seeing he hath caused all Visible Beings to be designed for the Good Assistance Pleasure Recreation Happiness and Glory of Man Therefore at the first forming of Adam the Sacred Trinity proceed with Deliberation and act together with an extraordinary Care and Consultation Let us make Man after our own Image Man bears both in Body and Soul a lively Resemblance of the Unity and Trinity and the Relation that our Almighty God has to this great World For as this universal Spirit gives Life and Motion to every Member and Part and supports the whole Fabrick by an over-ruling Providence and a comprehensive Spirit thus the Soul is the first and only Principle that actuates governs and moves the Microcosm the Body and every Sense and Member being in the whole and entire in every Part. In the Godhead there is a Unity that admits of no Division an Omnipotent Spirit not subject to the Infirmities of Separation or Partition And is not the Soul or Spirit of Man in this Excellency the Representation of his Heavenly Maker It is a Unity not to be divided nor cut in parts it discovers it self in the whole Body and by its Operations in every Member produceth differing Acts according to the Diversity of the Organs In the Godhead we are informed by the Sacred Pen-men that there is a Trinity of Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Likewise in the Soul of Man we find three remarkable and distinct Faculties the Understanding the Will and the Memory which tho they be three Abilities or Powers are but one Soul or Spirit Of this Resemblance between God and the Soul Seneca seems to be sensible when he inquires Epist 32. Quid aliud voces Animum nisi Deum in humano corpore hospitem And St. Austin in his Treatise of the Trinity expresly confirms the Truth of this great Mystery by this Parallel with the Soul of Man Man therefore being the living Image of his Creator participates in some measure of the Excellency of that Eternal Being Who in all his Proceedings in relation to this Creature expresseth a high Esteem of him and of his Immortal Spirit For him he seems to have raised beautified and adorned this great Fabrick of the World putting all things in Subjection under his Feet and made him as it were a visible God to govern dispose of and command all the Creatures that inhabit the four Elements For him he hath kindled so many Glorious Lights in the Firmament above sending down from thence the continual Expressions of his Kindness and Goodness to Man For him the World is maintain'd and the Omnipotent Hand of Divine Providence supports and continues all things entire for the Completion of that appointed Number of Mankind design'd for Happiness from the Beginning by the Divine Wisdom And since Man hath wilfully forsaken his Maker and join'd himself in Rebellion with the Apostate Spirits God's Mercy hath not totally rejected him nor debarred him from a Return but on the contrary he invites him back to himself with the greatest and most endearing Expressions of Love Kindness and Esteem The Divine Mercy values the Souls of Men at so high a rate that it hath given an infinite Price to redeem them and employs the Agency of an Omnipotent Spirit to sanctify and prepare them for the noble Purposes for which they are design'd If the Souls of Men had not been full of Excellency and of a great Value would the Eternal Wisdom suffer the Son of God to forsake his Glory and stoop so low to fetch them out of the Depths of Everlasting Misery Would he have joined himself to this Being and took upon him our Human Nature Would he have thought no Pains nor Suffering too great to purchase them to himself Would he have opened for them the Treasuries of Immortality to enrich them and commission'd his Holy Spirit to polish and purify them from the Remains of Corruption Would the Glories of the Heavenly Mansions be preparing to receive these Souls and the Blessed Spirits Above attend to conduct us in our Passage thither were there nothing in us worthy of so great Love Care Expence and Labour It plainly appears therefore by the actings of Divine Wisdom and the proceedings of the Spiritual Beings who in reason ought to be well acquainted with the real value of the Spirit of Man that it is of a Divine Excellency and far more worth than the whole World seeing they have no such regard for any created Being besides as for this visible Governour of the Universe If therefore Man's Soul is a Jewel of such extraordinary Worth if God and the Superiour Beings have for it so great an Esteem certainly Man should have no less for this better part of himself However it is a Madness to prostitute the Interest of the noblest Part to the Lusts Follies and Corruption of the vilest and prefer the deceitful momentary and counterfeit Satisfactions of the Body to the real and everlasting Advantages of the Soul A Weakness not excusable in a Rational Being And if the Abuse of so Divine a Part of our selves be Criminal the Neglect is Hainous Remember O Man that this Rich and Spiritual