agreement might soone bee made if the word of God onely might be the iudge of true false religion For all that feare God and are carefull to doe nothing contrary to their duety that accompt the holy scriptures to be the true doctrine of the spirite of God and are assuredly perswaded that there is another life after this and a iudge before whome they must appeare they I say are not so hardly induced to peace and concord but that a man may hope well of them But they that feare nothing that call all things into question that esteeme all religion to be opinions only tormenting mens braynes they likewise that stifly resist euen the trueth it selfe whereof their owne consciences conuince them labouring as much as lyeth in them to extinguish not onely the light of God within them but that also which they learne in his word such monsters I say will trouble all Christendome more then the contentions about religion vnles the goodnes of God prouide some conuenient remedy for the same For they must be taught to beleeue one God one Iesus Christ the immortalitie of the soule the resurrection of the body a second euerlasting life full of ioy and happinesse for good iust men but full of griefe and paine for the wicked and vniust generally they must be taught to beleeue whatsoeuer we learne in the holy scriptures concerning the creation and end of euery nature These things being spirituall and heauenly cannot be seene nor comprehended without a celestiall and supernaturall light nor without spirituall eyes ioyned with the vertue and power of the spirite of God who onely is able to clarifie our eyes and to giue them sight For albeit God gaue spirituall eyes to man when hee endued him with a reasonable and vnderstanding soule yet they are euen blind through sinne if they alwayes haue not God that great and euerlasting Sunne to illuminate them with his diuine light as the eyes of the body remaine in darkenesse when bodily light is taken from them Hereupon they are called blind in holy scripture that haue not the true knowledge of God by the light of his word For although they that are most ignorant haue some little knowledge and sence of the diuinitie by that small remnant of naturall light which man receiued at his first creation neuerthelesse because this sparkle is so small in regard of that darkenesse which filleth the mind of man it is not sufficient to leade them to God and to the right way of saluation Therefore they soone goe astray and wander hither and thither and for the most part followe superstition in place of religion and lies in stead of trueth because it is an easie matter for the deuill to disguise his inuentions vnder a false shew of piety that they may not discerne betweene trueth and falsehood betweene that which God liketh and which he disliketh For seeing the sparke of naturall light in mans vnderstanding is so small there needeth no great troubling of the spirite neyther any great impediments to bee cast in his way to confound and amaze him and to take away or vtterly to ouerturne his iudgement whereby to makâ— him as vnable to iudge of the trueth as a blind man is to iudge of colours But they are in farre worse case that voluntarily separate themselues from all truth both naturall and supernaturall For they easily beleeue that which the Epicures long since taught against the immortalitie of soules and against the prouidence of God towards men insomuch that they hold this for most certaine that the soule perisheth as the body doth and that there is no God that intermedleth in the gouernment of humane affaires but that they are guided eyther by fortune or by prudence or by the folly of men according as matters fall out I quake to thinke that such monsters are to be found amongst them that berare the name of Christians and haue in former times receiued the markes and seales of Christianitie in the Church of Iesus Christ But my quaking is doubled when I consider that many of them that professe learning and humane philosophie and that are thought to haue most skilfull sharpe and subtill wits are not onely infected with this execrable Atheisme but professe it open a schoole thereof and know how to poyson many with it For as there was neuer yet opinion error or heresie so strange or monstrous in the world that hath not alwayes found men ynowe to receiue it so long as there were Authors and masters to set it abroach so these professours of Atheisme are neuer without great store of disciples because after this maner God punisheth the curiosity ingratitude and peruersenesse of men the contempt of his word and hatred of the trueth which is commonly in them as also the pleasure they take in vanitie and lies Therefore God by his iust iudgement giueth them ouer into a reprobate sense so that they cannot but alwayes reiect the trueth and imbrace error and lying as he often threatneth them by the mouth of his Prophets and Apostles Examples hereof wee see dayly in such as thinke themselues the wisest men who haue this in their cogitation if they dare not speake it openly that it belongeth not to men of wit to beleeue in God and his word but to such as are simple and foolish not to these great and noble spirits that flie aboue the clouds who in trueth know more then they should to bring them to that place of weeping and gnashing of teeth We are to liue my companions amongst such kind of men and I suppose that ye as well as my selfe haue heard some of them speake especially since of late times the seruice of Princes hath longer retayned vs neere vnto them then we were wont in our yong yeers when the study of good letters did wholy possesse vs. Therefore we ought to be very desirous to fortifie our selues dayly with strong and powerfull reasons against whatsoeuer wee may heare vttered by these scorners of all pietie not for feare that wee shall at any time bee deceiued by them for I am most assured of the graces and gifts which we haue receiued from God but that we may haue abundantly wherewith to resist the vaine and weake arguments of these deceiuers when wee light among them especially in the company of ignorant folks whom they may easily draw to their side if we should be silent Besides although we should not be able to confound them by reason of their obstinacy yet we shall at the least giue them occasion to thinke more seriously of their error I know well what small accompt they make of the testimonies of holy scriptures and how they esteeme of them but as of fables and dreames made by some doters and idle persons for so they call the Patriarks Prophets and Apostles As for the writings of Philosophers they will beleeue Epieurus Pliny Lucretius Lucian and others of their sect who deny all diuinitie and
the ground when wee meete with some great infection shal wee not thinke that God turneth his face from vs when he findeth vs so stinking and infected Contrariwise when wee smell some good sauour it ought to bring into our remembrance the odour of Iesus Christ his sacrifice and of those vertues that are well pleasing and agreeable in the sight of God and stirre vs vp with al indeuour to present him with such smels to the end wee may be of good odour before God and men Which the holy worde will teach vs after hee hath giuen vs a spirituall nose whereby wee may attaine to the right sense and smel of that good odour of Iesus Christ and of the Gospel working in vs the spirit of discretion to discerne truth from lying that our soules may be refreshed as the braine is by those good smels that are brought vnto it by the bodily nose and by the sense of smelling that is therein Nowe therefore being come to the end of this goodly matter of the fiue corporall and externall sense me thinks we should profit much by a briefe collection of their vse and of the commoditie which they bring to men considering also the diuersitie that is in their faces and visages in which these goodly organicall instruments of the senses are planted and how their faces are images and pictures of their heart and mind The discourse of this matter appertainth to thee ACHITOB. Of the vse briefly of all the outward senses for the seruice of man namely in purging the superfluities and ordures of his body of the diuersitie that is in mens faces and of the image of the mind and heart in them Chap. 20. ACHITOB. When wee taste some pleasure by considering the workes of God namely those which wee beare about vs in our nature as indeede such contemplation affoordeth great delight to their soules that are not buried in ignorance we ought to thinke that we haue great occasions and certaine meanes to consider what pleasure and ioy it would be to see and behold the Creator and Workmaster who hath made giuen to man such excellent senses such wonderful vertues faculties what delight ariseth of hearing smelling only some smal odour of tasting a litle of his prouidence wisdome goodnes benignity grace mercy much more wheÌ„ they are throghly tasted relished of vs. Which may be performed by them that imploy all care and diligence in meditating in his eternall worde and in considering the workes of his Almighty power vntill such time as by the dissolution of this mortall tabernacle of the body they shall haue put on immortalitie to enioy true contemplation that is to beholde him face to face who onely is able to satisfie soule with goodnes and felicitie as the Prophet teacheth vs where he saieth In thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Now then we may know by that which we haue hitherto heard in these our discourses what testimonies God hath plaÌ„ted of his great prouidence in all the partes of our bodies what care hee hath had and still hath of man and how he hath giuen him as many corporall senses as he needeth for the vse and fruition of all those visible and bodily creatures which he hath created For he hath eies whereby he vseth and enioyeth the light and the pleasure of such diuersitie of colours as may be seene in the world as well naturall as artificiall and compounded with the sundry mixtures of naturall things Then by the eares he hath the vse of al kindes of sounds and principally of speech together with the pleasure of harmonies and melodies consisting in the variety of tunes and songs as well of mâ—ns voice as of birdes and other creatures and also of instruments of musicke which are so many and of such diuersitie amongst men And by means of the nose and nosethrils he hath the fruition and pleasure of odours and smels so diuers in nature both naturall and artificiall and by means of the mouth tongue and palat he enioyeth and iudgeth of all sorts of tastes which also are very diuers and chiefly of meates and drinkes wherewithal he is nourished For this good God hath appointed a meane for the preseruation of mans life whereunto he hath ioyned pleasure with profite if men know how to vse the same with moderation and measure rather to make supply no necessity then to satisfie pleasures The like may be saide of all the rest of the feelings and touchings of al the bodily members of which there is great variety But hauing spoken sufficiently of the composition of the externall parts of mans body and of the outward members of the natural senses of man and of their vses we ought to consider also what instructions God giueth by them vnto men concerning their infirmitie For although the body of man be so beautifull and excellent outwardly as wee haue declared yet it hath infection within which of necessitie must appeare and breake foorth outwardly that it may be purged and vnburdned For the body cannot reape that profit of the nourishment it receiueth by al the elements and chiefely of that which it eateth and drinketh as that it can coÌ„uert turne al of it into nourishment substance auoyd all those accidents inconueniences whereunto it is subiect by reason of the infirmity of it owne nature Therefore it commeth to passe necessarily that the body is ful of excrements of much superfluitie ordure which would kill it if it were not discharged and deliuered thereof For these excrements woulde be poison vnto it in steade of nourishment Therefore the prouidence of God hath so prouided a remedy for the same that admonishing man of his infirmitie to the end he should alwayes remember that he is created of clay and earth that he shal returne vnto it againe it hath withal ordained the meanes whereby man should be comforted discharged of those excremeÌ„ts superfluities which might hurt him And for this cause there is no member but hath his proper passages appropriated for purgation seruing in his place yea euen the noblest members For I speake not only of those members which we account most vile abiect shamefull which nature teacheth vs to couer hide being appointed for the voiding of the grosest vilest most filthy excrements but also of those that are the excellentest chiefest in the head face so that there is no part of our body out of which there proceedeth not some infection filthines Insomuch that a man may wel say that our whole body is within as it were a stinking draught or puddle that emptieth it selfe on euery side as it were by sinks gutters For if we coÌ„sider it generally there is no part that is not subiect to sweat which oftentimes sauoureth very strongly and that purgeth not it selfby sweating from that superfluitie which it
sound to discerne the images of those things which hee representeth to their mindes from all Diabolicall illusions And surely no maruaile if wicked spirites so oftentimes deceiue men when as Iuglers haue so many waies to abuse them shewing them such strange sights that if they were not wrought by those kinde of men a great many woulde take them for miracles Yea although they be done after this manner yet wee wonder thereat being hardly able by the sharpnesse of our wits to attaine to the knowledge thereof so that many are perswaded that such things cannot be done without the power of the deuill But let vs returne to our matter This imaginatiue power of the soule hath moreouer such vertue that oftentimes the imagination printeth in the body the images of those things which it doeth vehemently thinke of and apprehend the experience whereof is very euident especially in the longings and imaginations of women with childe Many times also we see some that can hardly goe ouer a bridge without falling by reason of the apprehension of the danger which they haue conceiued in their fantasie and imagination But which is yet more strange it falleth out oftentimes that the fancies and imaginations of great bellied women are so vehement and violent that vpon the bodies of the children they goe withall they print the images and shapes of those things vpon which they haue fixed their fancies and vnto which by reason of their fancie they are most affectionated Wee see examples heereof a great many continually Neither is it altogether without reason which wee vse commonly to say that fancie breedes the fact which it imagineth For wee see many fall into those mishaps and inconueniences which they imprint in their fantasie and imagination Wee may also obserue heere howe wee are prouoked to yawne and gape when wee see others doe so and driuen into a desire of many things of which wee should not haue dreamed vnlesse wee had beene incited thereunto by the example of others or by some obiect presented to our senses and prouoking vs thereunto Yea this imaginatiue vertue can do much in beastes as among other things wee may see it in this that they desire rather to make water in a puddle or in a riuer or in some other water or vpon a dunghill or in a stable then else-where For the things that are offred to their senses soone mooue their fantasie and imagination which afterward stirreth them vp either in respect of the agreemēt that is betwixt those things namely water and vrine or because of their custome to doe such a thing in such a place which putteth them in minde and helpeth them to doe it more readily by reason of the imaginatiue vertue that is in them Nowe if imagination hath such vertue in beastes wee may iudge also what it is able to do in the minde of man which is a great deale more quicke and ready Therefore we ought to eschew all occasions of euill that may be presented to our senses to stirre vp our imagination and fantasie to wicked and dishonest things For one only wicked looke or one dishonest speach is sufficient to trouble our minds with diuers imaginations and fantasies Which as it is well knowne to the deuil so knoweth he also how to giue occasion and to offer the means of stirring all the stuffe in our fancies But we keep such bad watch in this respect that in steade of eschewing occasions of euil we seeke after them and where we should shut the doore against euill we set it wide open that it may enter more easily into vs. Wherein wee followe not the example of the Prophet who prayed vnto the Lorde saying Turne away mine eyes that they beholde no vanitie but wee rather take a contrary course to whet our selues forward to all beastlinesse Seeing therefore Imagination and Fantasie haue so little holde of themselues wee haue neede of an other facultie and vertue aboue that to be able to iudge of things imagined and perceiued by sense of which wee haue hitherto spoken and that is reason the discourse where of I reserre to thee AMANA as also of memorie which is the fift and last internall sense of the soule Of Reason and Memorie and of their seate nature and office of the agreement which all the senses both externall and internall haue one with another and of their vertues Chap. 26. AMANA They that haue curiously searched into the nature of beasts haue found in them especially in such as were most perfect as many externall and internal senses as are in man yea they perceiued that their braine and all the partes thereof did not differ much from that of men whether wee respect the substance or the fashion But all these excellent giftes of nature reach no farther in them then to the vses of this present life and the necessities thereof For they haue no reason giuen them to enquire after that which is good to the ende their will might followe and embrace the same Moreouer their Good consisteth only in corporall things belonging to the bodie which they easily knowe and discerne as standing in neede of no other reason or vnderstanding to make enquirie after it then of that bare knowledge and naturall inclination that is giuen them But the Good that belongeth to man is hidden in the soule and spirite For this cause hee must of necessitie enquire after it that hee may come to the knowledge thereof least he chuse euill in steade of good for want of knowledge of his proper and true Good and so be deceiued by the appearance of a false Good which is not so in trueth but in opinion onely and by errour whereby the greatest part of men are commonly beguiled preferring the supposed Goods of the body before the true goods of the soule and temporall things before eternall Therefore as our eyes stand in neede of light to keepe vs and to cause vs to see in darkenes so our soule and spirite hath neede of reason to guide it in the middest of errour and ignorance that it may discerne trueth from lying the true Good from the false and that which is profitable from the contraty This facultie and vertue of the soule so necessary in man and which is able to iudge of things imagined and perceiued by the other senses of which we haue spoken before to knowe whether they be good or bad and what is to be embraced or eschewed is called the Iudging or discoursing facultie namely Reason which is the principall part and vertue of the soule and beareth rule among all the other senses For this cause he hath his seate by good right assigned him in the midst of the braine as in the highest and safest fortresse of the whole frame of man to raigne amiddest all the other senses as Prince and Lord ouer them all For it is he that discourseth and iudgeth of trueth from falshoode that knoweth the agreement
let vs not mocke or despise them but rather haue pitie and compassion ouer them pray to God in their behalfe and succour them asmuch as wee can acknowledging the grace of God towards vs in keeping vs from such inconueniences and beseeching him to preserue and keepe vs continually For whatsoeuer befalleth others shoulde as it were hang before our eyes as often as it pleaseth him to beate them with such scourges which we our selues haue no lesse deserued then they that are beaten yea oftentimes a great deale more The Lord striketh whome it pleaseth him that by them others might take instruction Therefore if we cannot profite by such teaching nor learne at other mens cost to feare and honour him to call vpon him and to giue him thankes it is to bee feared that he will send vs asmuch that so we may learne at our owne charges Yea and then also he is very gratious vnto vs if he suffer vs to haue our vnderstandings to knowe how to profite by his roddes and chastisements and giue vs not wholly ouer into the handes of Satan our Aduersarie But enough of this matter And nowe that wee haue seene the nature and office of the internall senses of the soule with their seates and instruments the sequele of our speech requireth as I thinke that we should intreate of vnderstanding and will which are two faculties and vertues in the highest and most principall part and power of the soule of man and in regard of which it is properly called by the name of a reasonable soule and life as wee shall presently learne of ACHITOB. Of the reasonable soule and life and of vertue of the vnderstanding and will that are in the soule and of their dignitie and excellencie Chap. 28. ACHITOB. Although beastes without any iudgement and reason follow after that which they conceaue to be agreeable to their nature and eschew the contrary according as their natural inclination driueth thē thereunto yet they passe not those bounds of nature which God hath set them nor violate the lawes thereof Wherby we see that through a secret sense of nature they draw alwayes towards God their Creator in that their nature bendeth still towardes that which God hath appoynted to bee the chiefe Good vnto which they can attaine And no doubt but God hath giuen them such inclinations to bee as it were rules to direct them to that which is their proper and naturall Good which consisteth onely in corporall thinges belonging to their bodies Nowe if hee bee thus carefull for beastes we may not thinke that hee hath depriued Man of such a benefite but that hee hath also giuen him his inclination to leade him to his proper Good and to the trueth which in respect thereof is necessarie for him For what likelihoode is there that such a woorkeman as God is woulde create Man the most excellent creature vnder heauen in worse estate not onely then beastes but also then all other bodily creatures which are nothing in comparison of the excellencie which is in him who notwithstanding following their naturall disposition Prayse GOD and fulfill his worde as the Psalmist saith As therefore God hath ordayned and prepared a farre greater Good formen then for beastes and hath layde vp the same in his soule and spirite so hath he giuen them the meanes to enquire and finde it out But the difficultie that is in finding it out proceedeth through their owne fault For the darknes of ignorance and error which sinne hath brought into their minds is that which hindereth them which had not taken holde of them if mankind had continued in the perfection of his first nature Neuertheles what defect soeuer there be yet we see that in the minde of man there shineth alwaies this naturall light that is giuen vnto him aboue that which beasts haue I mean Reason which serueth to guide the soule and spirite amidst the darknesse of errour and ignorance to the ende they may be able to discerne trueth from falsehood and the true Good from the false as we see the light serueth the eyes to keepe vs and to cause vs to see in darkenesse Therefore we sayde before that there was a double discourse of reason in man whereof the one is Theoricall and Speculatiue which hath Trueth for his ende and hauing found it goeth no farther The other is Practical hauing Good for his end which being found it stayeth not there but passeth forward to the Will which God hath ioyned vnto it to the end it should loue desire and follow after the Good and contrariwise hate eschew and turne away from euill Therefore when the question ariseth of contemplation reason hath Trueth for her vtmost bounds and when she is to come into action she draweth towardes Good and hauing conferred together that which is true and good she pronounceth iudgement So that reason considereth of thinges with great deliberation and beeing sometimes in doubt which way to take shee stayeth and returneth as it were to her selfe and maketh many discourses before shee iudge and conclude But sinne hath so troubled our spirite that these naturall rules which shoulde euermore cause vs to encline to that which is right and good are greatly depraued and corrupted Neuerthelesse there remayneth in vs a small remnant of that great Good which testifieth sufficiently vnto vs what losse and damage wee receiued by our fall Therefore both the internall and externall senses serue vs not onely for the good of the bodie and for this life as they do to beasts but also for the good of the soule and helpe vs to lift vp the minde higher to seeke for a better life and for a greater Good then can be found among all the creatures and in which alone the minde findeth true felicitie agreeable to such a nature as it selfe is Heereof it commeth that it cannot content it selfe with that wherwith beasts are contented nor stay there where they stay For after the spirite is somewhat setled vpon that knowledge which it hath by his imagination and fantasie he lifteth vp himselfe higher by the meanes of reason namely to the vnderstanding of spirituall and diuine things For hee knoweth well that because he is as it were shut vp in an obscure prison and compassed about with darknesse he is hindered from attaining to the vnderstanding and knowledge of many things whereof he is ignorant and can neither see nor know that which he would so neerely cleerely and perfectly as if hee were at greater libertie nor vse that naturall vigour that he hath being in this prison of the bodie In this sort doeth man consider of himself and of his nature and from that knowledge which he hath of the highest and most excellent things in nature there springeth in him a loue towardes them insomuch that the spirit ascendeth vp and attaineth vnto God who is the authour and Creator of all For this cause there ariseth contention betwixt reason and fantasie For
therefore it tendeth to disliking which is wholly against consent For this cause wee call Opinion a knowledge that moueth vs to encline rather on the one side then on the other in regard of the appearance and shewe of reason that it hath so that wee are not fully resolued therein Nowe albeeit this consent which is called opinion or coniecture bee not altogether so firme as that which wee call beleefe neuerthelesse it differeth from Doubting which is as it were a neuter iudgement hanging betweene consent and his contrary and inclining neither to the one side nor to the other As for that beleefe which is of diuine things there is such a firme consent required therein as that all doubting must be vtterly excluded For faith is not perfect if it doe not allowe for certaine whatsoeuer God hath reuealed vnto men by his worde which is a certaine testimonie of his will And although hee hath giuen vnto vs the same meanes to instruct vs by in these things that he hath done in humane things yet hee goeth further For hee doeth not onely teach vs by experience by reasons and demonstrations which appeare manifestly to-our senses both externall and internall and of which our minde can iudge as well as of humane things but he requireth chiefely of vs that wee shoulde beleeue his testimony and those witnesses which he sendeth vnto vs and that wee shoulde content our selues with his authoritie And because heauenly things surpasse the capacitie of our vnderstandings God maketh them capable by the light of faith which is a supernaturall and diuine light whereby wee see that in God which we cannot beholde in all the creatures and which our humane reason cannot naturally comprehend Now as much as this light is more certaine then all other naturall light either externall of the eyes of the body or internall in respect of the eyes of the soule and minde so much more certaine is our sight and knowledge of that which wee see and knowe by meanes of that light For this cause when our vnderstandings are lightned with this light wee beleeue more firmely that which it manifesteth vnto vs I say not onely then that whereunto wee may bee perswaded by all the humane reasons which can be alleadged but also then that which we see with our owne eyes and heare with our eares and touch with our hands For these externall senses and those internall senses also whose messengers the other are are not so certaine witnesses to our spirite as the senses of faith which are more then humane For they are heauenly Wherefore shee hath eies whereby she seeth diuinely and not humanely which can neuer be deceiued as the eyes of the body may The like wee may say of her eares and of her handes For there is no sense so certaine as all hers are because she receiueth them diuinely by the spirit Therfore as she hath not in her any imagination or fantasie that can deceiue her so she can neuer faile either in her discourses or in her iudgements whereupon shee resolueth because she is alwayes guided in them by the holy spirite whome she followeth for her rule in all things and who assureth her by his testimony as if she bare the markes and seales imprinted in her selfe and in their mindes and hearts in whome shee dwelleth Heereof it is that Saint Paul so often saieth that God hath sealed vs by his holy Spirite speaking as it were of a seale imprinted in our hearts and mindes and as of an earnest and gage which God hath giuen vs for the best and most certaine assurance that can bee No maruell therefore if the children of God endewed with this true faith become so resolute so firme and constant that no authoritie power wisedome force eloquence no humane reasons nor any thing that men or deuils can imagine think say or doe is able to make them to change their mindes whereof we haue most euident examples especially in the person of all the Martyres who could neuer by any violence in the world be ouercome but their faith hath euermore gotten the victory and triumphed ouer all their enemies And by this wee may assuredly knowe that it is better grounded then vpon all the reasons and perswasions of men that may be Therefore it is not without cause that S. Paul calleth it the gift of God neither is it without great reason commended so much in the Epistle to the Hebrewes For being come to that point that it hath such an illumination as to accompt all that God reuealeth in his worde to bee more certaine then any thing that wee either see with our eies or touch with our hands hereof to haue a true sense and feeling of the testimony of the holy spirit then doth it exclude al doubting which is contrary thereunto and differeth much from that which we hold only in opinion wherein there is as yet no great assurance So that we may conclude hereupon that according as faith is more or lesse in vs wee shall neuer conclude ill nor at any time giue ouer our conclusions For faith neuer concludeth any thing which God hath not before spoken whose word and authoritie is vnto it as in deede it ought to be in steade of all reason For seeing it is that wisedome and trueth which can neuer faile or lie it needeth not to doubt in any respect to conclude alwayes therewith neyther hath it cause at any time afterward to forsake or change the conclusion it hath set downe Wherefore when our faith is shaken and beginneth to alter it is a signe and testimony that it holdeth more of the nature of opinion then of beleefe and that it hath not yet a iudgement throughly resolued in the conclusion which it hath taken So that heere wee may learne what difference there is betwixt beleefe opinion doubting and infidelitie or incredulitie For seeing incredulitie is contrary to beleefe it goeth farther then doubting which concludeth nothing on either side as both beleefe and opinion doe but incredulitie concludeth contrarie to them both For it giueth no consent as beleefe and opinion doe but taketh the cleane contrary and therefore it may well be called dissent or disagreement as being opposite to that consent that is in beleefe Now to end this speech and to take away al doubting that may arise of this word Beleefe or Faith I will only adde this that wee are to know that it is diuersly takē in the holy scripturs For the name which it hath in the Hebrew tongue is taken frō the word whereby they expresse veritie or truth which they also take for constancie assurance The word which the Euangelists and Apostles vse according to the Graecians in whose language they wrote signifieth properly Perswasion And the name vsed by the Latines from whome wee haue taken our Faith signifieth that constancie and trueth which men keepe in their wordes and promises whereupon
