke againſt Iulian, the 8. chapter, a little after the midſt, he auerreth, hanc poenamignis ſeruatam eſſe infantibus, quanta verò futura ſit, non audet definire: that this puniſhment of fire is reſerued for infants, though (as he ſaith) hee dare not define how great this puniſhment of fire ſhall be, in regard of them who depart with the guilt onelyonly of originall ſinne. The like alſo is not improbably gathered out of Gregory the great, in his 9. booke of his morals, the 12. chapter, vponupon thoſe words, in turbine conteret me, where he ſeemeth plainly to inſinuate the ſaid ſenſible puniſhment of the infants by fire; ac ſi apertè humani generis damna conſiderans dicat, as if conſidering the loſſes of mankinde he ſhould plainly ſay, with what puniſhment will that moſt iuſt and rigorous Iudge puniſh thoſe who are condemned for their owne fault, if he alſo eternally ſmite thoſe whom the guiltineſſe of their owne will doth not condemne? by which word of ſmiting he ſeemeth to inſinuate the puniſhment of ſenſe, which is by fire.
Again he declareth his mind himſelf touching this ſenſible puniſhment, vponupon thoſe words of the ſame chap. multiplicabit vulnera mea, hee ſhall multiplie my wounds; where ſpeaking of the foreſaid infants, he ſaith, that perpetua tormenta percipiunt, qui nihil ex propria voluntate peecarunt; that thoſe who hauehave ſinned in nothing by their owne proper will, receiue perpetuall torments: which words of perpetuall torments muſt needs import a ſenſible puniſhment.
Yea this was the opinion of the Biſhops of Africa in Fulgentius his time, as is plainly out of him aboue alleaged, and more plainly in his booke of the incarnation, which booke hee wrote not onelyonly by the approbation of all the Biſhops of Africa, but alſo in their names, as may be euidently ſeene by the beginning of the firſt chapter of that booke.
Finally, this ſeemeth to be the ſenſe of the Scripture, Matth. the third chapter, verſe 12. and Marke alſo the third chapter, verſe 14. where S. Iohn Baptiſt ſpeaking of our Sauiour, ſaith, that he will come with his fanne in his hand, and will make cleane the floore, and gather his wheat into his garner, but will burne vp the chaffe with vnquenchable fire: where (as wee ſee) all mankinde is but onelyonly of two ſorts, the good and the bad, the wheat and the chaffe, wherof the wheat only is for the garner, that is, the good for heauen, the chaffe for the fire, the bad for thoſe intolerable torments of hell: here is no meane; all is either good, or bad; all either for eternall bleſſe, both ſenſible and ſpirituall, or eternall curſe and puniſhment, both ſenſible and ſpirituall; and conſequently, there is no other place or manner of puniſhment, for thoſe who die with originall ſinne, innocent in their owne actions, though eternally ſequeſtred from the ſight of God, for Adams ſinne and corruption.
Secondly, it is ſaid in the ſame chapter, that eueryevery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, ſhall be hewen downe, and cast in the fire. Wherefore ſeeing thoſe that depart out of this world with the guilt only of originall ſinne, are vnfruitfull trees, conſequently they are to bee caſt into euerlaſting fire.
Thirdly, when our bleſſed Sauiour ſhall come to giuegive eueryevery man according to his deeds, hee will only ſeparate two ſorts of people, one of the right hand, another of the left, the good of the right, the bad of the left, thoſe for eternall bleſſe in the kingdome of heauen, theſe for an eternall curſe in the vnquenchable fire of hell. Matth. 25. chap. verſ. 31. And when the ſonne of man commeth in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him, then ſhall he ſit vponupon the throne of his glory, and before him ſhall be gathered all nations, and he ſhall ſeparate one from another, as a ſhepheard ſeparateth the ſheepe from the goats, and hee ſhall ſet the ſheepe on the right hand, and the goats on the left. Loe here bee two ſorts of people ſignified by thoſe two kindes of beaſts, the ſheepe and the goats, the good and the bad, the ſheepe on the right hand, the goats on the left, according vntounto the two ſorts of ſentences pronounced, verſ 34. and 41. Then ſhall the King ſay to them on his right hand, come yee bleſſed of my Father, poſſeſſe the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Againe to the curſed hee ſaith, verſ. 41. Depart from me yee curſed vntounto euerlaſting fire, which is prepared for the Deuill and his angels.
Hence therefore it muſt needs follow, that ſeeing thoſe who died in originall ſinne imputed vntounto them, as who were not in any wiſe ingraffed in the body of Chriſt, that theſe (I ſay) muſt needs according vntounto the opinion of the aforeſaid Fathers bee condemned vntounto vnquenchable fire, though certaine it is (as God willing ſhall bee demonſtrated in another place) that thoſe who are in any wiſe ingraffed in Chriſt, either by the baptiſme of water, of bloud, or of the holy Ghoſt, by reaſon of originall ſinne only, ſhall neuer taſte of thoſe eternall torments prepared for the deuill and his angels.