Of the immortality of mans soul, and the nature of it and other spirits.…

§ 2. The word [Form] is as ambiguous; You and I are not the only persons that use it not in the same sense. Matter in its first Conceptus called Primus, hath no Form; that is, is conceived of abstracted from all Form. Matter in its next Conceptus is conceived of as diversified by accidents, as quantity, figure, &c. And so the 3 passive Elements, Earth, Air & Water, are diversified by many accidents, making up that Consistence, which is called their several forms, known only by sense, and capable of no perfect definition. Many such passive Materials conjunct have their Relative Form, which is that Contexture in which consisteth their aptitude for their use: as a House, a Ship, a Gun, a Watch. In Compositions where the Active natures are added, and operate unitedly on the passive, there the Active is the Form of the Compound, quite in another sense than any of the former, viz. as it is principium motus.

§ 2. The word [Form] is as ambiguous; You and I are not the only persons that use it not in the same sense. Matter in its first Conceptus called Primus, hath no Form; that is, is conceived of abstracted from all Form. Matter in its next Conceptus is conceived of as diversified by accidents, as quantity, figure, &c. And so the 3 passive Elements, Earth, Air & Water, are diversified by many accidents, making up that Consistence, which is called their several forms, known only by sensse, and capable of no perfect definition. Many such passive Materials conjunct have their Relative Form, which is that Contexture in which consisteth their aptitude for their use: as a House, a Ship, a Gun, a Watch. In Compositions where the Active natures are added, and operate unitedly on the passive, there the Active is the Form of the Compound, quite in another sense than any of the former, viz. as it is principium motus.

You and I are enquiring of the different Forms of Matter and Spirit: You say that Impenetrability, and Divisibility are the ⟨p. 13⟩Form of Matter, and the contrary of Spirit: I say, that 1. Substance as Substance, (and Matter taken for Substance, which Dr. Crakenthorpe thinketh is the properest sense) as such hath no Form, that is, in conceptu primo. 2. That substance distinguished by subtlety & crassitude, visibility and invisibility, quantity, shape, motion, &c. doth herein differ Modally: And this Mode may well enough be called the Form, before it have another Form: And as the divers foresaid Elements thus differ, so the substance of Spirits no doubt hath some Modal Excellency above all Bodies or Matter strictly or narrowly so called: And if you will call this a Form, I contend not about the word, but it is but equivocally so called, Spirits having another nobler sort of Form. 3. Nothing hath two Forms univocally so called: But Spirits have all that Virtus formalis, which I oft described which is their very form: There is no Spirit without it: It's not a Compounding part, but the form of a simple substance. Vital Virtue, Vis, Potentia activa, signifieth not the same thing with Penetrability, and Indiscerpibility; Therefore both cannot be the Form univocally so called: And how you could put both these your self into one definition,