the body which in the infancie of man hinder it from doing that which it doeth by them in other ages Besides wee may truely say that God hath created it of that nature that as hee hath ioyned it vnto the body which hath his degrees of growth so the soule hath some agreement therewith in this respect touching the manifestation of her naturall powers and vertues Neither is it any strange thing if God deale so with it in this matter In the meane time wee see that although the soule of man seemeth in nothing or very little to differ from that of plants as long as it is in the mothers womb nor from the soule of beasts during the time of his infancie neuerthelesse afterward it sheweth very well wherein it differeth from them and that it hath certaine vertues which are not in any other soule For if this were not so both in respect of the age and growth of the body as also in regarde of that property which is in the nature thereof it woulde be alwayes like to that which it is in the beginning as wee see it is with plantes and beastes in whose soule wee can perceiue no more change in the ende and when they growe vp then in their beginning and first birth According then to that I haue now saide we see by experience that in the gifts and graces wherewith GOD daily adorneth and enricheth his children he doeth not communicate all at once vnto them but by little and little and by degrees as hee iudgeth it expedient and as they are capable of reason and vnderstanding Therefore it is written of Iohn Baptist that the childe grewe and waxed strong in spirite which is as much to say as that according as hee grewe in age God increased the graces of his holie spirite vpon him wherewith hee had indued him euen from his mothers wombe And when wee haue profited well in his schoole so that wee are assured of and instructed in those things which wee ought to followe according to the worde of GOD wee easily attaine to that Good which is the ende of all inquirie of the trueth namely to contemplation which followeth iudgement as iudgement followeth reason and the discourse thereof For reason discoursing is as it were the inquisition of the trueth that is sought for and iudgement is as the election that maketh choice of the trueth and of that which it taketh to be most certaine and Contemplation is as it were a quiet and setled beholding of all those things which were gathered together by reason and receiued with approbation by iudgement For there is no more place for disputation seeing all things are certaine and cleere Nowe all pleasure and delight proceedeth from the conuenience and agreement that is betwixt the thing that pleaseth and him whome it doeth please And because there is nothing more agreeable to the nature of the spirite and minde of man then trueth hereof it commeth that notwithstanding al corruption that is in him there is no man but naturally desireth knowledge and skill accounting science to bee excellent and woorthie of great praise and ignorance to bee full of shame yea hee iudgeth it a verie ill thing to bee deceiued Wherefore wee may not doubt but that as knowledge is more true and certaine so doeth the spirite receiue greater pleasure and when it hath found the trueth it delighteth greatly therein And if for the causes before touched by vs it can not find the trueth so certainely as it desireth yet it taketh singular pleasure in approching so neere vnto it as it can For this cause the more certaine the trueth is which it knoweth it is the more agreeable and pleasant vnto it especially when it knoweth the true spring and first causes thereof Therefore as the mindes of men delight more in those things that resemble them most of so much the more noble and excellent nature they are yea more heauenly and diuine and so will take pleasure in such things as are most excellent and celestiall Contrariwise the more earthly vile and abiect they shall be the more will they delight in mortall base and contemptible things and despise such as are of greatest value For this cause many Philosophers haue esteemed more of the studie of Philosophie and the knowledge thereof then of kingdomes and great riches being prouoked and pricked thereunto by an vnspeakeable pleasure which their spirite tooke in the knowledge of those things that were reueled vnto them therein On the other side wee see that ambitious men delight more in honours and worldely greatnesse then they woulde doe at leastwise in their owne opinion in all the skill of the Philosophers A couerous man pleaseth himselfe a great deale more in telling and beholding his crownes then in any other thing whatsoeuer It is no maruell therefore if ambitious couetous and voluptuous men and such like doe commonly deride those that take delight in learning and chiefly in the doctrine and contemplation of those celestiall and eternall things which they set before their eyes or if they preferre greatly their owne estate and condition before others that take pleasure in such things For they are pearles cast before swine which are not valued as they are woorth but onely of such as knowe them and their value Nowe if heathen Philosophers haue oftentimes willingly abandoned all their goodes that they might wholly addict themselues to the study of their humane Philosophie to the contemplation of such things as they could know thereby notwithstanding that it was alwayes accompanied with some doubting and that they could neuer attaine to a certaine knowledge either of the beginning or ende of things what ought Christians to do when the question is of Diuine Philosophie and Wisedome the treasures of which are opened and offered vnto them in the word of God For it is without all comparision farre more certayne then any science and containeth in it other trueths and matters that are great deale more profound excellent and more worthy of contemplation And they to whome God hath beene so gratious as to giue some taste and experience of these things are able to iudge well of them yea farre better then any others For it is certaine that euen for a little true knowledge of God and of the trueth of those things which hee hath reuealed vnto vs in his doctrine wee receiue singular delight with great ioy and sweete consolation So that euery man may perceiue howe much greater the pleasure will bee when the knowledge shall be greater If then this small taste which wee may haue in this worlde of these delicacies and spirituall delights bringeth vnto vs such singular ioy we may easily iudge howe great it will be in that most happy contemplation which wee shall haue in heauen with God when wee shall beholde him face to face and knowe him as wee are knowen whereas heere wee see him but as it were in a glasse and
any in him that is true and sounde but onely that which is counterfeite and fayned towardes them that submit themselues vnto him through flatterie But that which is most dangerous in pride is when it is bredde of humilitie of modestie and of vertue For there are manie who considering their owne modestie and other vertues and condemning pride and other vices are delighted therewith after an insolent manner and are puffed vp with pride thereby Whereby wee see what windings and slipperie turnings are in that olde serpent the Father of pride into howe manie fashions hee changeth himselfe and in what manner hee hath infected and poysoned our heart For hee hath brought it to this passe that as venimous beastes turne all they eate howe good soeuer it bee into venime so the proude man turneth all his thoughtes wordes and deedes into pride For hee draweth and referreth euery thing to his owne honour and glorie and therefore Saint Chrysostome verie aptly compareth Vaine-glorie to a Mothe For as the mothe marreth and consumeth that cloth in which it is bredde so vaineglorie sometime springeth of vertue and afterwarde corrupteth it For there is no vertue so excellent which is not turned into vice and made abominable before GOD so soone as it is mingled therewith Seeing then pride is such an horrible monster as that which breedeth and bringeth foorth so manie other monsters wee ought to seeke diligently after all remedies for it that may possibly bee had whereby it may bee tamed and kept vnder and so our soules cured of such a dangerous disease and plague Nowe forasmuch as it proceedeth of ignoraunce and of inconsideratenesse and through the want of the due knowledge of God and of our selues wee must redresse this euill by the vertues contrarie to these vices namely by the true knowledge of God of his worde and of our selues Which wee shall obtaine if hee deale so gratiously with vs as to fill vs with his holie spirite and to giue vs an humble heart that renouncing all pride and all arrogancie wee may learne to walke in his feare and in all obedience to his holie will so that wee wholly consecrate our selues vnto him both in bodie soule and spirite in will heart and all our affections Nowe hauing spoken sufficiently of that matter into which wee fell whilest wee handeled the second bellie which God hath placed in man for the lodging of the vital partes and namely of the heart which is the seate of the affections it remaineth that we consider of the third beilie which is the seate of the naturall powers and vertues of the soule of which thou shalt beginne nowe to discourse ACHITOB. Of the naturall powers of the soule and what sundrie vertues they haue in the nourishment of the bodie of their order and offices of their agreement and necessarie vse where the Vegetatiue soule is placed in the bodie and what Vertue it hath to augment the same Chap. 60. ACHIT The dispositiō placing of the principal parts of our body of that noblest mēbers therof is a goodly schole wherin we may learne how much more carefull wee ought to be of heauen then of the earth and of the spirite then of the bodie We haue already heard how the internall partes of man were deuided into three bellies and lodgings of which the two former namely the braine and the heart together with the vertues offices and works of the soule in them haue beene declared vnto vs. It remaineth that we consider of the last lodging of the bodie which properly beareth the name of belly which is the seate of these naturall powers and vertues of the soule which we call Vegetatiue and nourishing and is diuided into three kinds namely into the vertue of nourishing of augmenting or growing and of engendring Nowe when we see this order and disposition in our nature we ought seriously to thinke that seeing God hath placed the heart betweene the head and the belly the Vitall vertue of the soule betweene the Animal and Nutritiue and the will betweene the vnderstanding and the most sensuall part in vs therefore the heart affections and will ought to looke alwayes on high and not downward to the ende they should ioyne to the most noble celestiall and diuine part and not to that which is most base sensual and earthly Whereunto that also ought to induce and leade vs which we learned before of the agreement between the highest and middlemost of these principal and more noble parts of the body vnto which this last is inferiour in all kinde of excellencie beautie and dignitie This belly of which wee are nowe to discourse containeth all the members and instruments that serue for nourishment and generation whereupon it is termed the Kitchin and Nurserie of the body and the seminary and welspring of mankinde But before we enter into a particular consideration of these members and instrumentes wee are to looke into the naturall powers of the Vegetatiue soule that is in them And first we will note that which we spake of elsewhere of the office of heate and moysture in the nature of the bodie that as moysture keepeth heate within it so heate drinketh and soaketh vp moysture as much as it may digesting and dispelling it by the vertue and action of it owne nature Now whilest this moysture is thus digested by the heate there is a separation made of that which is profitable in the bodie from that which is superfluous and consequently hurtfull to the bodie That which is profitable for it is the iuyce and humour that agreeth with it in regarde of the similitude and likenesse that is betweene them Whereupon it followeth that all moysture that is greatly diuerse or contrary to the body is hurtfull for it as also all drye matter which likewise hurteth the health and life thereof So that this vertue of the soule which we call naturall or otherwise Vegetatiue and which comprehendeth vnder it the vertue of nourishing of augmenting and of engendring euery of which hauing sixe others tending all to one ende as we heard alreadie this vertue I say causeth that which is profitable for the nourishment of the bodie first to bee distributed vnto the members and then to bee turned into the bodily substance of the liuing creature because that vertue and power of the soule doeth imbrace and receiue it acknowledging it alreadie to bee a part of the bodie Therefore the vertue of drawing nourishment that is in the soule hath for an helper the vertue of retaining and keeping vntill there bee a conuenient change thereof made by the facultie and power of digesting and as it were dressing of it For otherwise the attractiue and retentiue power were to small purpose Now when the meate is digested so much of it as is pure must bee separated from that which is impure by the vertue of purging and that which is impure must bee deliuered ouer to the
holes vnable to hold in and keepe anie secret matter they are fierce in assailing but inconstant in sustaining the assault in some sort resembling the nature of dogges which barke and bite if they can and afterward flie away And if there bee excesse of the melancholike humour the natures of such are sadde still hard to please suspicious conceited obstinate some more and some lesse And if the cholericke and melancholike humours be corrupt and mingled together their natures become monstrous prowd full of enuy fraud subtilties venemous and poisonfull hatefull and diabolicall And when the malignant spirits know mens natures thus disposed no doubt but they take occasion thereby to intermingle themselues if God permit them and purpose to vse them for the punishing of men I say they will ioyne themselues vnto them and make them their instruments as God on the other side vseth those natures that are most moderate and best tempered making them instruments of his glorie Now we may call to mind what we learned before almost to the same ende touching the meanes whereby euill spirites might trouble the imagination fantasie and mindes of men We may say as much of the humours of the body whose motions and nature they knowe very well Whereby they can so much the more easily abuse them in their damnable worke and will as wee may iudge by the example of him that was possessed and lunatike of whom the Euangelists make mention and whome they call by those two names And by that which they wrote of him it seemeth that he was subiect to the falling sickenesse that returneth oftentimes according to the course of the moone which naturally hath great affinitie with the humors and great power ouer them And therefore it is very likely that the euill spirit which tormented this poore lunatike watched the occasions of his disease to afflict him the more and to cause him to fall either in the fire or in the water as he did indeede thereby to worke his death if he had could Which example sheweth vnto vs what is the malice of the deuil what pleasure hee taketh in hurting of men what meanes and what occasions he seeketh for and maketh choice of and what accesse vnto vs we may offer him through our corrupt nature through our vices and sinnes and through our inclinations and manners that are naturally euill and peruerse if God letteth him loose the bridle by his iust iudgement seeing he spareth not the little children as it appeareth in that which is written of him of whom we spake euen now For this cause we ought to take good heede that we giue not our common enemie those occasions that he seeketh to haue from vs to the ende that hee abuse vs not nor any thing that is ours and which God hath bestowed vpon vs. This is the reason why the consideration of our temperature complexion and naturall inclination is very necessary for vs because the knowledge hereof affoordeth vnto vs many good instructions that may stand vs in great steade throughout our whole life as well for the preseruation of the health of our bodies as for the rule and gouernement of our affections and manners as also in regarde of the familiaritie and acquaintance which wee haue one with an other For through the contemplation hereof wee may knowe not onely the causes of health and sickenesse of the life and death of the body but also of that of the soule For as the good humours corrupt in our bodies according as wee haue heard and breede in them sundry diseases which finally leade them vnto death euen so by means of sinne all those good and naturall affections which ought to bee the seedes of vertues in vs are corrupted and turne into vices that are the diseases of the soule and bring vnto it the second and eternall death as contrariwise vertues are the health and life thereof But as GOD hath prouided corporall medicines for the bodie so hee hath prepared spirituall Physicke for the soule against all the diseases thereof Therefore when wee consider with our selues vnto what vices wee are inclined by nature wee must labour to correct and bridle them and to quench such inclinations as much as wee can through sobrietie vigilancie and continuall practise to the contrary least wee nourish and encrease them when as wee ought to diminish and wholy to abolish them For the common prouerbe is not without reason that Education passeth Nature or that it is another nature Wee see by experience what Education and Instruction are able to doe both to goodnesse and vice according as they are either good or euill For as there is no nature so good which can not bee corrupted and peruerted through euill education and teaching so there is none so vicious and euill which can not at the least in some measure through the helpe and grace of GOD bee corrected and amended by good education instruction and discipline And because conuersation and familiaritie are of great efficacie in this point wee are diligently to consider with what persons and natures wee acquaint our selues and bee carefull to eschew such natures as are vicious prowd fierce enuious hatefull malicious suspicious disloyall and traiterous as well in regarde of the corruption of manners wherewith wee may bee infected by them as also in respect of other harmes that may befall vs by reason they are vnsociable natures or at the least very difficult to conuerse withall being indeede such as towardes whome no man can beare any true loue or firme friendship But when wee haue vsed all the diligence wee can possible about these things the chiefest point wherein the whole consisteth is this that wee haue recourse to Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of GOD to the end that by his holy Spirit hee woulde correct represse and quench in vs all the vicious affections and disordered motions that wee haue contrary to his holy will according to that promise which is made vnto vs wherein it is saide that if fathers knowe howe to giue good gifts to their children and such things as are necessarie for them much more will our heauenly Father giue his holie Spirite to them that aske it of him And this is the true meanes wee ought to keepe for the correcting of these vices and defectes that are in our naturall inclinations Now wee haue spoken sufficiently of those things which concerne the naturall powers of the soule in respect of the nourishment and growth of the body and of those instruments which it hath in the same for the performaunce of her actions It remaineth nowe that wee consider what effectes it hath in Generation First then ASER thou shalt handle the restauration and reparation of all natures by that vertue and power of Generation that is in them and namely in man to the end wee may after proceede with those other points that concerne this matter Of the restauration and reparation of all
appeare vnto vs and contrariwise the more pure and thinne it is the brighter and more shining it will shew it selfe vnto vs. Nowe for this matter wee must call to minde what wee heard concerning the generation of spirites both Vitall and Animall in those discourses of the nature and office of the heart And as they are thinne vapours engendered of blood concocted and sette on fire through the vertue of the heart that they might bee as it were little flames hauing diuers actions in diuers members so according to the puritie and impuritie of the blood in the composition of the bodie wee are to iudge of the spirites that proceede from them And albeeit they haue all one and the same fountaine namely the heart in which they are bredde neuerthelesse they change according to those places and members wherein they woorke and being so changed they haue diuers and seuerall actions Wee vnderstand then by the Vitall spirite a little flame bredde and borne in the heart of the purest blood whose office is to carie naturall heate to the other members and to giue them vertue and strength to put in practise those actions and offices which they exercise by the same heat It hath beene tolde vs also before that the arteries serue to carie this vitall spirite to all the members But wee are farther to learne that when the vitall spirites bredde in the heart are in part transported to the braine others are engendered of them which are called Animall spirites in that sence in which wee called those Animall faculties and powers from whence the Soule deriueth her vessels and instrumentes in the brayne For after the spirites sent by the heart are come thither they are made more cleane and bright through the vertue of the braine and agreeable to the temperament thereof and then beeing infused into the brayne by meanes of the sinewes they are insteade of a light whereby the actions of the sences are incited and stirred vp as also those motions which are from place to place And as wee haue hearde that a good temperature of the blood and of other humours doeth much helpe forwarde and profite the manners and conditions of men the same may bee saide of the heart and of the spirites proceeding from the same For when the heart is in good temper so that it is not troubled either with anger or sadnesse or any other euill affection it is manifest that the spirites are a great deale the better in the braine Nowe let vs consider the woonderfull woorke of God wrought in man by meanes of the Vitall and Animall spirites For what are the chiefe actions effected in him Are they not the preseruation of life nourishment and generation and then sense and motion with cogitation and the affections of the heart And what were all these thinges without spirites Hence it commeth that in the holy Scriptures the heart is taken for the fountaine not onely of life but also of all the actions of men as it hath beene alreadie declared vnto vs. And for this cause also some haue sayde that these spirites and little Vitall and Animall flames were the soule it selfe or the immediate instrument thereof that is to say the verie next whereby it woorketh immediately so that there is none betwixt them twayne But the latter is more certaine and more agreeable to trueth then the former For if the soule were nothing else but the Vitall and Animall spirites it shoulde fayle and perish with them as the bodily life doeth and so it shoulde not bee immortall But seeing they are but the instruments thereof as the humours of the bodie are and namely the blood from which they proceede the soule can well bee without them albeeit they cannot bee without it and although it cannot without them perfourme the woorkes it doeth with and by them And forasmuch as God hath giuen them to bee as it were a light it is certaine that the light of these surmounteth the light of the Sunne Moone or starres and that all these lights haue great agreement one with another But it is yet a farre more woonderfull woorke of GOD when not onelie the soule vseth these instrumentes for the life of man but also when the celestiall spirite ioyneth it selfe vnto them vsing them in the elect and making them more cleere by his heauenly light that the knowledge of God might bee more euident that their assuraunce and trust in him might bee more firme and that all the motions of his children might bee kindeled the more towardes him So likewise the euill spirite knoweth well howe to take occasion by the badde temperature of the humors to abuse men as wee haue alreadie declared thereby to set forwarde their ruine when hee possesseth the heart troubleth and poysoneth the spirites in that and in the brayne Whereupon hee attempteth to hinder reason and iudgement to bring men to furie and madnesse and to thrust forwarde their heart and their other members to committe foule and execrable factes Whereof wee haue examples in the furie of Saul and in his death in the death of Achitophel of Iudas and of manie others whome hee hath brought to slaye themselues as likewise in manie other horrible factes dayly committed by men Therefore it is very requisite that wee shoulde diligently consider our nature and bee carefull to gouerne and guide it well Wee are to knowe that our spirites are the habitations of the holy spirite and therefore wee are to pray to God through his sonne Christ Iesus to repell and keepe backe euill spirites farre from vs and to inspire his diuine and celestiall spirite into our spirites heartes and mindes that it may guide and gouerne them And this agreeth verie fitly with that prayer which wee hearde alreadie vttered by Saint Paul touching the entire sanctification of the whole man whome hee diuided into spirite soule and bodie So that if wee haue throughly tasted of the former discourses as well concerning the nature of the bodie as of the soule wee may perceiue wherefore the Apostle hath thus diuided the whole man For first wee cannot doubt but that the soule beeing the principall Woorker is such a substaunce and nature as dwelleth in a bodie apt and meete to receiue life in I speake this purposely because all sortes of bodies are not capable of soule and life and they that are capable are not yet capable of euerie kinde of soule and life but onelie of such as are agreeable to their nature hauing those instrumentes in themselues which may bee vsed by them according to their nature Wherefore the soule of man must of necessitie haue another bodie with other instruments and of another nature then the soule of beastesmay haue and the soule of beastes another then the soule of plantes according as euerie one of them differeth from other both in nature and offices But of what nature soeuer eyther the soule or the bodie is the soule hath this
God and men and were accompted and taken for demy-gods And these are those vertues which the philosophers by experience find to be in the reasonable soule which are no fained or imaginatiue but true vertues neither are they found in the soule of beasts as those are of which we spake in the first place Wherfore albeit man hath the vertue of desiring common with beasts yet he hath reason to moderate his desires which is wanting in beasts Nowe al this doctrine touching the vertues of the soule accordeth well with the doctrine of Christianitie so farre foorth as the soule agreeth with that nature in which it was first created of God But that which the Astrologians affirme of the influences and infusion of vertues into the soule by the planets as we heard I take it to be a bird of their owne braine whereby they attribute to the creatures that which belongeth to the Creator only For although he vseth the creatures according to that order which he hath placed in them neuertheles when the question is of the reasonable soule wee must ascend vp higher then the heauens vnto which it can not be subiect as the body is seeing it is of a farre more excellent nature For how should the heauens starres and planets giue that to the soule which themselues haue not I verely beleeue that when God created the soule of the first man placed it in his body that was before created of the nature and substance of the corruptible elemēts he took not those vertues with which he indued and adorned it either from the heauens or from the planets And seeing he created al mankind in this first mā after his image which he imprinted in his soule no doubt but that which yet remaineth in mans soule proceedeth from the same fountaine as also what euil soeuer is befallen since whereby this image abode not perfect it proceedeth from sinne and from the nature of man corrupted by sinne and not from the heauens or planets And as the Astrologians easily beleeue whatsoeuer they haue imagined touching this point and woulde haue the will of man subiect to their influences and constellations so the other Philosophers abuse themselues greatly in magnifying the vertues of the soule more then they ought to be esteemed in this corrupt estate of mans nature not iudging the corruption to be so great as it is Heereof it is also that they faile in regarde of vertue which they attribute altogether to the libertie of man as if he coulde by his owne vertue moderate his affections make himselfe iust and righteous Which fault proceedeth from hence in that they content themselues with a iustice that seemeth so to be before men and put no difference betweene diuine and humane iustice that is betwixt that which is able to stand approoue it selfe in the iudgement of God and that which men approoue For there is no iustice able to satisfie the iudgement of God but that of Iesus Christ which it pleaseth him to impute vnto his children and in regard thereof to accompt them iust But let vs returne to our matter We haue further to note that besides the forenamed vertues the Platonists attribute to the soule foure others which they cal contemplatiue vertues as those that belong to the contemplatiue life vnto which they are referred by them The first is named the purgation or second death of the soule for the first death of it say they is her descending into the body of man into which it is throwen as it were into a prison in a maner buried in vices Therefore they say that the soule standeth in neede of this second death whereby she being purged from her vices is as it were dead vnto them that shee may liue vnto vertue The second kind of these vertues is called pure or purified because the soule being purged from all her euill affections exerciseth good works by the same The third is called by them an exemplarie or patterne-vertue in the minde of God whereby they meane that as God conceiueth and knoweth the Idaeas kindes and images of all sensible intelligible things so he sendeth downe from heauen this vertue into the soule of man who is thereby purged and purified as we haue alreadie heard And for the last they adde a fourth vertue which they account greatest and chiefest aboue the other and therefore they call it Diuine because it bringeth to the soule a vertue to doe more then humane workes euen such as we call miraculous works Which foure kindes of vertues appeare euidently to haue beene drawen by them from christian doctrine but yet disguised after their fashion As touching the first it agreeth to that which the worde of God teacheth vs of regeneration and mortification of the flesh whereby wee die to sinne and to the deuill that we may liue to righteousnesse and to God The second agreeth to good woorkes proceeding of faith which being done in the same purifie the heart and to christian holinesse which accompanieth and followeth iustification by faith The third agreeth to giftes and graces inspited by the holy Ghost and to the infusion of them into the soules of Gods true seruants and the fourth agreeth to the giftes of prophecie and to that vertue of working miracles which hath beene heeretofore in the holie Prophets Apostles and Disciples of Iesus Christ But to conclude this whole point wee are to obserue this that what praise soeuer may bee giuen to the Platonicall Diuinitie yet it is in no respect to bee compared with Christian Philosophie because this is pure and true and endited by the Spirite of GOD but the other impure disguised and counterfaited by men who haue mingled with their Philosophie many things which they coulde eyther heare or learne out of the holie Scripture Moreouer as concerning the whole doctrine of the Philosophers touching the nature and vertues of the soule we may truely say that of it selfe it reacheth higher then those politicke vertues of which we made mention euen now For when a ciuil good and wise man hath attained to that politicke vertue and to the highest degree thereof he is able to goe no farther except hee be holpen elsewhere euen by the illumination of the holy Spirite And indeede all those other vertues of the soule propounded by the Platonists are but dreames and opinions in the ayre by which the Spirite of errour laboureth to disguise the doctrine of the holie Scriptures which leadeth vs to those true supernaturall vertues which the soule receiueth by the inspiration and infusion of the giftes and graces of the holie Spirite who is the true Doctour of whom wee must learne this Philosophie which is not naturall but supernaturall Nowe then being instructed and guided by him hauing discoursed of the creation and nature of the soule let vs enter into this goodly field of the immortalitie thereof in which we knowe there are many ranged battailes of enemies who waite to
