The Anatomy of Arminianism, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Of the propagation of the ſinne of Adam to his poſteritie, where alſo of the traduction of the ſoule, and of ſinne it ſelfe.
WE hauehave already ſaid that the ſinne of Adam is conueyed to his poſterity two manner of wayes; by Imputation, and Propagation: Of imputation it hath been ſpoken; now we are to ſpeake of Propagation.
I. That the ſinne of Adam hath infected all mankinde with an hereditary deprauation, and that this contagion hath farre ſpred it ſelfe, hath beene abundantly proued by thoſe places, by which we hauehave declared that eueryevery man was conceiued and borne in ſinne. As by one man, ſinne entred into the World, and death by ſinne: ſo death went ouer all, in whom all men ſinned. Rom. 5.
II. And if any one would exactly view the manner and circumſtances of Adams ſinne, he ſhall finde that in eueryevery man, the character, and no obſcure image, of that firſt ſinne, is deepely impreſſed: for there is engrafted in eueryevery man curioſity & deſire of knowing thoſe thin gs which pertaine nothing to him: and alſo a diſtruſtfull haeſitation, and doubting of the word of God: And as Adam laid the fault vponupon his wife, and his wife vponupon the Serpent, ſo is it naturall to eueryevery man, to couer his fault with anothers fault: Alſo flight and trembling at the meeting of God, lying, diſſembling, and a ſenſe of vndecent nakedneſſe, are in all men by nature, and are deriued into poſterity from that fountaine; and to theſe things we are not taught, but made, not inſtructed, but infected: To theſe things, we doe not onelyonly not need a maſter, but contrary to the teaching of maſters, and to diſcipline, all ſtayes and barres being broken, wee returne to them, nature being conqueror.
III. As therefore the egges of the Aſpe are iuſtly broken, and ſerpents new bred are iuſtly killed, although they hauehave yet poyſoned none; ſo infants are rightly obnoxious, and ſubiect to puniſhments: For although they hauehave not yet ſinned in act, yet there is in them that contagious peſtilence, and that naturall proneneſſe to ſinne.
IV. But hence ariſeth a queſtion hard to be diſſolued, to wit, by what meanes ſinne is traduced from parents to their poſterity, and how mens ſoules may draw this deprauation. For ſeeing all things that God doth, are good; it is not credible nor likely, that God put Originall ſinne into mens ſoules: For how ſhould he puniſh thoſe ſoules, which hee himſelfe had corrupted? And if he created the ſoule pure and iuſt, but being included in the body, it is defiled with the contagion, other diſcommodities no whit leſſe doe ariſe: For to include a pure and innocent ſoule in a ſtinking priſon, and to thruſt it, as it were, into a bridewell, that it might bee corrupted there, doth not ſeeme to agree with the iuſtice and goodneſſe of God.
V. Hereto is added alſo, that ſin is the deprauation of the ſoule, not of the body, for ſin is a ſpirituall thing, a vice of the will; the body therefore cannot giuegive that to the ſoule, which it hath not: And ſeeing the body doth not ſinne, but when the ſoule doth vſe the body as an organ to ſinne, Rom. 6.13. it is manifeſt that ſinne doth paſſe from the ſoule into the body, and not from the body into the ſoule; to which thing, the very ſinne of Adam is a cleere teſtimony to vsus: For Adam firſt ſinned in will, before hee ſtretched forth his hand to the forbidden Apple. Caluin ſaw this, who in the firſt chapter of the ſecond booke of his Inſtitutions, hath theſe words: This contagion hath not its cauſe in the ſubſtance of the fleſh, or of the ſoule: but becauſe it was ſo appointed by God, that what gifts hee had beſtowed vponupon the firſt man, he ſhould hauehave them, and alſo looſe them both for himſelfe and his.
VI. Here is a way that is obſcure and ſlippery, in which we muſt goe with wary ſteppes. I doe not propound to my ſelfe to ſatisfie them that are braineſicke, and wickedly acute: I will onelyonly ſet downe thoſe things which ſeeme to mee to be agreeable to the word of God, and to reaſon; whereunto that the way may be made plaine, ſome things are to be ſpoken of the originall of the ſoule, and of the traduction of it.
VII. Origen, following Plato, was of opinion, that all ſoules were at firſt created together with the Angels, and afterwards put into bodies. This hee diſputes, lib. 1. foreign. Chap. 7. Tertullian will hauehave the ſoule to be conueyed with the ſeede, and the ſoule of the ſonne, to be from the ſoule of the father, which is not to be marueiled at in him, who doth contend that the ſoule is the body, lib de anima, Chap. 5. Saint Ierome in his Epiſtle to Marcellina, and Anapſychia, doth witneſſe, that the greater part of the weſt were of the ſame opinion. Saint Auſtin hath writ foure bookes of the originall of the ſoule, in which he leaueth this queſtion vndecided, neither dares hee raſhly determine any thing: And his ſecond booke of retractations, Chap. 56. doth witnes, that hee continued in that doubt to his death: Yet in his 157. Epiſtle, hee doth debate with Tertullian, and doth more incline to the contrary opinion.
