The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of the immortality of the Body.
MAns body before the fall was immortall. Prop.
A thing is ſaid to bee immortall. Illuſt. 1 Firſt, foreign Eſſentially, thus God is onelyonly immortall, 1 Tim. 6.16. Secondly, Ex dono creationis, by creation, as the Angels and the ſoule of man. Immortale multiplex, foreign, ex dono creationis, ex hypotheſi, ex dono novaecreationis.Thirdly, Ex hypotheſi, by condition, as Adams body had beene immortall, if hee had ſtood in Innocencie. Fourthly, Ex dono novae creationis, by the reſurrection, as our bodies and the new Heavens ſhall laſt perpetually after the reſurrection.
The Phyſitians obſerved three eſtates in man. Illuſt. 2 Firſt, foreign, Cum plus accedit quam decedit, when more nouriſhment remaines with the body, than goeth from the body; this ſhould have beene in Adams poſterity, if hee had not fallen. The ſecond eſtate is foreign, Cum quantum decedit per pugnam, nutritio tantum apponit; When as much nouriſhment remaines as decayeth. The third eſtate is foreign, Declinans aetas, Cibos aſſumimus, ut corruptio quae poſſet accedere ex conſumptione naturalis humidi evitetur.ubi accedit minus quam deficit, this is the decaying eſtate of man, when leſſe nouriſhment remaineth than decayeth; and this was not in Adam before his fall.
When wee put water into wine, at the firſt the wine converts the water into it; but put often water to it, then all turnes to water. The body of man before the fall ſhould not have turned to corruption, but ſtill ſhould have turned the nouriſhment to wholſome food. It is true, there was ſome contrariety here; for otherwaies hee could not have beene nouriſhed, but this was without the hurt of the whole, which remained whole and perfit; ſo that his body ſhould have beene aequivalenter incorruptibile, licet non videretur eadem numero materia. It ſhould ſtill have remained that ſelfe-ſame body, although in it there was ſome alteration: for even as Theſeus Shippe, (after that he had ſcoured the Sea from Pirats by her) they hung her up as a memoriall to the poſterity; and the Athenians, Plutarchi Moral.when any planke or board decayed in her, they put a new planke or board in place of it; ſo that ſhe was ſtill eadem numero navis, that ſelfe-ſame Shippe ſhee was before. So ſhould the body of man have beene ſtill the ſame body, by ſupplying new and equall ſtrength for that which failed.
The Church of Rome holds, The tenet of the Church of Rome, concerning the immortality of the body.that the body of man before the fall was mortall of it ſelfe, and that the immortality of it, came onelyonly from without, from that ſupernaturall righteouſneſſe which God cloathed Adam with, and that death is onelyonly but by accident from ſinne, becauſe it removeth the bridle, originall righteouſneſſe, which held backe death: and (they ſay) that the ſoule required a fit body to exerciſe her functions; Bellarm. de grait. primi hominis, cap. 9.but it could not have ſuch a body, except made of contrary humours: hence it received a body joyned to it, by accident mortall; which defect (they ſay) is ſupplied by that ſupernaturall righteouſneſſe.
Againe, they hold, that this neceſſity of death which was in nature before the fall, is now turned ſince the fall into a puniſhment of ſinne. It was naturall before the fall (ſay they) for a woman to beare children, but after the fall it was painefull, and a puniſhment of ſinne. It was naturall before the fall for the Serpent to glide upon her belly, but after the fall, ſhe was to glide with paine upon her belly, this was the puniſhment of ſin. So (ſay they) death was naturall to man before the fall in his Pure naturals, but now it is turned to him unto puniſhment of ſinne; and as the beaſts which ſinne not, yet die; ſo ſhould man in his Pure naturals, have died, although he had not ſinned, if ſupernaturall righteouſnes had not reſtrained his death.In ſenſu coniuncto non poterat mori, ſed in ſenſu diviſo poterat mori.
