reines 2. Psal 139.13.15.16 thou hast covered me in my mothers wombe My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in a secret place and curiously wrought as in the lowest parts of the earth thine eyes did see my masse or whole substance yet being imperfect and in thy booke all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them To omit the omission although it is very unlikely that Job and David here describing so precisely the manner of mans conception breeding bringing forth into the world wherein Gods power wisdome 〈◊〉 1. â—â— and goodnesse is most of all to be magnified should pretermit that wonderfull worke of the creation c infusion of the soule if it had beene knowne and beleeved in their dayes this onely I would know how if the soule be immediately created by God they could so pereÌ„ptorily without any exception or limitation affirme that the whole man was formed in the wombe powred out as milke curdled like cheese c. which that they both joyntly affirme will plainly appeare if we coÌ„sider these three things Man or me secret place and masse or substance For the first it is manifest they doe not herein speake of their owne persons onely as being a matter proper to them alone but in this they ranke themselves with all mankinde so as man here signifies all mankinde male and female as Moses uses the word soule and body Gen. 1.27 5.1.2 and one as well as the other When therefore they both expresly affirme that man is conceived in the wombe it followeth that all men and womens soules have heir originall together with their bodyes As for the terme secret place it signifieth the wombe of the mother where the childe is conceived which is expresly named where he saith thou hast covered me in my mothers wombe therefore when David saith he was woÌ„derfully formed in a secret place he intimateth that the conception of the whole man is made in the wombe Lastly the word masse or substance which he addeth afterwards makes it yet more manifest for it signifieth all whatsoever is in man which is also proved by the words that follow after for he saith that this whole masse or substance of man which is formed in the wombe was described in the booke of Gods providence and who dare deny but soule as well as the body was from all eternitie knowne unto the providence of God for it is not meant of the members of the body only but according to the true meaning of the words in the originally all things whatsoever in man is brought forth in continuance of time which before was not So that from these Scriptures I conclude thus If whole man with his whole masse or substance be conceived in the wombe of his mother then his rationall soule together with his body is propagated out of or by vertue of the seede But whole man together with his whole masse or substance is conceived in the wombe of his mother therefore the rationall soule together with the body is brought forth by vertue and power of the seede 9. Davids confession Ninthty Like unto these also is that other speech of the Prophet David where he confesseth that not his body onely but he himselfe both soule and body was conceived in sin So are his words Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sin did my mother conceive me Whence it appeareth not onely that the whole man is conceived in the wombe but that he is bred and borne in sin yea corrupt and sinfull even from the very first conception which as wee shall afterward see could not possibly be if the soule were immediately created by God And least we should not take knowledge of this or knowing if think it more strange than true he setteth before it this speciall note of observation Behold as being a matter worthy to be knowne and beleeved of all men Jeremies approbation Tenthly The Prophet Jeremy likewise or rather the Lord by the Prophet speaketh thus Before I formed thee in the wombe I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the wombe I sanctified thee Whence also it appeareth not onely that the whole man the soule as well as the body is formed in the wombe but also that the soule is present and in some sanctified by grace as all are corrupt by nature even from the beginning for so it may well be understood that Jeremy was sanctified Luk. 1.15.41 as John Baptist also was with the gifts of the holy Ghost even from his mothers wombe yea before he was borne even from the time of his first forming in the wombe And seeing such sanctification and speciall knowledge of God cannot be ascribed to a body without a soule it will follow that as all are sinfull and some in part sanctified even from the very conception neither of which can be without a soule so all doe receive both soule and body together at the very first conception 11. Salomons resolution Eleventhly Hereunto may be added that of Salomon which was before alledged to prove the contrary where he saith Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was Eccl. 12.7 and the spirit shall return to God that gave it That is at death the body returns to the earth whereof it was first made when God formed man of the dust of the ground and the soule returnes to God who first breathed into Adams nostrils the breath of