and of the waters and cloudes contayned therein and in what perils men are 〈◊〉 why the soule and blood are put one for another of the temperature of the humors necessarie for the health and life of the body of the causes of health and of diseases and of life and death Chap. 65. 368 Of the vses and commodities of the humors ioyned with the blood and what vessels are assigned vnto them in the body and of their nature and offices and first of the cholericke humor and of the spleene then of the flegmaticke humor and of the kidneys and other vessels which it hath to purge by Chap. 66. 373 Of the names whereby the humors of the body are commonly called with the causes wherefore of the comparison betweene the corruption and temperature of the humors of the body and betweene the manners and the affections of the soule of the meanes whereby the humors corrupt and of the feauers and diseases engendred thereby of the sundry naturall temperatures in euery one Chap. 67. 379 Of the diuers temperatures and complexions of men according to the nature of humors that beare most sway in them of the disposition whereunto they are naturally mooued by them eyther to vertues or vices of the means to correct the vices and defects that may be in our naturall inclinations Chap. 68. 383 Of the restauration and reparation of all natures created by the generatiue power and vertue that is in them and namely in man what generation is and what the generatiue power of the soule is what the seede is and how generation proceedeth of strength and of infirmity Chap. 69. 388 Of the powers of the generatiue vertue and of their offices of the principall cause why God gaue to man the power of generation in what sence the reines are taken for the seate of generation how we ought rightly to consider of the generation of man Chap. 70. 393 Of the fashion of a childe in the wombe and how the members are framed one after another in the mothers belly of the time and daies within which a child is perfectly fashioned Chap. 71. 398 Of childbirth and the natural causes thereof of the great prouidence of God appearing therein of the image of our eternall natiuitic represented vnto vs in our mortall birth Chap. 72. The tenth dayes worke 404 WHy God created man naked and with lesse natural defence then he did all other liuing creatures how many wayes he recompenceth this nakednesse of the generall beauty of the whole body of man ioyned with profite and commodity Chap. 73. 409 Whether the life of the body can proceede eyter of the matter or of the composition forme and figure or of the qualities thereof or else of the harmony coniunction and agreement of all these whether any of these or al of them together can be the soule of the length and shortnes of the diuers degrees and ages and of the ende of mans life of death and of the causes both of life and death of the difference that is betweene naturall and supernaturall Philosophy in the consideration of things Chap. 74. 414 Of the causes generally of the length and shortnesse of bodily life of naturall and of violent death in what maner the life of man consisteth in his breath of the principall things required to life and without which it cannot be of the difference betwixt the life of men and the life of beastes of the image of the spirituall death in the corporall of the true comfort which wee ought to haue therein Chap. 75. 420 Of the chiefe consolations which the wisest among the Pagans and Infidels could draw from their humane reason and naturall Philosophy against death of the blaspemies vsed by Atheists and Epicures against God and nature what nature is and who they be that attribute vnto it that which they ought to attribute to God Chap. 76. 426 That there is but one soule in euery seuerall body that one and the some soule hath in it all those vertues and powers whose effects are dayly seene of the seate of the soule in the body and of the principall instrument thereof of the vnion of the body and soule of the diuers degrees of nature and of the excellency that is in it of the fountaines and bounds of all the powers and vertues of the soule Chap. 77. 432 Of the nature and varietie of the animal spirits how they are only instruments of the soule and not the soule it selfe of the nature of those bodies wherin the soule may dwell and worke of the difference that is not onely betweene the soule and the instrumente by which it worketh but also betweene the instruments themselues and their natures and offices and which of them are nearest or farthest off of the degrees that are in the vnion and coniunction of the soule with the body Chap. 78. 438 Of the diuisions of man made in the holy scriptures aswell in respect of the soule as of the body in what significations the names of soule spirit and heart are vsed therein and the causes why of the intier sanctification of man how the soule is taken for the life and for the members and instrumentes of nourishment and for nourishment it selfe Chap. 79. 444 What is meant by a liuing soule what by a sensuall and naturall body and what by a spirituall body how the name of soule is taken for all the desires of the flesh and for all things belonging to this life and not onely for the whole person aliue but also for the person being dead and for a dead 〈…〉 for the spirite sepâ—rate from the body Chap. 80. The Eleuenth dayes worke 490 WHether the soule of man is engendred with the body and of the same substance that the body is of or whether it be created by it selfe and of another substance whether it be needefull for vs to knowe what the soule is and what is the eâ—â—ence thereof or onely to knowe of what qualitie it is with the workes and effects thereof Chap. 81. 495 Whether there be any thing mortall in the soule of man of the distinction betweene the soule and the powers of it of the opinion of Philosophers and what agreement is betweene them touching the soule of brute beasts and the nature and substance of it of their opinion that deriue the soule of man and the soule of beasts from one souâ—taine of them that ascend higher and of their reasoâ—â— Chap. 82. 499 Of the opinion of Galen of Plato and of Aristotle touching the substance and nature of mans soule of the opinion of Occâ—m touching the vegetatiue and sensitue power thereof and of the distinction of soules he maketh in man of the sentence of the Platonists and of Origen touching the creation birth and nature of the soule of the coniunction of the soule with the body and the estate thereof in the same Chap. 83. 503 Of the opinion of the Platonists and some others touching the substance of mens
the soule attained to the vnderstanding of the diuine essence Aristotle also taking the same way in his 8. booke of naturall Philosophy sheweth that he knew God vnder the name of the first moouer who was perpetual and vnmoueable But we may attaine to the knowledge of God of our selues a great deale better then al the Philosophers could who were ignorant of the true beginning and end of things if we be guided by the word which is the light of the trueth and whereof al the humane philosophy of the wisest that were is but a liâ—â—e shadow Now then if vnder this heauenly guide wee feede our spirites with a doctrine that teacheth man to know himselfe well wee beginne at that science which of all other is most necessary profitable and pleasant I say necessary as that which guideth and leadeth vs as it were by the hand to find out God profitable because it bringeth a maruailous commoditie to this present life both in regarde of bodily health as also of ruling all our actions according to vertue and pleasant because a man may see therein as it were in a sacred temple all the images of the wonderfull workes of the world ACHITOB. I cannot but greatly commend those Philosophers that reprehended and condemned them who spent all their time only in the contemplation of heauen and earth and of the nature of other creatures and in the meane while descended not into themselues to know themselues and their nature but especially their soule For what will it profite a man to take so great paines as to measure the whole world and to compasse on euery side all the elementarie region to knowe the things that are contained in them and their nature and yet in the meane time hee can not measure or knowe himselfe being but alittle handfull of earth For although the knowledge of the rest of the creatures that are in this great visible worlde will greatly helpe to leade him to the knowledge of God the Creatour neuerthelessâ— he shall neuer be able to know him well if withall he know not himselfe Yea these two knowledges are so ioyned togither that it is very hard matter to seuer them For as a man can not know himselfe if he know not God so he cannot know God wel if in like sort he know not himselfe So that I take this for most certain that neither Astronomy Geometry Geography or Cosmography nor any other Mathematical science is so necessary for man as that whereby he may learne to know himselfe wel to measure himselfe wel by the measure of his owne nature that he may thereby know how to contayne himselfe within the limits thereof As for Mathematicians natural Philosophers Phisicions who bestow their trauaile in the knowledge of nature and natural things and in the meane time forget God and themselues whereas they ought to learne both the one and the other by that knowledge that God hath giuen them of his works I say they are not worthy to be taken for naturall Philosophers Phisicions or Mathematicians but rather for blockheaded beasts In my opinion they behaue themselues as if a man should be alwayes occupied in looking vpon his house and handling of his mooueables and houshold stuffe and in the meane time did not put them to those principall and speciall vses for which they ought to serue but were altogether forget full of himselfe of his wife and of his children Moreouer concerning Phisicions if their care to know their own soule with the nature and parts therof be not more to minister that food and phisicke which is necessary for it to liue wel and happily and that for euer then to know the nature of mens bodies that they may cure others it may worthly be said vnto them Phisicion heale thy selfe For if he be worthily derided that taketh in hand the cure of other men and cannot heale himselfe or at the least hath no care to doe it surely that man is well worthy to be had in greater derision that is more carefull not only of his owne but also of other mens bodies then he is of his owne soule whereby he differeth from brute beasts and is made partaker of an immortall nature Wherefore it is very requisite that all students in naturall philosophy should profit so well in the study thereof as to be able to turne it into true naturall diuinity whereby they may learne to know God their creator in that nature which he hath created to this end to make himselfe seene and knowen therein to all men We haue therefore good cause my companions to bestow al possible paines trauaile that we may proceede on in so necessary profitable a knowledge Wherfore we must lay before our eyes two bookes which God hath giuen vnto vs to instruct vs by and to lead vs to the knowledge of himselfe namely the booke of nature and the booke of his word which we must ioyne both together as also that doctrine which is set forth vnto vs in them concerning the knowledge of our selues especially of the soule which is the true man For the first booke would stand vs in small stead without the second as we see it dayly by experience yea euery one of vs hath trial thereof in himselfe Therefore God of his great mercy hath added the second booke vnto the first to supply the want that is in our nature through sinne For if man had not sinned this booke of nature would haue sufficed to haue kept him alwayes in the knowledge contemplation and obedience of God his creator For then he should himselfe haue caried the booke whole and perfect imprinted in his heart and mind neyther should his soule haue needed any teacher to know to selfe but in it selfe it should haue cleerely beheld and contemplated it selfe so long as she preserued â—er first light and aboad in that harmony wherein God had created her But now that she is in the body as it were some excellent picture of Apelles fallen into a sinke of mire couered and compassed about with thicke mists and obscure darknesse it is very needfull that we should haue another new light brought vnto vs from heauen which is not naturall as the first but supernaturall For this cause God hath farther giuen vs this second booke of which I spake euen now by means wherof and by the vertue of his holy spirit hee communicateth vnto vs as much celestiall and heauenly light as is needfull for the knowledge of our selues and of his high Maiestie Being therefore guided by the spirit of God whereby our spirit doth see and contemplate let vs read in these two bookes diligently note in them the parts and powers force and vertue aswell of the body as of the soule of man especially the immortality thereof whereby we shall make the way easie for vs to walke and sport our minds hereafter in the large and goodly fields of the whole world by discoursing of
when he sayth According to our own image and likenesse which is the second thing we haue to note For by these wordes he plainely declareth that he mindeth to make a worke the like wherof was not before and to draw our an image more agreeable to his nature and more worthy his Maiesty then he had done before amongst all the worksâ— of his hands For although he had already idomed and replenished the whole heauens 〈◊〉 gooâ—y lights yea al thee 〈◊〉 and residue of the world with all sorts of creatures yet there was not one creature vnder heauen which he had made capable of vnderstanding and reason to know and glorifie God the creator of the whole world And 〈◊〉 the Angels being 〈◊〉 spirits had this vnderstanding and knowledge yet he would haue man besides vpon earth for whose sake chiefly he had created the world to the end hee might know and glorifie him together with his Angels Therefore Moses addeth the third thing which we haue to consider in this deliberation of mans creation thereby the better to let vs know the excellency of this creature aboue the rest when hee declareth that God would create him that he might rule ouer the rest of the liuing creatures and ouer the whole earth as if man should be his Lieutenant and as it were a litle terrene god vnder the great soueraigne God that created him But some man may aske with whom God maketh this deliberation For he speaketh as though he would haue some helpers and companions in the making of this so excellent a work The Prophet Isaiah answereth to this saying Who was his counseller or who hath giuen to him first and he shal be recompensed For he had no other counsaile or helpe but of himselfe and of his heauenly and eternall wisedome as it is testified by Salomon Therefore we must not thinke that he had the Angels for counsellers and helpers either in the creation of man or of any other creature whatsoeuer as some haue presumed to imagine and to affirme For that were to derogate too much from the nature and maiestie of God and to take from him the title of Almightie which agreeth to him onely For the creature cannot be a creator And as there is but one onely God so there is but one creator of all things For the worke of the creation can agree to none but to God only But Moses by this maner of speaking in the plural number meant to giue out some obscure knowledge of the trinitie of persons that is in the vnitie of God and that vnion which they haue together in the worke of the creation which is common to the Father with the Sonne and the holy Ghost as are all the other workes of God For although there bee distinction of persons in one and the same diuine essence yet there is no diuision betweene them nor separation And as they are vnited together in one and the same essence so likewise are they in all their works For the Father doth nothing but by the Sonne that in the vertue of the holy spirite Therefore the Prophet addeth immediately God created the man in his image in the image of God created he him he created them male and female We see here that Moses doth not propound vnto vs three Gods or three creators but one onely And in that he doeth twice repeate this that God created man in his image it is to let vs vnderstand that this point ought to be well considered of and weighed as that wherein consisteth all the excellencie of man and the true difference that is betweene him and the other liuing creatures which are but brute beasts We shall know where we ought to seeke this image of God in man after we haue heard the rest of the historie of his creation For after that Moses hath briefly and summarily spoken as wee haue saide he taketh the same matter againe into his hand and intreateth thereof more specially He saith then That the Lo 〈◊〉 of the dust of the ground breathed in his face breath of life that the man was a liuing soule Wherby he sheweth euideÌ„tly that God did not create the body soule of maÌ„ both at one time as he had created the beasts but the body first then the soule which he ioined therwith not only to giue life vntoit as it is giuen to brute beasts by the soule which they haue but also to make it capable of vnderstaÌ„ding as we shal vnderstand more at large hereafter For we speak not now by what means or at what time the soule is ioined with the body in the coÌ„mon ordinary generation of men but only of the mean order which God obserued in the creatioÌ„ of the first maÌ„ according to the rehearsall which Moses maketh Now touching the matter wherof he made him because the chiefest most apparant was taken froÌ„ the earth it is said expresly that he was made therof that he should return thither as we see it true in the death of euery one But this is most certain granted of al the great philosophers yea euideÌ„t to be seen that mans body is compounded of the 4. elements of all their qualities as also all the other bodies of creatures vnder heauen And because the greatest part which remaineth of that which wee see of man is of the earth therefore it is said that he returneth to earth although whatsoeuer is taken of the other elements in the compositioÌ„ of his body doth likewise turne againe into theÌ„ For the flesh of man agreeth aptly with the earth his vital spirits with the aire the fire his humors with the water The sence of seeing agreeth with the fire that of hearing with the aire that of tasting w e the element of water the sence of touching with the earth that of smeling with the aire and fire as we shall vnderstand more at large hereafter when we handle them Yea there is no piece so small in the whole frame of man wherein euery one of the elements doth not intemeddle his power qualities although one of theÌ„ doth alwaies command aboue the rest This is to be seen in the blood which is the first chiefest of those 4. humours in the body is properly of the nature of the aire For the muddy dregs which coÌ„monly thickeÌ„ settle in the bottoÌ„ of it are of the nature of the earth are called Melancholy the pure blood that swimmeth in the midst doth represent vnto vs the aire that humour that swimmeth in a rounde circle is watrie sleame and the skumme that appeareth aboue is the choler which is of the nature of the fire If we coÌ„sider the ordinary generation of men the matter is humour naturall heate is as it were the master buylder drynesse hardneth the body and colde refreshings doe not onely moderate the heate that the moyst matter should not bee
societie by that coniunction which is the bonde and foundation of all the rest and as it were the spring-head and fountayne of all mankinde Therefore it is written that GOD minding to create woman and to giue her to man for an helper caused an heauie sleepe to fall vpon Adam which name is as much to saye as Of earth and when hee slept hee tooke one of his ribbes and closed vp the flesh in steade thereof And the Lorde God made a woman of the ribbe which he had taken from man then the man said This nowe is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called Mannes or Mannish because she was taken out of man First we see in this history that God woulde not that the male and female should haue two beginnings but onely one and that they should be as it were one stocke of mankinde to the end that the coniunction therof should be more straight firme and inuiolable For if it had beene otherwise the diuersitie of beginnings might haue giuen occasion either of conteâ—ning one another or of enuie dissention and brawlings Therefore God created in the person of Adam the fountaine of mankinde and after framed Euah which is as much to say as aliue or liuing to the ende wee might knowe that the woman was not created as a new creature of an other race or kinde but was onely a portion and part of the nature of man By this meanes Adam had in the woman as it were a glasse to beholde and contemplate himselfe as Euah also had the like in him and as yet to this day euery husband hath the like in his wife and euery wife in her husband For the woman was flesh of the flesh of man bloud of his bloud and bone of his bones euen as it were his owne body and a second-selfe Howe then can the husband despise and hate his wife and not hate himselfe For as Saint Paul witnesseth No man euer yet hated his owne flesh And what cause hath a woman to bee loath to bee obedient to her husband if shee consider that shee is taken out of him and that in setting her selfe against him shee striueth aginst her selfe and doeth her selfe great wrong and iniurie Therefore as the Lord hath declared what place hee woulde haue the husband and wife to keepe euery one in their degree by that order which hee hath obserued in creating the man first and then the woman so he hath done the like in that hee created the woman neyther of the mans head nor of his feete but of his ribbe Whereby as on the one side hee admonisheth the wife not to lift vp her selfe aboue her husband by taking authoritie ouer him and so making her selfe his head so on the other side hee admonisheth the husbande not to abuse his authoritie by putting his wife vnder his feete as if shee were a slaue but to account of her as of his sister and â—ompanion Wee are therefore to consider the great wisedome and prouidence of God in this creation of the woman But Atheists and other contemners of the worde of God besides that goodly ground and foundation of their impietiâ—â— whereof wee heard before take farther occasion to deride this historie of the creation of woman because it is sayde that shee was builded of a ribbe which God tooke from Adam Truely the woorkes of God in the creation of things are not vsuall because they are the first but they which will not beleeue them may as well giue no credit neither to the myracles that haue beene in times past nor to those that are daily seene For they were not to be called by this name of miracles if they were wrought by an ordinarie course of nature They conclude then out of Moses speach either that Adam had then one rib more then he should haue had or else that he had one lesse then he should after the womans creation so that what side soeuer you take they will find a great absurdity They that seeke for occasions in this sort to scofte at the workes of God that study and take delight to cauill at them will alwayes finde absurdities enough in them according to their corrupt will and iudgement For they will daily coine as many as they list to hinder themselues from the knowledge of God and of his workes least they should be constrained by them to glorifie him But indeede what can they doe else but barke against God and his prouidence and laugh at al that is taught vs by the holy spirite concerning the creation of all thinges contained in the world seeing they are not capable of the knowledge and vnderstanding of heauenly mysteries But I demand of them what strange matter they finde in this if it were so that Adam was created with one rib more then men commonly haue which God prepared in his creation for the womans creations or otherwise if hee had one lesse after her creation which is more likely For it is saide expresly that God filled vp with flesh that place out of which hee tooke the ribbe whereof he framed Euah So that Adam lost nothing neither was he lesse perfect in respect of that For God did very well recompence it two wayes First bicause that which he put in steade thereof did serue Adams turne as well as if his rib had remained still Secondly it turned to his great good in that he had a whole woman for one of his ribbes yea such an helpe was giuen vnto him that shee was as it were another halfe of his body to make him a perfect man Besides al this we haue further to note the significations of those things which God meant to represent vnto vs and to teach vs by that manner of proceeding which hee obserued increating the woman of which I haue already spoken But we haue also to marke herein a notable prophecy of Iesus Christ and of his Church and a liuely image of her vnion coniunction and communication with him being her husband For as the rib was taken from the mans side whilest he was asleepe that the woman might bee made so in the death of Iesus Christ signified by this sleepe and whilest he hung vpon the crosse his side was pierced out of which issued blood and water which resemble the Sacraments that tend to the edification of the Church And as Euah was taken from Adam according to the flesh who was the first stocke of mankinde and then ioyned vnto him in marriage that of twaine they might be one in one flesh so the Church was taken from Iesus Christ according to the spirite who is the true stocke of mankind regenerated and reformed after the image of God that she might be one mystical body with Iesus Christ who was giuen vnto her by God for her husband and head For this cause we may say the same things of him and of his Church which we spake before of the authoritie and soueraignty
we haue saide yet these soundes will be but confused without harmony and melody if the Organist doeth not play with his handes thereby to dispense as neede requireth that winde and breath which is to be distributed into the pipes and if hee touch not the keyes of the Organs according to those tunes and notes which hee woulde haue the pipes to make following the Arte of Musicke And this we may see yet more plainely in a bagge-pipe For although it soundeth by reason of the winde within the leather bagge which receiueth and keepeth it as it were a little sacke yet it alwayes yeeldeth foorth but one sound without distinction and harmony vntill the Minstrill play with his fingers vpon the holes of the pipe that belongeth vnto it Therfore as there is great difference betwene a simple confused voice that which is distinct artificiall so is there betweene voyce and speech So that when the tongue hath receiued the winde and breath which ascendeth vp from the lunges by the rough artery and is fashioned into voyce by the meanes afore mentioned then it formeth the same afterward into distinct speech by such an arte and science as none can vnderstande much lesse expresse it but GOD onely who hath giuen it to the tongue in which consisteth the chiefe dignitie thereof For it is that science which is the mother of eloquence which men haue in such great admiration and because of this the artes of Grammer Logike and Rhetorike haue beene published by the best learned men For all these three Artes are specially appoynted for speech the one to make it proper pure nete namely Grammer the other namely Logike to knit well together all discourses made by speech and all sentences in them according as they agree among themselues depend and follow one another and are grounded vpon good reason Thirdly Rhetorike is ioyned vnto them to adorne and polish speech to make it more significant and very eloquent so that whereas Logike maketh speech as it were a simple picture that hath nothing but bare draughts which serue to make it whole and furnished in regard of euery part and lineament thereof Rhetorike maketh it not onely as it were a picture well set foorthwith faire and liuely colours of all sortes but also adorned and enriched with goodly hilles and dales and such like payntings that it may shewe better and bee made fairer and pleasaunter to beholde Wherefore as there is great difference to looke vpon betweene these two pictures so is there of speech in respectes of the eares as it is propounded eyther more plainely and simply or more deeked and garnished For this cause seeing God hath vouchsafed vs so much honour as to giue vs speech especially to prayse and glorifie him with our tongue and to benefite the common societie of men we must not be content onely to speake but we must studie to speake well in fit termes and wisely to the glorie of God and to the good and profite as well of our selues as of them that heare vs. This cannot be done but by the knowledge of God and of his word without which all the Logike Rhetorik of men is but vaine babbling But when the one is ioyned with the other the artes that teach men to speak elegantly are appliedto this purpose then is the vse therof very good worthy of great cōmendation Therfore we must all acknowledge our selues to be as it were Organ-pipes hauing of our selues neither sound nor voyce nor tongue nor mouth to speake of God of his works as we ought and to praise and glorifie him but only so farre foorth as hee being the Organ-player bloweth within and inspireth vs by his holy spirit giuing vnto vs wisedome and tongue and mouth and vertue in speaking Now heere wee must not onely call to minde what we haue already spoken of the causes why the lungs which is one chiefe instrument of the voyce and without which it cannot bee made is placed so neere the heart but also wee must consider howe neere the tongue and the other instruments of voyce and speach next vnto it are vnto the braine wherein is the principall seate of the spirit and which is chiefly assigned to the minde of man and to that part of his soule that is most diuine For seeing God would haue the tongue to be the messenger and as it were the Interpreter of the spirite and minde and of all the thoughts thereof that men might teach one another both the knowledge of God his worship and of all other good things and seeing hee would haue speach to be the bond of humane societie and of that communication which men ought to haue one with an other therefore it was very requisite that being the instrument of speaking it shoulde be neere the braine which is the lodging of all the internall senses of which if God will wee will intreate heereafter in their place For as all the externall senses doe carry to the internall and the bodily to the spirituall whatsoeuer they perceiue by sense according to their nature and office thereby to admonish and instruct them that they may thinke and iudge thereof and lay it vp in memory so the internall and spirituall senses carry the same things afterward to the tongue that it might declare and make them knowen to those vnto whome they would communicate their minde and cogitation Hereof it is that the tongue is oftentimes taken for doctrine and for all speach both good and euill in which sence Salomon taketh it when he saieth The tongue of the wicked shall perish And Saint Paul calleth speaking with the tongue when one vseth spech that is not vnderstoode of the hearers and speaking with the spirite and with vnderstanding also when such a language is vsed as is vnderstoode of euery one and which serueth to the edification of them that heare it Therfore the tongue must not stirre nor the mouth open it selfe to speake before it haue receiued a commandement and charge from reason which is the Lady and Mistresse thereof to guide and gouern it whose messenger and seruant it is to giue notice of that which the reason and minde would haue knowen Wherefore it is very conuenient that the lady and mistresse of the tongue shoulde haue her lodging ouer and neere about her and not to be farre from her to the end she forget not her selfe nor attempt any thing without a commandement from reason So that as before wee gaue the heart to be the gouernour guide and counsailour of the tongue so nowe we appoint the braine as lord and master thereof to the end it should haue a good guide both aboue and beneath it For no member in al the body hath greater neede Therefore S. Iames calleth the tongue a fire yea a world of iniquitie which defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and is set on fire of hell
deformitie in stead of beautie But if wee consider onely the beautie of the head and of the face thereof whereof wee discoursed yesterday wee shall not finde any one member that hath not singular beautie in it and that agreeth not very fitly with the rest being of so good proportion and measure and hauing such a great and excellent grace that a man may truely say that the whole woorke hath in each part thereof so great perfection that nothing can bee added or taken away nothing can bee wished to make it more faire profitable excellent or perfect then it is in it owne nature To the setting foorth of this beautie the nose whereof wee are to speake serueth very much yea so much that hardly any member in all the face or head so disfigureth a man or maketh him more deformed then the nose if it bee euill fauoured disfigured or taken cleane away But besides this beautie which it bringeth to a mans head we are to knowe that it is very seruiceable to the whole bodie and chiefly to the brayne lodged in the top thereof as it were the Lorde and Master that as it giueth motion and sense to all the members so it might bee compassed about with all the senses as it were with seruitours men of garde Therefore as it hath neere about it the eyes eares tongue and palat which are the instruments of seeing hearing and tasting so the nose is needfull to serue the sence of smelling Neither is it placed so neere the sense of tasting without the great prouidence of God For there are many things in nature which if they be tasted onely are deadly or at leastwise very dangerous and hurtfull as appeareth chiefly in thinges that are venimous and poysonfull For this cause albeit the sence of smelling bee not altogether so necessary for liuing creatures namely for such as are most perfect as the other sences so that they may more easily want it neuerthelesse GOD hath giuen it them to the ende it might bee as it were a messenger to the taste to shewe what is good for it and what not and this chiefly for two reasons The first is to keepe men from hazarding themselues through an immoderate desire to eate and drinke before they haue discerned by the smell of such things as are to be taken whether they bee profitable or hurtfull for them The second reason is to take all suspicion and feare from them which otherwise might cause them to abstayne from those thinges that are good and profitable for them And therefore this sense of smelling is neerely conioyned and hath great agreement with the sense of tasting For this is a generall rule that albeit euery thing that smelleth well hath not alwayes a good taste yet whatsoeuer a man findeth good to his taste the same hath also a good smell and contrariwise that which is founde to haue an ill relish the same hath also the like smell For the taste and smell are giuen not onely for profite but for pleasure also and delight Neyther doe those thinges which serue for delectation alwayes bring profite but sometime the contrarie principally through their fault that knowe not howe to vse them moderately For they are so subiect to their pleasures that they can neuer keepe measure in anything as wee see by experience especially in these two senses of taste and smell For as the ordinary meates satisfie not the delicate appetites of men but they must haue new dainties daily inuented to prouoke their appetite further and to cause them to eate and drinke more then is needefull to their great hurt so men are not contented with naturall odours which nature bringeth foorth of it selfe but nowe they must haue muskes and perfumes with infinite varietie of distilled waters and artificial smelles in regard of which naturall fauours are nothing set by And yet if they were vsed with sobrietie there were no cause of reprehension seeing all the creatures of God are good if they be vsed moderately and a they ought with thankesgiuing Heereof it is that they are oftes mentioned in Scripture in the good part And not to seeke farre off for examples we haue the testimonies of the holy Euāgelists as our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe who was neither nice nor voluptuous but the perfect paterne of al sobriety and temperance did not reiect nor condemne pretious ointments and sweete odours but sometime permitted the vse of them vpon his owne person Moreouer it is certaine that the animal spirites in the braine are greatly relieued and recreated by those good and naturall smels that are conueyed vnto them by means of the nose and of the sense of smelling placed therein as contrariwise they are greatly offended by euill odours yea oftentimes by artificial sauours which commonly cause rhumes catharres and great head-aches For the spirits of the head are subtile pure and very neate so that sweete smelles are good for them and stinking sauours contrary vnto them To this end therefore that the braine might receiue this benefit of good odours God hath placed both the sense and instrument of smelling so neare vnto it the instrument to keepe and conuey odours vnto it the sense to discerne and iudge of them Therefore this sense of smelling hath some agreement both with the fire and with thicke aire because smels are stirred vp by heate as smoke is by fire which are after carried by meanes of the aire vnto the sense and receiued and kept by the nose Forasmuch also as the braine needeth aire to nourish and preserue the animal spirites the nose in this respect also standeth it in great steade Therefore God hath created it not only to serue the sense of smelling but also for respiration that it should be the principall pipe and passage by which both the braine and lungs may draw in or let out breath as neede requireth For this cause the braine doeth stretch out and restraine it selfe and as by stretching foorth it selfe it draweth in the aire by the nosethrilles so by keeping it selfe close together it retaineth the aire And so the externall aire being drawen in by the nosethrilles is distributed by the cranies that are open in the palat in such sort that the greatest part is drawen into the lungs and the residue goeth to the braine by the passages holes that leade vnto it And although the mouth serueth also for respiration yet the nose is appointed more especially for that purpose and is much more fit and apte for the same Therefore God hath giuen it both matter and forme agreeable for that office For first concerning the matter it is not made all of bone nor all of gristles because if it were all of bone a double inconuenience woulde ensue thereof The first is that the bones would be in danger of breaking chiefely about the end of the nose when it should hit against any hard thing because they would not bend and giue
