Emanation of Life because it can prolong the Lives of Children The same may also be experienced in a contrary Efficiency of the Life viz. In a hatred mixt with fear or in a Faith mixt with doubt as may easily and plainly be found in such as are young Persons coupled with old Wives or Husbands and are desirous of their Deaths For at the very same time that they earnestly desire to be rid of them they continually have secretly lurking in their minds and incessant belief or perswasion which is an efficient power of the Life that they will not dye whereby the hated is prolonged to a very old Age. For at the very same time that the young one earnestly desireth the death of the old one the life of the young one works a Faith or Belief which preserves the old one alive So that it is by their doubting that their own proper love life and faith do all co-operate together These and such like emanations of love and hatred many have experienced and have been sensible of but never could conceive what should be the Reason thereof which indeed was this viz. because from their youth they have been filled with other Carnal Corporeal and contrary desires and notions Quest 10. Can it be made out plainly and in the consequent Effect thereof even to the outward Senses that the life of Man can destroy another life or body either wholly or in part and immediatly form another new one in all its parts which hath no similitude with the former Answ Yes this cannot be denied because experience and Observation hath and doth evince it by manifold Instances whereof we will here insert one Narration relating to the change of an intire part of anothers Body The Example is this A certain Woman being with Child and neär her time in searching for something amongst old Raggs happened unexpectedly to touch with her Thumb the dried foot of a Hare which unknown to her lay amongst those Raggs which so affrightned her that she immediatly or soon after fell into labour and was delivered of a Child whose Thumb of its right Hand was changed into a Hares Foot perfect in all its parts as having all about it haire and divided into Claws with sharp Nails at the end of them c. Quest 11. How can it be proved and made out that persons deceased dead and gone do come to be born again and to appear in this world so as to be plainly discerned by their outward shape and features Answ This is and may be very evidently perceived in some places as great Cities of Trade where Persons of several Nations happen to be joyned together in Marriage as for example in Flanders whither are transported old swarthy Portugal Merchants who Marry with Young clear white Flemish Women And then it is frequently observed that these swarthy Men get many fair and clear Daughters by their Wives for by the way observe that the reason why they get rather Daughters then Sons is because old Men do commonly bear greater love to young Women then young Women do to old Men Now when these white Flemish Womens Daughters are grown up and Married to white Flemish men and are gotten with Child by them then will the Neighbour Citizens know by experience and cry that the old Portugeese Grand-father will then appear or be born again in that Child and accordingly it generally happens that that Child in all its parts resembleth the swarthy Portugees its Grand-father This is also often seen in a wise Father who begets a foolish Son and that Foolish Son begets a wise Son afterwards so as the wisdom of he Grand-father comes to appear in the Grand-son the same may be observed as to all other parts both of body and mind betwixt such Relations Moreover the like is also sometime experienced by very old persons that have lived to see four Generations descended from them how that the Grand and great Grand-fathers have appeared in their Off-spring even to the third and fourth Generation So that from hence we may in part understand what is said in Deut. 5.8 9 10. Where God strengthens his Commandment with this Reason For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the sins of the Parents unto the third and fourth Generation c. Quest 12. Whether the first Sin comittedted by Adam and Eve whereby they subjected themselves to the fleshly body be Infinite Answ No Their Sin could not be infinite because their understanding was but finite Quest 13. Is there then any number or Measure to be assigned whereby the Fall of Adam and Eve wherein they became Bodily and Carnal can be cleared and understood Answ Yes there is and the same is the Number Four for each of them consisted of two Beigns viz. Male and Female as all and every one fo Mankind doth every Man hath the Male nature as predominant in him and besides that he hath the Female Nature also So is it likewise with the Woman who hath the Female Nature predominant in her and likewise the Male Nature in her too And accordingly the Lord saith Gen. 1.27 That he had Created Adam and Eve Male and Female viz. In each person so that altogether make up the Number Four And therefore their Children and all their Posterity were to consist of Four Essences as being their Off-Spring And therefore for this Reason they could not sin beyond that Number whence it is said Exod. 20.5 also Ch. 34.7 Visiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children and upon the Childrens Children unto the third and to the fourth Generation c. Quest 14. How long a terme of time therefore was necessary for Adam and Eve to repent of and to suffer for their Sins and to attain to a restitution and a recovery Answ Both of them together require four Thousand Years because as was said they consisted of four Essences and accordingly the Psalmist saith in Psal 90.3 4. c. Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest return ye Children of men for a thousand years are but as yesterday c. Which place of the Psalms is also cited by St. Peter in 2 Peter ch 3. v. 8. One day is with the Lord as a thousand Years and a thousand years as one day c. Quest 15. From whence may we begin the Computation of the Thousand Years of the life of these four Essences Answ From the perfect number Ten beyound which we cannot Number also all men must consist of the Number Ten thu considered viz. his four Essences are as abovesaid two Male and two Female and the Subdivision of the two Male is into five out-working Powers an five likewise of the Female which make 10. to which also doth correspond the two Lobes of the Brain the right as being the Male working-out Images or Ideas and the left receiving them and then when thus compleated and born as it were are they sent into the little Brain which is the Root of all the
Nerves of Motion and thence through the Nerves are conveighed to the Right hand which may be accounted the Male Hand which hath five Fingers and also the like to the left or Female Hand to Work out all which together make ten and if we add to the former this other further Consideration viz. That the same may be said of the two Feet whose ten Toes added to the Hands ten Fingers make up twenty which hereafter is proved to be the compleat Working out of a Man he then becoming Ripe to bear Fruits or to beget and bring forth Children so as his Feet correspond to the Rootes and his Hands to the Branches And therefore hath no more then ten Fingers wherewith to effect and Work out their ten Properties or Powers as it appears in a Woman big with Child who upon some Fright or put into any other Passion doth there form on that very part of her Childs Body some strange live Impression of some external thing by an effective application of her own hand upon that very part of her own Body And forasmuch as man consisteth of ten Powers or Faculties therefore also ten Commandments have been given to him to observe according to that in Eccles ch 12. v. 13. Let us hear the Conclusion of the Matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole Man This very Text of Holy Scripture the Jews do make to be the Summary or chief Head of their whole Talmud Quest 16. How may this be further explained Answ Thus viz. Children must remain in the Womb of their Mothers for to attain or get by the influence or Government of the Moon over the Monthly Courses a perfect Body in the space of ten Lunary Months which consists of 40 Weeks And seeing that Man is made of the ten Lunary Operations That is the reason why when a Man doth Govern himself perversely and to his utmost power doth tye himself too much to his own Will and Fancy he becomes Lunatick or Mad and is then wholly under the Governing Rule of the Moon Quest 17. If the Terme of Mans life was appointed to be a thousand Years how then comes it to pass that Adam lived but 930. Years Answ The reason was because of his Fall or Sin And it became manifested in Cain why Adam finished not his thousand Years Seventy of them being wanting which number Seventy consists of ten times seven which was that vengeance that should be taken on any one that should kill Cain Quest 18. Why had Adam by his wife two Sons at one Birth neither more nor less as Gen. 4.1 2. doth shew Answ The reason seems to be this because Adam had been in two different States Conditions or Beings before that he knew Eve The one was antecedent to his Fall the other was after it For which reason she was to conceive Twins he knowing of her but once as appears by the Text whereof in the order of Nature the eldest must be born last and the first Born last conceived which is confirmed and made plain in that of Gen. 38. v. 27 28 29 30. Both in the Words and Action of Tamars Midwife and the red Threed used by her as it is there mentioned at large Quest 19. Why was Adam 130 Years of Age when he knew his Wife a second time and she brought forth Seth as it is in Gen. 4.25 and Ch. 5. v. 3. Answ May not this be supposed to be the Reason Because this was the full time of Cains being Seven-fold avenged by Lamech who had slain him so that then he was not longer the keeper of his Brother Abel when Lamech with great earnestness declared to his Wives The Revolution of Humane Souls saying Gen. 4. v. 23. Hear my Voice ye Wives of Lamech for I have slain a man to wounding and a Young man by Sodomy if the place in the Original be truly Interpreted Also this Number of 7. may be taken in the manner as were the 20 Years in which the Young men were appointed to serve in the Temple as it is in Chron. 