not of man Certaine it is there is a truth if we could find it For God will prove himselfe true Rom. 3.4 though every man be a lyar and therefore if any mistake be the fault is in our selves This I hold as one principle Againe looke what God hath spoken in his Word the same he hath wrought in the world he doth not say one thing and doe another but his word his works agree and this I hold as a second principle Lastly I doubt not but in this controversall age God is about to refine the Christian Religion and to reveale secrets that have beene hitherto hidden and seeing many other mysteries are daily cleared why should not this also seeing that God which giveth an heart to undertake can give power to performe let men say thinke what they will I shall not therefore faile through his assistance to doe my best indeavour Curiositie to be avoided Two extreames notwithstanding I confesse are in this matter to be avoided Curiosity and Negligence First Curiositie It is strange how mans nature is affected to noveltie so divine a thing is knowledge that even innocency it selfe was ambitious of it it cost Adam a fall as we know Deut. 29.29 Neverthelesse secret things belong to God and onely things revealed to us and our children Where God hath not a tongue to speake we may not have an eare to heare when he is sparing in revealing we must be sparing in enquiring Gen. 2.17 forbidden fruit may not be tasted and when God hath set us limits Exod. 19.12 we may not passe our bounds least we die Being creatures we must submit our selves to our Creator and if we will be Christians faith must satisfie where reason cannot And good reason there is it should be so both for our humiliation and trial To humble us when we shall see our reason non-plust even in matters of greatest consequence and to try our faith in mounting above reason when it shall appeare that wee rely more upon Gods word then our own fancy Now that the soule is immortall and that all men are stained with originall sinne are things most certaine for the Scripture plainly affirmes them And if the originall of the soule be doubtfull yet even reason teacheth that it is altogether madnesse to reject a certaine truth for uncertaine Justly therefore is their curiosity to be condemned who are wondrous inquisitive to know whence the soule came but care not at all whither it goes Indeed desiring to see cause of doubting in the one that they may have the more libertie to be carelesse in the other Cautions to be observed Yet is not this so to be understood as if we were not to seeke after any thing but that which is manifest in the Scripture for so we shall not need to seeke at all Neither is every question curious which may seem to be so but that indeed is a curious question which is either needlesse or not revealed Nor how needfull this present question about the soules originall is no man doubteth the onely quaere is whither it be revealed or no and indeed many thinke it is not But besides that all things are not revealed at once we must know that God reveales things two wayes either by his word or by his works Now as many things are not to be found in the booke of the creatures are yet manifest in the booke of the Scriptures So many things that are not mentioned in the word are yet manifest in the works of God It is our dutie therefore to search both But divine things are to be sought especially in the former and naturall as this is in the latter yet still comparing both together If therefore this truth can be found in either then it is revealed neither can we say it is a secret untill both be throughly searched And because there is a depth in both past finding out therefore we must exercise our selves in them day and night and never leave searching I meane for things needfull so long as the world endureth and in this cause where God is sparing in revealing it is to make us the more diligent in searching and enquiring For as Curiositie on the one hand so negligence on the other is also to be avoided And not onely in regard of those fundamentall doctrines which doe so neerly depend upon it the overthrowing of which would overturne all Religion but also in regard of the godly themselves both to stay their minds in this wavering age and to cut off those doubts and unbeseeming motions which through Sathans malice and our owne corruption are too apt to arise even in the hearts of Gods best children and lastly to stop the mouths of wicked men and Atheists who are ready upon all occasions to blaspheme GOD and make a mocke of Religion For the shunning of such difficulties as these under a colour of modesty and to avoid curiosity or the like gives them occasion of suspition that there is some secret fraud which we are afraid to discover in all points of controversie therefore so much as is maniâ—â—st in the word I certainly beleeve though reason seemes against it and withall I know that it is not for me to question the doctrine but to blame mine owne ignorance and so set my selfe to search not because I doubt but because I doe beleeve the truth And this we may and must performe as well for our owne satisfaction as the edification of others Neither may the difficulty discourage us but rather whet on our diligence