The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 1 · Chapter 8 – Chapter 9
CHAP. VIII. Of the conjunction of the Soule with the Body.
THe Soule is joyned to the Body immediatly. Prop.
The forme is joyned to the matter without any middle, but the Soule is the forme to the Body: Illuſt. 1 therefore the Soule is joyned to the Body without any middle.
The Soule is joyned to the body; Conſequence. hence wee may gather that there are intellectuall Spirits or Angels which have no bodies; for if two things be joyned together, the one perfect, the other more imperfect; if the more imperfect be found alone, much more is the more perfect: wee ſee that there are bodies without ſpirits; Duplex inſeparabilitas, logica & phyſica.therefore there muſt be ſpirits without bodies. Secondly, thoſe things that are inſeparable, the one cannot bee found without the other, Inſeparabile logicum quod cogitatione poteſt ſeparari tantum ut rifibil it as in homine. Inſeparabi…e phyſicum cum unum non dependeat ab alio neceſſario ut … gredo in corvo.but thoſe things that are accidentally joyned together, the one may bee found without the other, as whiteneſſe and ſweeteneſſe are but accidentally found in Sugar, for whiteneſſe may be found, where there is no ſweetnes; as in Snow; ſo ſweetneſſe may be found where there is no whiteneſſe, as in a Figge: therefore ſweetneſſe and whiteneſſe are but accidentally joyned together in the Sugar; ſo the body & the Spirit are but accidentally joyned together; therefore there are ſpirits that ſubſiſt by themſelves without bodies.
Object. But how is the Soule joyned accidentally to the body, ſeeing the ſoule is the eſſentiall forme to the body which animates it?
Anſw. The ſoule, as the ſoule, is the eſſentiall forme to the body, and ſo it is inſeparable, but the Soule as it is an intellectuall Spirit is accidentally joyned to the boby, and may be ſeparate from it.
Object. But it might ſeeme that the Apoſtle puts the Spirit betwixt the ſoule and body, as a middle to joyne them together, therefore the ſoule and body are not joyned immediatly. 1 Theſſ. 5.23. He prayes, that God would ſanctifie them in their Spirits, Soule, and Bodies.
Anſw. By the Spirit is not meant here a third thing, which joynes the ſoule and body together; but by the Spirit hee meanes the gift of ſanctification, which is through the whole man both in Soule and body oppoſite to the Old man, Rom. 7.
The ſoule is joyned immediately to the body, Conſeq. therefore Averrois erred, who held that the phantaſies or imaginations were a middle to joyne the ſoule and the body together. So theſe who held that the ſoule was joyned to the Body, by corporall Spirits: and ſo theſe who held that they were joyned together by light.
The ſoule being one, yet hath three diſtinct Faculties, the Vegetative, Prop. Senſitive, and Reaſonable faculties.
In the conception the Vegetative and Senſitive faculties are vertually in the ſeede, Illuſt. untill the fortieth day, and after the fortieth day the reaſonable ſoule is infuſed, Anima vegetativa & ſenſitiva, eſt virtusſemi nis, praeparans materiam ad recipiendem formam intellectualem.they give place, and it animates the body. Exod. 21.22. If two ſtrive together, if one of them ſtrike a woman with child, that ſhe part with her child, and there bee no hurt, neither to the mother nor to the child, then the ſtriker ſhall not die; but if there follow death of either of them, then the ſtriker ſhall die. If ſhee part with the child before it bee quicke in her belly, then ſhee ſhall not die; but if it bee a quicke child, and ſhee part with it, then hee ſhall die. Phyſitians and Canonists hold, that before the forty dayes it is not a living child; it is then called Golem, Pſal. 139. verſ. 16. Maſſa rudis, corpus imperfectum before the members bee faſhioned in it; The ſeventie reade theſe words, Exod. 21. verſe. 22. foreign, Non ſignatum; which they referre to the imperfect child when the woman abhorts, and the Rabins call it Aſiman, which word they borrowed from the Greekes, as money not ſealed or ſtamped; therefore the Law ſaith, Si exierint jeladébha, nati ejus, her ſonnes the Law then meaneth of a perfect and a formed infant, when a reſonable ſoule quickens it; Why ſhould one give life for life, when as yet the life is not perfect? Adams body perfectly faſhioned, ſaith Auguſtine, received life and not before. So infants bodies perfectly faſhioned receive the reaſonable ſoule.