lives Now if Salomons meaning be that looke as the body ariseth from the earth so the soule comes from God whence some would inferre the immediate creation of the soule it holds much more strongly that the soule is not immediately given of God but mediately by the meanes of nature seeing we have not our bodies neither immediatly from the earth but mediately by propagatioÌ„ from Adam from whom both soule and body is communicated to posterity and both by the gift of God To conclude therefore as our bodyes come from the dust so doe our soules from God but our bodyes come by propagation from Adam and therefore by this argument so doe our soules soules also 12. Zacharies testimony Zach. 12.1 Lastly That of the Prophet Zachary before objected to the contrary serves also notably for the confirmation of this mediate manner of the soules propagation his words be these The Lord formeth the spirit of man within him Now to forme in the Scripture never signifieth to create of nothing as God did in the beginning but to frame of some matter pre-existing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 1.1.2.7 as when the Lord formed Adams body of the dust of the ground For though indeed creating be sometimes put for forming yet forming is never put for creating of nothing Seeing therefore the Lord formeth the soules of men of some matter it must be either
sinfull but spirit that is pure and holy For whatsoever comes immediately from God he makes it pure good yea Gen. 1.3 all things very good But man from his very beginning is corrupt and sinfull because he is borne of flesh for saith our Saviour of the whole man that being borne of the flesh he is flesh Eph. 2.3 and therefore the whole man hath need of a second birth that he may be borne of the spirit Either therefore we must deny originall sin or else make God the Author of evill if the soule be immediately created by him But seeing it is manifest we are borne of flesh and are by nature children of wrath and it is impious blasphemy once to imagine that God is the Author of sin I feare not to conclude that the soule is not borne of the spirit I meane created by God but of the flesh that is propagated by man The conclusion of the divine Testimonies Thus then for divine testimonies we have produced no lesse than a whole Jury of witnesses first God himselfe then Adam Moses Job David Salomon Jeremy Zachary Peter Paul the Angell Gabrell and our Saviour Christ himselfe and if humane Testimonies would serve the turne it were not hard to shew more than twelve Legions of Saints learned and unlearned that have lived and dyed in this beliefe It being the received doctrine of the westerne Churches in Saint Hieromes time as was before declared but if these will not satisfie much lesse would those and therefore I omit them CHAPTER XV. The propagation proved from the Doctrine of Originall sinne Reasons proving the soules propagation BEsides the Testimonies of Scripture this mediate manner of the soules propagation may farther be demonstrated by reasons drawne from them whereof there are two onely most materiall and indeed necessary to be considered the one concerning the doctrine of originall sin and the other touching the incarnation of our Saviour which two being the maine difficulties in this question the one hindering the soules immediate creation the other the immediate propagatiō therof if these two can be cleared but especially if both doe agree together to confirme this doctrine there will remaine no more place of disputation about it and therefore I purpose to insist so much the longer in them both 1. Originall sinne And for the better clearing the first reason drawne from the Doctrine of Originall sin I will first make way to it by a generall description of these three things First Originall sinne Secondly Creation Thirdly Propagation and then apply it particularly to the proving of the point in hand l. From the nature of the sin descending 2. From the goodnesse of God in creating 3. From the course of nature in propagating Of all which I will speake as briefly and plainly as I can and according to that divine light which is revealed in the Scriptures First therfore it must be shewed out of the Scripture whether there be any originall sin or no and what it is For the first that the streame of mans being first poysoned in Adam the fountaine hath infected every man that comes into the world with sinne is manifest through the whole Scripture Proofes out of the Scripture By one man namely Adam sin entred into the world and death by n = a Rom. 5.12 sin in the day that he did eate of the forbidden fruit wee began to die the n = b Gen. 2 17 death yea n = c Rom. 5.14 even Infants that had not actually sinned yet were tainted with originall sin so that in Adam all dye n = d 1 Cor. 15.22 because in Adam all did sin n = e Rom. 5.12 Hence it was that by and by after all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely evill continually n = f Gen 6.5 yea evill even from his youth n = g Gen. 8.21 And now who can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane n = h Iob 14.4 And what is man that he should be cleane n = i Iob 15.14 and he that is borne of