so much the more wherin for our comfort so long as we maintaine that the soule is so produced whither immediately from God or mediately from man that it is of an immortall nature and yet stained with originall sin according to the Scriptures what ever we determine of the manner we are out of danger of heresie though perhaps subject to error Neither yet may the feare of being censured for presumption or curiositie hinder the sober search of it which though it cannot justly for the former reasons yet can hardly be avoided not onely because some lazy persons would gladly free themselves of that labour by calling it curious but also considering the intricate nicenesse of it which is such indeed as may seeme to be handled curiously and yet without curiositie yea curiousnesse it selfe is no curiositie in such a curious though necessary question Wherefore taking Philosophy on the one hand and Divinitie on the other hand to leade me craving the light of Gods Spirit to direct me I will set my selfe unto it resolving so God may be glorified not much to care who is offended CHAP. II. Whether the originall of the Soule may be perfectly knowne in this life BUt before I proceede any further I must preadmonish my Reader not to thinke to attaine perfect knowledge herein in this life nor yet to thinke it strange that he cannot For how doe we thinke it is possible
whereof it was first made so the soule returnes to God from whom it first came but that was immediately from Adam so therefore is this The next proofe is taken from the words of God by the Prophet Isay 5. Isai 57.16 I will not ever contend with man for the spirit will faile before me and the soules which I have made which some doe thus expound If I should straightly marke what is done amisse and severely punish your sinnes then not onely the bodies which yee have received from your parents but even the soules which I have immediately created and infused into your bodies would also perish but who seeth not that there is more in the exposition than in the Text. If indeed this were a truth manifest in the Scripture it might happily be so understood but this being the thing we question ought first to be proved which cannot be from this place for the word translated soule signifieth breath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and somtimes any creature that hath breath and so the meaning is those whom he made to live and breath would faile and dye which the soule cannot doe and therefore it cannot he meant of that Neither would it follow that because he made them therefore he made them immediately of nothing and so the question remaineth still unanswered Againe 6. Ezek 18.4 God saith by the Prophet Ezekiel Behold all soules are mine c. But is little to the purpose for here by soule is meant the whole person for so it followeth in the next words The soule that sinneth shall dye What shall the soule only be punished and not the whole person rather Besides if every soule be created of nothing because it is Gods then so should the body be for that also is his There is yet another place alledged out of the old Testament 7. Zach. 12.1 to prove this which as it seemes to me is clearly against it namely that of the Prophet Zachary where it is said Thus saith the Lord which stretcheth forth the heavens and layeth the foundations of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within him if it be formed by the Lord then not by man say some But that followes not for it may be by both And therfore Augustine well answereth it is not denyed but God formeth every mans soule but the question is whereof whether of the substance of the parents soules or of nothing But it is objected that the scope of the place is to comfort the Church by setting forth the omnipotent power of God Be it so if then we admit an immediate act of Gods power herein which I graunt the scope of the place is answered and yet the soule not immediately created Againe it is manifest the two former sentences have relation to the first creation for God doth not now either stretch forth the heavens or lay the foundation of the earth and therefore why should not the latter also seeing it is apparent he created the first soule immediately of nothing but wee doe not reade that he created ever any other so since Lastly it is to be noted that the text saith not the Lord createth but the Lord formeth the spirit of man c. and where did ever forming signifie creating of nothing de hoc postea To this purpose 8. Ioh. 5.15 though to small purpose some doe also produce that saying of our Saviour My Father worketh hitherto and I worke as if by this working he meant the daily creating of soules but his meaning was not in the creatioÌ„ of new things but in the preservation of the old and not so much in the preservatioÌ„ of nature as in the propagation of grace For indeed it is not the government of the world but the regiment of the Church that our Saviour speaks of in that place not ordinary operations in the course of nature but miraculous workes in the promulgation of the Gospel as the words both before and after doe manifest And though it be true that God and Christ too being essentially one doe cause all these things that are done naturally