[Sidenote: That the Soul is not traduced from the parents.] Nor He, in this, doth Nature's service use, For though from bodies she can bodies bring; Yet could she never, souls from souls traduce, As fire from fire, or light from light doth spring. Alas! that some that were great lights of old, And in their hands the Lamp of GOD did bear, Some reverend Fathers did this error hold, Having their eyes dimmed with religious fear. "For when," say they, "by rule of faith we find, That every soul unto her body knit, Brings from the mother's womb, the Sin of Kind, The root of all the ill She doth commit." "How can we say, that GOD, the Soul doth make, But we must make Him author of her sin; Then from man's soul, She doth beginning take, Since in man's soul, corruption did begin." "For if GOD make her, first he makes her ill, (Which GOD forbid! our thoughts should yield unto) Or makes the body, her fair form to spill; Which, of itself, it hath no power to do." "Not Adam's Body, but his Soul did sin, And so herself unto corruption brought: But our poor Soul corrupted is within, Ere She hath sinned, either in act or thought"; "And yet we see in her such powers divine, As we could gladly think, from GOD she came; Fain would we make Him author of the wine, If for the dregs, we could some other blame." [Sidenote: The Answer to the Objection.] Thus these good men, with holy zeal were blind, When on the other part the truth did shine, Whereof we do clear demonstrations find, By light of Nature, and by light Divine. None are so gross, as to contend for this, That Souls from Bodies may traducèd be; Between whose natures no proportion is, When root and branch in nature still agree. But many subtle wits have justified That Souls from Souls, spiritually may spring; Which (if the nature of the Soul be tried) Will even, in Nature, prove as gross a thing. [Sidenote: Reasons derived from Nature.] For all things made, are either made of nought, Or made of stuff that ready made doth stand: Of nought, no creature ever formed ought, For that is proper to th'Almighty's hand. If then the Soul, another soul do make; Because her power is kept within a bound, She must some former stuff or matter take; But in the Soul, there is no matter found. Then if her heavenly Form do not agree, With any matter which the world contains; Then She of nothing must created be, And to Create, to GOD alone, pertains! Again, if Souls do other Souls beget, 'Tis by themselves, or by the Body's power! If by themselves! what doth their working let, But they might Souls engender every hour?