a woman that he should be righteous sayth Job Hence even David confesseth of himselfe I was borne in iniquitie and in sin did my n = k Psal 51.5 mother conceive me and of others he saith the wicked are estranged from the wombe n = l Ps 58.3 they goe astray as soone as they are borne Esay also calleth man a transgressor from the wombe n = m Isa 48.8 and Jeremy saith the heart of man is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked n = n Ier. 17.9 hence also it is that the Apostle saith Wee are by nature children of Wrath n = o Eph. 2.3 and by the offence of one the fault came upon all n = p Ro. 5.18 men to condemnation And to conclude our Saviour saith plainly that which is borne of the flesh is flesh n = q Ioh. 3.6 Ioh. 3.3.5 and except a man be regenerate and borne againe he cannot enter into nor see the Kingdome of God Reasons to prove it Besides Reason teacheth that like begets like as touching the substance and accidents proper to the kinde 1. according to the Rule Generatum sequitur naturam generantis Beasts bring forth beasts Serpents serpents and sinfull man a sinfull of-spring We cannot gather grapes of thornes Mat. 7.16 nor figges of thistles but an evill tree bringeth forth evill fruit and corrupt Adam sinfull men otherwise how could Infants justly be punished with death seeing death is the wages of sinne And why were Infants circumcized and women purified after child-birth under the law but to shew that all that commeth of mans seed is defiled with sin Againe cōmon experience sheweth the fruit of this bitter roote to bud forth in childrē even from their very cradles and that by inclination before they can learne by imitation The necessitie also of our regeneration proves it for if by our first birth we were not corrupt then should not the second be necessary to salvation Lastly the double grace which we receive from the second Adam Christ Jesus namely Justification Regeneration shews that there floweth a double evill from the first Adam namely the guilt and corruption of nature If we had not this double sinne we should not need this double remedy What originall sin is And now that we see we are thus infected let us inquire a little more narrowly into the nature of it It appeares by that which hath beene said already that all men are become sinfull through Adams sin having lost those now supernaturall gifts wherewith he and we with him were at first indued and in stead therof are all over infected with a venomous qualitie or inclination to all manner of evill causing ignorance and blindnesse in the minde stubbornesse and rebellion in the will disorder in the affections making the senses sensuall and beast-like all the members
abated their courage and broken their force 1 â— horâ—◠〈…〉 by setting them in the first encounter to fight one against another but also because by the advantage of the place the forces of both fall besides me for neither doe I hold that it is not at all from God nor altogether from man Testimonies of Scripture And first to answer those testimonies of Scripture which are brought to prove the immediate creation of the soule that generall answer of that divine Father Saint Augustine may serve for all i. e. that the divine testimonies only teach that God is the giver and former of our soules but they doe not declare how or by what meanes God sendeth them into us So that by his judgement they straine the Scripture too farre who indeavour to prove this immediate manner of the soules creation from them and indeed if wee proceed to a particular examination of them wee shall finde that amongst all Exod. 21.22.23.24 there is not scarce one that doth purposely speake either of the originall of the soule or the generation of man As for example to take them up in order the first is drawne by consequence from a Law which God made concerning the hurting of a woman with childe for which if it were so that her fruit did depart from her before it was informed with a soule as they would have it then he should have some light punishment onely but if it were informed with a soule thereby perish then he that did it should dye the death And why say they should so small a punishmeÌ„t be inflicted for the one but because it was void of a reasonable soule before so great a punishment for the other but because the soule was present and so a man being slaine the slayer must give life for life But first of all Answer this is to corrupt the Text for the words truely translated be these If men strive and hurt a woman with childe so that her fruit depart from her and yet no mischiefe follow or as some reade it death follow not Geneva Bible for so it is in the Originall he shall he surely punished according as the womans husband will lay upon him c. and if any mischiefe or death followeth then thou shalt give life for life c. This being the true Text in the Originall from which wee ought not to swerve it maketh nothing to their purpose Indeed the Septuagint seemeth to reade it thus Et non fuit efformatum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is and it hath not been informed or enlived with a living soule And thus that the fruit may depart without a soul they make the