23. v. 24 27. to the end Also in the manner of those who were to go out to War as in Num. Ch. 1. v. 3 18 20 22 24. c. To which if we allow to add about one Year and a half after they were married for the bringing forth of Children we shall find that the Number of 6 times 21 Years and a half will make 129 Years and then if we further allow one year more to Adam who was Created a perfect man and who had therefore no need to stay till he was twenty Years of Age before he begat Children Adams Years will be found to amount to 130. in which Cain was 7 times avenged that is he passed through 7 such Lives each containing 21 ½ Years And as the 130 Years of Adam make up the time of Cains Vengeance So the Number of Lamechs Vengeance viz. 77 times 21 ½ of Years will have for their Product the time from Adam to the Flood viz. 1656. with a small allowance of half a Year only Quest 20. Must not all men as to their peculiar individualities receives and keep their whole and perfect Essence and a continual descending flux of Generation from Adam and Eve as being parts of them Answ Yes for otherwise could those parts be taken away lost and Annihilated there would be remaing not so much as one single Man Quest 21. Whether in the first Man Adam were all men Created and comprehended in an infinite Number Answ No This could not be so for many reasons which might be given but let this one serve viz. Because had it been so then the World could never have come to an end in its out-working and Adam would have been an unchangeable Being which could never have died Quest 22. Whether all those men whom we find are born with one or more defects either in Body Mind or Both were so Created at first in Adam Answ No this cannot be admitted because if it were so Men could not be the cause of their own defects but the Creator should have been the cause of them which to suppose is altogether absurd and impossible Because he is all good Wise and just and could not be the cause of these the Defects of men viz. To make them to be Fools Blind Deaf Sickly Lame Criples Churlish Cruel and ill natured to be Monsters and Abortives c. which have a true and right beginning but are never brought to perfection Quest 23. Whether all men who were Created in Adam had not given them to have knowledge and free-will viz. To do that which is good and to forbear that which is Evil Answ This also cannot be denied by any rational man for many Reason needless to be recounted here Quest 24. Whether Adam and his posterity were not to live and abide so long till they had by Generation propagated and produced all those who were Created in him
by such Means as the Life can receive or as can be communicated unto it because the Life is the Former of our Body as I have proved in the Considerations of B. Van Helmont concerning Man in § 34.35 36 37 38. Now to apply this to the Case in hand I say then that if Christ had not taken upon him that particular Humanity or the nature of that Man from which all men are descended he could not have restored unto all men the Image of God again but only unto that particular Man-hood alone unto which he was united and yet that all men must recover the Image of God again we shall shew hereafter Just as a Branch which is Ingrafted upon another Tree is thereby indeed amended but not the whole Tree from whence it was cut off It is a thing contrary to Nature that all the parts of any thing should be bettered any where save in their Original or Source Yea this is contrary to every even the very least thing in Nature For as much then as this is an universal truth in Nature therefore it must also needs be a truth in the bettering of Mankind because Mankind stands united and subjected to the same natural Order as all other things and without which Order man cannot produce any thing Therefore that Christ might reunite Sinners to himself he was to take upon him that individual Humanity or Manhood of which all men are descended And if we diligently examine the Argumentation which the Apostle holds Rom. 5. We shall find that the Apostle signifies that Christ did take upon him such a Manhood or humane nature as by which all men could be saved such as was that of Adam by whom all Men became Sinners For the Apostle shews not only Vers 10. that being reconciled we are saved by the Life of Christ. But also Vers 11. that we joy in God to wit that we are assured that God is our Father who will communicate unto us of his Glory and the cause of this our Joying is that we have received the Atonement by Christ But some will perhaps ask here how or on what wise could Christ reconcile us This Question the Apostle answers in V. 12. saying Wherefore that is on this wise as by one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned that is to say just as by one man sin came into the World so on the very same manner is the Atonement made by one man to wit by Jesus Christ and that as by sin death so by the Atonement Life is received and as death is so passed upon all men so is the righteousness of Jesus come upon all men unto Justification of life And as death is passed upon all men because they all