Fathers

On the Imputation of Adam's First Sin · §394

Man. Post. Cap. VII: PLAC — temporal vs eternal; likeness fails for all posterity

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PLAC. If that was the mind of him with whom I had to do, it would have been fair that he hint it more openly: for I am no Oedipus. Be that as it may, besides what I have so far noted, two or three things stand in the way of this example's being fitted to that end. First: in that example only a temporal penalty is in view, whereas Adam's sin is said to be imputed unto eternal death—and not to that alone, but also to a penalty that is itself sin, and sets a man in a state where he cannot thereafter not sin. That is what seems to us chiefly to clash with a judge's and the law's justice. Next: if some men have approved imputing a father's crime to children or grandsons, there have not been wanting on the other side—and perhaps far more—who disapproved. The learned man himself mentions some on pp. 81–83; he could have mentioned many more if he wished. So the likeness does not heal the scandal, except perhaps in some part. Further, what like thing can be brought for an imputation that even now, after some thousands of years, ranges over all posterity, none excepted? Finally, such examples either wrath extorted, or the necessity of guarding princes' lives and the republic's safety—neither of which has place in the matter at hand. Indeed, so far is that immediate imputation of Adam's sin from keeping men from sinning that, on the contrary, they are stripped of the habit of doing well or obeying, and subjected to a necessity of sinning—which seems violently to abhor from the end of the law and of vindicating justice.

Latin

PLAC. Si haec eius mens fuit quicum mihi res erat, aequum fuisset, ut eam innueret apertius: non enim sum Oedipus. Quicquid sit, praeter ea quae hactenus a me sunt observata, quominus ad id accommodatum sit hoc exemplum duo vel tria obstant, illud primo, quod in eo exemplo non agitur nisi de poena temporali, cum imputari dicatur peccatum Adae ad mortem aeternam, nec ad eam tantum, sed etiam ad poenam quae sit peccatum, & hominem in eo statu constituat, ut non possit deinceps non peccare. Hoc enim est quod potissimum repugnare judicis & legis justitiae nobis videtur. Deinde, si quidam ex hominibus criminis paterni imputationem liberis aut nepotibus approbaverunt, non defuerunt ex altera parte, & fortasse multo plures qui improbaverunt: Commemorat nonnullos ipse vir doctus pag. 81. 82. 83. potuisset multo plures si voluisset. Itaque non medetur scandalo similitudo nisi forte ex aliqua parte. Praeterea, quid simile afferri potest eiusmodi imputationi, quae etiamnum post aliquot annorum millia grassatur in omnes posteros, nemine quidem excepto? Denique eiusmodi exempla vel ira extorsit, vel necessitas tuendae vitae principum & salutis reipublicae: quorum neutrum in re de qua agitur locum habet. Imo tantum abest ut imputatione illa immediata peccati Adami homines a peccando inhibeantur, ut contra priventur bene agendi seu obediendi habitu, & subijciantur necessitati peccandi: id quod a fine legis & justitiae vindicis vehementer abhorrere videtur.

About this text

Josue de la Place (Placeus) — Capita I–XIV partial of De imputatione primi peccati Adami from the 1661 Saumur Latin, through Man. Post. Caput X (GAR.1–3 Rom. 5.13 tip) / before PLAC on reatus-only. Honest partial; Cap. X Rom. 5:14+ / ~494 pp Disputatio remain.

English follows the locked 1661 Saumur Latin of Capita I–XIV partial through Man. Post. Caput IX (eph-ho / eph-ho pantes) before eph-ho / eph-ho pantes, reconstructed from IA PDF page images with Vision OCR and pdftotext as check. No modern English was copied. Cap. IX deepen+ remain.

Catalogue & scope

IA deimputationepri00lapl. Densify: Capita I–XII + Caput XIV + Man. Post. Cap. II–VI through Cap. X Rom. 5:14 tip. Not whole Disputatio; Cap. X Rom. 5:14+ / ~494 pp Disputatio remain.

Witnesses

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.