for he is the Author of Nature yet he is not properly said to worke that which nature worketh because he is therefore said to rest because he hath committed these things unto nature Some also would seeme to wring it out of the words of the Poet Aratus 9. Acts 17.28 cited by St. Paul Wee are the off-spring of God For such weak proofes as these must serve where better is wanting which poverty does indeede more weaken and discredit the case than any way confirme the same For his meaning is onely that wee are of a divine nature by reason of that spirituall and immortall soule that is in us but how wo come by it whether by creation or propagation neither did Paul here purpose to speake nor the Poet ever dispute But most of all 10. Heb. 12 9 and most worthily of all is that of the Apostle to the Hebrewes urged and indeed almost all the rest have no inference at all to the purpose and this no necessitie nor as we shall see no just probabilitie the wards are these If wee â—ad Fathers four bodies that corrected us and wee gave them reverence shall wee not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live Whence they collect that earthly parents propagate the body onely and God creates the soule of every man immediately But for Answer Answer first of all Beza whose judgement is i. e. is to be reverenced rendreth the sense of this place thus If all men yeeld this right to naturall parents to whom next to God we owe this life that they may rightfully correct their children shall we not be much more subject to our heavenly Father who is the Author of our spirituall and everlasting life And indeed what els can be the meaning For if in the next place we consider the scope it is to perswade to the patient suffering of afflictions and not to teach the originall of the soule Againe if wee examine the words we shall finde that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flesh for so it should be translated and not bodyes cannot be meant of the body without the soule for parents doe not correct a carkasse Secondly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of spirits is not to be understood of a soule without a body for God is the father of mens bodies too and not of the soule alone and lastly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chasticers as the parents are called signifies such a chastisement as when instruction is joyned with correction but there can be no such correction of the body without a soule a castigation being of an understanding man and not of a body onely and as the word so the Antithesis makes it apparant that the Apostle in this place makes mention of a twofold castigation the one carnall the other spirituall so that not soule and body
of the soules of the parents or of his own essence they being neither bodies nor Angels but the latter is impossible and therefore it must needs be the former Againe the Prophet saith not without him as if it were first made and then infused but within him So that in saying the Lord formeth the spirit of man within him he doth evidently declare 1. Of matter that there is some matter within man whereof the Lord formeth the soule than which what in so few words can so fitly and fully expresse the manner of the soules propagation being formed in conception of the spirituall matter of the parents soules by the power and vertue of the seede in generation And yet not meerely by the power of nature for in the last place it is to be observed that he saith the Lord formeth it For he indeed is the externall efficient the nature of the soule being of that height that without an immediate act of his providence it cannot be produced Whence it is that in the production of the soule though it be not a creation it is as neere to a creation as can be and though it be by propagation yet it is not meerly by propagation but some way above it and so it is in a manner a kinde of meane betweene creation and propagation For according to these words of the Prophet the soule is formed of the spirituall matter of the parents soules within the conceived fruit not without the omnipotent power of God So that by all these testimonies it appeareth I thinke sufficiently that this doctrine went currant in the time of Adam Abraham Moses David and the Prophets and I beleeve never was once questioned in those first ages of the world CHAP. XIV Testimonies out of the new Testament proving the soules propagation THis doctrine is no lesse if not much more clearely revealed and fully confirmed in the new Testament also 1. S. Paul For first the Apostle Saint Paul saith as plainly as can be that all men in their whole persons both were in Adam and sinned in him Death saith he passed by one man upon all men in whom all sinned Where he maketh no such division of soule and body one from one place and another from another as men have now invented but he saith plainly the whole man Rom. 5.12 yea all men who consist of soules I am sure as well as bodyes were in Adam yea and sinned in him too which is absurd to say and impossible to be without soules What would we yea what can we have more plainly spoken Is it not then high presumption to say no worse of it for men thus to sever what God hath joyned together without apparent