The ſoule is joyned to the body to make up one perſon. Prop.
The ſoule is not in the body, Illuſt. as a man dwelling in his houſe, or a Sayler in the ſhippe; for a houſe will ſtand without the man, but the body decayeth without the ſoule; ſhee is not in the body as the Spider in her web, as Chalcidius held, determinate to one part of the body, and from thence giving vertue and influence to the whole body; as the ſpider dwelling in the middle of her Cob-web, feeles the leaſt touch in the webbe, either within or without. Neither dwels the ſoule in the body as water into a veſſell; or as one liquor into another: or as the heate in the fire; but as the morning light imparts the beames here and there, and in an inſtant doth unite her ſelfe to the tranſparent ayre, in all and every part thereof, ſtill reſting whole when the ayre is divided, abiding pure when the ayre is corrupted. So the ſoule filleth the body, beeing all in all, and all in every part; and as the Sunne bringeth light from above, although we behold it in the ayre; ſo the ſoule ſprings from eternall light, although ſhee ſhew her powers in the body; and as the Sunne in diverſe places worketh diverſe effects, here Harveſt, there Spring; here Evening, there Morning: ſo doth the ſoule in our little world worke diverſely, upon diverſe objects, here ſhee attracts, there ſhee decocts, here ſhee quickens, there ſhee makes to grow; the light ſhines by it ſelfe, without the ayre, but not the ayre without the light: ſo the ſoule lives by it ſelfe, but the body cannot live without the ſoule. But as in all compariſons there is ſome diſſimilitude, ſo it is here; for the light is but a qualitie, but the Soule is a ſubſtance, the light comes from the ſubſtance of the Sunne, but the Soule is not of the Eſſence of God. This conjunction betwixt the ſoule and the body is ſo neere, that it makes up one Perſon, and this is the reaſon, why the ſoules long for the bodies. Revel. 6.10. to bee joyned againe to them in the reſurrection.
The ſoule was joyned to the body to make up one Perſon, Conſequence. and to dwell perpetually in the body, but ſince the fall, the ſoule is from home in the body, and abſent from the Lord, Prop. 2. Cor. 6.
The Soule is appointed onelyonly to animate one Body. Illuſt.
The body of a flee muſt onelyonly have the life of a flee in it, Anima non eſt unibilis omni corporiſed organino, & naturall ad ſuſceptionem corporis apto.the Soule of a man cannot animate the body of an other Man, or an Elephant, Materiae individuales ejuſdem ſpeciei ſunt ita determinatae; ut nullam aliam formam ejuſdem ſpeciei recipere poſſunt, that is, Every body of that ſame kinde is ſo determinate, that it cannot receive any other forme of the ſame kind, but the owne.
The ſoule can animate no body but the owne body of it: Conſequence. therefore they erre who thinke that the Soule of Man may enter into the body of a beaſt and animate it, 2. The Pythagareans and the Iewes erre, who held that the ſoules went from one body to another. Marke 6.16.
The ſoule was placed in the body, Prop. to animate and to rule it.
There are two things required in a forme. Firſt, Illuſt. 1 that it give a being to the matter. Secondly, that the forme and matter make up one thing; ſo doth the Soule of man give being to the body, and makes up one Perſon with the body.
Object. But ſeeing the ſoule is a ſpirituall thing, and the body corporall of two different natures, how can they make up one perſon?
Anſw. The more excellent that the forme is, the more nearely it is joyned to the matter; and makes the neerer conjunction with it. So the ſoule of man joyned with his body makes a more ſtricter conjunction then the life of the beaſt joyned with his body. But if the body were of the ſame nature with the ſoule, it ſhould not make up one perſon, as the life of the beaſt joyned with the body makes not up one Perſon, becauſe of the baſeneſſe of the forme which is onelyonly drawne out of the matter.
