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fancies about the original of the foul of man! and when all is done, three words of God, by the pen of his infpired Mofes * enlightens us more than all their fubtile notions of the acciden tal concretion of atoms, their materia fubtilis, and anima mundi, and the rest of their unintelligible fancies could ever do.

The account Mofes gives us in this context, of the origin of the world, and of man the epitome of it, is full of fenfe, reafon, congruity, and clearnefs; and fuch as renders all the effays of all the Heathen philosophers to be vain, inevident, self-repug nant, and inexplicable theories.

The infpired penman gives us, in this context, a compendious narrative of the world's creation, relating more generally the rude, inform, and indigefted chaos; and then more particularly the fpecificating, and diverfifying of the various beautiful beings, thence educed by the motion of the Spirit of God upon the face of the waters.

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When the first matter was ftrictly created out of nothing, "the Spirit (as Mofes excellently expreffeth it, chap. i. 2.) t hovered, or moved over it as abird over eggs, and, as it were,, by way of incubation, cherishing and influencing it," did thereby draw forth all the creatures into their feveral forms, and diftinct particular natures, wherein we now, with delight and admiration, behold them.

In this manner and order was the stately fabric of the world produced, and erected; but, as yet, it remained as a fair, and well furnished houfe without an inhabitant. God had employed infinite wifdom and power about it, and engraven his name, upon the meanest creature in it; but there was no creature yet made (except angels, the inhabitants of another city) to read the name, and celebrate the name of the Almighty Creator,

He therefore thought the world imperfect till there was a creature made that could contemplate, praife, and worthip the Maker of it for this very ufe and purpose was man created, that he might not only fee, but confider the things he faw; difcourfe,, and rationally collect out of them the things he faw not; and both praife, and love the Maker for, and in them all. P 2

*Philofophy feeks or fearches after truth, but theology finds it. Jo. Picus Miran.

-Motus, com זרות אלתים מלהס י על סני חמים דחס +

motus, agitatus fuit; non fimplicem motum denotat, fed ejufmodi quam Columba peragit, cum ovis ad excludendum pullos incubat. Rab. Sol.

The palaces of princes are not beautified and adorned, to the intent men should pay the refpects and honours to the walls, but to fhew the grandeur and magnificence of the king, to whose person their honour is due, as Athenagoras in his excellent apology for the Chriftians, fpeaks. The world is a glorious and magnificent pile, raised defignedly to exhibit the wifdom and power of its Creator to the reasonable creature man, that from him God might receive the glory of all his other works. Of this creature man, the mafter-piece of all the vifible world, (and therefore crowned king over it the first moment he was made, Pfal. viii. 5.) Moles in the next place, gives us the account, both of his original, whence he came, and of his dignity, what he is. "The Lord God formed man out "of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the "breath of life; and man became a living foul." Where we fal,

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The original

1. Of the body of man.
Of the

II. Of the foul

Man's

I. The original of the body of man: Formed out of the duft "of the ground.” "Duft was its original matter: of dust was "it made, and into duft it must be refolved, Gen. iii. 19. The "confideration is humbling, and ferves to tame the pride of man ", who is apt to dote upon his own beauty. body was not made of heavenly matter, as the radiant fun, and fparkling ftars: no, nor yet of the most precious and orient earthly matter; God did not melt down the pure and fplendid gold and filver, or powder the precious pearls, and fparkling diamonds; but he formed it of the vile and defpicable dust.

We find that the sprinkling of duft upon new writing prevents many a foul blot: I am fure, the fprinkling of our originary duft upon our minds by ferious confideration, is the way to prevent many a proud boaft.

However, the bafenefs of the matter, and coarfenefs of the ftuff, ferves to fet off the admirable skill of the most wife and

This world is indeed most beautiful, yet it is not the world itfelf that is to be adored, but that great Artificer its Creator: even as your fubjects, when applying to you for what they need, do not act so foolish a part as to overlook you their lords and princes, omitting all the honour due to you, and confining their regards to the magnificence of your palaces; but, on the contrary, viewing the fine ftructure of your palaces only by the by, they revere and honour your felves before and above all things elfe. Athen. Apol.

I JOINT ID 1y Pulverem tenuifimam ad domandum fupera biam. Fagius,

powerful Architect, who out of fuch mean, despicable materials, has fashioned fo exact and elegant a piece. "The Lord God

" formed man out of the duft."

"The Lord God.] The name of God is here fet down at full "‡, to fet forth the dignity of man," the fubject matter wrought upon, as fome conceive.

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Formed.] Fathioned, or curiously moulded, and figured it †. The Hebrew verb, primarily fignifies "to prefs, comprefs, or fqueeze together; and by a metalepfis, by preffing and compreffing, to mould or fashion, as the potter doth his clay." The Pfalmift ufeth another word to exprefs the artificial elegancy of the body of man, Pfal. cxxxix. 15, 16. 'opacupictus fum, I am embroidered, painted, or flourished, as with a needle. We reader it, curiously wrought. Whattoever beauty and comely proportion God hath beftowed by creation upon it, "it is "all answerable to that excellent idea, or model before "conceived in his mind and purpose." All this care, and cost was bestowed upon the body of man, which, when all is done, is but the cafe in which that eftimable jewel, the foul, was to be lodged. This therefore I must lay aside and come to the more noble fubject,

II. The foul of man: about which we have before us four things to ponder in this text, viz.

(1.) The nature, and property, (2.) The defcent, and original, (3.) The manner of infufion,

(4.) The nexus, or bond that unites,

the foul of man.