But wee hold, that Adams body in his innocent eſtate, was naturally incorruptible ex hypotheſi; that is, ſo long as hee ſtood in holineſſe, there was ſuch a harmony amongſt the qualities of his body, that they could breed no diſtemperature, or bring death to him; his body before the fall might have died, but this power ſhould never have beene reduced into act, ſo long as he obeyed his maker: but it is otherwiſe mortall now, for now of neceſſity hee muſt die; then it was in potentia remotiſsima, in a moſt remote power to death, now it is in potentia propinqua, in a moſt neere power: Angeli non poterant mori, neque neceſſe erat eis mori: Ad… poterat mori, ſed non neceſſe erat ei mori, ſed Ada… corrupt, neceſſe eſt ei mori; The Angels could not die neither was it neceſſary that they ſhould die: Adam might die, but it was not neceſſary that hee ſhould die: but Adam being corrupted it is neceſſary that he ſhould die.
Our reaſons to prove the immortalitie of Adams bodie before the fall, are theſe.Our reaſons to prove that the body was naturally immortall, and not ſupernaturally.
Firſt, the ſoule deſireth naturally alwayes to be in the body, therefore naturally it might attaine to this end; Reaſon. 1 (for naturall deſires before the fall were not fruſtrate) ſo that it behoved the body naturally to be immortall, and not ſupernaturally (as they hold) for the further clearing of this, we muſt conſider the ſoule, either in the ſeparation from the body, or as it exiſts after the ſeparation: In the ſeparation from the body, it is contrary to the deſire of the ſoule to be ſeparate from the body: therefore the naturall deſire of it is to remaine in the body. Againe, Aliquid eſt contra, aliquid praeter naturam animae.when the ſoule exiſts out of the body, eſt praeter naturam ejus, it is beſide the nature of the ſoule, although it be not contrary to it, therefore it muſt naturally long to be in the body againe. Eſth. lib. 2. diſt. 19.They anſwer, that the underſtanding creature deſires naturally ſome things which it cannot attaine to but by ſupernaturall meanes; as the ſoules of the bleſſed naturally deſire to be joyned to their bodies againe, yet they cannot attaine to this, but by a ſupernaturall power, to wit, by the reſurrection. So (ſay they) the ſoule naturally deſires the eternitie of the body, although by nature it cannot attaine to it; but there muſt be ſome ſupernaturall righteouſneſſe, to cauſe it attaine to this. Anſwer, The caſe is not alike, after hee hath ſinned, and before; for after hee had ſinned, and the ſoule ſeparate from the body, naturally it cannot be joyned to it againe, but by the ſupernaturall power of God; but before the fall, the ſoule ſhould naturally have attained to that deſire, to have enjoyed an immortall body, for it had no deſire in it before the fall, which it ſhould ſhun and flee, as repugnant to the nature of it, to remaine a little while in the body, and afterward to remaine ſtill without the bodie.De ſummo bono, lib. 1. ſect. 68. Secundum vegetativam & ſenſitivam facultatem habuit actum naturalem, ſed ſecundum ſuperiorem facultatem, habuit actum ſuper naturalem.
Secondly, Leſsius the Ieſuite anſwers after this manner, that there are three faculties in the ſoule; the vegetative, ſenſitive, and underſtanding facultie; he ſaith, that the ſoule ſhould have had an inclination and deſire to the body naturally, according to the vegetative and ſenſitive faculties, but not according to the underſtanding or ſupreme which required a ſupernaturall power to worke this deſire. The ſoule (ſaith hee) being ſatisfied in her naturall deſires, in her vegetative and ſenſitive faculties, cannot long for thoſe againe, by a ſupernaturall deſire; for it longeth now, to be like the Angels of God; neither marrying, nor giving in marriage, Matth. 22.30. But ſupernaturally in the eſtate of bleſſedneſſe ſhee deſireth ſuch a body, which ſhall not hinder the body to attaine to her ſupreme and laſt end. Anſwer. It is true, that after the fall, the vegetative and ſenſitive faculties hinder the intellectuall facultie to attaine to the ſupreme end, God; but before the fall, and in the conjunction of the ſoule with the body againe, theſe inferiour faculties were ſubordinate, and ſhall be ſubordinate to the ſuperior facultie, and did no wayes, hinder or ſhall hinder the ſuperior facultie; therefore the ſoule naturally before the fall deſired, according to all thoſe faculties, the conjunction with the body, and ſo it ſhall in the reſurrection. Theſe be Leſſius words, Non abhorret a corpore niſi tale ſit, quod libertati & functioni intelligentiae officict; It abhorres not a body, but ſuch a body which hindereth the libertie and function of the underſtanding. But ſo it was, that the body of man was ſuch before the fall; therefore the ſoule deſireth naturally the conjunction with the body, in the eſtate, and likewiſe ſhall doe in the life to come.