Jewel is by the Divine Wisdom committed to thy Care and recommended to thy Endeavours to be polished and fitted for the adorning the Heavenly Sanctuary above As there are divers Imperfections that belong to it in the present State which render it incapable of so high an Advancement and which must of necessity be first removed by our Religious Practices so there are several Ornaments Excellencies and Improvements requisite before it can expect so great an Honour It is not possible to leap from our vile and mean Condition of Sin and Corruption to the Enjoyment of the Presence of a Holy God without a due Preparation or in a moment of Time We are to draw near by degrees and labour to attain to those Endowments of the Mind that may predispose and recommend our Souls for the Heavenly State There is nothing created in a condition of an absolute Perfection but in a possibility to be advanced higher to be encreased enlarged and enriched with greater Perfections Chiefly the Intelligent Beings who have Abilities and Faculties granted to them for that very purpose by our wise Creator it is certainly their duty to answer this end of their Creation to study the Improvement of their Natures and labour in this Life to draw nearer to Perfection which tho it be not attainable till we be admitted to the Vision of our God nevertheless it is both our Duty and Interest to approach as near as we can to that Blessed State and prepare the Abilities of our Souls for that Glorious End And tho all Gifts Graces and Improvements of our Nature proceed from God as the Apostle affirms that is from the Assistance of his Holy Spirit and Divine Bounty from the Concurrence of his over-ruling Providence and apparent Benediction from the secret Actings of his Grace
and Wisdom that influences our Wills and Endeavours yet we are not to be sluggish and idle But as we come into the World with active Abilities we are in all reason obliged to employ them and make them instrumental in procuring our own Good Nay we are to seek and endeavour this Improvement and not wholly to depend on the favourable Will and Blessings of our Maker But of all Improvements those of the Spiritual part of Man are chiefly to be minded because our present and future Happiness will thereupon depend because such Improvements are not subject to the Casualties of the Body nor cannot easily be taken from us by Violence or Death but as this excellent Being is Immortal all the Ornaments and Perfections acquired to it do accompany it into another State and are not changeable without our Wills and contrary Endeavours How soon are the Excellencies of the Body destroyed and 〈◊〉 the Gifts of God and Nature humbled in the Dust together with all our Labours to imbellish and adorn this outward part of our Selves made the Sport and Food of the vilest Worms But the precious Souls of Men with the Graces and Vertues that enrich them are not so quickly spoiled they are to continue with that Heavenly Substance and to abide with it for ever Death the great Destroyer of God's Works can't separate those Perfections from the Souls with which God's Blessings and our Endeavours have enrich'd them For this Noble Part as well as the Body is capable of great Improvement The latter grows and encreases by degrees in the use of the ordinary Methods appointed by God in Nature Thus the Soul with every Faculty is to be enlarged increased and advanced to Perfection by the means prescribed to us by the Divine Wisdom The Understanding is to be enriched with an increase of Prudence Wisdom and Knowledg the Will of Man with the Habits of Moral and Christian Vertues Thus ought the other Faculty of the Soul called the Memory to be enlarged increased and imbellished To this purpose St. Bernard hath an excellent Saying Dilatari oportet animam ut fiat habitatio Dei Sup. Cant. Serm. 28. For that intent our wise Creator hath appointed in his Church the use of his Word and Ordinances hath ordered his inspired Prophets and Apostles to deliver to us the Sacred Mysteries of our Religion and the most Heavenly Directions that we may grow in Grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3. 18. And for the same purpose our good God hath opened to us the Books of Nature and Providence that we might continually read study and understand the Secrets of his Divine Wisdom and draw nearer to the Perfections of the Mind unto which we shall never attain till we are admitted to the Vision of God Now this precious Jewel is by the Philosophers defined Forma substantialis corporis viventis per quam vivimus sentimus nutrimur intelligimus loco movemur The substantial Form of our living Body by which we live are sensible nourished understand and move from place to place Aristotle tells us it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the living organized Body 'T is altogether Spiritual and proceeds from the immediate Agency of our wise God Creator and Preserver of all things who at the time of Conception and Formation of the Body when the