FathersVia Patrum

On the Imputation of Adam's First Sin · §423

Man. Post. Cap. VII: GAR Pererius orator; PLAC — rejects Jesuit insult of Abraham

then, you will say, does Abraham once and again in chapter 18 press that it ought to be far from God to destroy the just with the unjust? Reply 1. Some so treat this deprecation of Abraham that they not only deny the opinion he proves is altogether certain, but even affirm it has a manifold confutation. So Pererius, who when he sets out that confutation concludes at last in these words: Abraham, like an orator defending a worst cause, turning himself every way so that from wherever he can he may snatch any shield of defense, mixes words and varies sentences, wraps in reasons not very probable nor much fitting his purpose, and finally moves every stone to obtain what he asks of God, dealing with God not so much by the weight of sentences or the strength of arguments as by the heat of charity and the most burning affection of piety toward those wretched men. He learned man approve, or disapprove, those words of Pererius? If he disapproves, why does he praise them? If he approves, I marvel that he could approve words so bold, and so injurious to so great a Patriarch, the father of believers, from a Jesuit. For my part, who by God's greatest gift believe myself a son of Abraham and rejoice in it, I can scarcely bear one speaking so shamelessly of my father. For how great was the Patriarch, confederate of God, friend of God, so often honored with God's colloquy, a distinguished Prophet? Who would believe he meant to defend a worst cause before God, and to use less probable reasons as if they were necessary? What of this—that God did not rebuke that reason but admitted it, and it becomes us believers to imitate the faith of the Father of believers?

Latin

GAR. Quomodo igitur, inquies, illud semel & iterum Capite 18. Abrahamus ingerit, abesse debere a Deo ut perimat justum cum injusto? Resp. 1. De hac Abrahae deprecatione ita indicare nonnullos, ut non modo negent, usquequaque certam esse, quam probat sententiam, sed affirment etiam multiplicem habere confutationem. Ita enim Pererius, qui ubi eam confutationem proponit, concludit tandem in hac verba. Abraham similis oratori pessimam causam defendenti, in omnes se partes versanti, ut, undecunque potest, rapiat qualecunque defensionis praesidium, miscet verba, variatque sententias, involvit rationes etiam non admodum probabiles, nec proposito suo valde congruentes, omnem demum movet lapidem, ut impetret quod a Deo postulat, non tam sententiarum pondere, aut robore argumentorum cum Deo agens, quam ardore charitatis & flagrantissimo pietatis erga miseros illos homines affectu. PLAC. Probatne, an improbat Vir doctus illa Pererii verba? Si improbat, cur laudat? Si probat, miror eum probare potuisse tam audacia, tantoque Patriarcha, patri credentium, tam injuriosa Jesuitae verba. Equidem qui me filium esse Abrahae Dei beneficio maximo credo, & laetor, vix ferre possum tam inverecunde de meo patre loquentem. Quantus enim erat Patriarcha, Dei confederatus, Dei amicus, Dei colloquio tam saepe dignatus, insignis Propheta? Quis credat eum voluisse apud Deum pessimam causam defendere, & rationibus tanquam necessariis uti minus probabilibus? Quid, quod Deus illam rationem non reprehendit, sed admisit, & nos decet credentes Patris credentium imitari fidem?

About this text

New English, free to read. Open any section below.

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.