This true Prometheus, first made man of earth, And shed in him a beam of heavenly fire; Now in their mother's wombs, before their birth, Doth in all sons of men their souls inspire. And as Minerva is in fables said, From Jove, without a mother, to proceed: So our true Jove, without a mother's aid, Doth daily millions of Minervas breed. SECTION V. ERRONEOUS OPINIONS OF THE CREATION OF SOULS. THEN neither from eternity before, Nor from the time, when time's first point begun, Made he all souls, which now he keeps in store; Some in the Moon, and others in the Sun: Nor in a secret cloister doth he keep These virgin-spirits, till their marriage day; Nor locks them up in chambers, where they sleep, Till they awake within these beds of clay. Nor did he first a certain number make, Would make no more than those he framed then. So that the widow soul, her body dying, Men's souls to beasts, and beasts to men did pass. (These thoughts are fond; for since the bodies born Be more in number far, than those that die, Thousands must be abortive, and forlorn Ere others' deaths to them their souls supply :) But as God's handmaid, Nature, doth create Which himself makes of no material thing; For unto angels he no pow'r hath giv'n Either to form the shape, or stuff to bring From air or fire, or substance of the Heav'n. Nor herein doth he Nature's service use; For though from bodies she can bodies bring, Yet could she never souls from souls traduce, As fire from fire, or light from light doth spring. SECTION VI. THAT THE SOUL IS NOT EX TRADUCE. ALAS! that some who were great lights of old, Having their eyes dimm'd with religious fear. OBJECTION. For when, say they, by rule of faith we find, Brings from the mother's womb the sin of kind, How can we say that God the soul doth make, For if God make her first, he makes her ill, (Which God forbid our thoughts should yield Or makes the body her fair form to spill, [unto;) Which, of itself, it had not pow'r to do. Not Adam's body, but his soul did sin, Ere she had sinn'd, either in act or thought: And yet we see in her such pow'rs divine, As we could gladly think, from God she came : Fain would we make him author of the wine, If for the dregs we could some other blame. ANSWER. Thus these good men with holy zeal were blind, None are so gross as to contend for this, But many subtle wits have justify'd, That souls from souls spiritually may spring; Which (if the nature of the soul be try'd) Will e'en in nature prove as gross a thing. SECTION VII. REASONS DRAWN FROM NATURE. FOR all things made, are either made of nought, If then the soul another soul do make, Because her pow'r is kept within a bound, She must some former stuff or matter take; But in the soul there is no matter found. Then if her heav'nly form do not agree Again, if souls do other souls beget, 'Tis by themselves, or by the body's pow'r : And if we dare to judge our Maker's will, First, God from infinite eternity. Decreed, what hath been, is, or shall be done; And was resolv'd that ev'ry man should be, And in his turn his race of life should run : And so did purpose all the souls to make, Was it then fit that such a weak event Or that one penal law, by Adam broke, Should make God break his own eternal law; The settled order of the world revoke, And change all forms of things which he foresaw ? Could Eve's weak hand, extended to the tree, And which to God's own chair doth fix'd remain ? O could we see how cause from cause doth spring! |