A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is, by pregnant texts of Scripture vindicated from false glosses / by Anthony Burgess.

SECT. II.

Of the Nature of the Imagination in a man.

BEfore we insist on the particular pollutions thereof, let us briefly take notice of the Nature of this Imagination in man. And

First, It is taken two wayes; For either by imagination we mean the power it self, whereby we do imagine, or the acting thereof, even as the word Wib is sometimes taken for the power, and sometimes for the act, so is fancy and ima∣gination.

Secondly, Consider, That Philosophers do affirm, that besides the rational and immaterial faculties of the soul, as also besides the external senses, there are internal material senses, about the number whereof they greatly dissent; Some make five, The Common Sense, the Phansie, the Imaginative Power the Estima∣tive, and the Memory; Others there; Others four; Some but one; only it may seem many, because of the several manners of operation; It is not worth the

while to contest herein; it is enough to know that there is in man such a power, whereby he doth imagine and fancy things, witness those dreams which usually rise in our sleep: The use of this imagination is to preserve the species suggested to order them, and judge of them, and thereby is necessary to our understand∣ing, according to that Rule, Oportet intelligentem phantasmata speculari; And certainly, The power of God is admirably seen in this imaginative faculty, whe∣ther in men or beasts; For how do birds come so artificially to make their nests, and the Ants and Bees to be such admirable provident, creatures in their kind, but from that natural instinct in them, whereby their phansies are determined to such things? So it is from this imagination that the Sheep is afraid of a Wolf, though it never saw one before; especially in man his imagination being perfect, there are many admirable things about the nature of it, which, when learned men have said all they can, they must confess their ignorance of; onely you must know, that as the affections are very potent in a man, to turn him this way or that way, so also is the imagination and fancy of a man; Insomuch that it is a great happi∣ness to have a sanctified fancy, that is commonly in men, the womb wherein much iniquity is conceived. It is greatly disputed in Philosophy, What the power and strength of imagination is. Some have gone so farre as to attribute all mira∣cles, whether Divine or Diabolical to the strength of imagination: Yea Abi∣lardus his position was, That fides was estimatio, Faith was nothing but a strong fancy, but these are absurd; Onely it is granted, that some strong impressions it may make on the party himself, as also on the fruit of the womb in conception: As for Jacob's art of laying parti-coloured sticks before sheep, when they came to be watered, that in the time of gendring they might bring such coloured lambs, though imagination might be something conducible thereunto, yet rather ascribe this (with some learned men) to a miracle, and the peculiar blessing and power of God towards Jacob. But I shall not hold you any longer here, let us proceed to the discovery of the natural sinfulness thereof.