VIII. But we determin, that the reaſonable ſoule is infuſed into the *i e. The childe conceiued, and not yet borne.embryon, but not, foreign, to come from without, as Ariſtotle would hauehave it. lib. 2. de generat. animal. Cap. 3. But we thinke that it is formed, by God, in the fruit, and in the rudiment of mans body, being led thereto by the authority of the Scripture, whereunto reaſon, and the nature of the ſoule it ſelfe doth agree.
IX. Moſes, Numb. 27.16. ſaith thus to God. Let the Lord, the God of the ſpirits of all fleſh, ſet a man ouer the Congregation. And the Apoſtle to the Hebrewes. Chap. 12. v. 9. And if (ſaith he) wee had fathers of our bodies, which corrected vsus, and we gaue them reuerence: Shall we not much rather be in ſubiection vntounto the father of ſpirits and liue? It is not without conſideration, that God by a peculiar elegie and ſtile, is called the father of ſpirits, that he might be oppoſed to the fathers of the fleſh: for if the ſoule be by traduction, thoſe that are fathers of the fleſh, would alſo be the fathers of the ſpirits: Neither ſhould God by this title be diſtinguiſhed from the fathers of the fleſh, if he wrought alike in both; and did not forme mens ſoules otherwiſe then their bodies.
X. Wherefore Eccleſiaſtes, Chap. 12. ſaith. The body is diſſolued to duſt, and the ſpirit returneth to God that gaue it, which ſurely would not be aptly ſpoken, if God ſhould giuegive the ſpirit no otherwiſe then he giues the body. Certainly by that word of returning of the ſoule to God, Salomon doth inſinuate, that the ſoule came from God, and doth returne thitherwhence ſhe had her originall, which cannot be ſaid of the body.
XI. The conception of Chriſt, in the wombe of his mother, doth adde credit to this opinion. For ſeeing that, according to the fleſh, he had not a father, it is plaine, that his ſoule was immediately created by God: And if it be neceſſary that thou maiſt be ſonne of Adam, to hauehave thy ſoule traducted by thy fathers ſeede, Chriſt could not be called the ſonne of Adam, nor of Dauid.
XII. It is vnſauory which is brought out of the beginning of Exodus, to proue the traduction of the ſoule, Seauenty ſoules came out of the loynes of Iacob; for the propriety of the Hebrew, is well knowne, that by ſoules are vnderſtood perſons.
XIII. Alſo reaſon it ſelfe doth agree with the word of God. 1. For the ſoule, which is ſomething which is aboue nature, cannot be in a common condition generated with other naturall things. 2. Becauſe it is immateriall, it cannot be brought forth by the power of any matter. 3. If the ſoule were not generated vnleſſe by the body, it could not be without the body, nor could it ſubſiſt by it ſelfe alone. 4. They that would hauehave the ſoule to be traduced by the ſeede, doe driue themſelues into ſtraights, from which they cannot poſſible free themſelues. For why ſhould not the ſoule of the mother, be alſo traduced into the ſonne? or if the ſoule of the ſonne be traduced, as well from the ſoule of the mother, as of the father, it muſt needs be, that two ſoules doe grow together, & are mingled into one. 5. What will be come of ſo much ſeede that is loſt, which either fals from them that ſleep, or is vnhoneſtly loſt, or being receiued into the wombe doth not come to conception? Will ſo many ſoules of men be loſt, or ſhall they be choaked in the wombe? or ſhall they remaine alone without matter, ſeeing it is certaine that they belong not to the number of men. 6. Alſo it muſt neede be, that eyther the whole ſoule of the father is traduced, and ſo the father ſhall be made ſoule-leſſe; or elſe a portion and part of the ſoule; and ſo the ſoule ſhall be diuiſible. Neither can the whole ſoule be tranſmitted, as when light is kindled of light; for ſuch a propagation is made, by the tranſmutation of the matter applyed vntounto it; and ſo the applyed matter of the begetting ſoule, ſhould be turned into the ſoule. 7. If the definition of the ſoule, laide downe by Ariſtotle (Lib. 2. de anima, Cap 1.) and eueryevery where conceiued be true, by which he defineth the ſoule to be, the firſt act of the naturall originall body, hauing life in power, I doe not ſee how the rationall ſoule can enforme and ſhape the ſeede, in which there are no Organs.
