wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

and^66 Different Degrees of Souls.' Book I.Tz^^jiTx xyoi^x aipsftnuv xaXor But the firjl and highejl of fouls, ii'hich "were immediatelyproducedfrom what are effentiatly good, although they have fame abatementin thetp, they being not goodneffes effent tally, but defirous of good, neverthelefsare they fo near a-kin to that highefl good of all, as that they do naturallyand indivulfively cleave to the fame, and have their volitions always uniformlydireSled towards it, they never declining to the worfer. Infomuch that^/Prosrefis be taken for the chufing of one thing before another, perhaps thereis no fuch thing as Proasrefis to be imputed to them, unlefs one fliould call thechufing of the firfi 'goods Prosrefis. By thefe higher fouls Simplicius mufl:needs underftand, either the fouls of the fun, moon and ftars, or elfe thofeof the fuperiour orders of demoniack or angelick beings. Where thoughhe make a queftion, whether Proarejis or Deliberation belong to them, yetdoes he plainly imply, that they have none at all of that lubricous liberum arbitriumor free-will belonging to them, which would make them capable ofvice and immorality as well as virtue.But whatever is to be faid of this, there feems to be no necefllty at allfor admitting that affertion of Origen's, that all rational fouls whatfoever,even thofe of men and thoie of the higheft angelical orders, are univerfallyof one and the fame nature, and have no fundamental or effential differencein their confVitution •, confequcntly that all the diflerence, that isnow betwixt them, did arife only from the difference of their demeanour,or ufe of that power and liberty, which they all alike once had. So thatthrones, and dominions, and principalities, and powers, were all made fuchby their merits ; and human fouls, though now funk fo low, yet are notabfolutely uncapable of commencing angels,or afcending to thofe higheft altitudes: as it is not impoffible, according to him, neither, but that the higheftangels alfo, the Seraphim and Cherubim might, in length of time, not onlydegenerate into devils, but alfo fink down into human bodies ; his reafonfor which monftrous paradox is only this, that the divine juftice cannototherwife well be falved, but God muft needs be a zr^o^u-^oXv.Try,^^ an accepterof perfons, ftiould he have arbitrarily made fuch vaft differences amongftintelleftual beings. Which ground he alfo extendeth fo fir, as to the humanfoul of our Saviour Chrift himielf, as being not partially appointed to that tranfcendentdignity of its hypoftatick union, but by reafon of its moft faithful adherenceto the divine word and wifdom, in a pre-exiftentftace, beyond ail othersHf^i a.i-)ff., fouls Vwhich he endeavours thus to prove from the Scripture, ^.hd diUBionisI. I. f.6.perfeHio^ i£ affeclus finceritas, ei infeparabilem cum Deo fecerit unitatcm, itaut non fortuita fuerit, aut cum perfon^e acceptione, anima ejus affumptio, fedvirtulum fuarum Jibi merito delata ; audi ad eum prophetam dicentem, Dilexifiijufiitiam £5? odifli iniquitatem %proptereu unxit te Deus, Deus tuus, oleo lu:titiapric favticipihus tuis : dileiJionis ergo merito ungitur oleo Lctitia anima Cbriftj,idefi, cum verba Dei uniim efficitur. Ungi tiamque oleo Itctiti^, non aliud intelligiturquam Spiritu SanHo repleri. Pra participibus autem dixit ;quia nongratia fpiriius Jicut prophetis ei data efl, fed ipfms verbi Dei in ea fubjlaniialisiiierat plenitudo. That the perfeiiion of love, and fmcerity of divineIaff- £fion.