Hence wee may gather, Conſequence. that the ſoule after the reſurrection ſhall enjoy a greater meaſure of bleſſedneſſe, and joy, then it did before, and that the body ſhall not be a hinderence to it, as it is now; for now when it begins to thinke of God and ſpirituall things, it muſt be abſtract from the ſenſes, as the Prophets had their heavenly viſions intellectuall, and not by ſenſe; but after the reſurrection, the ſenſes ſhall not be a hinderance, but a furtherance to the ſoule.
Adam after his fall lived 930. yeares, Gen. Reaſon. 2 Methuſalem 960. yeares, wanting this ſupernaturall, 1 righteouſneſſe, what made this? nothing but the reliques of that naturall immortalitie, which was in man before the fall; Therefore it was not ſupernaturall righteouſneſſe that made him immortall.
God made the Iſraelits cloathes laſt forty yeares in the Wilderneſſe, Deut. 29.5. And Manna in the golden pot, Reaſon. 3 Heb. 9.4. corruptible in it ſelfe, yet to laſt ſo many hundred yeares. And if Ioſephs bones laſted 215. yeares, Ioſh. 24.31. And if the Egyptians could embalme bodies artificially, that they could continue without corruption, for ſo many hundred yeares; how much more could God make Adams body to have continued without corruption naturally, if hee had ſtood in innocencie?
The fourth reaſon is taken from the cauſe of death, Reaſon. 4 which is ſinne; there was no ſinne in his naturall body, and therefore no death. There are three things which follow ſinne. Firſt, Dominium peccati, the dominion of ſinne. Secondly, Senſus peccati, the ſenſe of ſinne. Thirdly, Vltinum conſequens peccati, the laſt conſequent of ſinne upon his body, when it is turned to duſt. The dominion of ſinne, is taken away by regeneration; the ſenſe of ſinne is taken away by death; the laſt conſequent of ſinne, when the body is turned to aſhes (the body all this time being neither Purum nor impurum, but non purum) this is taken away by the reſurrection. Corpus conſideratur ut eſt purum, impurum, non purum.There was no dominion of ſinne in Adam before the fall, therefore hee had no need of regeneration; there was no ſenſe of ſinne in him, therefore hee could not naturally die; the laſt conſequent of ſinne was not in him, therefore his body ſtood not in neede of the reſurrection.
Man before the fall, A collation betwixt the innocent and old Adam.his body was immortall naturally; Chriſt the ſecond Adam his body was mortall willingly, but not neceſſarily, for he tooke our infirmities upon him, Eſu. 53. Ioh. 10. therefore Auguſtine ſaith well, Traxit quidem mortalitatem ſed non contraxit, & non fuit neceſſitas in Chriſto reſpectu peccati, ſed reſpectu paenae Hee tooke our mortalitie upon him, but hee contracted it not by ſinne: there was no neceſſitie whereby Chriſt ſhould die in reſpect of ſinne, Triplex neceſſitas, illata, innata, aſſumpta.but in reſpect of the puniſhment. But man now neceſſarily dieth, It is appointed for all men to die, Eſt illata neceſſitas Adamo, eſt innata neceſſitas nobis, & eſt aſſumpta neceſsitas in Chriſto: Neceſſitie of death was layd upon Adam for his ſinne; neceſſitie of death is inbred in us; but death was willingly aſſumed by Chriſt. But yet when he had once willingly taken upon him our nature and infirmities; hee muſt die; for it is appointed for all who have taken our naturall infirmities, to die. A man gives his word willingly for ſuch a ſumme for his friend, but when hee hath willingly given it, a neceſſitie is laid upon him to pay it. So Chriſt willingly tooke this debt upon him, and now muſt of neceſſitie pay it.