sinned In Adam For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot here signify for that as in our English but in whom as in the States Dutch Bible nor can it have any relation to any other but to that one Man Adam especially if you add unto it V. 18.19 So there is the very same reason of the Atonement of Christ For Christ has made the Atonement for all men because they are all justified in Christ Now this is plain seing the Apostle draws here a Parallel betwixt Adam Christ that that Parallel must hold so far as he makes it to go Let us then see how far this Parallel which he makes betwixt Christ and Adam v. 12 must go It is certain according to this saying of the Apostle That sin entred into the World by Adam and death by sin and so death passed upon all men because they all sinned in Adam that the true reason here rendered why all Men are Sinners is because they all sinned in Adam Now if they did all sin in Adam they must all have been in Adam and must all have depended upon him as upon their Head and Beginning or else they could not all have sinned in Adam Just thus must this Parallel hold also in Christ Righteousness is obtain'd through Christ and this Righteousness comes upon all because they are justified in Christ Now this must be as true in Christ as it was in Adam to wit that seing all men depended upon and were hid in Adam and therefore did sin with him so also must all men be dependent in Christ as on their Head that is they must depend on his humane Nature or manhood as well as on that of Adam if they are to be all justified in him For seing as § 76. nothing can be united to another except the Unitor and the thing united do meet in one and seing man cannot be restored to his former state except the image of God takes Manhood upon him According to § 77. it must needs follow that if the Image of God to wit Christ takes upon him such a Manhood as whereby all men are justified that that Manhood must be that of the first Man of whom all men are descended and have received their life because that otherwise all men could not be partakers of righteousness by the Manhood of Christ and for as much as all men descended of Adam and so do depend upon him as upon their beginning from whom they are Born so Christ could not justify all men in him except he took upon him Adams Mandhood of which all men are dependent And for further confirmation of what we say from that which the Apostle says to wit That Christ must needs have taken upon him the Manhood of Adam in the first place we must consider that the Apostle in the 14. V. saith That Adam was a Figure or Type of Christ and consequently Christ must be a man or must take upon him a Manhood as the Apostle affirms V. 15. where he calls Jesus Christ a Man 2d As death reign'd over all men by one to wit by Adam so life reigns over all Men by one to wit by Jesus Christ V. 17. Therefore the Antitype must also agree in this respect according to the saying of the Apostle that is Christ must be the Head of all men as well as Adam was and that the Apostle proves very strenuously V. 18.19 Because that as by the one transgression of Adam all men are made sinners so also by the one righteousness of Christ all men receive life If then all men do receive life by the one righteousness of Christ then Christ must be the head of all men as well as Adam was and all men must descend from him as well as from Adam because else Christs righteousness could not come upon all men which yet the Apostle does most expresly affirm V. 18. whence then does undoubtedly follow that seing Adam is the Head of all Mankind and seing Christ has done the same thing that Adam did to wit in the Antithesis that the Man Jesus Christ must needs also have been the Head of all Mankind And for as much as none but Adam
Consequence that the Body forasmuch as it consists of the same Principles as the Soul doth that it may arrive to that degree of Perfection as to become Spiritual In the second place if so be the Soul or Life could become Corporeal then might all things in time come to be dead and without any Operation at all which can never be because God hath brought forth all things in Order so that all things must be wrought out that is brought forth to manifestation according to due Order which cannot be done without activity and not always continue dead and deprived of all Efficiency Thirdly if the Life of every thing could become Bodily then the Creatures might bring forth young of a different kind from themselves viz. Sheep might bring forth Birds and Men Sheep c. For there is no difference in Bodies but what they derive from their Life which according to its peculiar Efficiency and Property doth form its own Body Besiâ—es if the Life of every Creature could become Corporeal then all of them would have the same Flesh and Form forasmuch as they partake of the same Nourishment but nature teacheth us the contrary viz. That each kind hath its own Form and Flesh whence it is evident that each kind doth unchangeably retain its own Life as hath been shewed in the Observations concerning Man § 33. But some will object if the Soul of Man consists of the same Principles