Wee beleeve that Chriſt tooke upon him the nature of Man, and therefore a ſoule: Illuſt. 2 which would not follow, if the ſoule were not an eſſentiall part of man, but onelyonly a ruler of the body. Chriſts Divinity might have ruled his humanity; But Apollinaris was condemned for taking away of Chriſts Soule, and putting onelyonly his Divinity in place of a ſoule to rule the body.
There are ſome formes which rule onelyonly the body, but doe not animate them, as the Angels, when they tooke bodies upon them; Angelorum operationes in corporibus non fuerunt vitales, Thoſe things which the Angels did in the Bodies were not vitall; They ruled the bodies, but they informed them not; and they onelyonly moved the bodies. Secondly, there are ſome formes that informe things, but doe not rule them, as the formes of things without life. Thirdly, there are formes which informe and rule, as the Soule of man in the body.
Object. It is ſaid that the Angels did eate and drinke, Gen. 18. Therefore they have exerciſed theſe vitall functions in the body.
Anſw. Theodoret anſwers, Metaphorice non propriè dicuntur edere: Atiſtot. 2. de anim.They are ſaid to eate by way of metaphor, but not properly, becauſe of the manner of the true eating: and the Philoſopher ſaith, that, Vox eſt actus animati corporis, The voyce is the act of the living creature: but when a Lute giveth a ſound, it is but metaphorically a voyce (ſaith hee:) So the eating of the Angels was but metaphorically a eating, for they eate not to digeſt, or to nouriſh their bodies.
In this that the Soule is joyned to the body as the forme, Conſequence. wee may admire the mervailous worke of God, for if David wondered at the mervailous faſhioning of the body in his mothers wombe, Pſal. 139. much more may wee admire the mervailous conjunction of the Soule with the body, for we may obſerve that the higheſt of the loweſt kind, is joyned alwaies to the loweſt of the higheſt kind, as the loweſt of living creatures (which have life) is the ſhell-fiſh; as the Oyſter differeth little from the life of the plant, is comes nearer in order to the beaſt then the plant doth, becauſe it feeles; therefore it is well ſaid by one, Tho. Aquin. contragent.Sapientia Dei conjungit fines ſuperiorum principijs inferiorum; the wiſedom of God hath conjoyned the ends of the ſuperiour with the beginning of the inferiour; as the ſhel-fiſh to bee the baſeſt amongſt the ſenſitive, and more noble then the vegetative. So the body of man is the moſt excellent and higheſt in degree of the inferiour creatures; the ſoule (againe) of man is the loweſt of intellectual Spirits; marke thē how theſe two are joyned together. Therfore fitly the ſoule of man hath beene compared by ſome to the horizon for as the horizon ſeparates the upper parts of the world from the nether, to our ſight, and yet the ſphere is one; ſo doth the ſoule ſeparate the intellectuall ſubſtances from the earthly bodies: and yet is one with them both And as Hercules was ſaid to be Partim apud ſuperos, partim apud inferos; ſo is the Soule, partly with the Spirits above, and partly with the bodies below.
The body joyned to the ſoule, Prop. maketh the ſoule a compleate ſpirit.
The Angels without bodies are ſpiritus completi; Illuſt. but our ſoules without the bodies are incompleate ſpirits. The Angels when they aſſumed bodies, it was not to their perfection, but for their miniſtery, Non quibus juventur, ſed quibus invent: Not that they were helped by theſe bodies, but that they might helpe us. They have a double action, one of contemplation, another of miniſtery; for contemplation, to behold the face of God continually, Matth. 18.10. They tooke not bodies upon them; but onelyonly for the miniſtry to us; but the ſoule of man is an incompleate Spirit, without the bodie.
The ſoule was joyned to the body, Prop. to goe upward to God, and not to be depreſſed by the body.
When water and oyle are put together, Illuſt, the oyle being more aeriall goeth above, and the water being heavie goeth under; ſo the ſoule being more celeſtiall went upward, and was not drawne by the body, when man ſtood in innocency.
The Soule hath ſundry operations in the body. Prop.
When it groweth; Illuſt. it is called anima; when it contemplates, Anima eſt ſimplex in eſſentis & multiplex in potentia.it is called a ſpirit; when it ſeeth and heareth, it is called ſenſe; when it is wiſe, it is called animus; when it diſcernes, it is called reaſon; when it remembers, it is called memory; when it aſſents lightly, it is called opinion: when ſhe defineth a truth by certaine principles, then it is called judgement.
