The Morning exercise [at] Cri[ppleg]ate, or, Several cases of conscience practically resolved

3. According to their notion, that hold the soul by creation, as I conceive, sin is conveyed into the soul at first by means of the body. Certainly the soul of man is pure, and undefiled, as it comes out of the hand of God. I do humbly propose to men of learning, whither ⟨p. 46⟩that rule, corporeum non agit in incorporeū, or that a body cannot defile a spirit, is not further to be taken into consideration. We find by experience, that as the soul communicates its affections unto the body, the body hath life, and sense, and motion from the soul, that of it self is a lifeless lump of clay: So the body again hath a very great influence on the soul, and can, and doth communicate its distempers unto it. For instance, those that have sanguine bodies are inclined to lust, those that are choleric, unto rashness and passion; those that are melancholy, unto suspicion, & tenaciousness; those that are phlegmatic, unto dullness and cowardice. So that sin may be in the body dispositivè before it be enlivened by the soul, though not formaliter; my meaning is, the body may have a disposition to defile the soul, before it is united unto the soul; and if so, no wonder if sin be expressed by the parts and members of our body.

3. According to their notion, that hold the soul by creation, as I conceive, sinne is conveyed into the soule at first by means of the body. Certainly the soule of man is pure, and undefiled, as it comes out of the hand of God. I do humbly propose to men of learning, whither ⟨p. 46⟩that rule, corporeum non agit in incorporeū, or that a body cannot defile a spirit, is not further to be taken into consideration. We find by experience, that as the soule communicates its affections unto the body, the body hath life, and sense, and motion from the soule, that of it self is a liveless lump of clay: So the body again hath a very great influence on the soul, and can, and doth communicate its distempers unto it. For instance, those that have sanguine bodies are enclined to lust, those that are cholerick, unto rashnesse and passion; those that are melancholy, unto suspition, & tenaciousness; those that are phlegmatick, unto dulness and cowardize. So that sin may be in the body dispositivè before it be enlivened by the soule, though not formaliter; my meaning is, the body may have a disposition to defile the soul, before it is united unto the soul; and if so, no wonder if sin be expressed by the parts and members of our body.