it cannot doe those woorkes by a maymed and lame hande which it will doe by him that hath both his handes nor cause a lame creeple wanting a foote or legge or hauing some defect in those partes to walke as well as an other that hath all these sounde and perfect And a man may iudge of my speech by that which happeneth not onely to them that fall into an Apoplexie but also to such as haue some quaume about their heart so that they faint and sowne and are for the time as it were dead and yet afterwarde plucke vp their spirites and come againe to their former estate But before they be reuiued they seeme as though they had no soule in their bodies because it is not perceiued by the woorkes thereof as it is when the bodie is well affected And this is chiefly to be seene in a strong Apoplexie or falling sicknesse in which the patient looseth all motion and sense Wherevpon it hath come to passe oftentimes that many haue bene buried for dead in that case who were notwithstanding aliue and some haue recouered and done well afterward as wee haue many examples both in common experience and in histories olde and newe Nowe whilest the soule is thus letted from performing her actions by such inconueniences who would not iudge that she were cleane extinguished with the body Neuerthelesse afterward when she can vse her instruments shee sheweth plainely that the fault commeth not of her but of the instruments that faile her Therefore when we speak of the soule and of the body we must put the same difference between them that is betwixt a Workman and his tooles considering the nature of both and what they can doe both ioyntly and seuerally For an instrument hath neither knowledge nor force nor vertue of it selfe being able to doe nothing alone but onely so farre foorth as it is set on woorke by some Woorkeman But there is another reason in the Woorkeman For although hee cannot vse his arte without those instruments that are necessary thereunto yet hee hath alwayes abiding within him that arte power force and dexteritie whereby he woorketh So that when wee speake of the soule wee are to consider what shee can doe of her selfe and of her owne nature without the bodie and what shee cannot doe without it For we learne in the holy Scriptures that when Angels appeared to men because they are spirits and haue no speech like to that of men as being bodilesse and wanting instruments necessary for the framing therof therefore they tooke mens bodies to appeare and speake to men in and by them No marueile then if the soule which is created to vse the members of the body as instruments speaketh not without a tongue as it doeth with one and with the other Organs of voyce and speech Now forasmuch as wee know that the soule giueth life motion and sence to all the body and that it hath sundry instruments in the body in which and by which it perfourmeth those workes for which they were created of God we are now to consider what facultie power and vertue it hath in euery part of the body For albeit that we cannot assigne to the soule especially to the spirite and vnderstanding which is the most excellent part therein any certaine place of lodging as if it were inclosed within any one part or within all the partes of the body neuerthelesse we may iudge of the nature thereof by those instruments whereby it worketh and by their nature and by the workes it produceth And in this consideration we haue a goodly glasse wherein wee may contemplate God that is inuisible making him visible and knowne vnto vs by his workes euen as the soule is become as it were visible and sheweth it selfe to vs by the bodie in which it dwelleth and by the workes which it doeth therein Therefore let vs propound vnto our selues this whole visible world as it were one great bodie then all the partes as members thereof next let vs consider how the soule of all this great body namely the vertue and power of God worketh therein and effecteth all the workes that are done therein according to that order he hath set therein as the soule worketh in the bodie of man and in euery member thereof Thus doing as we know that there is a soule in the bodie and another nature beside that which is bodily and which worketh therein and this we perceiue by the effects thereof so let vs marke withall by the works done in this visible world that there is another nature that effecteth them which being inuisible differeth from all this world wee see as that which is farre more excellent which filleth the whole and by vertue and power is in all the partes thereof as a soule in a bodie But in propounding this glasse before our eyes we must take heede that we fall not into their dotage who haue thought and affirmed that the worlde is the body of God and that himselfe is the soule thereof For therevpon it would follow that God is mortall and corruptible in regard of his body and that some part or other thereof would alwayes corrupt as we daily see corporall things doe Againe if it were so God should not be infinite and incomprehensible as he is for the worlde doeth not comprehend and containe him but he all the world whereof he is the Creator and by whom the world is and consisteth Seeing then the soule is the image of God in man as the body of man is the image of this great world in which God worketh as the soule doeth in the body of man let vs cōsider how God hath distributed the powers vertues and offices of the soule in the body and in euery part thereof as he manifesteth his glory and vertue in all this visible world in all the partes of it For first they agree herein that as there is but one soule in one body which is sufficient for all the partes and members thereof so there is but one God in the world sufficient for all the creatures Next if we cannot conceiue howe the soule is lodged in the body or how it giueth life vnto it neither yet howe it worketh displayeth therein the vertues which it hath but onely so farre foorth as it testifieth the same by those diuers effects which we see and perceiue in euery part and member thereof no marueile then if wee cannot with our eyes discerne or comprehend how God is throughout all filling heauen and earth how he displayeth his power and vertue howe he worketh in all his creatures and how hee guideth gouerneth and preserueth them by his heauenly prouidence For if wee cannot comprehend the creature nor the nature thereof how shall wee comprehend the nature of the Creator And if it be not in our power to know the workes of God wrought in vs neither the woorkes of our owne soule how shall we know his works done
wayes First because wee may in some sort take a viewe of nature by searching out therein those thinges of which shee doeth heere set before vs very euident testimonies euen those thinges which may bee demonstrated although grossely according to the capacitie of our dull vnderstandings The second way which is the chiefest and most sure is by that testimonie which himselfe affoordeth vs in his worde For let vs not thinke that the minde can pronounce any thing for certayne but as it is directed by the testimonie of GOD seeing the senses which hee hath giuen vs come short herein and are not able to ascende vp so high For the excellencie of this creature and of the nature thereof is such and so great that it cannot perfectly knowe and comprehend itselfe especially where it is of greatest dignitie So that if wee desire to haue certaine knowledge whither should we haue recourse in this defect of our senses but vnto him that is able to certifie vs truely in this poynt And who can testifie the trueth of the worke but the Workemaster that made it and therefore knoweth it better then any other and all the perfection that is in it Why then doe wee not yeelde to GOD that honour in a thing not to bee comprehended by vs which wee doe to men of whome wee are well perswaded in thinges which wee cannot knowe but by their testimonie For howe manie thinges doe wee beleeue of which wee knowe not the causes and for which wee haue no other reason shewed vs but onely the testimonie and authoritie of men whome wee iudge woorthie of credite who notwithstanding may themselues bee deceiued and deceiue others But GOD cannot bee deceiued nor deceiue those that giue credite to his testimonie which hee hath not so hidden from men but that it is manifested vnto them yea hee hath chosen some amongst them to testifie the same from him to others And if it hath pleased him to haue such witnesses amongest them a man may soone see that hee hath chosen them in whome hee hath caused his image to shine most excellently and whome hee hath made more like to himselfe aswell by the reuelation of his holy spirite in all those excellent graces and vertues wherewith hee hath indued them as also by those holy and heauenly woorkes which he effecteth by them whereby hee hath as it were marked them with his seale to giue them authoritie and to cause them to bee acknowledged of all for his faithfull witnesses and seruants If then wee desire to haue certaine and true witnesses in any such matter where can we finde them sooner then amongest the Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles with all those Martyres and other holy personages whose doctrine and life testifie vnto vs howe farre they differ from other men But aboue all howe highly ought wee to esteeme the testimonie of the very Sonne of GOD who is to bee preferred before all others Seeing therefore wee haue so many faithfull witnesses let vs keepe vs to their testimonie wayting for that perfect light and more cleare and ample knowledge which shall bee reuealed vnto vs in that heauenly glorie In the meane time let vs consider howe wee are able to comprehende the infinite nature of the Creator of our soule seeing wee cannot conceiue the nature of the soule which he hath created and let vs reiect those dogges and hogges those Atheists and Epicures who iudge of God and of the soule of man so farre foorth onely as they are able to knowe and comprehend by their naturall sense whereby they see no further into the soule of man then they doe into the soules of beasts whome themselues resemble But suppose they had no other testimony of the celestiall and diuine nature of the soule but that which it affoordeth vs daily by those faculties and vertues where with God hath endued it and the effectes it sheweth vs yet ought they to learne to iudge otherwise Now to morrowe it will be thy part ASER to beginne the particular handling of these goodly internall senses whose vesselles and instruments wee haue considered of in this speach as also thou art to teach vs who be the chiefe ministers of the soule for all her actions The end of the third dayes worke THE FOVRTH dayes worke Of the seate of voluntary motion and sense of the office and nature of the common sense of imagination and of fantasie and howe light and dangerous fantasie is of the power which both good and bad spirites haue to mooue it Chap. 25. ASER The knowledge of many things is so natural to men that being borne with them it is like to a light attending vpon the minde as the sight doeth vpon the eyes For the knowledge of numbers and of order the Principles and beginning of Artes the knowledge and distinction of things honest and dishonest proceede from such a light And when Saint Paul sayeth that the Gentiles and all that haue not receiued of God the Lawe of the two Tables as the people of Israel did haue notwithstanding a Law written in their hearts that doeth accuse or excuse them no doubt but by this Lawe hee vnderstandeth that naturall knowledge which men haue both of God and of good and euil which issueth from a higher spring then from the outward sences and which euery one hath for a schoolemistress within himselfe euen they also that would extinguish wholly this light if they could For although God hath imprinted many similitudes and testimonies of himselfe in all creatures whereby hee manifesteth himselfe vnto vs yet should we know nothing more then the brute beasts do if there were not a light in our mindes that causeth vs to see and knowe them and to conclude that which wee doe which light is not in beasts albeit they haue outward senses as wel as wee But it is commonly said that there is nothing in the vnderstanding which hath not first beene in the outward senses that is to say that it can know nothing which is not first discouered and manifested vnto it by them But wee must vnderstand that saying of such things as fall vnder their powers and faculties which being knowen and noted by the senses doe awaken and stirre vp the vnderstanding which after by that vertue it hath in it selfe proceedeth forward namely from signes and effects vnto causes from accidents to substances and from particular things to vniuersalities But let vs consider how We must first remember the diuision which before wee made of the animal facultie and power and thereupon wee note that the sensitiue and motiue powers whereby the soule vsing the meanes of the sinewes and muscles giueth voluntary sense and motion to all the body haue no speciall place or seate in the braine as the other internall senses haue but are dispersed throughout the whole substance thereof Concerning the chiefe power and facultie we were told before how some distinguish betweene Imagination fantasie and the Common sense
For all these senses and vertues of mans mind agree so well together that as the outward senses serue the common sense so the common sense serueth Imagination and imagination fantasie fantasie vnderstanding and consideration consideration recordation recordation conference and conference reason and lastly memorie serueth them al as they also serue memory Therfore it is not without the great wisdome prouidence of God that the seate shop thereof is in the hindermost part of the head because it must looke to the things that are past So that we haue in that part as it were a spirituall eye which is much more excellent and profitable then if wee had bodily eyes there as wee haue before or else a face before and an other behinde as the Poets fained that Ianus had Thus we may learne by our speach what reason is and the discourse thereof and how it causeth the nature of man to approch in some sort to that nature which is diuine and heauenly making man farre to excell all other nature in the world For it goeth from things knowen to them that are vnknowen and descendeth from generalles to specialles and from them to particulars and mounteth aloft againe by the same steppes from one to another and compareth one with another For after that Imagination hath receiued the images and impressions of things offered vnto it by the outward senses the consideration of Reason followeth which enquireth of all that may be in the minde of the plentie or want that is there and causeth it to returne to it selfe as if it did beholde and consider it selfe to take knowledge what it hath or what it hath not howe much it hath and of what qualitie and nature it is After this reason draweth out and concludeth inuisible things of visible of corporall things it concludeth things without bodies and seeret things of plaine and euident matters and generalles of particulars then it referreth all this to the vnderstanding which is the chiefe vertue and power of the soule and that which comprehendeth all the faculties thereof as wee will discourse in place conuenient yea that which finally resteth in the contemplation of the spirite which is the ende of all enquirie of trueth and as it were a setled and assured view of all those things that haue beene culled out by reason and receiued and approoued by iudgement Heereof it is that wee say there is a double discourse of Reason in man whereof the one consisteth in speculation hauing Trueth for the scope and ende thereof and goeth no farther after it hath founde the trueth The other consisteth in practise and hath Good for his ende which after it hath found it stayeth not there but goeth on to Will which is an other power of the soule of great vertue as wee wil declare heereafter and is giuen of God to man that hee should loue desire and followe that which is good and hate eschew and turne from euill But these things shal be handled more at large in the sequele of our speeches Now to resume and finish this present matter as wee learne that man by the discourse of reason that is in him lifteth vp himselfe aboue the outward senses yea aboue Imagination and fantasie and knoweth well that hee is inclosed within the body as in a prison which neuerthelesse can not altogether hinder him from vnderstanding and contemplating the things hee seeth not so also hee vseth the helpe of Memorie to keepe and retaine in his minde whatsoeuer hee hath knowen by any of the senses eyther externall or internall Therefore is the Memorie compared to a Picture For as a Picture by the sight of the eyes giueth the knowledge of that which is painted therein so is it with Memorie by the sight of the minde endewed with vnderstanding and knowledge for it doeth not onely looke vpon things simply as beasts doe but considereth of them and diligently enquireth into them and hauing found them it placeth them in the Memorie and there keepeth them And the better to haue them in memorie it often thinketh and meditateth of those things it turneth and tosseth them to and fro that they may bee the better imprinted therein For this cause some Philosophers attribute vnto man beside memorie both recordation and remembrance which is one recordation vpon another whereby we call to mind that which was slipped out of it For it commeth to passe oftentimes that that which before we haue seene heard and knowen and euen kept a while in our memory is escaped vs and so forgotten that we thinke of it no more then if wee had neuer vnderstoode or knowen it neither should we euer remember it vnlesse some body did put vs in minde of it or some euident token made vs to thinke of it Some things also there are which albeit they are not cleane gone from vs but are somewhat better registred in our memory yet wee cannot readily remember them and bring them foorth without great and long inquirie Therefore must the minde turne ouer all the leaues of his Booke or Register of Memorie or at leastwise a great part thereof to finde them out as if a Chauncellour or Secretary shoulde search all his Papers and Registers and all his Rolles of Chauncery vntill hee had found that which hee sought for And wee see among our selues what notes and obseruations wee vse that they might bee as it were a memoriall booke vnto our memories You see then why some haue attributed to man both recordation and remembrahce thereby to put a difference betweene them and bare memorie without any other consideration which they say is in beastes who forgetting presently what they perceiued by their senses when they see those things againe that in some sorte putteth them in minde thereof then they call them to minde as if they had knowen them before But nowe that wee vnderstand the nature office order and seates of the internall senses of the soule that all may be more casily perceiued I thinke wee ought to shewe by some familiar examples howe a man may knowe that these internall senses are so distinguished disposed and ordained and that they haue their seats and instruments in the braine in such sort as wee haue already spoken Let vs then heare ARAM discourse to this purpose That the internall senses are so distinguished that some of them may be troubled and hindered and the rest be safe and whole according as their places and instruments assigned vnto them in the body are sound or perished and of those that are possessed with Deuilles Chap. 27. ARAM. Howsoeuer it pleased God to enrich man with heauenly gifts and graces aboue all visible creatures yet foreseeing the future pride of mankinde he alwayes and in all things gaue him great matter of humilitie and modestie to the end that they which knowe howe to profit thereby should neuer forget the graces receiued from the goodnesse of their Creator and
moderation or defect in the internall senses which exercise their offices in the head as well particularly as generally Therefore it is not without reason sayde in our common speach of him that hath a good spirite sense and iudgement that his head is well made and contrariwise that his head is ill made that wanteth these things For whatsoeuer the inhabitant or workeman is that laboureth the lodging in which hee dwelleth or the tooles and instruments which hee vseth are of great moment to further or hinder him in his worke But nowe that we are in hand with frenetike persons and haue saide before that good and ill spirites haue great meanes and such as wee can not comprehend whereby they mooue the imagination and fantasie of men it shall not be altogether fruitlesse if we speake somewhat of them that are possessed with spirites For there are some who thinke not that the Deuilles in their very substance enter into the bodies or soules heartes or mindes of men I speake not heere of such as thinke there is neither God nor Angelles nor Deuilles but euen of them that beleeue all these thinges who neuerthelesse thinke that euill spirites trouble the heartes and mindes of men onely by prouocations temptations and illusions Others there are that referre all the madnesse of Lunatike folkes to naturall causes as if they proceeded either from melancholike or cholerike humours or some such like causes as frensinesse madnesse and furie or some such diseases whereby men are carried beside themselues True it is and cannot be denied that many are thought to be possessed with Deuilles when in deede they are nothing so For there are some counterfeit crankes as many haue beene taken with the maner who vpon some occasion haue by meere knauery fained themselues such And some also there are that bee but melancholy madde and carried away by some disease of the braine but because their melancholie and furie is very violent and strange ignorant people suppose they are possessed with some spirite Notwithstanding wee may not doubt but that euil spirits desirous to hurt men both in their goodes bodies and soules vse al the meanes and occasions they can possibly inuent and finde out to execute their malice when it pleaseth God to giue them leaue For they can driue forward and mooue the hearts and mindes of men and set them in such a fury that euen their reason and iudgement wil be wholly confounded and as it were cleane extinguished Heereupon it commeth that many being caried headlong with such madnesse teare and kill themselues or their owne wiues children or others whereof we may daily see many examples Neuerthelesse we say not that the naturall light which God hath giuen them is wholly put out in them much lesse in those that are not so farre gone but the Deuill doeth stirre them forward with such violence that they are as it were taken perforce from themselues when they are forsaken of God Which examples ought to admonish vs to call vpon God incessantly that hee woulde gouerne vs by his sonne Iesus Christ who is come to destroy the woorkes of the Deuill that so the light of reason and of iudgement may not be darkened or put out in vs and that our heartes be not so possessed and pusshed on by Satan that wee rush our selues through a deuilish furie against the will of God And this did our Sauiour teach vs to demaund of him when hee saide Pray that yee enter not into tentation and when hee taught vs to say Leade vs not into tentation but deliuer vs from euill For if euill spirits durst set vpon those that were sounde both in body and soule after that manner which I haue spoken of according to that power that was giuen them wee may not thinke that they spare such as are sicke especially those that are already troubled in braine and beside themselues For the Deuill as our mortall enemie continually watcheth for those occasions that are fittest and most for his aduantage to hurte vs withal Therefore he intrudeth himselfe amidst our diseases and miseries chiefely when there is weakenesse of braine ioyned therewith vsing against vs those weapons which hee findeth in our owne nature as also those which his owne malice and rage ministreth vnto him whereof wee haue a very profitable example in the historie of Iob. Hee declareth plainely by his speach that if the feare of God had not kept him backe he had rather haue strangled himself then liued in that miserable estate wherein he was And no doubt if God had not helde a strong hand ouer his seruant Iob and brideled the rage and euill will of Satan that persecuted him the Deuill had had great power ouer this good man to haue perswaded him to make away himselfe desperately as Achitophel and Iudas did Nowe if the Deuill preuailed so farre with Iob by that leaue which God gaue him to afflict and trouble him wee may well thinke what hee can doe with the wicked and reprobate whome GOD wholly abandoneth and giueth ouer vnto him We haue a very plaine example in Saul of whome it is written that the spirite of the Lord went from him and that hee was giuen ouer of the Lord to an euill spirite which troubled and vexed him and that in the ende he fell into such desperation that hee vtterly forsooke God and slew himselfe We may know also by that which the holy Euangelists haue written of such as were possessed and were healed by Iesus Christ and by his Apostles what power euill spirites haue ouer thē whilest God suffered them to execute their rage and furie A man may easily iudge that such persons are not onely out of their wits through sicknesse but that euill spirites possesse them For he so troubleth their minde and spirite that they knowe 〈◊〉 more what they doe then the veriest bedlems that can be And although hee horribly vexeth their bodies yet they feele not his torments or if they doe feele them yet they cannot abstain from vexing thēselues So that it is easily knowen that the deuill is in them and that it proceedeth not onely of a simple frenzie or melancholy humour seeing some of them haue done such things as coulde not possibly bee perfourmed by the power of man whereof some of those are witnesses whom the holy scripture rehearseth vnto vs. Wherefore it is out of all question that euill spirites haue wrought both in them and by them Therefore we haue good occasion offered vnto vs by all that hath beene hitherto spoken to humble our selues before God and to pray vnto him continually as wee saide in the beginning of our speech For being as we are we ought still to praise God who distributeth his graces as it pleaseth him and that by a most exquisite kinde of iustice And when wee see those that are infirme and beside themselues some for a certaine time and by fittes others continually and after diuers manners
the perfectest of them For they haue some kinde of discourse in that they can passe from one thing to another But all their iudgements are but of particular things neyther doe they ascend higher In like maner they know not things absent nor passe from thē to others whether it be from things absent to them that are present or from present things to those that are absent For they take or leaue incontinently those present and particular things which they know and make a stop there without any further discourse So that this intellectuall and reasonable power is proper to man onely and is the highest and most soueraigne vertue of the soule of man And although the internall senses are seruiceable vnto it as they are serued of the externall senses neuerthelesse it hath proper actions vertues and motions which it can and doeth exercise without the helpe of bodily instruments when it is separated from the bodie And euen while it is in the bodie it is sometime rauished as if it were altogether out of it as it hath often fallen out to holy men who haue beene rauished in spirite in the contemplation of celestiall and diuine things and that by the reuelation of the spirite of God insomuch that Saint Paul testifieth of himselfe that Hee was taken vp into the thirde heauen and into Paradise not knowing whether hee were in the bodie or out of the bodie but GOD hee knewe Wee will consider therefore in this chiefe and most soueraigne part of the soule two faculties and vertues namely the Vnderstanding and the Will For it beeing so that man is created to attayne to that soueraigne and eternall Good which God hath propounded vnto him therefore hath GOD giuen him the power and vertue to wishe for that Good to the ende hee might desire to applie and ioyne himselfe vnto it This power and vertue is called Will. But the soule cannot haue this appetite and desire if first it vnderstand or know not that Good which it ought to desire and followe after For this cause hath God giuen vnto it another power and vertue which wee call Vnderstanding And forasmuch as our spirite stayeth not alwayes in one thought but discourseth and goeth from one matter to another it had neede of a receptacle and storehouse wherein it may lay vp the first thoughtes when others come as if it placed them in a treasurie that they shoulde not bee lost but might bee founde out and called foorth when neede shoulde require But wee learned by our former speech that this office apperteyneth to memorie which is as it were the Rolles of a Chauncerie court in which the seales of images framed by the thought are imprinted and vpon which the vnderstanding doeth looke as often as it pleaseth And euen as it serueth to the other internall senses vnto which it succeedeth in order so also it serueth the Vnderstanding and Will Concerning the Vnderstanding if we consider it generally it comprehendeth the whole minde but beeing taken more specially we meane a certaine particular office thereof For it vnderstandeth the the thinges that come from without as we conceiue them then it laieth vp that which it hath vnderstoode in some little cofer by it selfe for a time out of which it may take them againe when neede requireth This repetition and taking againe which is as it were an inquiry and searching out is called Consideration from thence it commeth to recordation and remembraunce and so conferreth together the thinges it hath vnderstood and compareth them one with another which being done a discourse thereof is had with others after which discourse it determineth and iudgeth what is true and what false what good and what euill Then doeth the Will choose that which is good and refuseth the euill And as we come from the vnderstanding to the will by these degrees so we must ascend vp by the same steppes euen from the last to the first namely from Will to Vnderstanding For Will doeth not follow after or refuse any thing which the iudgement hath not first determined to be good or euill and the iudgement decreeth nothing before it hath taken aduise of reason and reason aduiseth not before she haue conferred the things one with another and throughly examined them Neither can this conferring bee without consideration nor consideration without requiring that of Memorie which was committed vnto it to keepe and the memorie will keepe nothing safe but that which it hath first knowne and vnderstood So that the reasonable soule hath all these things namely Vnderstanding Will and Memorie And vnder this facultie of vnderstanding there is simple and particuler intelligence after which Consideration followeth next Recordation then Conferring and discoursing after that next Iudgement and last of all Contemplation which is as it were the rest of the soule and spirite Nowe these things being so excellent and wonderfull and somewhat obscure withall deserue to bee discoursed of more at large and to be vttered more clearely And therefore before wee goe to any other matter wee shall doe well to consider of the diuersity that is found in the operations and discourses of the Vnderstanding according to that gift of light which is in it and what is the end of all discourses Prepare therefore thy selfe ASER to intreate of this matter Of the varietie and contrarietie that is founde in the opinions deliberations counsailes discourses and iudgements of men with the cause thereof and of the good order and end of all discourses Chap. 29. ASER. All things whatsoeuer can be rehearsed are either of this mutable and temporary nature or of the other which is immutable perpetuall and aboue that nature If the question be of the first either the varietie and change is such that no certaine rule or determination can be giuen or els there is a perpetuall tenour and constancie in them according to their inbred inclination through a stedfast and continuall order of nature which is alike in all according to their natures and kinds If the variety and change be very vncertaine there can no certain science and knowledge be had of them nor any determination set down so general but that there wil be alwaies some exception For touching the first sort we can haue no sure knowledge of things that are infinite and that haue infinite alterations And because particularities and particular things are infinite in regarde of our capacity there can no entire and certaine knowledge be had of them all in speciall As for generals howbeit they also are variable yet some rules may well bee giuen of them of which the arte followeth afterward and yet no such certaine rules but often it falleth out otherwise as we may see in many artes and in sundry experiences For although it bee ordinarie for women to loue their children yet there are some that murder them cruelly So that howsoeuer it bee very common to loue them yet it falleth not out so