The firſt Adam before his fall, his body was immortall, A collation betwixt the innocent, old, and glorified Adam.Ex hypotheſi, that is, if hee had ſtood in obedience to God, there ſhould have beene no contrarietie betwixt the humors of his body to have bred corruption, there ſhould have beene no deformity or defect in his bodie. But ſince the fall, the body is a mortall body, a deformed body, and corruptible. Dos. But in the life to come, the ſoule ſhall be ſatisfied in all her deſires, 1 Immortalitatis ſive impaſſibilitas. Duplex malum, actuale, & poientiale.and all evill ſhall be removed from it, both actuall and potentiall; there ſhall be no actuall evill, becauſe grace being conſummate in them, it excludes all ſinne; there ſhall be no potentiall evill in them, becauſe they being confirmed in goodneſſe, they cannot ſinne. Now the body in the life to come, ſhall be fully ſubject to the ſoule, not onelyonly in reſpect of the being of it, but alſo in reſpect of the actions and paſſions, the motions, and corporall qualities of it; and then it ſhall be free from corruption both actuall and potentiall: it ſhall be free from actuall corruption, becauſe there ſhall be no deformitie or defect in it, and from potentiall corruption, becauſe then they can ſuffer nothing, that can be hurtfull to them; therefore they ſhall be impaſſible; When we ſay the bodies ſhall be impaſſible, we meane of the hurtfull paſſions that may hurt the body, but other wayes the ſenſes ſhall have their comfortable paſſions from the objects; Paſsio ſenſus est perfectiva, paſsio naturae eſt afflictiva vel corruptiva; The paſſion of the ſenſe, perfits the ſenſe, (as Muſicke doth our hearing) but the paſſions of the nature corrupts and afflicts nature, as ſickneſſes. We ſhall have ſmall uſe of the ſenſe of touch in the life to come, which onelyonly ſerves for the continuation of our kind and perſons; this ſenſe is common with the beaſts; but the ſeeing and hearing being more excellent ſenſes, are more ſpirituall, receiving more immaterially their objects: theſe ſenſes ſhall remaine, in the life to come, and ſuffer by their objects, 1 Cor. Chap. 15. verſe 42. The body is ſowne in corruption, and is raiſed in incorruption.
