Of tbe Creatures, and the Condition ~ qullities an·d difpnfitions ufe to do: But they were not lngredicn:s conf\irutive BucK 11, of the Nnures of them,or any part or ingr,dicnt into the EtTence of them; and ~yet natural to them, as perfedtves of thtir Nature: And fuctl Crftltur", or · rather Concreateds with their Nature, may ceafe and be 1oft, wtthout the ceaf– ing of 1 he Subject it felf, that is endowed with them. In the Ccotroverfic we have with the Papifls, we rightly affirm, That the Image cf God in true Holinefs, was natural to man at his firf\ CrcJt.on. Eur then, they put this Abfurdity upon our Afiertion, That what is natural cannot be lofi; and rhat wlut was by a ~upcrnarural adofGod'q~rven the Angel$ and m, mu!t be Supernatural. · We anfwer to the firfi, That there were three thingsin Man and Angels at the fir(\, that nude up theirs and our Nature: The fub!\once of the Soul, which was, that it Wa< a Spirit, and the feat or ~ubjed of thefe other two that follow: As, 2. The Faculties of that Soul, that are e!Temial to it, in this fcnfe, thn rhey are Pnh·crpitl Natm·te (Oit{/llu/lva, Principles that do Conflitute the Nature of a Man, and which, if taken away, a Man ceafeth to be a Man; and fuch are the Underfiandiog, and Will, and Affection. in the Soul; and loin an Angel, Under!tanding and Will. 3· Thtre were further fucll Ornaments •nd Difpoiitions in thofe Faculties, as were for the perfecting the Nature ol rhe Soul, and whereby it might attain and be preferved in Hap– pinefs and aldfednefs, The two firfl are, through God's Ordination, immu. tably bdrowed,borh 10 Angels and Men;fo as if either the Souls of Men fhould ceaie to be lptrtrual Subflances,or the Angels to be Spirits; or come not to oove an UnderiL;ndrng or Will, they would e<afc to be either Angels or Men; and thereforc,thcfe two they retain, T" omntJl<tl1t,in all Sratcs, both fain and unfaln Angels,good and bad.Bur, the third, which was this of Holinefs,whicb perfe· ·Cled their Natures, rhey were and are liable to a Mutation in: For it was, and is, but aperfection in the Soul or Angel,which may Abejfovtl adrffiJinr fu6jdti Jllterzlt<, be lo1\and ceafe without the ceafing of rho Subject they belonged unto, as precious Stones or Herbs, may lofe their virtue, and yet be Stones and Herbsfiill. To the fecond, we Anfwer, That though the Image of God were concrea– ted with the !muI by a fupernatural Operation of God's; that hinders not at all, that n fhould be a natural Perfection to man's Nlture, and natural in that very refped obj,Cled, That becaufe man came forth of God's hands by immediate Creauon; even rhtrrfore it was meet and rcquifite, yea neeetTary, that thofc his Rational Creatures fhould have this Image, as an endowment which was to enter into the Compofition of their Nature: He had not dfe had that Perfection, which to the nature of their being Intelligent Cr~atures, was due : And , fo ' though it were Supernatural in the productiOn of it by God, as the Efficient; yet natural to the Subject that was made by God, It hinders this no more, than that becaufe rhe Creation ofthe Soul,nnd the Facultit."S of it,and the UniQn of it with the Body, were by a Supernatural Operation ofGod's, that therefore he was not naturally a M•n. But, thts lafi Oemon!tration proceeds upon this, That if thrfe Creatures themJdves, are in the Subflance of them as Creatures, mutable, and apt to be changed, and would fink into their Nothing, if God upheld them not by the word of his Power: (And this mutability or aptnefsto perifh, at leaf\ is affirm– ed of them, with drfference from Chrifi,as is God, Hrllr.I.ro,r r,r 2. And, thou Lord, m the beguuuugh,,J1 lazd thrfoundatioll of thr Earth, andthr Hrarmu are the works of thi~:e hands, Thryjhaliperi)b, but thourmzainefl : and they ali fhaliwax old M doth·,,garmrnr, A11d M a veflurrjhatr thot<fotdthentllf', and the;• /hall be cha11grd; /;ut thou art theJamt, and thyye,m fhalt notf(JJ/,) Then much more are the!e accidental Perfections mutable,and apt to be chang– ed, further than 2s God fhal! put a {\ability into them, CHAP.
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