Book I. 7he Temple g/V Vifdome, 347

ducetli, throughout all Arts and Sciences, as Vivi- ftitj/y Fhylofofhy^ ^hyfick^^ Ajlromancy^ Ceommcy^ Vivi- nation of VreamSy fatntingy Sculpture, Mufick^y &c,
Thofe then, that are well skilled in the Secrets of the Theology of the Ancients, aflfure us, that thofe that fiiit fet up Images in theirTemplea, refetnbling the fhapes of Angels that have appeared upon Earth> had nootherdelignin fodoing/ave oncly the more ^afiely to invite down thofe Blefied Spines , by the force of the Refcmblance. And I know not whether or no, by the very fame Vertue of Pvefemblance, which i? found betwixt God and Men, QFaciantus hontinem ad imaginem , & fimiiitudmem mjiritm : ) ic hath not nghcly been affirmed by fome Divines, that the Son of God would neverthcfs have become man , (yet wuhout fufFering dcathj though Adam had never fallen. But fpeaking of things, as they are now at prefent, we know^, that J7^/*^ Ckrili is found in the midft of thofe, that fpeak, wich Faith, of his Njme: becaufethat when we fpeak wich Af- fedion of any One^ we reprefent him to ourfelves in our Imagitiation. When therefore, fpeaking of Jefiis ChrijlyVie fane; him as he is s he isinftantly prefent with us, appearing to our Hearts at thac very inftant, that we there frame his Image by our Imaguiation. So true it is, that the refemblance hach the Power to work Wonders , even upon him that hath Dependancc upon no other, and is not under any Power, or Law. But fuch Conceptions as thefe are 10 be entertained with all Piety and H j- mility; and propofed with fuch Sandity , as bor comes thofe that fpeak ot fo /\dorable a Subject.
Fhylofophy alfo lets us fee the Vertue of this B.e-
femblance, in the bufincde of the Imagination. For
if a woman with Childe did but ftrongly fix her
Q_4 Imagination
248 "ihe Temple of Wifdome. Boo K I
Jmaginatinn on upon any Object, during the A^ of Copulation^the Child will affuredly bear the per-^ feft Image of the fame. Every Child knows the Story o\ the Princcffe^ that conceived and brought forth a Black-Moore, though her fclf and her Hus- band were both of them fair; only, becaufe there was a Moore pidlured on the Tefter of the Bed. So ifthe Mother in the A^t, cither ftrongly fancy Rob- bing, Killing or Love, the Child will be either a Theef, Murtherer, or an Amorous perfon : iffhe fancy Travelling, he will be a Traveller, if Dan- cing, or playing on the Lute, he will be very Apt for thefc things ; and fo of the reft. And we fee by daily experience, the effefts of the ftrong Defires and Longings of Mothcrs,during the time of their being Vrith Child, upon their Children ; on whom the ftrength of their Imagination hath imprinted the Refemblanceofthe fame thing that they have deli- red. And hence they fay it is, that the Children that are got upon a married Woman, by fome o- therMan then her own Husband, (hall notwithftan* ding have the perfeft refemblance of her Husband; becaufe that, during the Aft of Generation, her mind ftllisrun on him, fearing left he Hiould come, ^nd catch them at it. You may further fee the wonderful effefts caufed by the power oftht Imagi- nation, learnedly difcourfed on, by ParacelpJS^ Mar- filius f kirns ^ Tic us J MiratjduU^ Joftatus^ Valefius^ and Medina,
.P^j^c^ like wife obferves the Admir.ible FfFtfts, Read the Holy Guide ^ caufed by Refemblance: wit- riefs thofe Herbs, which afTwage the griefes of thofe parts of our body, whofe Image they bear, (as we have already faid;^ or olfe which cure thofe Dif- pfe*-, whofe figuiC, or colour they beg . Thus
Lentils ,