God hath wiſely placed the faculties of the Soule and the Body. Prop.
Hee hath placed the intellectuall facultie in the Braine, Illuſt. as higheſt: the affections in the Heart, the naturall part in the Liver and Stomacke: hee hath placed the underſtanding in the Head, as in the throane; in the Heart as in the chamber: but the reſt of the inferior faculties hee hath placed below, as it were in the Kitchen: and as it were an unſeemely thing for a Prince to be ſitting in the Kitchen, and never to minde matters of eſtate: ſo it is a baſe thing for the ſoule to have minde of nothing but of eating and drinking, and to chooſe Martha her part, but never Maries, Luke 10.42.
Man before his fall lived the life of God, A collation betwixt the innocent and old Adambut ſince the fall hee lives onelyonly the naturall life, and few live the life of grace. There is ſo little life in the ſhell-fiſh, that wee cannot tell whether they live the life of the plant or the ſenſitive life. So the life of God is ſo weake in many men, that we cannot tell whether it be the naturall life or the ſpirituall life which they live. Zeuzes the Painter painted grapes ſo lively, that hee deceived the birds, and made them come fleeing to them. Dedalus made foreign, images mooving by themſelves, hee made men beleeve that they were living; but Pygmaleon made an image ſo lively, that he fell in love with it himſelfe. So hypocrites which live onelyonly the life of Nature, they will ſo counterfeit the actions of the faithfull, that they make men beleeve indeed that they live the life of God; and ſome times they deceive themſelves, thinking that they are living when they indeede are dead: the quickning power of the ſoule deſires onelyonly being, and ſo it reſts: the ſenſe would not onelyonly bee, but alſo bee well: but the underſtanding aſpires above all theſe to eternall bliſſe: theſe three powers make three ſorts of men, for ſome like plants doe fill their veines onelyonly, ſome againe doe take their ſenſes pleaſure like beaſts onelyonly, and ſome doe contemplate like Angels: therefore the Poets in their fables doe faine, that ſome were turned into flowers, others into beaſts, and others, into gods.
CHAP. IIII. Of the end of Mans Creation.
MAn was created to ſerve God.
A circle is more perfect than a line, Prol. for a circle returnes backe to the point whence it began: Illuſt. 1 but a line is more imperfect, Duplex eſt motus, rectus & circularis.never returning to the place from whence it began. Man and Angels returne backe to God who made them, like a circle, but the beaſts are like a line going ſtraite forward, never looking backe to God againe, who made them. It is true, ſome make the circle of a ſmall circumference, and returne to God ſoone after they came forth from him; others againe make it as large as the world, and run through all things, ſeeking bleſſedneſſe, but finding none, after a large and weariſome compaſſe, they returne to their maker at laſt, as Salomon did when he had proved all vanities. But the moſt part are like the beaſts, comming from God as a ſtreight line, but never returne backe to him againe, and therefore are miſerable eternally. The beaſts content themſelves with their owne proper objects, never looking to God.
Therefore when beaſts in the Scriptures are brought in prayſing God, Conſequence. Pſal 148. It is onelyonly to ſtirre up man that he may praiſe God.
All the creatures in ſome ſort returne to God, Illuſt. 2 in ſo farre as they reſemble him in their being, but becauſe God is a moſt wiſe and underſtanding Spirit, it was neceſſary that a viſible Creature ſhould bee made like to him in underſtanding, who ſhould turne about againe, to praiſe and honour him: and not onelyonly to bee an occaſion of his praiſe (as the beaſts are,) but ſhould directly praiſe him.
Man before his fall was directly carried to the right end; A collation betwixt the innocent and old Adambut ſince the fall other viſible creatures are carried to their proper ends: but man now neglecteth his proper end, wherefore hee was created, and is led forward by the inventions of his owne heart.
So much of the Soule and body of man, and their threefold eſtate, in Creation, Fall, and Reſtauration: wee come to the Image of God, by which hee comes to be participant of the nature of God.