are soone perswaded to giue ouer all care to seeke for and to prouide thinges necessary for the soule And if the bodie be neuer so little out of square yea the verie feare least they should procure it any griefe causeth them wholly to abstaine from labouring the minde in the searching out of wisedome and trueth so that they voluntary become ignorant There are others that haue running heads who will neuer continue and stay in one thing and some also that when they shoulde hearken to that which they are about haue their wittes a wool-gathering and as wee vse commonly to say are building of castles in Spaine But aboue all we must herein acknowledge that God distributeth his giftes and graces to men and bestoweth witte and vnderstanding as it pleaseth him Nowe that we haue intreated sufficiently of the vnderstanding and of the discourses of reason therein let vs speake of Iudgement which followeth it and of his office This then shal be the matter subiect of thy speech AMANA Of Iudgement and of his office after the discourse of reason and how Beleefe Opinion or doubting follow it of the difference that is betweene them Chap. 30. AMANA If I iudge aright of the doctrine contained in our former discourses which handled the nature powers faculties and vertues of the soule I finde that the spirite is as it were the chiefe part therin in which is the Mind the Vnderstanding Memory The Mind is as it were a white paper wherein as a man groweth in yeeres and iudgement so he writeth his cogitations and thoughts which he hath by learning and by the instruction of wisedome Vnderstanding is framed by the knowledge of reason and last of all Memorie followeth For there is great difference betweene that which the senses and the vnderstanding are able to doe in the time of infancie and that which is done by them in other ages wherein there is greater vse of them And although the seeds of al the operations of the soule are included within it euen from the beginning of the creation thereof neuertheles God hath created it of that nature that as hee hath ioyned it to the body which hath his degrees of growth in euery part thereof so the soule hath some agreement therewith in this respect touching the manifestation of her powers and vertues If then any man bee endued with an excellent spirite that is quicke and ready to conceiue and with a memory apt to retaine and holde fast it is a great meane for him whereby to attaine to the knowledge of the trueth But for the perfection of these two great giftes of nature it is necessary hee shoulde haue a good and found iudgement proceeding from a sounde disputing and discoursing of reason lightened by the spirit of God and by it purged of errour illusion and of all vaine opinions which the nature of man hath of his owne inheritance and which hindereth him from iudging aright of the trueth Nowe the office of Iudgement is to like or dislike the discourses of reason and the conclusions which are made thereby For it belongeth to Iudgement to iudge whether reason discourse and conclude well as it ought to doe And therefore it is in the spirite and in the minde as a rule or as the skoles in a payre of balance and whilest reason is a woorking it is quiet But when shee hath concluded and done iudgement afterwarde examineth and considereth whether there bee any fault in the discoursing or in the conclusion or in both or whether all bee well referred before it eyther approue or mislike any thing And if it finde any thing that breedeth feare least it be deceiued then it beginneth againe to aduise of the matter Nowe the greatest cause it hath to feare least it bee deceiued ariseth of probable reasons which albeeit they bee like to bee true yet indeede are not true And because there are some which haue such great shewe of trueth that it is a very harde matter to bee able to discerne them from true reasons and not take them to bee such indeede therefore the Iudgement may bee often deceiued by this meanes For it will not easily flippe aside but abide constant in that wherein it is once setled if it bee not ledde and induced to allowe or disallowe of a thing eyther by vertue of true and certaine reasons that may mooue it or of such reasons as are so verie likely and carry so greate a shewe of trueth that they cannot bee knowne and discerned for others Therefore wee may well saye that a good vpright and sounde iudgement is an excellent gift of God neither is there any thing more necessary in all artes and disciplines yea in the whole course of mans life and chiefly for the principall end of our being which is to know and to serue God For as Good is a thing agreeable to the Will so is Trueth agreeable to the Minde whereupon it followeth likewise that as Euill is contrarie and an enemie to the Will so is lying in respect of the minde Wherefore if iudgement iudgeth that the conclusion made by reason is true and followeth well it ioyneth it selfe thereunto receiuing and imbracing it as agreeable to it selfe This approbation is called Consent But if it iudge the conclusion to be false it turneth aside and reiecteth it and this refusall may be called dissent because it is contrary to consent when there is no agreement of sentences but disagreement and contrarietie As touching Consent we may diuide it into two kindes For one kinde thereof is firme and stedfast and another weake and vnstayed If the consent bee firme certaine and throughly resolued it is called Beleefe But there is difference betwixt that beleefe or faith which concerneth humane matters and that which is of diuine thinges For then doe wee giue credite to humane thinges when wee take them to bee so certaine that wee doubt nothing thereof as namely when wee are so perswaded eyther by very euident reasons which remoue all doubting from vs or els by testimonies which we take to bee most certaine Wherefore wee may say that there is great agreement betwixt this kinde of beleefe and betweene Science because there is a certaine resolution both in the one and in the other For Science is a kind of knowledge in which the demonstration made vnto vs compelleth vs to approue that which is spoken because we see the reasons so certaine that we cannot gainsay them nor thinke otherwise The like is done in beleefe which is a kinde of knowledge that causeth vs without doubting to giue credite vnto that which is tolde vs because wee are ouercome by witnesses and by authoritie which wee approue For if wee doubted any thing our consent woulde bee yet weake and so it coulde not properly be called beleefe but rather Coniecture or Opinion For considering that in this there is some kinde of consent which inclineth to one part rather then to another
his iudgement Of this wee our selues may iudge in that wee see that there is no nation or people that liue with no religion at all but they haue one eyther true or false whereby they labour to appease the wrath of God and to be vnder his fauour and protection according to that measure of knowledge which they haue of him Whereby they plainely declare that there is a certaine lawe within them taken from the Booke of this naturall diuinitie which condemneth them in their hearts vrgeth constraineth them to do that which they do euen as we feele our selues pressed and cnndemned by the written law which God hath giuen vnto vs. Wherefore if wee knew how to profit by them both they would both serue vs in steade of a Schoolemaster to direct leade vs vnto Iesus Christ For both of them if we vnderstand them wel testifie sufficiently vnto vs that we stand in need of a Mediator by whom we may haue accesse to God and be reconciled vnto him seeing wee feele our condemnation within our selues and in our owne consciences As for the third meane to make a man certaine of that which hee is to accompt for true which wee saide was naturall Iudgement it is the vnderstanding of that order that ought to be in things and of the consequence of them whereby to iudge in some sort of the agreement or disagreement they haue one with an other insomuch that euery one hath within himselfe as it were a naturall logicke whereby hee is able to iudge at leastwise of common things It remaineth nowe that we learne the fourth meane which passeth all the former and that is diuine reuelation whereof wee haue made mention and those certaine and infallible testimonies which wee learne of the holy Scriptures I meane the Bookes of the Prophets and Apostles with the confirmation and vnderstanding of them by the holy Spirite For it were not enough for vs to haue the worde of God deliuered vnto vs by them except the holy Ghost had his working both in them in vs. Wherfore although naturally we more easily and firmely beleeue that which our minde is able to see knowe and comprehend by the naturall light thereof then that which goeth beyond it yet forasmuch as God hath made vs capable of vnderstanding and reason wee ought to giue no lesse credite to all that he hath reuealed vnto vs by his worde yea much more to this howsoeuer by that light of nature which remaineth in vs wee neither see nor knowe howe true and firme it is and that for the causes before vttered Hereof it is that in the Epistle to the Hebrewes faith is called the substance and ground of things hoped for and such an euident demonstration of things not seene that it conuinceth men and causeth them to perceiue and knowe the trueth of them very cleerely Whereupon wee haue to note that this naturall light and that which wee call supernaturall are not to speake properly two diuers and different lights but one and the same as wee shoulde well haue knowen if our nature had continued in perfection and in that image of God in which it was created and framed farre differing from all other creatures For although there is in them some image of God yet they haue not vnderstanding to knowe it as it is neither to knowe God their creator who hath imprinted it in them But it is farre otherwise in man For God will be knowen of him and therefore hee hath so imprinted his image in his nature that hee will haue him to see and knowe it For this cause hee hath giuen him a minde and vnderstanding able to to receiue this knowledge For the greatest likenesse and resemblance that man can haue with God consisteth in the agreement with him in wisdome and iustice which cannot be but in a nature that is capable and partaker of reason and vnderstanding Nowe because God is good yea a common and generall Good hee will not withholde this good in himselfe without communicating it but maketh all his creatures partakers thereof especially man with whome it hath pleased him to communicate this Good of wisedome and iustice which is the greatest and most excellent good that is in him Therefore did God together with his image imprint his knowledge in the nature of man For man could not otherwise know this image and similitude neither what it is to be like or vnlike to God if hee had no more knowledge of God who and what manner a one hee is then other creatures that want this knowledge because they are not capable of vnderstanding and reason nor of this image of wisedome and iustice which is in God and by which man is made like vnto him Wherefore the first degree of this image and similitude that is in man appeareth in that power and facultie of vnderstanding which God hath giuen him and in that wisedome whereof hee hath made him partaker and which hath some agreement with the wisedome of God So that before man sinned the image of God was such in him that there was a perfect agreement of all the powers and vertues of the soule betweene God and him For the diuine light did so shine in his minde that hee had certaine and firme knowledge of GOD neither was there any resistance against either in his heart or in his will but a sounde and perpetuall concord and consent So that there was alwayes betweene the minde and the will an vprightnesse and iustice agreeable with God neither was the freedome of the will hindered or driuen forward to euill because man had not yet made himselfe the subiect and salue of sinne As long therefore as man kept this image of God within him the Lord dwelt therein as in his own lodging and by that meanes would haue giuen to men such perpetual life ioy as shold neuer haue bin broken off or extinguished either by sorow or by death if he had suffred himselfe to be alwayes guided by God neuer turned aside nor seuered himselfe from him Therefore S. Paul speaking of this first image and the renewing thereof in man saith Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Seeing then it is thus there is no doubt but that if man had continued in his integritie the light which is nowe supernaturall in him woulde haue beene naturall in all that knowledge of God which is necessary for him to that ende whereunto he was created For hee had neuer beene ouerwhelmed with darkenesse which dimmed and hindered this heauenly light that shined in him and made him the habitation and temple of God but had seene cleerely the image of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost shining in his soule in which it was imprinted the draughts and beames whereof are yet euident enough in him I meane to them that consider of them as it appertaineth following the light of the
word of God But forasmuch as the darkenesse which sinne hath brought with it keepeth man from hauing any sound and perfect knowledge of God or of heauenly things as he had in his first estate it is necessary therefore that hee should restore and kindle againe in him this diuine and perfect life which hee hath lost by the benefite of regeneration and spirituall renouation as if hee created him anew giuing him a minde to vnderstand his worde and a will to followe and to embrace it This is that which I thought we were to note and learne concerning the meanes that bring vs certaine knowledge of such things as we ought to iudge and accompt for true Let vs nowe consider howe the spirit of man being enriched in measure with heauenly gifts and graces doeth finally attaine to the ende of all inquisition and searching out of trueth which is contemplation that followeth iudgement as iudgement followeth reason and the discourse thereof Therefore doe thou ACHITOB take vpon thee to discourse of this matter subiect and so ende all speaches of this dayes worke concerning vnderstanding that afterward wee may looke particularly into the will which is the second part and vertue of the highest and most soueraigne power of the soule How the vertues and powers of the soule shew themselues by litle and litle and by degrees of contemplation and of the good that is in it of that true and diuine contemplation which we looke for after this life Chap. 32. ACHITOB. I was much troubled oftentimes about the vnderstanding of these two words Soule and Spirite in seeking to find what difference or agreement they haue one with another seeing that many times I sawe one of them taken for the other and also opposed as repugnant one to another In the ende I learned of skilful men that wee might vse the worde Soule to signifie man as hee is borne hauing onely the giftes of a humane soule namely the humane senses and those other powers and vertues both animall and naturall of which wee haue already spoken And as for the Spirite that wee must vnderstand thereby whatsoeuer heauenly grace and knowledge of the trueth is giuen to man by the spirite of God dwelling in him which guideth and leadeth him to the contemplation of the diuine nature wherein consisteth his good and felicitie Moreouer wee may see in sundrie places of the Scriptures according to the Hebrew phrase the worde Soule taken not onely for the life of man and for all things belonging thereto but also for the whole nature of man and thus also is the worde Flesh taken Therefore when the flesh is opposed and set against the spirite in man wee vnderstand thereby not the body only but also the soule of man I meane such a one as it was at the beginning when being left vnto it selfe it followed the corruption of it owne nature And likewise by the spirite wee meane that which is regenerated in euery part of man whereby hee being withdrawen from the peruerse desires and corrupt affections of his nature is lift vp to the contemplation of celestiall and eternall things But our God vseth in such sort to apply himselfe to the nature and abilitie of his creatures that by little and little and by degrees he dispenseth vnto them those things which hee will bestowe vpon them alwayes keeping that order which hee hath vsed and followed in the creation of the worde For as Moses testifieth hee first created it of nothing Then hauing created the matter of all natures hee brought it into a woorke and gaue vnto it a forme and so polishing it by degrees and day by day at length hee set it in that perfection which hee minded to bestowe vpon it Wee see likewise that in the continuation of his woorkes hee beginneth alwayes at the basest and least thing and so goeth on encreasing augmenting and ascending vp vntill hee hath placed them in their perfection whereof we haue daily experience principally in plants and liuing creatures For the generation of plants commeth of their seedes from which they take their beginning And when the seede which is the least part of the whole plant is put into the ground it taketh roote therein and then commeth foorth encreasing dayly vntill it come to those bounds that are alotted vnto it by the Creatour which it can not passe because it can not attaine to greater perfection being of that kinde but then daily falleth to decay vntill it be wholly consumed and returned to the elements from whence it was taken The like is done in the generation of all liuing creatures and namely in that of man For what is his beginning and what is his conception natiuitie childehoode adolescencie youth mans estate and then old-age Wee see howe small his beginning is and howe hee groweth steppe by steppe and from age to age vntill hee commeth to the flower of his age and to his full strength as plantes doe and from thence the neerer hee draweth to olde-age the more hee fadeth and decayeth vntill hee come to death whereby the body returneth to the Elements out of which it is taken For as God hath giuen him a beginning so hath hee appointed him limites vnto which hee may ascend vp vntill hee come to his highest and then hee is to descend as the ordinance of God shall leade him As for the soule the same can not befall it in regard of bignesse seeing it is not corporall as the body is neither yet in respect of death seeing it is immortall For it can not be resolued as the body may to returne into the elements out of which it is not taken but it abideth alwayes in that substance and nature which first it had because it is of a celestiall and diuine nature But if the question be of the faculties powers and vertues thereof the seedes of which it hath in it selfe wee see by experience howe they shewe themselues more and more perfect and howe the vse of them is greater in one age then in an other For as long as the infant is in his mothers wombe no man can perceiue that as yet hee vseth anie other vertue and facultie of the soule that is in him then that which heeretofore wee called the vegetatiue or nourishing facultie by which hee is nourished as plants are After when hee is borne hee continueth a long time like to other liuing creatures as though he had only a vegetatiue and sensitiue soule as they haue Then by little and little as hee groweth from one age to an other those vertues of the soule whereby hee differeth from beastes appeare euery day more and more And yet hee hath no other soule in substaunce nor any other senses and minde throughout his whole life then hee had when it first mooued as also hee hath no other body But a man may easily iudge that this cōmeth not of the nature of the soule but of the instruments it hath in
through a cloude For that is the contemplation of all contemplations seeing it is the beholding of God with whome nothing may bee compared Then there shall be no cloude of ignorance when wee shall haue not a likely or probable but a most certaine and true knowledge For the trueth shall bee shewed vnto vs most certaine in GOD who is the Authour and Father thereof in whome wee shall throughly and perfectly see and knowe the causes of all things For our spirites shall be helde no longer in such an obscure and darke prison as heere they are constrained to suffer in our mortall bodies Therefore there shall bee no more diuersities disagreements or contrarieties of opinions and iudgements that some shoulde condemne that which others approoue but all shall be of the same iudgement But seeing we are fallen into the matter of contemplation it shall not be vnprofitable if vpon occasion of that diuision which is commonly made of the actiue and contemplatiue life wee note that although the spirite desireth aboue all things the pleasure that is in contemplation as the proper foode and delight thereof yet wee must alwayes consider that wee are not only borne for ourselues but also for others and to this ende that wee shoulde all in common serue one an other both generally and specially For God doeth not onely commaund the performance of that seruice which hee requireth of vs towardes his owne person according to that which is contained in the first Table of the Lawe but he commaundeth vs also in the second Table to doe that which hee requireth of vs towardes other men Therefore hee will not haue vs dwell alwayes in contemplation but wee must put to our hand and discharge vs of our dutie towards euery one according as he teacheth vs by his word Wee are then to learne that so long as wee liue in this world we must not separate the actiue life from the cōtemplatiue but alwayes ioyne them both together vntil we come to that blessed life which shal be altogither contemplatiue when we shal be deliuered frō al the miseries and necessities and from al the troubles lets in which wee are wrapped and detained in this mortall life God graunt vs his grace to vse all our senses so well both externall and internall and all the powers faculties and vertues of our soule and spirite of which wee haue hitherto spoken that wee may cause them all to serue to his glory and that wee may attaine to that blessed contemplation which is prepared for all his elect in his celestiall pallace and that to this ende hee woulde dispose in vs our will and all the affections of our soule of the nature of which we will beginne to morrowe to discourse And first ASER I thinke thou art to intreate of those appetites that are naturally in man seeing Desire is the proper subiect of the Will as thou shalt instruct vs more at large The end of the fourth dayes worke THE FIFT DAYES worke Of the Appetites that are in al liuing creatures and namely in man and of their kindes and particularly of the Naturall and Sensitiue Appetite Chap. 33. ASER. As God and all that is in the worlde is propounded to the minde of man that hee might knowe him so farre foorth as is needefull for him so is hee also propounded to the will that hee might will desire and folowe him as farre as his nature is capable thereof Wherefore if man had not sinned but had continued in his first estate wherein God created him this great and eternall Goodnes had shed in our soules that diuine worde together with his holy spirite which worde being the eternall sonne of God woulde haue alwayes taught and shewed vs the Father of whome bee was begotten before all time and woulde haue lightened our mindes with the light of all wisedome that we might haue beheld and seene him and the holy spirite would haue ioyned our hearts and willes vnto the Father and to the Sonne through a mutuall loue replenished with all ioy and gladnesse and through certaine motions agreeable with the diuine nature By which meanes there should haue bin in our hearts a great fire of loue towardes God and next to him wee should haue loued all other good things according to that order which is shewed vnto vs in his heauenly wisedome and doctrine and should haue desired them for the loue of him But nowe in the estate of naturall corruption in which wee are all this goodly agreement harmony and concord which ought to be betweene God and man is wholly peruerted and ouerthrowen For in place of the true knowledge of God there is nothing but ignorance and doubting in our mindes and as for the will it searcheth after and desireth other things whereunto it applieth it selfe and seeketh not after God Neither doeth it keepe any order in those things which it hath for obiects and which it setteth downe in steade of the things commanded in his word So that while it thinketh to attaine to that good whereunto naturally it aspireth it obtaineth nothing to it selfe but a very great euill Nowe when wee spake before of the braine and of the internall senses of the soule and of the principall part and vertue thereof we made some mention of the wil which ought to be directed and ledde by vnderstanding and reason It remaineth nowe that we looke more narrowly into the nature thereof and of the affections of the soule of the vitall vertue of the heart and of other members which are the seates and instruments thereof euen as when wee intreated of the animall vertues of the soule wee considered of their seates and instruments First then we must marke what hath beene hitherto spoken namely that God hath giuen to all his creatures a naturall inclination that leadeth euery one of them to that which is naturall and agreeable to itselfe Beasts haue an appetite to follow that good that is fitte for them and therefore also hath God giuen them the knowledge of that good and senses meete for that purpose to the end they might shewe vnto them what is good for their preseruation to followe it and to shunne the contrary Wee haue learned also howe God hath giuen both the one and the other to man and vnto what degree concerning both of them hee hath lifted him vp aboue all liuing creatures For as hee hath created him to enioy a farre greater and more excellent Good then hee hath beastes and hath giuen vnto him a will to wish and desire it so hee hath endued him with a deeper knowledge whereby to knowe that Good because hee coulde not wish for it and desire it except hee did knowe it and he could not knowe it if he had not a minde capable thereof and endewed with greater knowledge then that is which hee hath giuen to beasts For this cause as they haue a kind of knowledge agreeable to their nature and to the
they stand doubtfull what he is whether he haue care of men or no and whether he heare and helpe them when they call vpon him And if they be in aduersity then they loue him much lesse For if they thinke that their miseries come from their owne nature or at all aduenture they suppose they are not bounde vnto him neither ought to loue him seeing hee hath prouided no better for their affayres And if they thinke that himselfe doeth sende them because of their sinnes they are so farre from louing him that contrariwise they hate him and storme against him as it is most manifest by infinite blasphemies contayned in the bookes of Heathen Poets Historiographers and Philosophers aswell against God as against his prouidence iudgements and all his woorkes when they fell not out to their lyking Nowe if their Vnderstanding was so blinded in the Knowledge of God their Will was much turned out of the way For it is alwayes like to a shippe carried hither and thither by diuers tempests which seeketh still some hauen to arriue at but can finde none So the Will seeking after the good which it desireth runneth and skippeth from one to another without order and can finde no rest except that heauenly light shine into the minde which may teach it the true good and frame it to the seeking and imbracing thereof Therefore when this light is in the spirite of man it first presenteth to the Will that infinite good namely God in whom alone shee may satisfie her selfe and then all other good thinges that depende of that all which shee desireth euery one in his order Thus shall God haue the first place and the next his creatures all which wee ought to loue so farre foorth as hee hath created them and so consequently are good And if wee place God in the highest degree of loue as the soueraigne good with whose loue we ought to be as it were wholly swallowed vp wee will loue nothing but in him and by him and for his sake and consequently we will desire nothing but according to his Will because wee can Will or desire nothing but that which wee shall loue and wee shall loue nothing but that which wee ought to loue neither with any other affection nor to any other ende Which is the proper effect of the spirite of God in them that are regenerated and guided by him And thus when the darkenesse of our minde is driuen out by light from heauen which is brought vnto it by Iesus Christ and the Will inflamed by the holy Ghost then doe our heartes reioyce in the goodnesse of God and our conscience resteth therein then doe we loue him and beginne to obey him not desiring any other thing Therefore we beseech him to guide gouern vs to reforme vs daily more more after his own image and similitude to the end we may be made conformable to him both in mind will become true temples for him to dwel in And whatsoeuer he sendeth vs whether it be prosperity or aduersity we take and receiue al as from his hād giuing him thanks in prosperity not abusing or extolling our selues against him and calling vpon him in aduersity without murmuring or despiting his maiesty which we adore alwaies whether we vnderstand comprehend his iudgements or no. Likewise we are led by him to loue all good things according to that order which is shewed vnto vs by his heauenly wisdome namely other men made after the image of God as we are those vertues life things that are agreeable vnto him desiring thē for the loue of God knowing that we serue him in the lawful vse of all these things yeelding praises and thanks vnto him as to the author creator of them Neuertheles it cōmeth to passe that we see oftentimes a very great confusion in the maners works euen of the holiest best men that may be but that is whē God withdraweth from them his spirite grace although it be neuer so litle a while or when he doth not manifest shew forth his vertue power in thē For without God we can doe nothing through him nothing is impossible vnto vs. It is very certain that there remaineth alwaies natural infirmity corruption in man and that the mind reason memory may be troubled by the affections of the heart which resēbleth a fiery surnce is like to a thick smoke ascending out of a great fire which would dim the eies make them as it were blind And whē the light of the mind is thus darkned reason cānot discourse so wel nor iudgement iudge so vprightly nor memory retaine so firmly or bring forth so readily that which it hath kept as if none of them were thus hindred with darknesse which compasseth about the light that ought to guide thē Now if there be such a let impedimēt in regard of the mind the Wil is much more troubled by this fire of affections that heateth kindleth it whereby it is made a great deale more vntoward to follow the counsel aduise of reason then reason is wel affected to admonish and counsel it in that which is to be followed or to be fled And when these two principal parts powers of the soule are thus troubled and moued it is no maruel if man forget God himself if with al his soule body he turn aside from that which he ought to follow after As cōtrariwise there is no doubt but that as long as the celestial eternal father disperseth his diuine light into our minds by his sonne who is his eternal word and wisedome preparing them by his holy spirit to receaue the same and by this meanes also kindeleth the heart and Will with the heate thereof disposing and framing them to follow this light no doubt I say but there will ensue a good agreement and great conformitie of the minde and heart of the Reason and Will and of all the affections yea of all the senses and members of man But let vs return to the sequele of our speech which hath an especiall respect vnto the Will we haue then to consider more narrowly of the power and freedome of the Will both in her internall and externall actions For the first if the question bee of deliberating about any thing it is in the choyce of the Will to propound the same to the minde to aduise and consult thereupon or otherwise not to propounde the same vnto it After whilest the matter is in deliberation she may command eyther to prosecute the same or to deferre it to some other time or to giue it ouer quite and to turne the minde to some other thing as it were a Prince among his councell And if the consultation bee finished and sentence giuen by iudgement yet may the will stay it selfe from desiring and following after that which is counselled and iudged to bee good by reason
