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; 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, Not Adam's body, but his soul did sin, [unto;) 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 : If by themselves, what doth their working let, If by the body, how can wit and will Join with the body only in this act, Again, if souls of souls begotten were, If, lastly, souls do generation use, Then should they spread incorruptible seed : What then becomes of that which they do lose, When th' act of generation do not speed? And though the soul could cast spiritual seed, Therefore the angels sons of God are nam'd, Who would at first, that in each other thing The earth and water living souls should breed, But that man's soul, whom he would make their king, Should from himself immediately proceed. |