text depart from the true sence Secondly if this should be granted this informing must be understood of quickning else no judgement could be given seeing none can know when the soule is infused if that should be the meaning seeing they say the rationall soule comes after vegetation and sense it must be needs that the childe can move before it hath a rationall soule and so it shall still be uncertaine when a man shall deserve death by such a mischance unlesse we could set downe the just time when God did infuse the soule or feele when it is infused But touching the quickning there is more reason a man should dye for it after then before though the soule be the same from the beginning both because it is not so certaine before what it is or whether it be any thing or no and also before it be come to that perfection any light matter might occasion a mischance for which there were no reason a man should loose his life Lastly 3. this is to be understood of the mother as well as of the childe It her fruit depart from her and yet death follow not neither to her selfe nor to it a light punishment may serve but if either dye he must render life for life But it is manifest then there must be life else there could be no death and life there cannot be in a reasonable creature without a reasonable soule this therefore maketh nothing at all for them 1 but yet something against them The next is taken from the prayer of Moses Let the Lord 2. Num. 27.16 the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over the congregation which may goe in and out before them and when God was about to take away Moses he like a faithfull Steward having a care that the people might be well governed after his departure and knowing how weak mans judgement is and how apt to erre in choosing of Officers entreats God by that Epethite that he would choose for them As if he should say thou oh father from whom commeth every good gift thou that givest spirit and wisdome to all men thou that searchest the heart and tryest the reines doe thou set a man over the congregation that may be fit to goe in out before thy people c. And that this is the sense plainly appeareth by Gods answer 1. Vers 18. Take yce Joshua a man in whom is the spirit c. 2. Besides if it were meant simply of the soule for which there is no shew of reason yet will it not follow that because he is the God of them therefore he daily creates them of nothing Next followeth that of the Psalmist 3. Psal 33.15 He fashioneth their hearts or soules alik He considereth all thâ—ir works Pro. 22.1.2 which is in effect this The hearts of all men even of Kings are in the hands of the Lord and he turneth them whethersoever he will he orders both the thoughts and actions of men according to his owne good pleasure as is plaine from the words both before and after and so is nothing to the purpose and if it should be meant of the originall of the soule whereof there was no occasion to speake in this place yet the questioÌ„ still remaines whether God formes them mediatly or immediately by creation or propagation But that which is esteemed of more weight is that of Salomon 4. Eccl. 12.7 where resolving the parts of man at his death into the first principles he saith Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne to God that gave it But though this may prove the immortalitie of the soule 1. yet the immediate creation cannot be proved by it but rather the contrary 2. For it is manifest that he hath relation to mans first creation and that necessarily in the one else it should not be true For every mans body is not now made of the dust 3. but onely Adams from whom we came and therefore if wee will make a true Antithesis it will follow that neither is every mans soule created of nothing but onely Adams from whom all others come So that this is rather Salomons meaning as the body returnes to dust
therefore by marriage God made them one flesh againe and for that cause others should be so united also besides divers other reasons alledged before which need not here to be repeated 4. The promised seed Fourthly When our first parents had committed sin before they had brought forth any children God made a comfortable promise to Eve Gen. 3.15 saying that the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents head Now the body it selfe being without reason what is it being compared to the Serpent Wherefore by seede in this place must needs be meant the whole nature of man which Christ tooke of the Virgin Mary For whole man was conceived and borne of her except sin onely as afterward we shall see Neither is this to prove one doubtfull thing by another for it is out of doubt that by seede is here meant both body soule unlesse we shall say that Christ redeemed us by a body without a soule And if this soule was received from Eve as her seede as well as his body I thinke there is none will make question of ours 5. Adams ofspring Gen. 5.3 Fifthly Very forcible also if it be well considered is that where Moses saith Adam gat a sonne in his owne likenesse after his owne Image Whence it appeareth manifestly that he was the parent of the whole nature and not of one part onely for this Image is