may more easily take holde then in another that is more contrarie to it It is otherwise with flegmatike or melancholike men according as the humours which rule in them dispose and incline them more to be caried with one affection rather then with another Therefore wee see that they which are of a cholericke complexion as they are of a more hote and dry nature so their affections are more sodain burning and violent like to fire Flegmatike and melancholy persons as they are colder so they are not so easily mooued but are more slowe and heauy and haue also other inclinations and other affections And as they that are cōmonly said to be sanguine are of the best temperature so their affections are for the most part more cheerful more temperate And as there are diuers mixtions of bodily qualities so there are sundry sorts of temperatures and complexions of the body and consequently of soules in regard of their saculties and affections Therfore also there is great agreement betweene corporall and spirituall Physicke For this cause the Physicions both of the bodies and soules of men are to follow almost one the same methode and obserue a like order in their arte practise euery one according to the subiects propounded vnto them insomuch that looke what the one doeth vnto the body the other is to deale so with the soule such things being applied as best agree with their seuerall natures Wherein they may further eche others worke greatly obseruing that ende at which both of them aime which to the one is the health of the body and to the other the cure of the soule considering that the one may helpe the other as hath bin already touched For if the body be not temperant hardly wil the soule be if the soule be intemperate the body desireth not to be temperant Therefore also we see that not only Physicions for the body appoint men diets both for the preseruation of their bodily health and also for the recouery restoring thereof again but also spiritual Physicions doe the like in regard of the soules health so farre foorth as bodily sobriety wil serue greatly to that purpose For this cause not only ordinary sobriety moderation which ought to be kept throughout the whole life of man is so greatly recommended vnto vs in the holy scriptures but fasts also which being more strict abstinēces are very profitable yea necessary oftentimes according to times places and persons For they serue to tame and humble the flesh that it may be the better kept in lesse hinder the spirit which thereby is the better inabled to attend to euery good worke to the contemplation of diuine celestial things Therfore the people of God holy men fasted oftē wherof wee haue many testimonies in the scriptures And as it is necessary that bodily Physicions should know wel the tēperatures complexions of mens bodies and their natures their health and diseases also with their conuenient and apt remedies so is it needfull that spirituall Physicions shoulde knowe the nature of soules of their faculties powers affections the natures of vertues which are their health and of vices which are their diseases together with those medicines remedies that are necessarie for the preseruation increase of vertues and for the diminution abolishing of vices For without this knowledge neither of them can be good Physicions but it may bee feared least they make the diseases worse or in steed of curing the sick persons kill them outright But we must yet draw more instruction out of this matter here offered vnto vs. For whatsoeuer hath beene hitherto spoken concerning the agreement between the temperature of the body and the affections of the soule or concerning the health diseases of them both or the knowledge that is requisit in Physicions to follow a good method in their art practise for the healing of their patiēts I say the vnderstāding of al these things is not only necessary for the Physiciōs both of soules bodies but euen for euery one of vs particularly For if we were all skilfull in the art of corporall Phisicke I meane not such skil as is needful for them that make publike profession thereof to all but onely so much as is necessary for the preseruation of our owne health I doubt not but we might easily auoyde many infirmities and diseases whereinto we fall daily for want of good diet good gouernment and the vse of those meanes which might either retaine vs in health or restore it quickly vnto vs when it is somewhat altered or impeached Moreouer we should haue this aduantage besides if we fell into any disease that we should know the better howe to keepe and gouerne our selues more moderately and wisely and obey the Physicions counsell the better because we should haue greater knowledge of that which we ought to doe of the danger whereinto we might fall or which we might easily auoyde Wee may say as much of the soules phisicke the knowledge whereof is a great deale more necessary for vs not onely because the soule is more noble and precious then the body but also because it is a harder matter to knowe the nature and diseases of the soule then of the bodie And if wee prooue so happie as to be able to comprehend any thing wee shall know daily better and better what things are in vs of God and what is his order as also what there is of Satans and what is that disorder and confusion which by meanes of sinne he hath brought into all things For as sinne is cause of that excesse which is in the qualities of which our bodies are made and consequently of the diseases that proceed from thence which afterward bring death to the bodie so is it in respect of the soule and of the excesse that is in the affections thereof and in all the other partes of it contrary to that nature in which God created the same And as sinne is the cause of the disorder and confusion that is in both of them so it is the cause that one helpeth to spoile another whereas there should be a pleasant harmonie and concord not onely of the bodily qualities among themselues and so likewise of the qualities of the soule among themselues but also of the qualities both of soule and bodie one with another For God hath put nor onely into our soules but into our bodies also the seedes of all the vertues and the pricks and meanes to incite and to leade vs vnto them in such manner and forme as shal be declared hereafter Although wee may learne somewhat by that which we haue heard alreadie of the conueniencie that is betweene the body and the soule betweene the temperature of the one and the affections of the other For if the one bee answerable and correspondent to the other no doubt but God so disposeth of
the temperatures and complexions of the bodie as he hath disposed of the nature of the affections in the soule seeing the one is to serue the other through that mutuall agreement which they ought to haue one with another Nowe to morrow wee will prosecute our speech begunne concerning the affections of the soule to the end we may fully vnderstand this goodly and large matter which may procure to the soule and body both life and death And first mee thinkes wee are to enter into the consideration of foure things which are in the will and in the power to desire that is in the soule namely natural inclinations actions habites and affections This shal be then ASER the subiect of thy discourse The end of the fift dayes worke THE SIXT DAYES Worke. Of foure things to be considered in the Will and in the power of desiring in the soule and first of the naturall inclinations of selfe-loue and the vnrulinesse thereof Chap. 41. ASER All the actions of the soule are bredde of the powers and faculties thereof and therefore by the benefite of nature which is the gift of God she hath receiued powers for all thinges which she ought to doe Now concerning the facultie of knowing in the soule and in the vnderstanding part thereof of which we haue intreated heeretofore we finde three thinges worthie of diligent consideration namely naturall principles actions and habites gotten by long custome Wee may remember those sundry degrees which we said were in the knowledge of the minde and how by this facultie it doeth not only know simple and particular things as beasts doe but also compoundeth and ioyneth them together how it compareth one with another separateth them and discourseth vpon them finally howe it iudgeth and eyther approueth or refuseth them All which things are actions of the minde proceeding from those notices and naturall principles of knowledge that are therein Nowe if these actions be sodaine and passe lightly so that the minde doeth not stay in them nor acquaint it selfe with them the bare and simple name of action belongeth to them But if the minde doeth one and the same thing often museth much vpon it calleth it often to memorie and accustometh it selfe thereunto so that it is in a manner imprinted in it and thereby the minde becommeth prompt and ready in regarde of thelong continuance therein then doe these actions take the name of habite which is bredde by the often repeating and reiterating of the same things Whereby the minde is made more skilful and ready and the spirites more fitte and apt to performe those exercises vnto which they haue addicted themselues and wherein they haue continued So that such a habite is as it were a light in the spirite and in the soule whereby the actions there of are gouerned In like manner wee finde in the Will and in that power o desiring which is in the soule foure things to be considered namely naturall inclinations actions habites and affections which intermingle themselues in euery one of the other All these thinges are good of their owne nature euen as nature it selfe being considered as God hath created her But as nature was corrupted through sinne so is it with these things by reason of that disorder which the nature of sinne hath brought vnto them But let vs first speake of naturall inclinations and then we will prosecute the rest As therefore the minde hath his naturall principles of knowledge so the will hath her naturall inclinations and affections which of their owne nature are good as they are taken from that first nature created of God neither woulde they at any time bee wicked if there were no excesse in them proceeding from nature corrupted which afterwarde breedeth in vs such inclinations and affections as are altogether euill and damnable We loue our selues naturally our wiues our children our kinsfolkes and our friendes yea we are by nature so enclined to this loue that if it were not in vs we shoulde not onely not bee men but not deserue so much as to bee accounted and taken for beastes no not for the wildest most sauage and venemous beastes that can be For we see by experience what great inclination affection there is in euery one of them towardes their litle ones Therefore when S. Paul maketh a beaderoll of the vices and sinnes of such men as are most vicious and execrable and as it were monsters of nature he saith expresly that they are without naturall affection which indeede cannot be cleane rooted out of any nature liuing vnlesse it be altogether monstrous and vnnaturall For it is an affection which is as it were a beame of the loue that God beareth cowards all his creatures and which he causeth to shine in them so that it is not possible that they which are capable of any affection of loue should not loue their owne blood and their like especially men Wherefore if this loue and this affection were well ruled and ordered it is so farre from being vicious that contrariwise the spirite of God condemneth as Monsters those men that want it And therefore God doth not forbid and condemne this loue and affection in his law so farre forth as it is ruled thereby but he approueth it appointeth it to be the rule of our loue towards our neighbour when he saith Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe But when this loue affection is disordered in vs it is not only vicious but also as it were the originall and fountaine of all other vices and sinnes whereas if it were well ordered ruled according to the will law of God it would be as it were the fountaine and welspring of all vertues For wee should not loue our selues but in God and through him nor consequently our wiues nor our children nor our friends nor any other creature whatsoeur wheras cleane contrariwise wee set God aside and seeke nothing but our selues and the things of the world Therefore this loue and affection being nowe so vnruly through sinne is so violent in vs that it withdraweth vs from the loue of God and of his creatures to loue the deuil and his wicked workes because it seemeth to vs that he is a greater friend vnto vs then God For whereas the holy spirite doeth resist and set himselfe against our euil affections and wil haue vs to bridle them Satan on the contrary part letteth them loose not onely giueth vs ouer to follow our peruerse and vitious affections with full sway and libertie but also prouoketh and thrusteth vs forward with great vehemencie Whereby we may iudge what loue and affection a man may cary towardes creatures in those things wherein they may be contrary vnto him and with what fury and rage he may be ledde against them that resist his disordered affections seeing he carieth such an affection towardes God his Creator Therefore Saint Paul speaking of wicked men that should be
hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vnto vs as if he should say that they which stay themselues vpon such a hope shal neuer be ashamed nor deceiued For the expectation thereof is neuer frustrated but it hath alwaies a good a happy issue For when we perceiue that we are deceiued of our hope we are ashamed and confounded But this neuer hapneth to true hope which proceedeth of a sound faith in Iesus Christ by means whereof we haue accesse through him vnto this grace wherein wee stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God as Saint Paul said alitle before Therefore he exhorteth christiaÌ„s to reioice in hope calleth God the God of Hope praying that he would fil the Romans with al ioy peace in belieuing that they may abound in hope through the power of the holy ghost And in the epistle to the Hebrews hope is compared to a sure and stedfast ancre of the soule For this cause God is so often called in the holy Scriptures the hope and fortresse of his people and of his It is written also that they which hope in the Lord do reioyce For hee that hopeth in him shal be healed and preserued Therefore it is not without cause that the spirite of God so often repeateth vnto vs this sentence Blessed are they that put their trust in the Lord for they shal neuer be confounded It is better to hope in him then to put any confidence in Princes But vnfaithful and wicked men can neuer be partakers of such a Good because they haue no such hope For it is written The expectation of the iust is gladnesse but the hope of the wicked shall perish And againe The hope of the hypocrite shall perish his confidence shal be cut off and his truct shall be as the house of a spider He shall leane vpon his house but it shall not stand he shall holde him fast by it yet shall it not endure But to prosecuâ—e our matter nowe that wee haue seene the hope of good men together with their ioy let vs consider what remaineth to the wicked of their vaine and false ioy namely Feare which is the second kinde of sorrowe mentioned by vs. Tell vs then AMANA what Feare is with the nature and effectes thereof Of Feare and of the nature and effects thereof towards the body the minde and soule and how it troubleth them of the true harnesse and armour against Feare Chap. 46. AMANA As wicked men can haue no certaine hope of any good they looke for so they neuer haue any true ioy of any present good because they alwayes forsake the true Good and stay in that which is not Good but in their opinion and fantasie neither doe they at any time refâ—rre the ende of good things vnto God but looke onely vpon the things themselues Therefore it is neuer in their power to reioice in that ioy which they accompt to be their true ioy but only by offending God as we heard before Which is the cause why they seek after nothing more then to hide themselues to depart from him as much as they can possible so that they would neuer heare any speech of him but desire to bury the remembrance of him for euer because they can heare nothing spoken of him but as of their iudge neither think of him but he awakeneth their coÌ„science which they labor with might and maine to rocke asleepe Wherein they take a cleane contrary course to that which they ought to follow to obtaine the true Good For seeing God is the soueraigne Good of all creatures what Good can they finde that is greater wherein they can fully reioyce and satisfie themselues Or what other Good dare they promise to themselues to finde without him and when they haue him for their enemy But they are like to drunken men who cannot vnderstand this Diuinitie vntill they haue slept out their wine and are awaked out of their drunkennesse Then shall they knowe what is true and false Ioy what is good and badde Hope when their ioy shall bee turned into sorrowe their expectation and hope into feare and terrour wherewith the wicked shall be continually haunted as the Spirite of God teacheth vs. Nowe as sorrow is a griefe for some euil which a man presently feeleth shutting vp the heart as vnwilling to receiue it so feare is a sorrow which the heart conceiueth of some looked for euill that may come vnto it Therefore it restraineth the heart also and closeth it vp as being desirous to auoide the euill Wee see then that there is the same difference betwixt sorrowe and feare in respect of euill that is betweene Ioy and Hope in regarde of Good So that we may well say that Feare is not onely a fantasie and imagination of euill approching or a perturbation of the soule proceeding from the opinion it hath of some euill to come but it is also a contraction and closing vp of the heart which commeth from that which euery one iudgeth to be euill for himselfe when hee thinketh it is at hand and will light vpon him Therefore first of all it draweth in and shutteth vp the heart and so weakneth the same Whereupon nature being desirous to relieue and succour it sendeth heate vnto it from the vpper partes and if that bee not sufficient shee draweth away that heate also which is in the neather parts By which doing she sodainely calleth backe the blood and spirites vnto the heart and then followeth a generall palenesse and cold in all the outward partes and chiefly in the face with a shiuering throughout the whole body For seeing the first moouing thereof is in the heart the other alwayes followeth so that when the heart trembleth the whole body doth so likewise Whereupon it followeth that by reason of the great beating and panting of the heart the tongue faltereth and the voice is interrupted Yea it commeth to passe sometimes that present death followeth a great and sodaine feare because al the blood retiring to the heart choaketh it and vtterly extinguisheth naturall heate and the spirites so that death must needes ensue thereof Therefore we cannot doubt but that feare hath greaâ— power ouer all the body and ouer life it selfe For this cause Esaias after he had denounced the iudgement of God against the Babylonians the comming of the Medes and Persians by whome their citie shoulde be taken and themselues slaine saieth thus Therefore shall all handes be weakened and all mens hearts shall melt which is as much to say as that their hearts shall faile them for feare And therefore hee addeth They shal be afraid anguish sorrow shall take them and they shall haue paine as a woman that trauaileth euery one shal be amased at his neighbour their faces shal be like flames of fire But here we
treatise of these two affections The end of the seuenth dayes worke THE EIGHT dayes worke Of Iealousie and of the kindes thereof howe it may be either a vice or a vertue howe true zeale true iealousie and indignation proceede of loue of their natures and why these affections are giuen to man Chap. 57. ASER The holy Scripture applying it selfe to the capacitie of mans vnderstanding describeth mens affections oftentimes by those testimonies which their outward members affoorde conuincing them of vices rooted in their heart by the carriage of their eies of their eie-liddes of their forehead and of their whole countenance Which is to this ende chiefly that when they know that men may reade one in anothers face as it were in a Booke that which is couered and hidden in the heart they shoulde perswade themselues that God soundeth and seeth more easily the most secret thoughts of their heartes and that they can hide nothing from him Likewise the holy spirite to condescend to our rudenesse and to teach vs to knowe God by our selues not onely by our soule which we see not but also by our body which wee see speaketh often of his high infinite and incomprehensible maiestie as it were of a man attributing vnto him eies eares a nose a mouth armes legges feete hands a heart and bowelles Moreouer albeit this pure simple and eternal essence be in no wise passionated with affections yet the same heauenly word doth not only attribute vnto him wrath reuenge anger iealousie and other affections but doth oftentimes propound him vnto vs as an yrefull man hauing the face behauiour and whole countenance of one greatly stirred vp to wrath reuenge yea euen to great fury Which is done to this end both that by the knowledge which we may haue of the nature of these affections whereunto wee are enclined and of the effectes which they bring foorth and causes from whence they proceede wee shoulde meditate the same things to bee in God when wee offend him and knowe what rewarde wee are to looke for and also to teach vs that right rule of all our affections which wee haue in his diuine goodnesse Nowe if wee remember what hath beene declared vnto vs of the nature of Loue wee heard that true and pure loue was without iealousie and that this affection sprang of the loue of concupiscence and yet it was tolde vs yesterday that Iealousie was placed amongst the kindes of enuy Let vs then see what this affection is properly and whether all iealousie be vicious I vnderstand by Iealousie a feare which a man hath lest an other whome hee woulde not should enioy something This commeth to passe two wayes namely either because wee our selues woulde enioy it alone or else because we would haue some other to whom we wish the same thing to enioy it alone the reason heereof is because we iudge it hurtfull either to our selues or to those whome wee loue if others should enioy it As if the question were of some honour or of some other good which we would haue to our selues alone or for some one whome wee loue and should be greeued that an other enioyeth it and thereupon enuy him either because wee are afraide hee shall enioy it or because hee enioyeth it already heerein appeareth enuy and euill iealousie which bringeth with it great mischiefes For as Saint Iames saieth From whence are warres and contentions among you are they not hence euen of your lustes that fight in your members yee lust and haue not ye enuy and are iealous or haue indignation and can not obtaine ye fight and warre and gâ—t nothing Wherefore to auoide this enuy and euill iealousie wee must consider of what nature that Good is which stirreth vs vp to this affection For according to the nature thereof our iealousie may be either a vice or a vertue For if the question be of some Good thing which belongeth in such sort to mee alone or to any other whome I loue that none may enioy it except it be vniustly and to the dishonour of God it is no euill iealousie if I feare lest any shoulde abuse it or bee grieued when it falleth out so If it concerneth some body whome I lâ—â—ue who is abused by another to the displeasure of God and to the dishonour and hurt of the party beloued I haue yet greater occasion to feare to bee greeued and euen to bee iealous both ouer my owne Good and ouer the good of the partie beloued And as I haue iust cause of Iealousie in this case in that thing which properly belongeth vnto mee so also I haue like occasion when an other vniustly enioyeth that Good which belongeth to him whome I loue and of whome I ought to bee carefull and be greeued when any reproch or wrong is offered vnto him As for example seeing the husband hath such an interest in his wife and the wife in her husband as no other eyther may or ought to haue the like both of them haue iust cause to beware that no other haue the fruition heereof but themselues to take the matter heauily if it fall out otherwise and to bee very much offended and full of indignation against him that shoulde attempt any such thing For that can not be done as not without the great dishonour and dammage of the parties so knit together so also not without the great dishonour of GOD whose lawe and couenant is thereby violated On the other side that mutuall loue which ought to be betwixt the husband and the wife doth binde them to desire and to procure the honour and profite eache of other and to keepe backe all dishonour and hurt that may befall them Wherefore both of them haue iust cause to bee offended with those that seeke to procure any blemish in this respect The like may bee saide of fathers mothers and children and of all that haue anie charge ouer others or that are linked together by friendship But on the other side a man must beware that he be not too suspicious and that hee carry not within himselfe matter of Iealousie and so torment himselfe and others without cause as likewise hee must bee very carefull that hee giue no occasion of Iealousie to any other And thus you see howe there may be a good iealousie notwithstanding that in this case it be mingled with loue and anger For Iealousie causeth the party that loueth to be angry with him by whome that thing which hee doeth loue receiueth any dishonour or detriment Therefore this anger commeth of loue which inciteth him to set himselfe against him that offendeth the thing beloued So that these affections are alwayes commendable arising of this cause and being ruled according to that Zeale and Iealousie which the holy Scripture attributeth vnto GOD in regarde of vs. For hee is called a iealous GOD not onely in regard of his honour and glory which hee will not
branches of the veines of their names and vses and of the similitude betweene them and the arteries Chap. 63. ARAM. When we consider how the prouidence of God reacheth so far vnto those things that are profitable necessary in our bodies that it forgetteth not neither omitteth the least thing that is in them we should be very blinde of vnderstanding if we doubted that our God prouided not aswell for all things that are profitable and necessary for our soules for the spirituall foode and growth of them and for their perfect purging and saluation For albeit there is no superfluity or excrement in that spiritual food wherewith the soule is nourished yet is it requisit and needful that the soule be purged from those excrements and filthines of sin wherwith the deuil hath infected filled it And so indeed is it purged in Iesus Christ who hath washed clensed vs from our sins by his blood doth daily purge vs by his holy spirit and by those means which he hath ordained in his church Therefore I am out of doubt that God meant to put men in minde of these things by the order necessitie which he hath appointed in the nature of their bodies both in regard of their food and of their nourishment and that we shal alwaies find good and holy instructions for the soule by considering the nature and office of euery part of the body Let vs then consider of other instruments of the naturall powers of the soule then hitherto we haue spoken of After the entrals guts the Mesentery foloweth which is placed in the midst of them whereupon it is so called of the Graecians as if you would say dwelling in the midst of the guts And because it is carried and lift vp into the middle of all these vessels it is also called by some Mesareon which name signifieth the selfe same thing in Greeke Others take Mesareon to be the highest part of the Mesentery which is also called Calicreas by the Graecians because the flesh of it is very pleasant to eate according as the name giueth vs to vnderstand So that it is no entrall or gut but a coat and folded couering in the midst of them or rather a thicke white flesh of a sinowy and kernelly substance that beareth fat distinguishing the entralles and knitting them vnto the backe But it was chiefely created to beare vp and sustaine the Meseraicall veines and arteries with the sinewes that are in that member which because they are in danger of breaking through the vehement motions of the body such other accidents therefore the prouidence of God would not haue them without a foundation prop and defence to countergard them For this cause he hath fortified and fastened the branches and diuisions of the veins by such a member and instrument which serueth in steade of a band and stay both to the great and little ones Besides his action and vse also is to fasten and keepe the entralles euery one in his place and to conuey vnto the liuer by the meseraicall veines that are called the handes thereof that liquor which the Graecians call Chylus of which wee haue already spoken For as the bodies of trees haue their rootes which spread abroad in the earth to drawe nourishment from thence euen so there are branches dispersed throughout the Mesentery and deriued from the liuer veine which are ioyned to the bowelles as it were small rootes to drawe foode being much like to haires or cob-webs These braunches or small rootes are the Meseraicall veines so called because they are placed in the vpper part of that member and instrument that is called Mesareon whereof I spake euen nowe Their office and nature is to draw and sucke out nourishment from the guts and to carry it to the liuer from whence they haue all their beginning as appeareth by Anatomie howsoeuer there are that thinke that some of them come not from thence The flesh of the Mesentery is kernelly and fatty not only seruing in steade of a munition and defence as hath beene said but also to moisten the entralles and guts and to preserue the heate both of the bowelles and veines So likewise the arteries are ioyned to the veines to giue them heate and to the guts also to concoct the liquor and nourishment Besides the nerues and sinewes there serue to giue sense to the guts There is moreouer a kernelly flesh which the Physicions call Pancreas because it doeth wholly resemble flesh as the Greeke name importeth It is placed in the hollow part of the liuer that it might be as it were a cushion vnto it and a preseruer of the diuided partes thereof by filling the void places that are betwene the stomach the liuer and the spleene to the ende it may vphold and protect the meseraicall veines and keepe euery thing from breaking either by falles or by violent motions Nowe touching the liuer it is a very noble member For it is the principallest member of all the naturall partes and the chiefest instrument belonging to the vegetatiue and nourishing power of the soule It is the first of the nobler partes that is made perfect when the childe is framed in the mothers womb it is the author shop and forge of the blood the originall and fountaine of the veines Therefore the substance of it is a soft and red flesh like to blood newly pressed out clodded Neuertheles in it own nature it is perfect flesh hauing sundry different veins dispersed throughout as it were threeds arteries also ioyned vnto thē for their refreshing Now after the stomach hath finished the first concoction of meat and turned it into liquor as it hath bin declared vnto vs the second is made in the liuer after it hath receiued this liquor so prepared by the stomach and guts as we said and turned it into blood This concoction is perfected in the small veines that are dispersed throughout the body of the liuer And because God hath inioyned this office to this member he hath compounded it of such a flesh matter as hath giuen vnto it this proper and peculiar vertue to conuert into blood that foode and nourishment that is brought vnto it to the end it may bee the instrument of the generation of that thing wherewith the body is nourished Hauing thus transformed the liquor receiued it maketh it redde like vnto it selfe as contrariwise blood is made white in the breasts of a woman both by reason of their nature and substance as also for other causes touched by vs. The temperature of the liuer is hot and moist such as becommeth the blood and concoction it hath to performe which is like to boiled meat Now forasmuch as this instrument and member is the chiefest in the kitchin of mans body GOD hath giuen vnto it such a nature and property as if there were in it a harth a table a knife and a wagoner
