are the soul's instruments, by which she
discovers her power. But if it happen that any of the original parts are
out of tune, its whole work is confused, as appears in idiots and mad
men; though, in some of them, the soul, by a vigorous exertion of its
power, recovers its innate strength and they become right after a long
despondency in mind, but in others it is not recovered again in this
life. For, as fire under ashes, or the sun obscured from our sight by
thick clouds, afford not their native lustre, so the soul, overwhelmed
in moist or morbid matter, is darkened and reason thereby overclouded;
and though reason shines less in children than it does in such as are
arrived at maturity, yet no man must imagine that the soul of an infant
grows up with the child, for then would it again decay; but it suits
itself to nature's weakness, and the imbecility of the body wherein it
is placed, that it may operate the better. And as the body is more
capable of recovering its influence, so the soul does more and more
exert its faculties, having force and endowment at the time it enters
the form of a child in the womb; for its substance can receive nothing
less. And thus much to prove that the soul does not come from the
parents, but is infused by God. I shall next prove its immortality and
demonstrate the certainty of our resurrection.

OF THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL

That the soul of man is a Divine ray, infused by the Sovereign Creator,
I have already proved, and now come to show that whatever immediately
proceeds from Him, and participates of His nature, must be as immortal
as its original; for, though all other creatures are endowed with life
and motion, they yet lack a reasonable soul, and from thence it is
concluded that their life is in their blood, and that being corruptible
they perish and are no more; but man being endowed with a reasonable
soul and stamped with a Divine image, is of a different nature, and
though his body is corruptible, yet his soul being of an immortal nature
cannot perish; but at the dissolution of the body returns to God who
gave it, either to receive reward or punishment. Now, that the body can
sin of itself is impossible, because wanting the soul, which is the
principle of life, it cannot act nor proceed to anything either good or
evil; for could it do so, it might even sin in the grave. But it is
plain that after death there is a cessation; for as death leaves us so
judgment will find us.