opposed to the Image of God spoken of in Adam before which Image and likenesse was not in the body for then it Would follow that God had a body but in his soule in respect of his minde and reason and those other divine gifts whereby Adam excelled the rest of the creatures So that if we will make a true opposition it will follow from this place that as God made Adam in his innocency in his own Image and likenesse chiefly in regard of the soule and those divine gifts wherewith it was endued so Adam in his corrupted estate begat a sonne in his own Image and likewise not in regard of the body only but chiefly in respect of the soule and in that corrupt and sinfull like himselfe 6. Gods promise to Abraham Gen. 17.7 Sixthly Such is that place also where God made a promise to Abraham saying I will be thy God and the God of thy seede after thee Where by seede must needs be meant that which is borne of seede to wit whole man and not the body onely for that without the soule of it selfe is dead and as our Saviour speaks in another case Matth. 22.32 God is not the God of the dead but of the living And if God will not style himselfe the God of the dead unlesse the soule at least be still living much lesse will he call himselfe the God of a senslesse substance inferiour to the issue of brute beasts Obj. Either thorefore GOD must here promise to be the God of an unreasonable brute or else Abrahams seede must conteine more than a body yea extend in selfe as indeed it doth to the whole man as well soule as body that is to say persons consisting of both for to such onely is this promise made Ans Neither is it for any man here to except say that the whole man may be said to proceede from man though the soule comes from God because he prepares the body and gives the existence to the creature for besides that it is contrary both to nature and reason as afterwards we shall see that a man should be a father to that to which he gives onely the least part of the matter and nothing at all of the forme it cannot be avoided but the Scripture doth here plainly affirme that the whole man consisting of soule and body is the seed issue and of-spring of man consequently begotten born and brought forth by the seed of man 7. The souls that descēded from Jacob. Seventhly When the Scriptures doe expresly affirme that sixty-six soules descended from the loynes of Jacob doth it not plainly teach that the soules of children doe descend from their parents Neither can the force of this place be avoyded by saying that the soule is here by a Metonymy put for the body or by a Synecdoche the whole soule put for the vegetable and sensible part of the soule neither yet that it is only for that denomination is taken from the better part or for that man disposeth the matter of the body for the receiving of the soule The falshood of these conceits doth plainly appeare out of the Antecedent and consequent of the Text for a little before it is said these are the sonnes of Rachel which were borne unto Jacob fourteene soules in all and immediately after the sonnes of Joseph were two soules so that it is evident in the text the soules signifie sonnes viz. the whole person and nature of man Although therefore hereby is not meant soules onely but persons according to the proprietie of the Hebrew tongue yet why in this case should the holy Ghost speake of the whole person if onely the least part of him be thereby meant Neither can I thinke the Hebrew tongue so double or the holy penman so much mistaken as to say onely soules descended if bodyes onely did yea how absurd is it when by the rules of interpretation the proper litterall sense is alwayes to be retained unlesse some manifest falshood or absurditie doe necessarily follow upon it and When wee must fly unto some tropicall sense it must be fetched out of the Text it selfe if it may be here we should depart from both onely to confirme a fancy which hath no apparent warrant in the whole Scripture and that when in all other places we understand the whole to comprehend the parts yet in this case above when the Scripture speakes of the whole we must understand but the least part and when it names the soule yet it meanes the body onely 8. Scriptures that purposely speake of mans generation Eighthly As this doctrine is cleare by the testimony or Moses from the creation of the world and the first institution of nature so also from those Scriptures which doe purposely speake of the propagation of man according to the ordinary course of nature since the creation Two places there are especially where this matter is purposely handled in the Scripture in both which the soule is said to be conceived in the wombe and brought forth by the vertue of generation as well as the body The first wee finde in the booke of Job 1. Iob 10.8.10 11. where in making his moane to God he useth these words Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about Hast thou not powred me out as milke and curdled me like theese Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast fenced me with bones and sinewes The other we have in the Book of the Psalmes where David speaketh unto God in this manner Thou hast possessed my