XIV. Neither is man therefore to be ſaid not to beget man, although he doth not beget the ſoule, nor the ſoule be brought forth of the power of the ſeed; yet is it ſufficient for the generation of man, that in generating, although he doth not giuegive the whole ſubſtance, yet he doth giuegive the ſubſiſtance of the perſon, and doth not onelyonly ſupply the matter of the infant, but doth alſo miniſter diſpoſitions and aptitudes to receiue that forme, by which man hath his being. For, ſeeing that by the teſtimony of the Scripture, the Virgin Mary is the mother of Chriſt, although the extraordinary power of the holy-Ghoſt perfected his conception; who neede doubt to affirme that, commonly man doth beget man, ſeeing all naturall things are done by ordinary meanes and rules. Theſe thornes being plucked vp, the way to know the manner of the traduction of ſinne from parents to their children, is made playner.
XV. In the beginning, I thinke I hauehave ſhewed by ſure reaſons, that ſinne doth not paſſe from the body into the ſoule: And on the other ſide, that God put into the ſoule this inclination to ſinne, it is a great wickedneſſe to beleeue. And yet that originall ſinne was in the ſoule, God being vnwilling, or being indifferent, and permitting it with an idle permiſſion, cannot be ſpoken or beleeued without great offence: For ſeeing Originall ſinne is the puniſhment of the ſinne of Adam, he that ſaith that this puniſhment was inflicted onelyonly by the permiſſion of God, and not by his will, doth take away from God the office of a Iudge; for Iudges doe not puniſh by permitting, but by decreeing.
XVI. For the explication of this Doctrine, we lay downe theſe ſixe propoſitions and foundations of the truth.
Firſt, Although we had not beene borne of Adam, yet becauſe hee had receiued ſupernaturall good things, both in his owne and our name, ſeeing he loſt them by his owne fault, wee are iuſtly depriued of them: Euen as among many brethren, one doth waſte and conſume that mony to his owne and brothers loſſe, which hee receiued in his owne and brothers name.
Secondly, God put into the ſoule theſe faculties, Vnderſtanding, Will, Senſe, & Appetite, which are naturally carried to things that are obuious & known, and not to things that are vnknowne and farre remoued.
Thirdly, Man cannot know and louelove ſupernaturall and diuine things, without diuine and ſupernaturall enlightning.
Fourthly, Neither could man vſe thoſe things that are obuious and naturall, iuſtly and conueniently, and to the glory of God, vnleſſe ſome ſupernaturall light did ſhine forth to him.
Fifthly, God hath put into eueryevery man, for his owne preſeruation, a louelove of himſelfe, which louelove is naturally good; but doth then beginne to be morally good, when it doth accord to, and helpe forward the louelove of God.
Sixthly, the manners of the minde, doe for the moſt part follow the temper of the body.
XVII. Theſe things being laid down, I ſay that God doth create the ſoules of men good, but deſtitute of heauenly gilts and ſupernaturall light, and that iuſtly, becauſe Adam loſt thoſe gifts for himſelfe and his poſterity, which he had receiued for himſelfe and his poſterity. Not to giuegive ſupernatural light to the minde is not to put into the will, although peruerſeneſle of will doth afterwards follow the blindeneſſe of the minde. For the will being deſtitute of this light, and of the knowledge of ſupernaturall good things, cannot moue it ſelfe to things vnknowne, but onelyonly to things that are preſent and knowne, ſuch as are the pleaſures of the body, riches, &c. Which although they be naturally good, yet they turne the will from the ſtudy and deſire of ſupernaturall things. Then alſo ſelfe-louelove, which is naturally good and neceſſary, doth beginne to be morally euill, becauſe it doth inuade that place which is due to the louelove of God. Hence is that proneneſſe to euill, which is in that inordinate ſelfe louelove, which ſupernaturall illumination doth not direct: which light God not giuing to the ſoule, doth not therefore put ſinne into it: No otherwiſe, then if one doth take away from the Traueller the light of the Sunne, by putting darkeneſſe betweene; be doth not force the Traueller to ſtragle, nor doth turne him from the right way; but onelyonly he doth take away that, without which the right way cannot be knowne.
XVIII. The temper of the body doth increaſe this contagion: For it is found by experience, that ſanguine men are bloudy and libidinous, cholericke men are raſh and angry, melancholicke men are ſuſpicious and ſtedfaſt in their purpoſes, deepely hiding their malice; blacke and yealow, choller are as ſparkes and tinder put to the appetite, by which it catcheth flames, and burnes: And according to the temper of the body, one laughes vnderunder the ſcourge, another weepes with a blow. The humours of the body therefore, are not cauſes, but prouocations of ſinne; neither doe they compell the will, but allure it; nor doe they impreſſe ſinne on the ſoule, but doe put forward the ſinfull ſoule, and there being may waies open to ſinne, they doe incline the ſoule hither rather then thither.