Parts and Organs are duly prepared and fitted to receive this Heavenly Guest creates it without any Concurrence or Assistance of the Parents Witness the Words of the Ecclesiastes chap. 12. vers 7. That at the Dissolution the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it And it is observable in this Excellent and Spiritual Being here are divers Faculties which are either natural vital or animal by which the Soul in conjunction with the Body produces divers Functions and Actions of Life The Natural Faculty is that Power of the Soul by which the Body assisted by the natural Heat and Food is nourished grows and produces acts of Generation The Vital Faculty is that by which the Vital Spirits are engendered in the Heart and Life is preserved in the whole Body The Animal Faculty is likewise that Power of the Soul by which a Man is sensible moves and performs the principal Functions which are Imagination Reason and Memory which indeed are the chief Functions of the reasonable Soul We must here take notice of a considerable difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anima and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritus Indeed the Divine Oracles make use of both Words to express the same Spiritual Being as in Matth. 10. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell This same Soul is named the Spirit in the last Prayer of the Proto-Martyr Acts 7. 59. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Therefore the Soul and the Spirit in the Scripture-Language signifies that same Spiritual Being that enlivens moves and governs this dull Mass of the Body which cannot be destroyed by the Malice of Men and which at the Separation is received into an Estate of Bliss by our great Saviour and the Holy Angels his ministring Spirits Yet if we examine some other Passages of Holy Writ we shall meet with a Distinction not Essential but Accidental In 1 Thess 5. 23. St. Paul desires that their whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved blameless unto the Appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ And the Author to the Hebrews Chap. 4. v. 12. declares That the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit Interpreters differ something in the Exposition of these two Passages Mr. Calvin understands by the Soul the Will and its Affections and by the Spirit the Understanding and all its Gifts which Interpretation seems to be weak and not answering the Scope of the Words Others and amongst the Antient Fathers not a few tell us by the Soul is meant the Sensual and Animal Part of Man and by the Spirit the more refined and more sublime Part the Intellect and its Perfections This Interpretation in my Judgment draws nearest to the meaning of the Apostle but we must take heed of a gross Error contrary to all Reason and Philosophy of some of them who make Man to be composed of three Parts Body Soul and Spirit and multiply Beings without Necessity The Spirit given by God to enliven move and govern this Body is but one and hath all the Abilities granted to it which they ascribe to two distinct Substances it hath the Power to govern the Senses as it is united to the Body and as it withdraws it self from the Senses it performs all Spiritual Operations Therefore this Gloss which is designed by them to solve the difficult Question about the Descent of Christ into Hell in my Opinion
Ability Reach and Frailty that we may take Measures accordingly for the loading of our Memory too much may be as prejudicial to it as the taking of too heavy a Burden upon our Shoulders will be to our Body and Loins for it will wrong the Faculty it self and disinable it from further Service Besides the Ignorance of our own Weakness may expose us to the Shame and Laughter of the World when we shall presume to undertake what we cannot well perform And as it is with a Man's Stomach when it is filled cramm'd more than Nature will bear no Digestion can possibly be there and instead of strengthning the Body the Health is impaired and a shameful Disorder happens So 't is with the Memories of Men they must not be too much loaded nor burdened with more than they can well bear according to the Saying of Horace Sumite Materiam vestris qui scribitis aequam Viribus c. 13. If we are to study any Liberal Art or Science it becomes us for the better Encouragement of our Memories and for a more firm Retention of the Doctrines and Principles to comprehend the Sense Meaning and Reasonableness of them before we commit them to their Custody What we understand is our own and cannot easily be forgotten Reason is an excellent Confirmation of Memory when it is concerned in that Employment for whilst our reasoning Faculty continues we shall never forget what it hath formerly approved of as agreeing with its internal Principles 14. And if we are to speak in publick it will be a great Advantage to Memory that we perfectly understand the Matter and Business in question that we are fully acquainted with the Argument Mystery or