either hath or favoureth something of corporiety while it is in the body and useth it as an instrument, if so be that ye shall understand, what, amongst the Platonists, that Etheriall body of the soul, and chariot of the same may be; therefore Plotine and all the Platonists, after Trismegist, in like manner, place three things in man, which they call the Supreme, lowest and middle: The Supreme is that Divine thing which they call the mind, or superiour portion, or illuminated intellect. Moses in Genesis calleth it the breath of life, viz. breath from God or his spirit inspired into us; The lowest is the Sensitive soul which they also call an Image: Paul the Apostle nameth it the Animall man. The middle is the reasonable spirit knitting and tying together both extreams, viz. the Animal soul with the mind favouring of the nature of both extreams: yet it differeth from that Supream which is called the illuminated intellect, the mind, light, and supream portion; it differeth also from the Animall soul, from the which, the Apostle teacheth us, that we ought to separate it, by the power of the word of God, saying, the Word of God is lively and powerfull, more penetrating then a two edged sword, peircing even to the dividing of the soul and spirit: for as that supream portion never sinneth, never consenteth to evil, and alwayes resisteth errour and exhorteth to the best things; so that inferior portion and Animall soul is alwayes overwhelmed in evil, in sin and concupiscence, and draweth to the worst things, of the which Paul saith, I see another Law in my members, leading me captive to the law of sin: The Minde therefore the supream portion is never damned; but when its companions are to be punished, goeth away unhurt into its Originall: But the spirit, which by Plotinus is called the reasonable soul, seeing it is by its nature, free, and can according to his pleasure adhere to either of them, if it constantly adhere to the superiour portion, is at length united and beautified with it, untill it be assumed into God: if it adhere unto the inferior soul, it is depraved, and becomes vitious, untill it be made a wicked spirit. But thus much concerning the mind and spirit: now let us see concerning the speech or word. Mercurius thinketh this of the same
