that one shall be contrary unto the other, yet so that the death of the one be the life of the other: that which produceth one, consumeth another, and another thing from this is naturally produced, and such a thing which is more noble then the former: and by this means there is preserved an equality of the Elements, and so also of the compositum. Separation is of all things, especially of living things the naturall death: Wherefore man must naturally die because hee is compounded of four Elements, hee is subject to separation, seing every thing that is compounded is separated naturally. But this separation of Mans composition must needs have been done in the day of judgement, _i.e._ the first judgement, when the sentence of a naturall death was passed upon him: for in Paradise Man was immortall. Which all Divines, as also Sacred Writ doth testifie; but a sufficient reason of this immortality no Philosopher hitherto hath shewed; which it is convenient for the Searcher of this sacred Science to know, that he may see how all these things are done naturally, and bee most easily understood. But it is most true, that every compound thing in this world is subject to corruption, and separation; which separation in the Animall Kingdome is called death: And man seeing hee is created and compounded of foure Elements, how can hee bee immortall? It is hard to beleeve that this is done naturally; but that there is something above Nature in it. Yet God hath inspired it into Philosophers that were good men many ages since, that this is so naturally. Which take to be thus. Paradise was, and is such a place, which was created by the great Maker of all things, of true Elements, not elementated, but most pure, temperate, equally proportioned in the highest perfection; and all things that were in Paradise were created of the same Elements, and incorrupt; there also was Man created and framed of the same incorrupted Elements, proportioned in equality, that he could in no wise be corrupted, therefore he was consecrated to immortality: for without all doubt God created this Paradise for men only, of which and where it is wee have largely treated in our book of Harmony. But when afterwards Man by his sinne of disobedience had transgressed the comandement of the most High God, hee was driven forth to beasts into the corruptible world elementated, which God created only for beasts: who of necessity, seeing he cannot live without nutriment, must from corrupt elementated Elements receive nutriment. By which nutriment those pure Elements of which he was created, were infected; and so by little and little declined into corruption, untill one quality exceeded another, and destruction, infirmity, and last of all separation, and death of the whole compound followed. So that now they are neer unto corruption and death, who are procreated in corrupt Elements, of corrupt Seed, and not in Paradise; for Seed produced out of corrupt nutriments cannot be