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(1.) The nature and property of it, a living soul. The word V, as alfo the Chaldee Naphsha; and the Greek Yuxn, have one and the fame etymology, all fignifying to breathe, or refpire; not that the breath is the foul, but denoting the manner of its infufion by the breath of God, and the means of its continuation in the body, by the breath of our nostrils. breath infused it, and our breath continues its union with the body. It fignifies here the rational foul; and the Hebrew word V, a foul, hath a very near affinity with the word O', the heavens; and indeed there is a nearer affinity be

God's

I ' ' Dominus Deus. Nomen Dei hic plenum eft, propter hominis dignitatem. Nachm.

Preffit Compreffit, et per Metalepfin, premendo et compriendo formavit.

↑ Imaginem mente divina conceptam, quafi manu format. Fagius.

wixt the things, viz. foul and heaven, that there is betwixt the names.

The epithet n which we tranflate living, the Arabic renders a rational foul and indeed, none but a rational, deferves the name of a living foul; for all other forms or fouls, which are of an earthly extract, do both depend on, and die with the matter out of which thy were educed; but this being of another nature, a spiritual and fubftantial being, is therefore right. ly filed, a living foul.

The Chaldee renders it, a speaking foul. And indeed, it de ferves a remark, that the ability of fpeech is conferred on no other foul but man's. Other creatures have apt and excellent organs; birds can modulate the air, and form it into sweet delicious notes, and charming founds; but no creature, except man, whofe foul is of an heavenly nature and extraction, can articulate the found, and form it into words, by which the notions and fentiments of one foul are in a noble, apt, and expeditious manner. conveyed to the understanding of another foul. And indeed, what fhould any other creature do with the faculty or power of fpeech, without a principle of reafon to guide and govern it? It is fufficient to them, that they dif cern each others meaning by dumb figns, much after the manner that we traded at first with the Indians: but fpeech is proper only to the rational, or living foul; however, we render it a living, a rational, or a speaking foul, it diftinguishes the foul of man from all other fouls.

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(2.) We find here the best account that was ever given of the origin of the foul of man, or whence it came, and from whom it derives its being O, what a dust and pudder have the difputes and contefts of philofophers raised about this matter! which is cleared in a few words in this fcripture; *“God "breathed into his noftrils the breath of life, and man became a living foul which plainly fpeaks it to be the immediate effect of God's creating power. Not a refult from the matter; no, no, refults flow e finu materiae, out of the bofom of matter; but this comes ex halitu divino, from the infpiration of God. That wich is born of the flesh, is flesh; but this is a fpirit defcending from the Father of spirits, God formed it, but not out of any pre-exiftent matter, whether celeftial or terreftrial;

*He breathed the breath of life into man, to fhew that man's foul is from an external cause by creation, and that at the fame time, in being created, it is infufed into the body.. Pal.. Synops, on the place.

much lefs out of himself, as the + Stoicks fpeak; but out of nothing. An high-born creature it is, but no particle of the Deity. The indivisible and immutable effence of God is utterly repugnant to fuch notions; and therefore they speak not strictly and warily enough, that are bold to call it a ray or emanation from God.

A fpirit it is, and flows by way of creation, immediately from the Father of fpirits; but yet it is a spirit of another inferior rank and order.

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(3) We have alfo the account of the way and manner of its infufion into the body, viz. by the fame breath of God which gave it its being. It is therefore a rational, feriptural, and juftifiable expreffion of St. Auguftine, Creando infunditur, et infundendo creatur; it is infufed in creating, and created in infufing; though Dr. Brown ‡ too flightingly calls it a mere rhetorical antimetathefts. Some of the fathers, as Juftin, Ireneus, and Tertullian, were of opinion, That the Son of God affumed a human fhape at this time, in which afterwards he often appeared to the fathers, as a prelude to his true and real incarnation; and took duft or clay in his hands, out of which he formed the body of man, according to the pattern of that body in which he appeared and that being done, he afterward, by breathing, infufed the foul into it. But I rather think it is an anthropopathy,' or ufual figure in fpeech, by which the Spirit of God floops to the imbecility of our understandings. He breathed into his "noftrils the breath of life;" Hebrew, lifes. But this plural word notes rather the twofold life of man, in this world, and in that to come; or, "the feveral faculties and powers belonging to one and the fame foul, viz. the intellective, fenfitive, and vegetative offices thereof; than that there are more fouls "than one, effentially differing, in one and the fame man; for "that, (as § Aquinas truly faith), is impoffible." We cannot trace the way of the fpirit, or tell in what manner it was united with this clod of earth. But it is enough, that he who formed it, did alfo unite or marry it to the body. This is clear, not

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†The Stoicks, faith Simplicius, call the foul Mepos nos 78 A£8, i. e. a particle or member of the Deity; and Seneca calls it, God dwelling in the human body, which comes near to Ocos εv capri Qareplek, i. e. God manifefted in the flesh,

Religio Medici, Se&t. 36.

Impoffibile eft in uno homine effe. plures animas per effentiam differentes; fed una tantum eft anima, qua vegetativæ et fenfitiva. et intellectiva, officiis fungitur. Aquia. 12, Q, 26, art, 2.

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