whence the Life of other Creatures is derived what Perfection then hath man more then they to which I answer that tho' all lives proceed from the same Principles yet do they differ in their Efficiency and Perfection for all Creatures have not the same understanding and Wisdom And what Creature hath more Wisdom then Man who can rule all Creatures Besides Man hath this Prerogative also above all Creatures who is made according to the Image of God of which see Chapter 2d and the Observations concerning Man § 46.47 c. § 91. Seing therefore that the Soul consists of the same Principles with the Body whence may be understood that the Soul can work on the Body so from the same head we may gather how the Soul my become Sinful as shall be shewed when we come to treat of the Fall of Man Only thus much I shall say here by the by that it will be impossible for any Man ever to make out how the â—oul is become sinful save only by this way And because men know little of the Nature and Essence of things therefore it is that they torment and vex themselves with that old and long bandied Question how or by what means the Soul is become sinful § 92. But some Perhaps will Query Seing that the Soul is become sinful by what means can she be delivered from sin To which we answer that the Soul may be meliorated by recovering of the Image of God as hath been shewed at large § 61.62 63. c. The means whereby we may attain to this Melioration and recover the Image of God shall be shewed in the sequel § 93. And because many things are to be considered in order to the full Elucidation of the State and condition of Souls and whither they pass after Death we will put off the handling this Question to that part wherein we intend to treat of the Restitution of a Sinner CHAP. V. Of the Body and the Principles whereof it doth consist together with the State of Adam before the Fall § 94. WE have shewed the necessity of the Souls consisting of the same Principles whence the Body is produced as on the other hand it is as true that Bodies proceed from the same principles whereof the Soul consists and that the Body hath its own proper Life over and above its being governed by the Soul or its Principal Spirit For when the Soul or Life doth cease from its former Operations and that the Body thereupon dies yet we shall find that these dead Bodies afterwards turn to Worms c. Yea experience teacheth us that sometimes the Hair and Nails of a Dead Body do grow which proves that the Body hath its own Life besides the Soul or general Life which upholds the Body in its form or Essence as long as she continues in her former Working or Efficiency § 95. But some will ask why since the Body hath its own life man doth notwithstanding stand in need of a Soul or Life For answer to this I desire the Enquirer to consider that mans Body being fed by the Creatures he enjoys and partakes of the Life of them which Life of the Creatures if it were not transmuted in man so as to comply with the Operation or Efficiency of Man it could never be of use for the support or preservation of Man To the end therefore that the Creatures and their Life might be for the sustenance of the Bodies of Men it was necessary that man should have his own life and that the said Life should be Master and dispose of the Life of the Creatures according to its pleasure as a General Governs and Commands his whole Army Wherefore it is absolutely necessary that man should have a Soul or Life that may superintend Rule and Govern all the Lives and Spirits that are in his Body Of the Soul or Central Spirit hath been Treated in the Observations concerning Man § 33.51 § 96. These Principles now whereof the Body and all Creatures whether Corporeal or Spiritual do consist can be no more than two that is neither three nor four for nothing is produced in the whole Universe but from two different Natures as we find in Fishes Birds Beasts and Men viz. That all Generation is performed by Male and Female without any intervening third Principle different from the Male and Female Essence So likewise neither Trees nor any other Vegetables bring forth Fruit but from the Union of these two Principles For tho' the Sun Water Earth Dung c. may be applyed to Plants and Trees yet will the Sun the Water Earth and Dung be found to consist only of these two Principles if they be resolved into their Parts So that these will never constitute a third Principle Essentially differing from the two former § 97. These two Principles whereof all Creatures consist are Fire and Water And that all Animals and Vegetables consist of a Fiery Essence experience teacheth us in that they can be burnt For the Fire that we make to warm our selves by which is the Fire of the Creatures mentioned in our Considerations concerning Man § 14. must continually be maintained with Wood c. or else it would cease to burn Wherefore that which is laid upon the Fire for Fewel must have a Fire in it which is capable of being excited Yea it would be altogether impossible to make any thing burn if it had not a Fiery Essence in it That the Creatures have a Fire in them hath been shewed in the Observations concerning Man § 9.