warrant from his word how much more then in this for which it is confessed there is no warrant there at all And yet least any man should be mistaken as thinking the whole man may well enough be said to be in Adam though not in other of our parents by I know not what imaginary imputation because he was the stocke of all mankinde or rather of the bodyes of all mankinde the holy Ghost I say foreseeing our aptnesse to erre to take away all exception saith the very same concerning other Fathers also The Author to the Heb. Heb. 7.1 as that Levi together with all his sonnes was yet in the loynes of his Father grandfather yea and great grand-father Abraham when Melchisedeck men him and which is more paid tithes in him So that by the testimony of the Apostle Vâ—rs â— Abrakam is to be reckoned in the number of those that did propagate the whole man soule and body together and for that cause paid tithes for his posteritie while they were yet in his loynes And if Isaaâ— Jacob and the whole tribe of Levi were once in the loynes of Abraham we need not doubt but we were all in like manner once wholly in Adam and consequently are now wholly propagated from him 2. The Angell Gabrell Againe that we may not deny it unlesse we will deny Christ and our owne salvation The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ as concerning his humanitie was the sonne of the virgin Mary and so of David his Father for so said the Angell Gabrell being sent unto her Luk 1.31 32. Thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne and againe the Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David Neither is it sufficient to say his body came from them for the Apostle plainly affirmeth Rom. 1.3 that he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh Where flesh is figuratively put for his whole humanity both soule and body as themselves confesse Per syâ—ocdochâ—n Neither can it be denyed for it is there opposed to his Divinitie as the words immediately following doe manifestly declare and all Interpreters acknowledge Whence it necessarily followeth that the soul of our Saviour was the seede of David even the fruit of his loynes as well as his body 3. S. Peter Act. 2.30 as St. Peter witnesseth for since the holy Ghost affirmeth it why should we feare to do it yea why should we not feare to doe otherwise Is it not safer to follow such a guide than to run a way by our selves for which we have no warrant And seeing as the Apostle elsewhere affirmeth Heb. 4.15 He was made like unto us in all things except sinne why should wee make any doubt but it is so with us also as it was with him Especially considering the whole currant and full streame of the Scriptures run this way even from the beginning And not onely concerning him as where it is said Gen. 3.15 22.18 the Seede of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head and in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Gen. 5.10.11 as we heard before but also all other places speaking of his or our generation comprehends both soule and body under the name of seede 1 Chron. 1 2 3 c. Mat. 1. Luk. 2. Mat. 19.6 without any exception making the soule no lesse the seede of man than the body and the body no more than the soule and neither of them more or lesse propagation than the other and this throughout the whole Scripture without any the least word to the contrary And therefore I say againe let no man dare to seperate what God hath so joyned together 4. Our Saviour himselfe Lastly Unlesse we will make God the Author of sin and consequently deny God that made us we must confesse the truth of this doctrine proved from those words of our Saviour where speaking both of the naturall and the new birth of man he saith Ioh. 3.6 That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Whence I reason thus If the soule were immediately created by God it should not be flesh that is corrupt and
he might well have bin propagated without sin But the assumption that this could not be is no lesse apparent if for no more but this that if it could no question it should For God and nature doe nothing in vaine and wee cannot deny the truth of that saying Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora So that either this extraordinary worke of the holy Ghost was in vaine or else Christs soule was not immediately created 6. The confession of the adversaries Lastly For the confirmation hereof I will only adde one reason more taken from the reasoning of the Adversaries unto this Doctrine who therefore prove the holy Ghost not to be Christs father though he overshadowed the Virgin because the matter of his humanitie was not from the holy Ghost but from the Virgin From whence I might conclude First That Christs soule comes not immediately from God for then the greatest part of his humanitie should have beene from the holy Ghost because all externall workes of God are common to each person in Trinitie Secondly 2. That his soule was taken from the Virgin for they say his humanitie was whereof I am sure the soule is the principall part yea that without which it cannot be humanitie But that which I doe especially conclude from hence is that if the holy Ghost cannot be Christs father because he gave not the matter