Secondly, In respect of its defect from that end and use, which God did intend in the Creation of man by making him with this imaginative power. We must readily yield, that as God did show his wonderful wisdom and power in making of man, which the Scripture often observeth, comparing the workmanship of our body, to the curious needle work of some skilful woman, Psal. 139. 15. so all these powers and parts of the soul were made for singular and admirable use, and therefore the imagination as well as the rest; yea we are to know, that in all those visions and dreams by which God did appear to the Prophets and others, it was by exciting and working upon their imagination; so that God hath exceedingly honoured that part of the soul in this way. The ⟨p. 354⟩use of this imaginative power, is two-fold, as of the other senses; The one proxime and immediate, which is to perform their operations for which they were given to men; The other remote and more general, which is to be instrumental to the salvation of the soul, and also to the glorifying of God; For by the imagination we are to glorify God, as well as by other parts of soul and body; The former end of the imagination, I may call natural; The later, moral; I shall not speak of the former, because whatsoever defect is now upon the fancy in that way, not being able to do its office, as at first Creation, it is merely penal, a punishment, and not so much our sin; Thus, that men are subject to madness in their fancy, that the imagination by any distemper in the organ, where it is fixed, may be wholly perverted, as we see in fevers, and in frenzies, and sometimes in dying men; This is not so much a sin in the fancy, as a punishment, even as death is inflicted upon us, because of Adam's transgression. It is true, that Adam, though created with full and perfect knowledge in naturals and supernaturals that was necessarily required to his blessedness, yet as Suarez well determineth, (De Creatione homines lib. 3. cap. 9) in the use of his knowledge he had recourse to phantasms in the imagination, because that is a natural way to the soul, while joined to the body, only in that state, as the organ was not subject to any bodily distempers, so neither could his imagination any way err;
SEcondly, In respect of its defect from that end and use, which God did intend in the Creation of man by making him with this imaginative power. We must readily yeeld, that as God did shew his wonderfull wisdome and power in making of man, which the Scripture often observeth, comparing the workmanship of our body, to the curious needle work of some skilfull woman, Psal. 139. 15. so all these powers and parts of the soul were made for singular and admirable use, and therefore the imagination as well as the rest; yea we are to know, that in all those visions and dreames by which God did appear to the Prophets and others, it was by exciting and working upon their imagination; so that God hath exceedingly honoured that part of the soul in this way. The ⟨p. 354⟩use of this imaginative power, is two-fold, as of the other senses; The one proxime and immediate, which is to performe their operations for which they were given to men; The other remote and more general, which is to be instrumental to the salvation of the soul, and also to the glorifying of God; For by the imagination we are to glorifie God, as well as by other parts of soul and body; The former end of the imagination, I may call naturall; The later, morall; I shall not speak of the former, because whatsoever defect is now upon the fancy in that way, not being able to do its office, as at first Creation, it is meerly penall, a punishment, and not so much our sinne; Thus, that men are subject to madness in their fancy, that the imagination by any distemper in the organ, where it is fixed, may be wholly perverted, as we see in seavers, and in phrensies, and sometimes in dying men; This is not so much a sinne in the fancy, as a punishment, even as death is inflicted upon us, because of Adam's transgression. It is true, that Adam, though created with full and perfect knowledge in naturals and supernaturals that was necessarily required to his blessedness, yet as Suarez well determineth, (De Creatione homines lib. 3. cap. 9) in the use of his knowledge he had recourse to phantasmes in the imagination, because that is a natural way to the soul, while joyned to the body, only in that state, as the organ was not subject to any bodily distempers, so neither could his imagination any way erre;