Adams body before the fall was a glorious body, Dos. and beautifull; 2 Claritatis ſive gloria.but the body of man ſince the fall hath loſt that glorious beauty, and hath many blemiſhes in it. But the body in glory ſhall be moſt beautifull, having the glory of the ſoule tranſparent in it: as wee ſee the colour of the Wine in a glaſſe; ſo the glory of the ſoule ſhall be ſeene in the body; this glory in the body ſhall be a corporall glory, for this maxime holdeth, Omne receptum in recipiente, eſt ſecundum modum recipentis & non recepti; Every thing received, is in the thing receiving, according to the nature of the thing receiving, and not of the thing received. So the body being a corporall thing, receiveth the glory from the ſoule after a corporall manner. Triplex pulchritudo, ex terna forma, procedens ab extrinſeco, procedens ab intrinſeco.A body may be ſaid to be beautifull three manner of wayes. Firſt, becauſe of the comely proportionable colour of it; as Abſolon was beautifull, this is a naturall beauty. Secondly, when the light from without doth ſhine upon a cleare object, as the Sunne upon a Looking glaſſe, doth caſt a reflex. The third ariſeth from an internall light, as the light which is in the Sunne or Starres; The beauty which was in Adam before the fall, was that naturall beauty ariſing from the comlineſſe and proportion of his body, wherein hee exceeded all the ſonnes of men; The beauty in Moſes and Stephens face, was like the beautie of the beames of the Sunne reflex't backe upon the glaſſe. But the beauty of the glorified bodies ſhall be like the beauty of the Sunne and the Starres, not from without, as the light of the glaſſe, but from the owne inward light: this is the light that is ſpoken of Matth. 13. The juſt ſhall ſhine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of my Father. Chriſts glorious tranſfiguration, was a forerunner of that glory that wee ſhall have in heaven: Wee ſhall be made conformable to his glorious body, 1 Ioh. 3.2. This glory in Chriſts transfiguration, in reſpect of the Eſſence, was all one with the glory in the life to come, but it differeth in meaſure from that meaſure which hee hath in heaven, becauſe it was not permanent, but onelyonly for a time, as the Sunne inlightens the Ayre. Againe, in the transfiguration it was onelyonly in his face, but in glory it is through his whole body, therefore the Apoſtle calls it His glorious body. 1 Cor. 15. Thirdly, in the transfiguration his cloathes were made white; but in glory his body is not cloathed, 1 Cor. Chap. 15. ver. 43. It is ſowen in diſhonour, and riſeth in glory.
Adams body before the fall, Dos. was a nimble body and agile fit for the diſcharge of the functions of his ſoule; 3. Agilitatis.for if Aſahel was ſwift as a Roe, 2 Sam. 2. much more was Adams body. Man ſince the fall, hath a heavy and a lumpiſh body, unapt to execute the functions of the ſoule; neither can it performe thoſe actions which the ſoule requires of it. But in glory, the ſoule having attained to the fulneſſe of the deſires of it; the deſires of the ſoule moving the body, the body muſt be moſt nimble to obey. In the firſt Adam there was no reſiſtance in the body to the ſoule, but in the glorified Adam the ſoule ſhall communicate to the body ſuch power, that it ſhall be moſt ready to obey it. Beſides the glory that ſhall redound from the ſoule to the body, the ſoule and body both ſhall be repleniſhed with the Spirit of God, which ſhall make the bodies nimble and agile, and not heavy and dull as they are now. One Egge before it is hatcht, is heavy and ſinketh downe; but when it is hatcht, and full of ſpirits, then it fleeth: So theſe bodies which are heavy and dull now, being then repleniſhed with the Spirit of God, ſhall be agile and nimble; therefore the Apoſtle ſaith, We ſhall be taken up to meete Chriſt, 1 Cor. 11. Our bodies then being agile, we ſhall ſhall meete Chriſt in the Ayre, 1 Cor. 13.43. It is ſowen in weakneſſe, and raiſed in power.
The firſt Adams body was a naturall body, Dos. 4 Subtilitatis, ſive ſpiritualitatis.and was to be entertained by food as our bodies to preſerve it from corruption. The old Adams body, although it be entertained by food, yet cannot be preſerved from corruption. But the ſoule of the glorified Adam enjoying God, adheres to him perfectly; therefore the body enjoying the ſoule, ſhall be perfectly ſubject to the ſoule, and ſhall be participant of the ſoules properties, ſo farre as poſſible it can, having the vegetative and ſenſitive facultie fully ſubject to the reaſonable ſoule, Then the meate and drinke of the ſoule ſhall be, to doe the will of the Father. Ioh. 4.34. And to live upon that hid Manna, Rev. 2. The nature of every thing is more perfect, the more it is ſubject to the forme; but then the body ſhall be moſt perfect, and therefore then moſt ſubject to the ſoule, 1 Cor. 15.44. It is ſowen a naturall body, and riſeth a ſpirituall body; It is called a ſpirituall body, not that it is turned into a Spirit, but becauſe it ſhall be altogether ruled by the Spirit.