of his humanitie Christ cannot be the son of Adam nor David according to the promise no nor the son of man and so no Saviour unlesse he receive the matter of his humanitie whereof the soule is the chiefe part from them And herein indeed they speake the truth for it is impossible to be a naturall father to that whereunto we give not the whole matter yea and forme too as wee shall see when wee come to the rules of nature which God hath instituted and from whence the truth of this is also to be fetched How Christ was true man I conclude therefore that Christs whole humanitie both soule and body was traduced from Adam that is deduced out of his substance though not after the common manner but seperated from the person of the Virgin onely by the miraculous worke of the holy Ghost which useth to be takē from both sexes in ordinary generation And though a soule cannot by the power of nature be produced of one soule no more than a body yet it being performed by supernaturall power it is a true soule no lesse than the body is a true body and both together makes a true man no lesse than Eve was a true woman whom Adam called bone of his bone Gen. 2.23 and flesh of his flesh even his other selfe-woman although shee was taken onely out of man For that which the Apostle spake in a spirituall sense is true also litterally that Wee are members of his body of his flesh of his bones Eph. 5.30 consequently so is he of ours which could not be if he had not the true nature of man though taken out of a woman onely as well as Eve who was made onely of a man yea much more because she was immediatly made perfect at the first and he conceived of seede formed nourished and brought forth by degrees like unto us in all things excepting onely the manner of his first conception that so he might be free from sin And here let us stay a little to behold and wonder at the admirable correspōdency yea double concordancy in the four-fold production of mankinde to wit in Adam and us Eve and Christ immediately and mediately after this manner A double harmony in the four-fold productiō of mankinde Adam made immediately without man or woman Other men mediately both of man and woman Eve partly both waies of man and woman Christ also both wayes of no man but woman Thus by the same authoritie that they would prove our soules created of nothing Conclusion because Christs was I can prove they were not because his was not yea by so much more as there are abundance of Scripture and reasons to confirme this and none of all for but against that CHAP. XXIII That Christs humanitie was never clensed from sinne The puritie of Christs Incarnation COncerning the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ it is cōmonly said that the holy Ghost did sanctifie a part of the Virgins substance which was then assumed by the divine nature to make the person of Christ Which words must be warily interpreted and wisely understood for by a part we are not to understand a part of her body onely but of her whole person aswell soule as body whereof his humanitie was formed and by sanctifying we are not to imagine cleansing it from sin but only the consecrating it to this holy purpose and endowing it with gifts fitting such a divine union The former is already proved namely that his whole humanitie both soule and body was taken from the substance of the Virgin and the latter how thus it could be free from sin wee are now to shew For the ground whereof I will first prove 1. that it was not cleansed from sin 2. and then shew how he could be incarnate without sin The former I will prove first 1. because it could not be sinfull and secondly 2. if it had beene sinfull it could never have beene sanctified That Christs humanitie was not sinfull The first that that part of the Virgins substance which was assumed by the divine nature was never sinfull may appeare First Because all substances as they are meere substances were created by God exceeding good have their dependance on him yea even the substance of the devils themselves Secondly Meere substāce cannot possibly be capable of sinne because that cannot be without a personall subsistence knowledge and will to encline and move it selfe to good or evill which meere substance simply considered cannot doe whether it be of the soule or body Thirdly Sin is not essentiall to the nature of man but onely an accident or evill qualitie cleaving to the person of him in whom it is and so cannot properly be said to the substance of mans nature Fourthly Even evill affections and actions themselves though they be so called are not simply sinfull but the man that commits them For not the matter of the action which proceeds from God but the will and intent of the doer makes it to be sinfull Now if those be not much lesse can the bare substance of man be sinfull but onely the man whose substance it is Fifthly If every part of mans substance should be sinfull then it followes that the haires upon our heads are even infected with it and much more such abortives as perish before the soules infusion and consequently must all rise at the day of Judgement againe to suffer without Christs sarisfactiō infinite punishments None therefore is to be accounted sinfull but onely that