The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized, Chapter 7
CHAP. VI.
Man is to be weighed and considered of, by his parts, that it may be known of what value he is.
MAn can not fully know how much he is obliged unto God for himself, unless he rightly know of what value he is.
1. For this, we may first consider him by his general parts, as comprehending in his nature and composition, whatever is to be found in the whole creation. He has being, with things of the first degree; life, with those of the second; sense, with things of the third. And the being, life, and sense they have, are inferiour to the being, life, and sense he has, in conjunction with reason; and are designed for the mainteining of his being, life, and sense, as the end for which they were given. The rational powers in man, ought to rule over these inferiour generall parts of him, his being, life, and sense; as also over all inferiour creatures, that have the like. The generall parts of man then are four; being, life, sense, reason. The three inferiour are more excellent in him, then in other creatures, by personal union with the fourth. All inferiour creatures then, by being yeilded up to the service of man, as appointed, attein in him a more excellent kind of being, life, and sense, then they have in themselvs, to wit, a humane being and life of sense. But although as they do enter the composition of man, they are advanc'd beyond what they are in themselvs, such their advance by a personall conjunction with rational powers, is gradual and proportionable to the different worths thereof. The elements in man's composition, are the immediate seat of vegetative life, which he has in common with herbs and trees. Vegetative life is the immediate seat of sensitive; sensitive, with all its parts and powers, is the immediate seat and servant of the rational powers and operations. The rational or intellectual life of man, having no other created kind of life superiour thereunto, ought to be the seat or throne wherein God alone is to sit and rule the whole man, and all the world, made for man's use, and put together in his constitution. The will and understanding of man ought to be yeilded up unto God, in order to their becomming in seperably united with and subjected to his mind and will. Thus, as all other creatures come to be united in man, so do they all in and with man, come to be united with God. Man, by the resignation of his will and understanding unto God, is therein immediatly united with God. Other parts or powers of life in man, are mediatly, by his rational or intellectual powers, united with God; as sensitive life in man, is united immediatly with his rational; but vegetative life, mediatly, by the sensitive. The whole world, as brought together in man, comes to be inseperably united with God that made it, when man comes to be so united with his maker. Every man that declines or rejects the means and way of being brought into such unchangable union with God, does what in him lies to frustrate and render void the principal intention of God in creating the world. The rest of the world was made for him. He therefore is of more value then all the rest; and is more obliged to God for himself, then for all the rest. He is responsible or accountable unto God, for himself and for the whole world, as made for him. He ought therefore to seek out and gaine as right and cleer a knowledg as he can, as to what he has received from the hand of God, both in himself and other creatures, that he may the better know and pay the debt thereby contracted, to his creatour.
2. We may weigh and consider man in the two principall parts of his composition, body and soul. His body is fearfully and wonderfully made; admirably organized for all manner of operations of his threefold life, vegetative, sensitive, and rational. He is more bound unto God for his body only then for the whole world besides. But much more yet is he obliged to him, for his soul.
In tbe body we find a multiplicity and diversity of excellent and fit organs; in the soul, a proportionable multiplicity and diversity of excellent faculties, whereby it is enabled to use all those organs, and perform all those various offices and functions, in and by the body, which are conducible to the good of the whole person. An artist has divers instruments, for various artificial purposes; the soul, on like account, his divers bodily organs or instruments, for various natural uses. Man has a kind of Kingdom as wel as world, within himself. In this kingdom are three orders, or distinct powers, lowest, middle, and supream.
1. The lowest powers of life and operation in man, the nutritive, augmentative, and generative (all of them comprehended under the vegetative) have four attendent of subservient faculties, with in the compass of vegetative life and operation; to wit, the attractive, retentive, digestive, and expulsive powers. These all are as labourers and merchants in the kingdom of man. They do incessantly labour to sustein and keep up the other more noble orders and excellent powers of this kingdom, within man. If they perform not their severall offices, and respective charges, the whole fabrick fall's, the man dies, and the kingdom is dissolved. The office of the attractive or appetitive power, is to desire and receive food. The office of the retentive, to keep it in, when received. The digestive and concoctive powers do gradually prepare and transform it into flesh, blood, and spirits. The expulsive cast's out the superfluities, by way of evacuation sensible, as also insensibly, by perspiration through the pores of the body. By this means is the body nourished, augmented, and fitted for generation. All these offices does the vegetative power of life in the soul of man perform by various bodily organs or instruments; and without them it cannot exercise any such faculties, or perform any such offices. And as the organs are stronger or weaker, better or worse temper'd, accordingly are such offices performed.
2. There are a middle sort of powers in man, the sensitive, perform'd by outward and inward organs. By outward organs are the powers, of seing, hearing smelling, tasting, touching, performed; to wit, by eyes, ears, nose, palate, and the whole body, which is the organ of touching. By inward organs, within the head of man, calculated and suited thereunto, do the common sense, the imaginative and memorative powers of the soul, perform their several offices. The visive power, by the eye, discerns and distinguishes the colours, forms, and figures of things. The auditive, by the ear, perceiv's and distinguishes sounds, words, &c, The olfactive perceivs and distinguishes different odors or smells, &c. These are their offices. We may observ a kind of natural matrimony between the several organs of the body, on the one part, and the correspondent faculties of the soul, on the other. The body has a multitude of excellent organs, without and within. The soul has a wel-proportion'd multitude of excellent faculties, exerciseable only in conjunction with these organs. Besides these corporeal, organical powers in man, hitherto named, he has also a loco-motive power, by contracting and extending the parts of his body, whereby he can goe from place to place, and perform all artificial works, &c.
3. The supream and most noble powers in the kingdom of man, are the rational or intellectual, whose office it is to order and regulate all the inferiour, both vegetative and sensitive. The understanding is the chief counsellour of state in the soul, judging, discerning, and advising what's to be done. The will is commander in chief, furnished with a kind of kingly, imperiall, executive power.
Man, thus furnish'd and adorn'd with many wonderful natural powers in his soule, and organs in his body (and having also in his personal constitution, being, life, and sense, in a superiority to what is found in the three inferiour orders of creatures, because in conjunction with reason, which render's him the fourth and highest) may well be termed a microcosm, or little world, an epitome of the whole universe. All that man has in himself, and all that is to be found in the whole visible creation, set up and ordeined for his use and service, proceeds from the meer bounty and love of his creatour. The love of God to man is the principal thing of all. It is of like infinite excellency with himself, for God is love. Jo. 4. 8. Great are the gifts of God unto man, that have proceeded from, and do manifest his love. But his love to man is infinitly greater then all his other gifts; infinitly more valuable then man himself, and all other creatures, given for his use. Thus is there an infinite and unspeakable obligation on man to God, first; for his infinite love; and secondly, for his unspeakable gifts. But the knowledg of all this, will little availe man, unless his will be yeilded up in such sort unto the will of God, as to be brought into unchangable harmony therewith, and subjection thereunto.