are themselues or what they haue receaued of God except they bee brought backe to that first dust and earth out of which they are taken euen to their first creation and generation Therefore the holy spirite doeth esteeme it a thing not vnworthy his diuine maiestie often to instruct and to admonish vs by his worde and that so plainely and familiarly as no man be hee neuer so skilfull or so ignorant but he may greatly profit in this schoole at leastwise be made altogether inexcusable if he learne not that which the spirit doeth there teach him For concerning them that are most ignorant he speaketh very plainly to be vnderstood of them propounding that vnto them whereof they cannot be ignorant although they woulde at leastwise which they cannot easily know And as for the skilfuller sort who by their knowledge are able to vnderstand more then others they are so much the more guiltie if they will not giue credite to the woorkes of God as they are propounded vnto vs in the holy scriptures For what idole of nature soeuer they frame to themselues yet must they alwayes come to this first beginning of man which is clean contrary to the reason of humane sense and vnderstanding and so giue glory vnto God otherwise the fruite of all their studie will bee nothing els but confusion and ignorance Now the more we consider of the daily generation of men the more like we shall find it in all admiration to their first originall and creation For who coulde euer I say not beleeue but onely thinke or imagine that out of pressed milk and cruds as it were such as the beginning of man seemeth to bee there could proceede any liuing creature at all especially such an image of God as man is And yet we see this daily come to passe Now from whence commeth this milke Wee cannot for shame speake it without blushing So that if the worke and prouidence of God bee woonderfull in the conception and fashioning of man and in the life and preseruation he affoordeth him in his Mothers belly as wee haue shewed heeretofore surely it is no lesse admirable in his natiuitie and birth as we may now vnderstand Wee haue already heard howe by the faculties and powers of the soule and generatiue vertue thereof the seede is retained and preserued and how the child is formed thereof in the wombe Now all this while it is nourished by blood which is drawne vnto it by the veins of the nauill ordained to that end and therfore also the issue of this blood commonly ceasseth in women with childe as that which is then diuided into three partes For the childe draweth the purest thereof to it selfe and is therewithal nourished Secondly the wombe by veins leading directly to the breasts sendeth that part which is lesse pure wherof the milk is prepared that feedeth the child after it is borne The third part which is the worst staieth still in the wombe and so soone as the child is borne it issueth forth also This foode which the childe receiueth thus in the wombe caused Galen to allege an ancient sentence out of Athenaeus saying That the childe receiueth more from the mother then from the father euen as the plants draw more from the earth then they doe from the husbandman For this menstrual blood first encreaseth the seede and after serueth towardes the growth of the members by ministring food vnto them And for this cause this Authour teacheth that naturally the loue of the children is very great towardes their Mothers and so of the Mothers towardes their children as also in respect of the exceeding great mixture of their substaunce But when the childe is nowe encreased and growne so great and strong that he is well able to moue himselfe and to receiue his foode at the mouth as he is waxen greater so he must haue more store of nourishment then he is able to draw in at the nauil Likewise forasmuch as naturall heate is more augmented he had neede of the more aire and to receiue it in by respiration and breathing so farre foorth as is necessary for his refreshing Whereupon the childe stirreth and moueth with greater strength and violence so that it breaketh the skinnes bands wherein it was wrapped and some veines also and so maketh an issue and way for it self as that which cannot any longer be kept in the wombe Now when the child feeleth that aire entring in which it desireth and seeketh for the reason before alleadged it mooueth it selfe towardes the mouth of the wombe which is the most naturall and easie way of birth by reason that it is borne with the head forwarde Nowe so soone as it is come into the light it cryeth as if it did prognosticate and foretell of the miseries of that life into which it is entered The Philosophers and Phisitions referre the cause of this weeping to that motion which driueth it to the birth as also to those handlings and touchings wherewith it is receiued which cannot bee without some sense of griefe conceiued by this litle tender bodie Which body so long as it is in the wombe is bowed round as it were in a lumpe so that the heeles of it ioyne to the buttockes and the handes lay fast holde of the knees towards which it doeth bow downe the head so lowe that the eyes are ioyned to the thumbes as if they were fastened to them and the nose is thrust down betweene the knees Now when it hath attained to the ninth moneth so that it may no longer tarie there for the reasons before mentioned it turneth it selfe in the womb first with the head downeward and stretching out the legges and other members vpward Then when the houre of child-birth approcheth the babe by kicking and turning it selfe more violently maketh many ruptures by litle and litle so that the skinnes wherein both the Vrine and the sweate are contained bursting asunder whole streames gush out which shew that the birth is hard at hand For presently vpon the renting and breach of the After-burthen through the violence of the childe because there is nothing els that holdeth it vp the babe falleth downe euen as an apple or a peare falleth from the tree when it is ripe And as the childe doeth his best to come foorth at that time which God hath prescribed vnto it so the wombe and the mother of the child doe their partes as much as lieth in them to performe by the prouidence of God who hath prouided accordingly For during the space of those nine monethes wherein the childe is contained in the wombe it is shut vp and embraceth the burthen as close as it may And when the time of birth commeth the wombe doeth not onely open it selfe by litle and litle but all the top of it doeth gather it selfe as close together as it can and so thrust the babe towards the mouth of it wherunto also the neighbour parts lend
vnto others And if we take it so then God and Nature shal be taken to be all one Wherefore in this respect it were better to let the name of Nature alone and to speake of God onely to whom Nature is but a seruant and seeing that by him it was created and that all things were made before Nature had her being Otherwise we are like to fall into that errour of Galen and others his like in these dayes who albeit they be conuicted and rauished with admiration through the contemplation of those wonderfull workes which they beholde in all the partes and powers of mans body are notwithstanding so vngratefull that insteade of yeelding vnto God that honour that belongeth vnto him it seemeth they woulde despite him to his face and seeke all possible meanes to put out their owne eyes and wholly to blinde their vnderstandings to the end they might not be constrained to acknowledge that there is a God the Creator maker of this so excellent a piece of worke and so to glorifie him as becommeth them Nowe rather then they would giue him this honour they will make an idole of Nature thereby to cast a vaile before mens eyes that they should not see and acknowledge God in his workes They will rather put out their owne eyes then follow this Nature which they forge vnto themselues as a soueraigne Mistresse whereas she is but the meanes to leade them to God her and their Creator of whom shee is but a seruant and a verie small image Thus much I thought meete to bee knowen concerning Nature that wee might learne to speake better and more reuerently both of God and of his woorkes and that we might know that Nature is nothing els but the order and continuance of the woorkes of God Now that wee are instructed in the causes of life and death and what true comfort and consolation we may haue against the horrour therof and so haue finished our discourses concerning the frame of the body and of the powers and faculties of the soule therein we must enter into a particular contemplation of the nature of the soule and learne what is the creation and immortalitie thereof so farre foorth as the minde of man is able to comprehend and as the worde of trueth shall affoord vs sure and certaine doctrine thereof First then it is necessary and very profitable for vs to consider that there is but one soule in one bodie which hath all those powers and vertues of which the effects are daily seene also what place the soule hath in the bodie and what vnion there is betweene them Nowe ASER this shall bee that matter Subiect which thou shalt haue to continue our speech withall That there is but one Soule in euerie seuerall bodie that one and the same soule hath in it all those vertues and powers whose effectes are dayly seene of the seate of the Soule in the bodie and of the principall instrument thereof of the vnion of the bodie and Soule of the diuers degrees of nature and of the excellencie that is in it of the fountaines and bounds of all the powers and vertues of the Soule Chap. 77. A SER. Saint Paul maketh a prayer in the end of his first Epistle to the Thessalonians which agreeth very well both to that matter whereof wee haue alreadie intreated touching the nature as well of the soule as of the body and to that also which wee haue yet to handle concerning the nature creation and immortalitie of the soule Now the very God of peace saith he sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirite and soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Where first he sheweth vs that none but God who onely is holy sanctifieth vs through Iesus Christ his sonne the most Holy and that by the vertue of his holy spirite Moreouer hee teacheth vs that as we are to acknowledge all sanctification alreadie begunne in vs to proceede from God alone so wee must expect from him the accomplishment of that woorke which he hath begunne in vs. For as hee is the beginning so from him must proceede the perfection which comprehendeth all the partes of man Therefore the Apostle heere maketh a diuision of three members placing the spirite first in the second place the soule and in the third the bodie Then he teacheth vs that the entire and absolute sanctification of all these partes of man shall be in the comming of Iesus Christ in which it shall obtaine the last perfection Nowe we vnderstand already sufficiently by our former discourses that man is compounded of two diuers natures namely of a body and of a soule and yet heere wee see that Saint Paul setteth downe three partes and ioyneth the spirite vnto the soule as if they were two diuers and different thinges as well as the soule and the bodie are Therefore wee must searche out the cause of this diuision of man after this manner But before wee enter into this matter it shal be very profitable for vs to refresh our memorie with those things wee haue alreadie intreated of so farre forth as they may serue for the vnderstanding of this and that according to the matter subiect propounded to discourse vpon Wee hearde before howe the bodie is the lodging and instrument of the soule and howe the soule serueth it selfe with all the members thereof and setteth them on worke And as for the Soule albeit there be but one in each seuerall body neuerthelesse that one soule hath diuers faculties powers and vertues which wee also call partes and offices thereof Wherefore as wee saye not that there are so many bodies in one bodie of a man as there is diuersitie of partes members and offices therein but account them all ioyntly together as one and the same bodie euen so wee meane not that there are so manie soules as there are powers and offices in the Soule or according to that varietie of effectes that appeareth in euerie part and member thereof albeeit wee knowe verie well that they are distinguished one from another both in time and place For we perceiue by the effectes thereof that the sight is in the eyes hearing in the eares vnderstanding and cogitation in the braine and the like is to bee sayde of all the other partes and members of the bodie according to the nature and office of euerie one and according to the offices of the Soule in them as wee haue alreadie shewed when wee handeled all the powers thereof particularly Moreouer wee see howe the childe so long as it is in the Mothers wombe differeth almost nothing at all from plantes and after it is borne howe it differeth but a little from brute beastes as else-where it hath beene alreadie declared vnto vs. Neuerthelesse as in euerie bodie there is but one and the same kinde fashion and essentiall forme of nature whereby it commeth to bee that which
of soule spirite and heart are taken with the causes wherefore Of the diuisions of man made in the holy Scriptures as well in respect of the soule as of the bodie in what significations the names of soule spirit and heart are vsed therein and the causes why of the intire sanctification of man howe the soule is taken for the life and for the members and instruments of nourishment and for nourishment it selfe Chap. 79. ARAM. Forasmuch as God so honoureth our bodies as to call them Temples of his holie spirite I thinke they cannot bee such in deede except they bee wholly dedicated and consecrated vnto him so that wee separate them from all filthinesse and pollution by giuing our selues to all kinde of sanctimonie and honestie of life For then is the body wholly sanctified when all the senses and members applie themselues onely to good and holy woorkes commaunded by God and when they abstaine from the contrarie Whereupon it commeth to passe that the eyes turne aside from beholding all vaine things and take pleasure onely in seeing that which may rauish man with admiration at the excellencie of the woorkes of God and induce him to well-doing The like may bee sayde of soundes of voyces of wordes in regarde of the eares And as for the tongue it is not polluted with vile speeches with lying slandering and blasphemie but prayseth God and rehearseth his works and woonders speaking alwayes with a grace to the edifying of all In like manner the mouth serueth man for the selfe-same vse as the stomacke also and the bellie with all the rest of the members that serue for the nourishing of the bodie are not defiled through gluttonie and drunkennesse So that the bodie liueth not to eate but eateth to liue and to make supplie to those necessities vnto which GOD hath made it subiect Therefore it obserueth sobrietie and is contented to minister to the naturall affections that God may bee serued in this life Neither doeth it abuse the members of generation to whoredome and villanie but conteineth them within their office and lawfull vse And as for the feete and hands with all the rest of the externall members it keepeth them also within the compasse of their duety But seeing the whole body all the members therof take from the soule all their actions and vses they cannot bee sanctified for the seruice of God and of holy things vnlesse the soule be first sanctified which giueth vnto them life motion and sense For this cause Saint Paul speaking of the sanctification which he wisheth to the Thessalonians before hee maketh any mention of that of the bodie hee beginneth with the Spirite and Soule as wee haue alreadie heard Now because the soule hath diuers powers he vseth two wordes the better to note them out especially the chiefest of them For as it hath beene alreadie declared vnto vs albeit the soule hath manie powers and offices in the bodie of man yet there are not so manie soules in the bodie as there are faculties and effectes thereof but one onely soule which doeth all that For this cause the name of soule is diuersly taken in the holy scriptures Sometime it is taken for that spirituall substaunce that is ioyned with the bodie to giue life vnto it and for all the powers thereof and sometime againe for one part of those faculties and powers The like may be sayd of the name of spirite and of heart and that for the same reason Thus doeth the Scripture sometimes diuide the whole man into two partes onelie namelie into bodie and soule as when Iesus Christ sayeth Feare yee not them which kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and bodie in Hell And often also the same holie worde taketh the one of these two partes for the whole euen in that signification wherein wee take the name Person in our tongue For this cause wee reade so often in the worde All flesh and euerie soule for euery person Also Giue mee the Soules for giue mee the persons And all the Soules of the house for all the persons thereof Nowe because the vnderstanding and the will are the principall faculties and powers of the soule when the Scripture meaneth to set them downe distinctly and to expresse them together with the nature and vertue of the soule it taketh the spirite for the one and the soule for the other namely the spirite for the reason and vnderstanding the soule for the wil affections For otherwise how should euery man be entire souÌ„d vnles his thoughts were pure holy all his affections rightly ruled finally his whole bodie made obedient and seruiceable to euerie good woorke For wee haue hearde alreadie what Lordship is attributed to the reason and to the vnderstanding then howe the will and affections are in the middest to commaund and lastly the bodie to serue and obey So that a man is then altogether pure and sounde when he thinketh nothing in his minde desireth nothing in his heart neither executeth any thing with his members but that which pleaseth God Wee haue a place in Esay which teacheth vs verie clearely that the spirite and soule are so taken and distinguished as wee say The desire of our soule saith he is to thy name and to the remembraunce of thee With my soule haue I desired thee in the night and with my spirite within me will I seeke thee in the morning We see how first he attributeth desire to the soule thereby to declare the affection of the people towardes the Lorde Then hee maketh mention of the remembrance and memorie that hee hath of God which is in the minde So that it seemeth hee comprehendeth the vnderstanding and will in the first verse vnder the name of Soule Afteward in the verse following he distinguisheth them more specialy attributing desire to the soule then watchfulnesse and diligent inquisition to the spirit which is not without thinking and discoursing that appertayne to the minde Wherefore the Prophet minding to signifie how he was wholly addicted to the Lordè with all his senses and vnderstanding and with all his heart and will and that all his affection was towardes him hee vseth this distinction betweene the soule and the spirite Likewise wee finde these two names Soule and Spirite ioyned together in this signification in the Psalmes and I am perswaded that for the same reason the blessed Virgine ioyned them together in her song when she sayd My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioyâ—eth in God my Sauiour Nowe as the Scripture vseth this distinction the better to expresse the faculties and powers of the soule so Saint Paul sometimes distinguisheth them into three that they may the better bee knowen as when hee writeth to the Ephesians in these woordes This I say therefore and testifie in the Lorde
that is preserued for the soule neither eateth nor drinketh But Ezechiel sheweth vs this yet more clearely saying They shall not satisfie their soules nor fill their bowelles For himselfe expoundeth that by the worde Bowelles which before hee called soules Moreouer wee haue further to note that forasmuch as the soule can no more giue life to the body without foode then without these members and instruments by which it distributeth and deliuereth the same it is likewise taken not onely for the foode of the bodie but also for those instruments and meanes whereby men get and obtaine foode Therefore it is written in the Lawe of the hired seruant that is poore and needy Thou shalt giue him his hire for his day that is the same day hee laboureth neither shall the sunne goe downe vpon it for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his soule as if hee shoulde say it is his life and foode whereby hee must bee sustained So that hee which beguileth him of his hire taketh away his soule and life from him as much as in him lieth It is written also That no man shall take the neather nor the vpper milstone to pledge for this gage is his soule By which phrase of two milstones that serue to grinde the corne the Lorde comprehendeth all those instruments wherewith men get their liuing by their labour of what occupation and trade soeuer they be For as a man can not grinde without a milstone or without corne to haue meale for breade to maintaine life withall so poore Artificers and Handicraftsmen can not grinde nor consequently liue if those tooles and instruments bee taken from them whereby they must get both their owne liuing and the liuing of their wiues and children Therefore God sayeth that such a gage is the soule by which he vnderstandeth the life and by life the foode and nourishment that preserueth it and consequently the instrumentes by which poore men and Artificers get their liuing To conclude it seemeth that this kinde of phrase vsed by the Hebrewes agreeth well enough with our common speech in which we often take the life for foode and charges to maintaine life As when wee say that a man getteth and purchaseth his life or liuing with the sweate of his face We say likewise that we giue life to those whome wee feede and take life from them whom we depriue of foode and nourishment and of the means to get it But wee must learne some other significations of this worde soule taught vs in the holy Scriptures And first what is meant by a liuing soule and what by a naturall or sensuall body and what is a spirituall body and howe the name of soule is taken for the desires of the flesh and for all things belonging to this life Therefore it belongeth to thee ACHITOB to discourse vpon this matter What is meant by a liuing soule what by a sensuall and naturall body and what by a spirituall body howe the name of soule is taken for all the desires of the flesh and for all things belonging to this life and not onely for the whole person aliue but also for the person being dead and for a dead corps and lastly for the spirite separate from the bodie Chap. 80. ACHITOB. Men may well study in the schooles of the most skilfull and excellent Law-makers Philosophers Oratours and Doctors that are in the worlde yet they shall reape small profit thereby except they come to that schoole where the spirite of God is our master and teacher For this cause Iesus Christ after he heard the confession that Peter made of him saide thus vnto him Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for flesh and blood hath not reueiled it vnto thee but my Father which is in heauen Nowe in that hee opposeth flesh and blood to the Father in heauen hee declareth sufficiently that according to the manner of the Hebrew speach hee vnderstandeth by these two words whatsoeuer is in man that is of man As when Saint Iohn saieth that as many as receiued Christ to them hee gaue power to bee the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name which are borne not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God And to confirme this it is saide elsewhere What man knoweth the things of a man saue the spirite of a man which is in him euen so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirite of God Now we haue receiued not the spirite of the worlde but the spirite which is of God that wee might know the things that are giuen to vs of God To this purpose when Saint Paul opposeth a spirituall man to him whome he called before a naturall man and altogether vncapable of the spirite of God he saith that the spirituall man discerneth all things and is iudged of no man For being such a one he hath certaine knowledge of heauenly things to be able to discerne light from darkenesse and trueth from lies that hee be not deceiued by a false shewe of trueth Neither is hee iudged of any body because the trueth of God is not subiect to the iudgement of men how skilfull and conceited soeuer they be without the spirit of regeneration Nowe then as wee haue heard that the soule is taken in sundrie significations declared by vs wee may nowe knowe that it is taken oftentimes in the holy Scriptures for al the vertues for al naturall gifts and graces for all affections and desires for all pleasures and commodities and for other things appertaining to this life For this cause liuing soule signifieth in the Scriptures as much as creature hauing soule and naturall life and it is so taken for all liuing creatures of what nature and kinde soeuer they be And Saint Paul in the place alleadged and in the fifteenth of the same Epistle calleth a naturall man and a naturall body that man and that body which liueth with such a soule and such a life vnto whome hee opposeth diuersly a spirituall man and a spirituall body For by a naturall man hee vnderstandeth a man not regenerated by the Spirite of GOD and by a spirituall a man regenerated and by a naturall body hee meaneth a body that liueth by this corporall life such as it is in this worlde before the death and resurrection thereof By a spirituall bodie he vnderstandeth not only such a body as men haue that are already regenerated in this life but also such a one as it shall bee after the resurrection when it shall bee fully regenerated and made immortall and like to the glorious body of Iesus Christ For besides the humane soule wherewith it liueth heere and in regarde of which Saint Paul called it naturall it shall haue also a diuine vertue that shall wholly change in it all corruptible and mortall qualities and all humane infirmities vnto which it is subiect in this life into incorruptible
the graue hee sheweth after very euidently what he vnderstandeth by his soule when he saieth Thou hast reuiued me from them that goe downe into the pit Hee taketh this worde Soule in the same sense when he saieth that God deliuered his soule from death and from the midst of lions and when he prayeth him to deliuer his soule from the sword his desolate soule from the power of the dogge For it is easie to iudge by these wordes that he taketh not the soule in these places for the essence of the soule and proper substance thereof because the soule can not be smitten with the sword nor deuoured of lions nor carried away by dogges Therefore seeing the soule is so often put in the Scripture for corporall life which endeth with the body and which the soule giueth vnto it by meanes of those instruments which it hath in the body the name of Spirite is many times vsed therein to signifie more specially this essence and spirituall substance which wee call the soule and which may be separated both from the body and blood as that which liueth after the death of the body Therefore Dauid did so vse the word Spirite when he recommended his soule to God by the same wordes which Iesus Christ vsed vpon the crosse Afterward Saint Steuen tooke it in the same sense when he saide Lorde Iesus receiue my spirite For this is that spirite of which Salomon saieth that it returneth to God that gaue it after that the body is returned to the earth and to dust of which it consisteth And yet this difference is not alwayes obserued in the Scriptures For as wee haue already heard both the heart and soule and spirite are oftentimes generally and indifferently put for all the partes and powers of the soule and not onely for those of men but also of beastes as when the Wise man attributeth spirit vnto them hauing regard to this corporall life For when Salomon speaketh so it is in consideration of this life that consisteth in breath which is also called Spirit in the holy Scriptures which vse one the same word to signifie both wind and breathing and whatsoeuer we call spirit taking it both for the soule of man for the Angelicall natures and for the Diuine nature Therefore Iob speaking of this present life sayth So long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God in my nosethrilles my lippes surely shall speake no wickednesse and my tongue shall vtter no deceit But when Saint Paul saieth The same spirite beareth witnesse with our spirite that wee are the children of God hee taketh the worde Spirite in an other sence then Iob did in the place nowe alleadged For in the first place hee taketh the name of Spirite for the Spirite of GOD and in the second place for the Spirite of man which signifieth the humane soule It is true that in this place hee taketh it for the soule and for the spirit such as it is in regenerate men but when hee saieth elsewhere that the spirite of man knoweth the things of man hee taketh the spirite simply for a humane Spirite and for the vnderstanding part thereof Likewise the name of soule is put not onely for this naturall life and for the will and affections but also for the selfe same thing that is comprehended by this worde Spirite when one woulde signifie thereby the greatest excellencie of the soule As when Dauid sayeth Our soule waiteth for the Lord for hee is our helpe and our shield Surely our heart shall reioyce in him because wee trusted in his holie name And againe My soule reioyceth in the Lorde and is glad in his saluation And when Saint Peter sayeth Abstaine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule and haue your conuersation honest among the Gentiles hee taketh the name of Soule for the spirituall man who hath his minde and all his affections well ruled according to the will of GOD. As then wee haue heard in what sort the soule may die in regarde of this corporall life according to the phrase of the Scriptures and of the Hebrewes so by this which Saint Peter saieth that fleshly lustes fight against the soule wee may learne after what manner the soule may be said to die and to be slaine For nothing can bring death vnto it but sinne Wherefore it is not said without good reason in the Booke of Wisedome that the mouth that telleth lies slayeth the soule Albeit then the soule is immortall in that it can neuer be without life no more then the Angelles who are spirites like to it neuerthelesse it is after a sort mortall so farre forth as being farre off separated from God through sinne it liueth no more that blessed life wherewith it shoulde liue if it were vnited and ioyned vnto him by true faith and sincere obedience For it shoulde enioy the selfe same life which the heauenly Angelles with the soules and spirites of the blessed doe enioy As contrariwise the soules of the wicked liue with the same life that the Diuelles doe which is called dead because it is a more accursed life then death it selfe and therefore called the second and eternall death Nowe wee may thinke our selues sufficiently taught touching the diuerse significations in which the name of Soule is taken It seemeth to mee that wee haue spoken enough of the Anatomy of the bodie and soule of which the most of our discourses hitherto were made which may suffice for the contentation of euery one that will keepe himselfe within the bounds and limits set downe vnto vs by the wisedome of GOD in his word But to finish this whole matter concerning the soule which we haue chiefly considered in her parts powers and effects we are further yet to be instructed in the creation generation nature and immortalitie thereof And because they are marueilous difficult matters and such as are not without great contrarieties of opinions euen amongest the learned I am of opinion that these things are to be discoursed of according to that manner of teaching of the ancient Academickes which wee followed in our first meeting namely vpon the theame propounded vnto vs to ballance the arguments on the one part with the reasons of the other side that so we may diligently search out the trueth Notwithstanding it shal be lawfull for vs to deliuer our opinion so long as wee ground it vpon the infallible testimonie of the worde of God leauing to euery one his libertie to iudge which is best and to embrace and follow the same For our entrance therefore into so goodly a matter thou shalt beginne ASER to morrowe to declare vnto vs what thou shalt thinke good concerning this proposition namely whether the soule is begotten with the body and of the seede thereof or whether it be created apart and of another substance and what is requisit for vs to know therein The end of the
be disgraded from the title of Nobilitie both hee and his children This depriuation of gifts bestowed vpon man by God of which wee shoulde haue beene the Inheritours but for the sinne of our first Parents is called by the Diuines Originall sinne To proceede then with our former matter first I say that in my minde it is not so necessarily required of vs to knowe what the soule is or what is the essence and substance thereof as to knowe of what qualitie it is and what are the actions and woorkes of it And that this is so wee may iudge by that bountifulnesse which GOD the Lorde of nature vseth towardes vs and which hee manifesteth vnto vs on euery side by manifolde signes and testimonies For whatsoeuer is expedient for vs the same hee propoundeth vnto vs both very abundantly and with such facilitie that wee may easily finde it out and bring it into vse Wherefore wee can haue no more euident token that a thing is not profitable or not very necessary for vs then this that it is rare farre off and hidde from vs yea very hard to finde out and to attaine to the vse of it So that when wee are admonished to knowe our selues we must not referre this to the knowledge of the essence of the soule which wee are not able to knowe or comprehend but to the knowledge of the effectes and woorkes of it thereby to knowe howe to frame our manners and our whole life to the ende that chasing vice away we might followe after vertue And this by the grace of Christ Iesus will leade vs to that life in which wee shall bee perfectly wise and good and liue immortall and blessed with GOD for euermore Then as wee shall see the Creatour of all things face to face who otherwise is incomprehensible vnto vs so wee shall knowe our selues perfectly in him True it is if wee vnderstand well the principall cause that is taught vs in his worde why hee created man after his image and likenesse and gaue him an immortall soule partaker of vnderstanding and reason wee shall bee well instructed in that point wee desire to knowe touching the nature of the soule So that although wee can not throughly knowe or define what is the essence or substance thereof neuerthelesse seeing it was created of GOD that being ioyned vnto him it might haue eternall happinesse wee must needes say that it is a substance in some sort capable of the diuine nature and that may bee ioyned therewith For being indued with the knowledge of the diuinitie the loue of the same is bredde within it by which loue the soule is so ioyned vnto GOD that it is indued with perpetuall happinesse And thus wee may say that the soule of man is a spirit that giueth life to the body whereunto it is ioyned and which is capable of the knowledge of GOD to loue him as being meete to be vnited vnto him through loue to eternall felicitie But let vs consider the diuersitie of opinions of the best learned as well vpon this matter as vpon the doubts mentioned by vs in our speech For the first there are many who thinke that wee take our generation and birth of our fathers and mothers not onely in regard of our bodies but also of our soules and that soules are produced of soules as bodies are begotten of bodies being ledde by the reasons before spoken of For they can not conceiue howe originall sinne which is the pollution of our nature that before was good and pure by reason of the hereditary corruption of the first father of men can bee deriued from Adam to all his successours and from father to sonne if the soules of children take not their originall from the soules of their Parents as the bodies do of their bodies considering that the soule is the chiefe subiect of originall sinne and of all the rest that proceede from it as riuers issue from their fountaine Wherefore as wee set Adam before our eyes for the first stocke or roote of all mankinde in regarde of mens bodies that haue all their beginning from him so these men doe the like with his soule and the soules of all other men as if soules were deriued from soules and bodies from bodies And in deede at the first blush a man might thinke that Christ Iesus was of this minde when hee saide That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirite is spirite if it bee so that the name of flesh in that place ought to be taken for the whole man comprehending vnder it the body soule and spirite and whatsoeuer excellent thing is in man being considered in his corrupt nature as the worde flesh is commonly taken in the holy Scriptures when it is opposed to the spirite or to God And for this cause many do not take this worde flesh so largely neither in this place nor in any other like to this as if the spirite of man and the chiefe power of his soule were comprehended therein but they restraine it to that part which they call sensuall vnder which they vnderstand not onely the body of man but also those powers of the soule which we haue common with beasts Therefore they doubt not to say that the soule which is called Vegetatiue and sensitiue like to that of plants and beasts is produced of the same seede that the body is and that it is aswel contained in the seede as the matter and nature of which the body is compounded Whereupon it would follow that in this respect there is no difference betwixt the soule of man and the soule of beasts and plants They say well that euery liuing creature hath but one onely soule albeit there be diuers powers thereof in certaine creatures in some more in some lesse Hereof it is that they call that of plants by a more speciall name Vegetatiue because it hath but this vertue and office only of which it taketh the name And albeit the soule of beasts hath the same vertue also yet they call it not by the same name but onely sensitiue vnder which they place the vegetatiue soule that is in plants as a power and propertie thereof So likewise although the soule of man hath both these together yet they call it not either vegetatiue or sensitiue but onely reasonable vnder which they place the vegetatiue and sensitiue soule that is in beasts for powers and properties thereof as before I said they placed the vegetatiue vnder the sensitiue But I woulde very gladly AMANA bee instructed in that which thou canst deliuer very well to this purpose following this excellent matter which will serue greatly to cause vs more specially to vnderstand the nature and immortalitie of the soule the chiefe obiect whereat we aime Whether there be any thing mortall in the soule of man of the distinction betweene the soule and the powers of it of the opinions of Philosophers
