The Proofes of the Fathers. SECTIO. 9.
LActantius an vtter enemie vnto Athiesme and Epicurisme, in his 19. Chap. of his little Booke De opificio Dei, In which he preserreth the weake birth of Man, with his nakednesse, before the strength of Beastes with their clothinges: treating of the Soule, sayth. That a Body may be borne of bodyes, because some thing is conferred from both: But, De ani∣mis anima non potest: that a Soule cannot bring foorth a Soule, because nothing can seperate a thing that is thinne and incomprehensible: And therfore our Soules are not traduced from our Fathers, but are from one and the selfe same Father, God of all. But in his 17. Chap. he sheweth the Creation and infusion, and sayth flatly, that Anima non est aer ore conceptus, quia multo prius gignitur anima, quam concipi aer ore possit: The Soule is not the ayer or breath receaued at the mouth, for that the Soule is created a long time before breath can be drawne in at the mouth: neither is it put into the Body after the breath, Sed post conceptum protinus, foorthwith after the conception, when Nature (which in that place he calleth Necessitatem De∣uinam) hath framed the Child in the wombe. Therefore was the Soule falsely called of the Gentiles Spiritus; for that by their opinion it was winde and breath: for that wee by drawing winde and ayer at the mouth, do seeme to liue. But this is false; for that the Body receaueth not life from the breath, which hath his originall o• seate in Page [unnumbered] the Lunges, but from the Soule which is whole, not by parts dispersed into the whole body: for it liueth being in the Mothers wombe. It is called Soule, for that it gi∣ueth life. It is called Spirit, because it bath in it spirituall, animall, and kindly life; and for that it maketh the body for to breath.
Anima and Animus, are both one in substaunce and nature, though they differ in name by supposed qual∣lities: Anima leadeth by Reason: Animus by Counsaile. It is called Anima, while it giueth life; Mens while it hath a Minde: Animus while it hath Counsaile: Ratio, while it iudgeth: Spiritus, while it breatheth: Sensus, while it feeleth: Et ista non differunt in substantia, quem∣admodum in nominibus: quoniam omnia ista vna anima est: And these differ, not in substaunce as they differ in name, because all these is but one Soule; as Augustine affirmeth in his Booke De Spiritu et anima. Cap. 24.
Lactantius in his 17. Chap. De opificio Dei, sayth: That Ratio et natura animi, percipi non potest: The reason and nature of the Soule cannot be vnderstood. For in deede, the Soule of man, (aboue all Creatures) doth most per∣fectly represent the image of God; whose immortall and infinite beeing, is as incomprehensible as himselfe; and so vnsearchable, as that his wisedome and vnderstan∣ding, maketh the wisedome of man foolishnesse and plaine dotage: Yet hath he made himselfe familiar with vs in our owne nature, fleshe, and infirmitie (sinne onely excepted) and hath openly reuealed him selfe vnto vs, so farre as the nature of man can endure.
Hee is sayde to be muisible: and in this dooth our Soule represent in vs his image: For what man hath Page [unnumbered] at any time seene the Soule of man? Certainely it cannot be seene or felt: and yet it is in the whole Body, and in euery part thereof; which giueth life vnto one member, and so vnto all.
Tertullian, dreaming (in his Booke De Resurrectione car∣nis) of a certaine corpulencie of the Soule, hauing a cer∣taine proper kind of substaunce and massiuenesse, did thereby prooue (as himselfe thinketh) sufficiently, in his Booke De anima, the traducing of the Soule from the seede of our Parents; affirming that as Euah receaued from Adam her flesh and bones, so likewise that shee receaued her Soule from Adams. But to banish Tertullian with his errour, (as he was most grosse in what he erred) and to embrace him with his trueth (as in what he wrote truely, he wrote most deuinely.) Adam when as he saw that God had giuen him a follow, imparted vnto her as well his nature as name; and sayd: This is flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bones; shee shall be called Woman, because shee was taken out of Man. He being taught by God, knew well that she had no part nor portion of his Soule: for if shee had, he would haue sayd: that this is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, and Soule of my Soule, But leauing the last, he teacheth vs, that the Soule is not a naturall substaunce be∣gotten by the effusion of Seede, (as Tertullian imagineth) but a subaunce which at that instant when the Body is ful∣ly framed, is created of nothing; and at that instant infused into the Body. But to excuse Tertullian by his reasons: as they be sharpe to condemne him in all thinges; for that he did contradict the Scriptures sometime, I esteeme it a great folly, But so to esteeme of him, as an excellent scourge of Heresie, and confuter of Hereuques. In Chri∣stian charitie I acknowledge thus much; that Nemo om∣nibus Page [unnumbered] horis sapit: especially in those of affliction: which duely considered in him, being learned, and broken by the tyrannie of Rome, shal redound vnto his prayse; and make vs more wise in our owne follies.
