The vanity of this mortal life, or, Of man, considered only in his present…

Or, if the paths of Nature, in these affairs of the mind, be more abstruse, and quite out of the reach and road of artificial achievement; Whence is it that Nature her self (that is vainly enough supposed by some to have been so happy, as by some casual strokes to have fabricated the first of humane Creatures, that have since propagated themselves) is grown so effete and dull, as never since to hit upon any like effect in the like way. And that no Records of any time or age give us the notice of some such Creature sprung out of some Epicurean Womb of ⟨p. 31⟩the Earth, and elaborated by the only immediate hand of Nature, so disposing the parts of matter in its constitution, that it should be able to perform the operations belonging to the mind of man.

Or, if the paths of Nature, in these affairs of the mind, be more abstruse, and quite out of the reach and road of artificial atchievement; Whence is it that Nature her self (that is vainly enough supposed by some to have been so happy, as by some casual stroaks to have fabricated the first of humane Creatures, that have since propagated themselves) is grown so effete and dull, as never since to hit upon any like effect in the like way. And that no Records of any time or age give us the notice of some such Creature sprung out of some Epicurean Womb of ⟨p. 31⟩the Earth, and elaborated by the only immediate hand of Nature, so disposing the parts of matter in its constitution, that it should be able to perform the operations belonging to the mind of man.

But if we cannot with any tolerable pretence or show of reason attribute these operations to any mere matter, that there must be somewhat else in man to which they may agree, that is distinct from his corruptible part; and that is therefore capable, by the advantage of its own nature of subsisting hereafter (while God shall continue to it an influence agreeable to its nature, as he doth to other Creatures).