from this natural and diuine heate Therfore the soule lieth now in this estate and condition but when it is repaired amended it shal returne againe to the condition of a spirite or mind Which being so it seemeth that the departing and declining of the soule is not alike in all but is turned either more or lesse in the soule and that some spirites or mindes doe yet retaine somewhat of their first vigour other some either nothing at all or very litle These soules by reason of many defects of the spirit stood in need of more grosse and solide bodies so that for their sakes this visible world was made created so great that it might containe all those soules which were appointed to bee exercised therein And forasmuch as all of them did not depart alike from goodnes the Creator of all things tooke vnto himselfe certaine seedes and causes of varietie to the ende that according to the diuersity of sinnes he might make the worlde variable and diuers This is Origens sentence concerning soules which self-same opinion we may reade also in Saint Hierome writing to Anitus whereby wee may see howe this opinion agreeth in part with that of the Platonists For the greatest disagreement betweene them consisteth heerein that these Philosophers attributed the cause of the infection of soules to the bodies into which they were sent frrom heauen And Origen with many that followed him supposed that the soules were sent into bodies as prisoners to bee punished for their offences committed in heauen From such fancies haue issued so many dreames about soules as are to be read in infinite writings But doe thou ACHITOB take occasion hereupon to continue our discourses Of the opinion of the Platonists and some others touching the substance of mens soules in what sence not onely the Poets and Heathen Philosophers but also S. Paul haue saide that men were the generation and Image of God of their errour that say that soules are of the very substance of God of the transmigration of soules according to the opinion of the same Philosophers Chap. 84. ACHITOB. It is woonderfull to consider howe harde a matter it is to finde out the trueth of such thinges as are commonly disputed of because notwithstanding any solution or answere that is made yet still some doubt may arise in our mindes insomuch as there is no poynt howe doubtfull soeuer it bee but that a man may alleage likelihood both with it and against it But this commeth to passe especially in matters of greatest reache the difficultie of which is so much the harder to be defined as the true knowledge thereof is more necessary for vs. Those men therefore are happie who are assured of that which they beleeue by certaine testimonies cut of the worde of trueth especially when the question is concerning the soule which is the instrument of God whereby he worketh in vs and lifteth vs vp to the contemplation of his diuinitie Nowe my companions by your three former discourses wee may gather both what agreement and what difference there is amongest those whome you haue mentioned touching their opinions as well in regarde of the birth of soules as of their distinction diuision and corruption For they agree herein that they are not engendred with the body neither of the same seede and matter at leastwise the reasonable soule but say that it is of a celestiall diuine and immortall nature But herein they disagree in respect of the nature of the matter and about the time creation and birth of the soule and also in regard of the meanes by which it is defiled and infected with sinne The Platonists affirme that the soule is so extracted out of the diuine nature that it is a part and portion thereof Which thing cannot agree with the nature of God because it would folow therupon that it were not one but might be diuided into diuers parts and that those partes of which the soules should be created might be subiect to the pollution of sinne a thing too contrary to the nature of God Or else they must say that there is but one soule in all and through all and that God is this soule And this were to fâ—l into their opinion who said that God was the soule of the world and that the worlde was his bodie which is farre from the trueth For if it were so then must God bee mortall and corruptible in respect of his body and that still one part or other should be corrupted as we see corporall things daily to corrupt On the other side God should not then be infinit and incomprehensible as he is neither is it the worlde that comprehendeth and containeth him but it is he who comprehendeth containeth the world Wherfore neither is the world God neither is God the world but the Creator thereof and he by whome it is and doeth consist So that forasmuch as all these opinions are very strange and vnwoorthie the diuine nature they deserue not that we should stay any longer in them as they that ouerthrowe themselues But I knowe well that some would haue that place alleged out of the Poet by Saint Paul to serue their fantasticall opinion where it is said that We are the linage and generation of God For Saint Paul doeth not alleage it onely as an opinion of an Heathen Poet but doeth also approoue and confirme the same taking his argument from thence that our soule beeing of a spirituall and diuine nature wee ought to make the same account of God whose linage and generation wee are Nowe albeeit the Apostle speaketh thus yet his meaning is not that the soules of men are of the verie substaunce and essence of God as wee say that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are one and the same essence and substance in the the vnitie of God beeing distinguished and not diuided into three persons Neither doeth he meane that the soules are engendred of the proper essence and substance of God or that they proceede from it as wee say that the sonne is begotten of the Father and that the holy spirite proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne according as it is testified vnto vs in the holy Scriptures But hee woulde haue vs learne that the soule of man is of another nature and substance not onely then the bodie of man is but also then the soule of beastes and that the nature and substance thereof is celestiall and diuine not because it is drawen from the very substance and essence of God but by reason of that difference which is betweene the soule of man and the bodies and soules of beastes and also in regard of that agreement which is betweene it and the diuine nature both because of the immortalitie of the soule as because it approcheth more neere to the nature of God then of any other creature except the Angels whome wee say also are of a diuine nature and celestiall for the like
creatures forged by them but men through ignoraunce haue taken them in a wrong sence and so reaped small profite by them No marueile then if this hath happened both to Philosophers and Poets in their doctrine and manner of teaching seeing there are so manie that profite so little by the doctrine of the holie Scriptures themselues and by the studie thereof For were there euer any Heretikes that did not wrest the sence of manie places of Scripture to make them serue for their heresies And doe wee not dayly see the like in all seducers and false prophetes It is verie certayne that there were neuer anie so absurde and straunge heresies which the fauourers of them haue not laboured to mainteyne by the holy Scriptures themselues But to returne to our purpose what meaning soeuer the Authors and inuenters of such things had their doctrine was so vnderstood that manie helde this opinion that mens soules passed from bodie to bodie as we haue heard Insomuch that this errour howe grosse soeuer it were came not onelie to the Iewes but to the Christians also who boast of true religion and of the authoritie and knowledge of the holy Scriptures I speake not of the Manichees auncient Heretikes who were open mainteiners of this opinion But what shall wee say of them who not onely haue their braines infected with this follie but which is woorse imagine they can confirme and prooue it by testimonies out of the worde of God As where it is reported that when Herode hearde the fame of Christ Iesus spread throughout all Iudea hee sayde This is Iohn Baptist hee is risen againe from the dead and therefore great woorkes are wrought by him And Saint Luke sayeth expressely That Herode doubted because that it was sayde of some that Iohn was risen againe from the dead and of some that Elias had appeared and of some that one of the olde Prophets was risen againe We reade likewise that when Iesus Christ demaunded of his disciples saying Whome doe men say that I the Sonne of man am they answered Some say Iohn Baptist and some Elias others Ieremias or one of the Prophets and some that one of the olde Prophetsis risen againe A man my iudge by these speeches that not onelie Herode was tainted with this Pythagoricall and Platonicall opinion but also that it was very common among the Iewes with whome hee conuersed and whose religion hee followed at least in part and in outwarde shewe For Iesus Christ was knowen well enough in Iudea and in Galilee and amongst all the Iewes as it appeareth by the testimonie of the Euangelists They knewe his kinred according to the flesh and coulde tell that he was brought vp in Nazareth in the countrey of Galilee for which cause they called him him a Galilean a Nazarean a Carpenter the sonne of a Carpenter and the sonne of Ioseph and Marie They saide that they knewe his brethren and sisters whereby according to the Hebrewe manner of speaking they meant his cousins Neeces and his kinred taking occasion thereby to despise and reiect him But on the other side many seeing the woorkes and miracles which hee wrought were constrayned to passe farther euen Herode himselfe hearing onely the fame that went of him throughout the countrey so that some tooke him to bee that Christ others to be some great Prophet And of them that helde him for a Prophet it appeareth by those sundry opinions that were among the people that they did not thinke him to bee a Prophet borne at that time but that some one of the olde Prophets was risen againe in him not in bodie but in spirite For they knewe well whence hee issued in respect of his bodie as that which was commonly knowen throughout the countrey Therefore it is easie to iudge that they spake of resurrection in regarde of the soule as the skilfullest Interpreters expounde these places referring these speeches of Herode and of the people vnto that Pythagoricall opinion of the transmigration of soules from bodie to bodie For according thereunto those soules that had behaued themselues vertuously in their first bodies in which they dwelt were sent into other more honourable bodies endued with greater giftes of God according to their deseruing Nowe because Saint Iohn the Baptist had not the gift of miracles annexed to his Ministerie neyther did woorke anie all his life time it might bee thought that this gaue occasion to Herode to thinke thus of him that beeing risen againe from the dead after a Pythagoricall manner hee had this gift and vertue added vnto his former graces that so he might haue the greater authoritie Neither ought wee to thinke it verie strange if a great part of the Iewes were infected with manie foolish and naughtie opinions seeing they were not onely corruptly instructed by their teachers but also had sectes amongst them there which plainely denied the resurrection of the bodie the immortalitie of soules and that there was any Angel or spirite Therefore wee see their great brutishnesse who woulde ground their transmigration vpon that which is saide in the Scriptures touching the opinion of the Iewes in this point which notwithstanding is openly reprehended and condemned by the selfe-same worde of GOD. True it is that the ignorance of the true sense thereof gaue occasion to many to fall into such dreames For the Lorde speaking thus by Malachie Beholde I will sende you Elijah the Prophet before the comming of the great and fearefull day of the Lorde the Iewes vnderstood this place diuersly Some of them thought that the auncient Prophet Elias who was rapt vp into heauen shoulde be sent againe in proper person others vnderstoode it onely of the transmigration of his soule and spirite into an other body For this cause they asked of Iohn Baptist whether hee were Elias but Iesus Christ himselfe expounded those wordes of Malachy and declared vnto the Iewes that Iohn Baptist was that Elias which should come and that although hee were come yet they did not knowe him For when he spake so of him hee meant not that hee was the very person of Elias in body and soule or that the naturall soule and spirite of Elias was entred into his body but his meaning was according as the Angel spake to Zachary when he tolde him of the Natiuitie of Saint Iohn his sonne saying He shall be filled with the holy Ghost euen from his mothers wombe And many of the children of Israel shall he turne to their Lorde God For he shall go before him in the spirite and power of Elias A man may easily iudge by these words that he meant not to say that the naturall spirite of Elias shoulde enter into the body of Saint Iohn Baptist but that God would giue a spirite adourned with such giftes and spirituall graces and with such zeale and constancie as he gaue long before to Elias Therefore he addeth power vnto spirite thereby
to declare the better what is meant by Spirite And before he shewed the meanes whereby this spirite shoulde be giuen him when he said that hee should be filled with the holy Ghost from his mothers wombe that is with the gifts and graces thereof as the Scripture calleth them ordinarily Afterwardes also the Angell declareth more at large after what manner Saint Iohn came in the power and spirite of Elias signifying that hee ought to behaue himselfe and to doe as Elias had done in his time and as Malachy had foretolde of him Moreouer we haue in the Scripture other kindes of speaking that agree very fitly with this of the Angel so that the one may well serue to open the other For it is written of Moses that the Lorde did separate of the spirite that was vpon him and did put it vpon the seuentie ancient men whom he appointed vnder him to be an helpe and comfort vnto him in the gouernement of the people of Israel and when the spirite rested vpon them they prophecied continually Euery one knoweth that the spirite of Moses whereof the Lord speaketh is not his naturall spirite but that he meaneth by this spirite part of the gifts and graces which Moses had receiued of the Lord such as were necessary for their charge as likewise he gaue to Moses according to the charge committed to him Some also vnderstand this separation of the spirite of Moses to be onely a communication of the graces of the spirite of God like to those which Moses had receiued for his charge that was giuen to those who were ioyned vnto him for his helpe Nowe if wee take it in this sense we may say that God vseth this manner of speech the better to let vs vnderstand thereby the nature of his gifts and graces and the meanes hee obserueth in dispensing of them For hee doeth not onelie distribute so much as is needefull for them whome hee mindeth to employ in his woorke but giueth also vnto them such manner of graces as are requisite for the worke as Saint Paul testifieth Besides all this his purpose is also to teach vs what agreement there is betwixt all his giftes as likewise what vnitie proceedeth heereof betwixt them that are partakers of these gifts whereby wee may perceiue that they come all from one spirite which albeit God thereby powreth out his graces in so great abundance is yet a fountaine and sea that is not onely not dried vp but not so much as any way diminished Thus wee see howe one and the same Spirite of GOD gouerned Moses and the rest that were ioyned with him inspiring them all with his grace and distributing to euery one according to his measure as the winde is dispenced into many Organ-pipes all at once according to their seuerall capacitie and according to that sound which euery one is to yeelde for the making of a good harmony or as many Candles or Lampes are lighted by an other with the same fire wherewith that was first tined Also wee are to vnderstand in this sence the request that Eliseus made to Elias when hee demaunded a double portion of his Spirite because hee succeeded him in regarde whereof hee stoode in neede of such giftes and graces of Gods Spirite as Elias was guided by that hee might faithfully execute his charge as hee had done before Thus wee see howe places of Scripture expound one an other and howe little they help the Pythagoreans of whome I woulde not haue made so long a discourse if this foppery were driuen out of mens braines and namely among Christians For to this day there are too many fantasticall heades I say not amongest true Christians but amongest them that falsely beare that name who are as much or rather more infected heerewith then any Pythagoreans or Platonists in former times And for this cause AMANA I leaue you to goe on with this point that afterwardes wee may returne to our chiefe matter of the nature generation and immortalitie of the soule Of the Pythagoreans of these dayes amongst Christians and of their foolish opinions of the opinions of many doctors and diuines touching the creation and ordinary generation of mens soules of the moderation that ought to be kept in that matter of the cause of the filthinesse and corruption of mans soule Chap. 86. AMANA There was neuer yet any opinion errour or heresie so strange or monstrous in the world which hath not always found men enow to receiue it so that there were authours and masters to broach it abroad For God doeth thus punish the curiositie ingratitude malice and peruersenesse of men and that contempt of his word and trueth which is ordinarily in them together with the pleasure and delight they take in vanitie and lies Wherefore God through his iust iudgement deliuereth them vp into a reprobate sence insomuch as they can not but reiect the trueth continually and embrace that which is false according as he often threatned them and foretolde it by his Prophets and Apostles And this is the cause why the Pythagoreans do at this day find men voide of sense and vnderstanding who cleaue to their fantasticall opinions and why Epicures and Atheists are neuer without a great number of disciples Now albeit these men be in truth most blockish grosse beasts yet we cannot perswade them so nor many others also who imagin they know much For there are euen doctors and some that read lectures in Vniuersities who keepe not their opinion of the transmigration of soules so secret to themselues but they make some profession therof at lestwise amongst their schollers and familiar acquaintance There are some also who boasting of the knowlege of tongues of the turning ouer of many antiquities haue published this fancie of theirs in books written by them yea they themselues are perswaded and they would make others beleeue the same with them that their soules are the very soules of some famous personages that haue liued heretofore in the world that they haue alredy passed through many excellent bodies which haue done great things as likewise they promise to themselues that they shal bring to passe great matters seeing they haue their souls True it is that according to our maner of speaking we say sometimes of such as agree in manners with others who haue liued before them that their soules whom they resemble is entred into them that the others are raised vp in their persons For example sake if there be a cruel tyrant like to Nero we say that Neroes soule is entred into his body and that Nero is raised vp in him But yet euery one knoweth well enough that we vse to speake so by reason of the agreement of natures and of manners not because of any transmigration of soule And this may be spoken in respect of that Deuillish spirite which possesseth the wicked and ruleth in them as wee say of the Spirite of Gods
seruants in regarde of his vertue that it is giuen to such as resemble them and haue receiued the same graces from aboue For as the holy Spirite who wrought heeretofore in others worketh nowe also in them that haue receiued like grace euen so it is saide of that euill spirite in regarde of the wicked who are all led with the selfe-same spirite of Sathan Wherefore he doth such workes in them whome hee nowe possesseth as he wrought heeretofore in their predecessours So that in this sense it skilleth not though wee say that the spirite of one entreth into another who succeedeth him in the same wicked works But the Pythagoreans of whome I nowe speake take it not so but as hath bin already declared And to set the more colour vpon this so strange an opinion their prophanenesse is such that they dare to alleadge those places of Scripture which were spoken of in the former discourse whereby they labour to perswade themselues and others also with them that the worde of God confirmeth the same No doubt therefore but that they who haue yet such toyes in their head are not without others also yea there is no question but that there are wonderfull puddles of errours and of very strange heresies in their fantasticall braines so that they are ougly monsters among men and would be abhorred of euery one if that which they carry enclosed in their frantike heades might be seene with corporall eies But leauing this point wee are to returne to our principall matter into which we haue made some entrance namely the nature and originall the pollution purgation and immortalitie of the soule of man concerning which thing we haue heard the opinion of the Philosophers and of many that follow them Whereupon we haue to obserue this that notwithstanding any errour in opinion which they helde yet they alwayes came to this point that they concluded the immortalitie of the soule Nowe as touching the ancient Doctors of the Church and the late Diuines they haue written diuersly of the originall of mens soules and of their entrance into their bodies about which point there haue beene and are at this day great disputations and controuersies namely amongst the Physicions and the Diuines Some haue beene of that opinion touching the generation and beginning of the soule with the body whereof we haue already spoken But some restraine this to that soule which they call Vegetatiue and Sensitiue as hath bin shewed vnto vs others comprehend also the reasonable soule therewithall And besides that which wee haue spoken already touching originall sinne in the soule they ground themselues vpon that which is written in Genesis howe that after God had created man who was the last in the creation of all the creatures he rested the seuenth day from the worke which he had made after he had accomplished whatsoeuer it pleased him to doe Therefore they conclude that from that time forward God created not any newe creatures but hauing set such an order as it pleased him to appoint in the nature of things created he preserued the same afterwardes by his prouidence whereby he worketh alwaies in the guiding and conseruation of his creatures although not after that manner whereby he worketh in the creating of them And thus he rested in regarde of the worke of creation so as he created no more any creatures in such sort and maner as he did the first creatures in the beginning Neuerthelesse he rested not in respect of the worke of his prouidence which neuer ceaseth but daily createth all those creatures that come newly into the world by meanes of those seedes which he hath put into euery one of them according to their kindes and by other meanes which hee hath ordained to that purpose Hauing then laide this foundation they conclude that mens soules are not daily created of nothing nor in such maner as the soule of the first man was created but by that meanes which God then appointed for the preseruation of mankinde But because they knowe well enough that there is great difference betwixt the soules of men and of brute beasts they agree that God vseth other means in the procreation and producing of mens soules then in that of beasts by the concurring of his generall action whereby he sustaineth and preserueth the natures of all things according to that naturall disposition which he hath indued them with from the beginning agreeable to that which is written that In him we liue and mooue and haue our beeing Therefore as God vsed other meanes in the creation of the soule of man then he did in that of beastes and placed it also in the body of man after an other fashion that was speciall and peculiar vnto man euen so in the procreation and production of mens soules he hath his speciall order for them which differeth from the order vsed in the generation of the soules of beasts And indeede he sheweth very euidently that he ruleth after another fashion in the production of men and namely in regard of the soule then in that of beasts by the excellent gifts wherewith their soules are adorned not onely in that their soules doe farre exceede the soules of beasts but also in that one soule excelleth another in the nature of man as wee see it in many to whome God hath giuen heroicall spirites which are gifts that cannot proceede from the body And so much for the opinion of these men Others do not only deny the reasonable soule to be taken from any portion either of the diuine nature and essence or of the body of man but they say farther that God by his diuine power and vertue createth it of nothing after that the body of the infant is made perfect in the wombe of the mother hauing all the parts and members thereof And being thus created of God he presently placeth it within that body which he hath appointed for the lodging of it that it may dwel therein vntil after the death of the body it depart immortall out of it as it was created immortall and was so indeede when it entred thereinto These men ground themselues vpon that which we reade in Genesis where it is saide that after God had fashioned man of the dust of the earth he breathed into him the breath of life he was made a liuing soule For it appeareth plainely by this testimonie of Moses that the soule of the first man was not only not created together with the body as the soule of beasts was but also that it was giuen vnto him of some other nature and substance For if there were no more in it then in that of beasts and if it had no kinde of participation with the diuine nature why should God inspite it into the body of man after another fashion then he did that of beasts and what should that inspiration or breathing of God signifie and import Wee haue heard already what some answere vnto this For they
ought to depart and the place where they are to be receiued according to the estate of euery one euen vntill they returne into their bodies at the resurrection If they be soules of the reprobate they are deteined in Hel in eternall fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth if they be the soules of Gods elect they shine as the sunne in the kingdome of heauen in a life accompanied with perpetual ioy and happinesse But wee must vrge them better that require testimonie for the immortalitie of soules by their returne into this world or of some that haue come from another world For it is an easie matter for vs to bring them as credible witnesses as any can bee to tell them most certaine newes if they will beleeue them according as they deserue it And for the first haue wee not Iesus Christ who first came downe from heauen and became man to bring vs newes and to declare the same vnto vs in his owne person not onely before his death but also after his resurrection Besides how many other witnesses haue we that haue testified most certainly of the same who saw with their eyes and touched with their hands euen to the number of moe then fiue hundred according as Saint Paul testifieth Moreouer they that were raised as wel by him as by Elias and Elizeus and by the Apostles and disciples may they not serue vs also for good withnesse to assure vs not onely that soules are immortall but also that their bodies shall rise againe and that God is of sufficient vertue power to doe it as he hath promised I omit here the testimonie which the Angels haue giuen both of the resurrection and ascension of Iesus Christ besides that of the holy spirite which is the chiefest of all with signes and giftes wherewith he came accompanied and those woorkes and effectes that followed them Wherefore seeing wee haue for this point the worde of God that is most certaine cleere which teacheth vs what we ought to beleeue and hold let vs rest our selues in the testimonie thereof and not desire to make further inquiry For it is he that said to Moses I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob Whereupon Iesus Christ concludeth that Abraham Isaac and Iacob doe liue yet after their death seeing God is the God of the liuing and not of the dead that is to say of them that are yet in being and not of them that are nothing at all For otherwise if all men should so perish by death that nothing of them should remaine in life at leastwise in regard of the soule then should he be the God of nothing And although it seemeth that Iesus Christ alleaged this place against the Sadduces not onely to proue against them by the doctrine of Moses the immortality of soules but also the resurrection of bodies we may well gather that if it be fitte to proue that bodies arise it is much more strong to assure vs of the immortality of soules For when the Lord spake these words Abraham Isaac and Iacob were not aliue in regarde of their bodies but onely of their soules And yet Iesus Christ alleaged it to confirme also therby the resurrection of the dead although at the first sight it may seem not to be very fit firm to proue that so much as the immortality of soules But if it be narrowly looked into his argumēt shal be found to be very well deduced grounded vpon inuincible reason For Iesus Christ had respect to the promise which God made to those holy Patriarkes of whom he spake which was not made only to their soule but to the whole man together compounded of body soule Wherfore al they to whō it was made to whom it appertaineth should not haue the whole effect of it nor the ful fruition of that which it cōtaineth if they were not whole inheriters therof both in body soule For if it were otherwise the promise should be accomplished but in one part of man not in the whole man Wherupon it followeth that seeing the promise is not of a tēporal benefit but of an eternal therefore the whole man that must enioy the same must of necessitie liue an euerlasting life beeing of the same nature that the benefit is of which he must inherit Wherefore seeing the course of mans life is brokē off by death in regard of the body the body must necessarily rise again to liue again with his soule in a better longer life to the end that the whole man may possesse that inheritance which is promised him of God or els the promise made by God to his seruants is altogether vain or the testimony which the holy scripture beareth is wholly false so also the scripture that propoundeth the same vnto vs. But none may once think either of these two last points without great horror of blasphemy contained in thē So that the first point concludeth very strongly according to that groūd which it hath most certaine in the word of God Whereunto may be added further that seeing the soule of man is created not to liue alwaies without a body as the Angels do nor yet to wander from body to body but to be knit and ioyned to that body which is assigned to it of God it must needs be that being part therof as of her lodging she should once againe returne thither Besides seeing the body hath serued the soule either in obeying God or in disobeying of his wil the nature of Gods iusticerequireth that it should be rewarded also with the soule according to the qualitie of those workes whereof it hath bin an instrument Therefore according to that which we haue discoursed of this matter the resurrection of the body doth so depend of th'immortality of soules that it foloweth necessarily vpō this so that if we haue assurance of the one we ought to haue it of the other seeing both of them are certainely grounded vpō the iustice of God which cānot be iust vnlesse he iudge men both in body soule according to his word according as euery one liueth But seeing the matter of th'immortality of soules that of the resurrection of bodies are sundry questions and that wee are to handle but one of them we must returne to our first point of the soule touching th'immortality thereof which is easily beleeued of al that approue of the doctrine of holy Scriptures that giue credit to the word of God For they are throughly resolued therof Yea we may know by the writings of al antiquity that the common opinion of all people nations of what religion soeuer they haue bin hath bin this that mens soules were immortal Wherfore in regard of this point we are to fight only against Epicures Atheists And because they wil not beleeue the word of God but deride it as tales made vpō pleasure I am of opinion that now we