Theme that we treat of that we have search'd and studied all that may be alledged for or against it and have continually a prospect of all that may be said upon the Subject For in case Memory should be interrupted disturbed or fail it will not be difficult then to recover our selves to proceed on and if we have any thing of Invention we may supply the Defect of Memory by our former Knowledg however 't is a great Assistance to it to remember all the Particulars and the continued Series of Discourse when we thus understand perfectly the Subject and are no Novices in the Matter that we are publickly to deliver 15. When we betake our selves to our Study or offer to exercise our Memory by the delivery of a Discourse we must observe what hath been said before to be useful for the assisting of Memory and endeavour to avoid what is prejudicial as Gluttony Drunkenness Debauchery c. 16. Set aside all other Occupations and Employments and chiefly those troublesome Passions of the Mind that will not suffer us to enjoy our selves as Anger Wrath Envy Revenge Lust Covetousness Alarms Fears c. for when the Mind is totally taken up with such uneasy Guests 't is not possible to employ it about the Functions of Memory according to the old Proverb Pluribus intentus minus est ad singula sensus 17. A convenient time is to be chosen for the Exercise of Memory for all Seasons and Times are not proper nor is the Mind ready disposed always for an Activity We must therefore chuse such a time as we know our selves to be best able to retain the Things that we hear and read Neither are all Tempers alike but commonly when we are fasting or after a moderate Repast or in the Night-season or in the Morning most Men are best prepared for the Exercise of their Memories and to receive the Impressions and Ideas 18. But one Rule more I must add which I look upon to be the chief To seek from God by our devout and constant Prayers both the Continuance and Increase of our Memories For I must confess that 't is a particular Gift and Favour of our great Creator who hath bestowed upon us such a Natural Ability As therefore it depends upon his Bounty 't is from thence that we must expect its Perfection and Welfare And tho by Art we may remove what is prejudicial to it and help in some respect the Faculty tho we may prescribe Rules for the Practice of Memory yet all our Endeavours will prove vain and ineffectual without a Blessing from above which we must strive to obtain by our Humility and Devotion being the ordinary Means appointed by the Divine Wisdom for the getting and increasing of all Temporal and Spiritual Blessings Neither are we to doubt of gracious Returns to our Requests for we have this Assurance from the Sacred Oracle If you that are evil know how to give good things to your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him God hath reserved to himself the bestowing of all Spiritual Gifts and this of Memory proceeds from him not only the Faculty but likewise the Practice depends very much upon his immediate Influence for Experience may inform us that we have often an inward Assistance granted to our Petitions to comfort and help the Weakness of our Memories in divers occasions chiefly where the Interest of Religion and his Honour is concerned as in the publick delivery of his Word and Will to his People It becomes us therefore in all such Instances not to rely or presume too much upon our own Strength or Ability but lean and trust upon the All-sufficiency of the Holy Spirit who will never be wanting to them who earnestly and heartily implore his gracious Assistance in time of Need. CHAP. VIII Rules to be observed to help our Remembrance of things that we desire to preserve in Mind THE Multiplicity of Ideas and Matters that we commit to our Memories will sometimes cause the most Capacious to forget things of the greatest Importance For the better assisting therefore this Faculty to call to our Remembrance such Objects these Rules are to be observed 1. Mind the Order in which those things were first entered into our Memories for the things that precede will oblige us to think upon those that followed and the Consequences of things will refresh in our Fancies that which went before It becomes us therefore to record them in order with a Connexion and a mutual Dependance and this Order will direct our Memories and help them to find out such things as were lost and defaced by Forgetfulness Therefore a wise Man tells us Quae bene invicem ordinata sunt benè reminiscibilia sunt quae vero malè difficulter in Memoriam revocantur The Things that are in good order are easily to be remember'd but those that are without Method or Order cannot without much difficulty be recalled to mind 2. For the better remembring of things we ought to compare them with those things with which we are familiar or best acquainted and that have a Resemblance with them either in Syllables in Quantity in Office Employment c. For this Similitude will certainly imprint the Thing or