But to make some vse of Tertullians anima, that with vs affirmeth both the resurrection of the Soule and Body; and hath excellently confuted the Stoicks and Epicures in denying the immortallitie, in his Booke De anima. Chap. de conceptu animae; reiecting the corporalitie of the Soule, and traducement: you shale finde matter of great mo∣ment, sharpe wit, and sufficient proofe, both by the ex∣perience of the Mothers, and reason of our selues, That the Infants in their wombes haue life. If life, of necessitie Soules; for it is the life it selfe: Nay not any other strange or contrarie liuelinesse then their owne Mothers, but the same life with them hi motus gaudia vestra, speaking vnto their Mothers, & such as be Child-bearing women, saith: These motions be your ioyes, and these be your mani∣fest securitie, that so thou mayst beleeue the Infant to liue and play. The places of Scripture I referre vnto their proper places: and desire the Reader, that can with Aesops Cocke finde a Pearle; or with Virgill make any golden vse of Aennius dounge, to peruse that Chap. and Booke: In which they shall find Thornes that will prick; and sweete Flowers, which haue a most fragrant sent.
Anselmus vpon the Corinthians saith: That it is vnited vnto the body, and giueth life vnto it in the Mothers wombe; and that without it, it cannot liue, being brought foorth.
Chrisostome in his Booke De Recuperatione lapsi, sayth: Non anima pro corpore, sed corpus pro anima: nec corpus in anima, sed anima in corpore sita est: That the Soule was Page [unnumbered] not made for the Body, but the Body for the Soule: nei∣ther is the Body placed in the Soule, but the Soule is pla∣ced in the Body. So that a man may say, that the Body is a Circumference of the Soules substaunce; which is infused (sayth hee) into the Body before the breath, yet brought out of the wombe with the Body: not dying with the Body, but (the Body being depriued thereof) reuertens aut glorificabitur aut in perpeticum apud inferos cruciabitur: returning vnto him that gaue it; it shall be either glorified, or else for euer and euer in Hell be tormented.
Sactius Porta, the imitator of the Sarbonistes, in his se∣cond Sermon Feria. 2. Pentecostes. parte. 2. sayth: That Anima in homine est forma dans totam or dinem esse perfecti: Datenim viuere et moueri: The Soule in man is the forme giuing the whole order of being perfect; for it giueth power to mooue and to liue.
Zanchius in his most deuine worke of the Soule, sayth: That God in the beginning Created the Body of Man: Now the Body is generated by the combination of Man and Woman: But yet the creation of the Soule doth continue as in the first; and is infused (immediatly from God the Creator thereof, without any helpe of the nature of Father or Mother) into the Body, whenas the members are fully finished, while the Childe is in the Mothers belly.
Brentius with the rest affirme the reasonable Soule to be in Children in the Wombe: For (sayth hee) else nei∣ther Ieremie nor Iohn Bapiist, could haue been fanctified in the same: for there is no sanctification or making holy, but after sinne: For that which is sanctified, is holy vnto God and vs, by imputation of righteousnesse vnto Page [unnumbered] that which before was sinfull: Now there can neither be sinne, nor yet holynesse, without a subiect: And I say the Soule is the subiect of both, and after a second meaning is the Body also.
Children (say the Sorbonistes) could not be concea∣ued and brought foorth in sinne, vnlesse before the birth of the Child the Soule were in the Infant.
And therefore Iohn Chappius, a well nurtured birde of that ill fauoured broode, in his explanation of Raymun∣dus summus, sayth, (not denying the beeing of the Soule, for why then should hee with the rest of that rowt, that attribute so much to inwarde grace vnto the outwarde elelement, affirme? that if any part of the Childe appea∣reth out of the Wombe, and some other part remayne in the same; yet that it ought to be baptized: yea if the part so appearing be but the hand, or heele (in case that the woman be in danger of death, and by hers the child:) And with such asseueration doth he affirme it, as that in no case to be any more Baptized: adding his reason, hee sayth: That because Baptizme is for the Soule, and not the Body: and the Soule is Tota in toto, et toto in qualibet parte Corporis.
And Raymundus himselfe sayth: Si puer egreditur ma∣tris ventrem moriturus.
Imagining (with the grosse-heads their fellow brethren) that without Baptisme, they could not be saued. So de∣priuing Page [unnumbered] God (whose hand is most plentious in giuing saluation) of all grace, and power: and attributing so much grace vnto the dumbe ellement, as that Delet omne pecca∣tum, it abollisheth all sinne: Why then, be Children de∣priued of the full fruition of God?
But this is my fayth and beleefe, That Infants in the Wombe, which die in the birth, shall rise in the last day, and be partakers either of life or death: be either in Hea∣uen or Hell. I acknowledge not any third or fourth place: but the blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, to be the one and sole Purgation of the sinnes both of our Soule and Body.
