Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsGenesis 2
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read Genesis 2 in the BibleGenesis 2:17
Of the tree of knowledge.
[1] Besides the law of nature, by which Man was bound to direct all his actions according to the rule of reason; & besides the supernatural divine law, by which he was bound to believe & trust in God, & to love him above all things, having received the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; God gave him another particular law, that he should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And that for two special reasons, which S. Augustin [2] noteth upon this place. [3] First, that God might declare himself to be Lord of man. Which was absolutely necessary for man, & nothing at all profitable to God, who needeth not our service, but we without his dominion should utterly fall to nothing. Nec enim ipso non creante, &c. For he not creating us neither could we have been, nor he not conserving us could we remain, nor he not governing us, could we live rightly. Wherefore he only is our true Lord, whom not for his, but for our own profit & salvation we serve. [4] The other reason was, that God might give man matter wherein to exercise the virtue of obedience, and to shew himself a subject of God. Which could not be so properly & effectually declared by keeping other laws, nor the enormity of disobedience appear so evidently, as by fulfulling of God's will commanding him, or by doing his own will, moved to the contrary, in a thing of it-self indifferent, & only made unlawful, because it was forbid. [5] But let us hear S. Augustin's own words. Nec potuit melius aut diligentius commendari quantum malum sit sola inobedientia, &c. Neither could it (saith this great Doctor) be better, nor more exactly signified how bad a thing sole disobedience is, than where a man became guilty of iniquity because he touched that thing contrary to prohibition which if he, not forbidden, had touched, he had not sinned at all. For he that saith, for example sake, Touch not this herb, [6] supposing it is poisonful, and doth forewarn one of death, if he touch it, death assuredly falleth on the contemner of the precept: yea though no man had prohibited, & he had touched, for he should die because the same thing bereaveth him of health and life, whether it had been forbidden him or no. Also when one forbiddeth that thing to be touched, [7] which would not indeed prejudice him that toucheth, but him that forbiddeth, as if one take another's money, being forbid by him, whose the money is, it is a sin in him that is forbidden, because it is an injury to him that forbiddeth. But when that thing is touched which neither should hurt him that toucheth, nor any other, if it were not forbid, wherefore is it prohibited, but that the proper goodness of obedience, and the evil of disobedience might appear? Thus S. Augustin sheweth, that disobedience is a sin because it is against a precept, though otherwise the thing that is done were not evil. And among other good notes, [8] teacheth that true obedience inquireth not wherefore a thing is commanded, but leaving that to the Superior, promptly doth what is appointed.
- 1 Why a particular positive law, besides the general laws of God & nature, was given to man.
- 2 lib. 8. de Gen. ad lit. c. 11. Psal. 15.
- 3 First reason.
- 4 2. reason.
- 5 The sin of disobedience.
- 6 Joined with damage to him that disobeyeth.
- 7 Joined with damage of him that forbiddeth.
- 8 True obedience is blind and prompt.
Of the tree eat thou not.
This example of our first parent's transgression sheweth, [1] [2] how frivolous an answer it is to say, that breaking of commanded fasts, or eating meats forbidden cannot hurt us, the meat being good & wholesome: for so the fruit of the tree was good, and should have hurt no man, if it had not been forbidden. Even so all meats of their own nature are good, yet the precept of fasting (foretold by our Saviour in general, & determined by his Church in particular) & so of any other like law, though it be in things otherwise indifferent, [3] proceeding from lawful Superiors, bindeth the subjects in conscience. And the transgression is properly disobedience, what other sin soever may also be mixed therewith.
Thou shalt die the death.
Against the new doctrine, [1] denying that after sin is remitted, [2] any temporal punishment remaineth for the same, this place declareth that death (whereof God forewarned Adam, if he should eat of the fruit forbidden) remained due, and was at last inflicted upon him for his sin, which was presently remitted upon his repentance.
- 1 Calvin l. 3. inst. c. 4. parag. 31. & 32.
- 2 Temporal punishment due after sin is remitted.
Again, for so much as we are all subject to death, [1] [2] it proveth that we were all guilty of this sin, by which death came upon all men, as S. Paul teacheth. Else God should punish us without our fault, which is unpossible that his goodness should do Especially it appeareth in infants, [3] [4] who dying before they come to use of reason, can never commit other sin: for though they were circumcised, or had sacrifice offered, or other remedy used for them before Christ, or baptised since Christ, [5] yet they suffer (as S. Augustin noteth) both death and many other penalties, of sickness, cold, heat, hunger, and the like, which can neither be to them matter of merit (as to others it may be) nor profit them for avoiding of other sins, seeing they die in their infancy. Yea moreover, [6] if they died without circumcision, or other remedy of those former times, their souls perished from their people; & now without Baptism can never enter into the Kingdom of heaven, which could not stand with God's justice, if they were not guilty of sin.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
Genesis 2:2
The seventh day
[1] All creatures being made in their kinds in six days, complete & perfect, God not needing (as men often do in their works) to perfect, polish, or amend the same, rested the seventh day: & therefore the natural perfection of God's works is attributed to the seventh day, and the supernatural perfecting of men in eternal life, after the Resurrection, is attributed to the eighth day, as S. Augustin and other fathers teach. [2] And for this cause God blessed and sanctified the seventh day: and after we have in the Decalogue or ten commandments, that this day all should rest and abstain from works, yea and keep it festival, occupying themselves in spiritual exercises, service, and special worship of God, as the Jews did even till Christ's and his Apostles' time [3], praying & hearing the word of God read & expounded in the Sabboath day. Whereby we see that distinction of days pertaineth to Religion, the people of God thus observing the Sabboth in memory of the Creation, and diverse other feasts in memory of other benefits. [4] And we now keep the Sunday holy in memory of Christ's Resurrection, & other feasts in grateful remembrance of other Mysteries of Christ's Nativity, the coming of the Holy Ghost, & the like. Yea also feasts of his Blessed Mother, & other Saints, for the benefits received from Christ by them, & for more honour to Christ in them. So this Catholic observation of feasts is neither Judaical (which also in the Law was good, but now is abrogated) nor heathenish, for we honour not Iupiter, nor Iuno, nor any false god or goddess, but our Lord God Creator & Redeemer, & for his sake his best servants. [5] Whereof see the Annotations in the English new Testament. 4. chap. to the Galathians. Whereto we here only add these words of S. Basil, [6] which may serve for a general answer to the most common objection: Honor servorum redundat in communem Dominum: The honour of the creatures redounceth to the common Lord or Master. So, saith he, the honour of Saints is the honour of Christ their Lord and ours.