The blessing of God, in Scripture, signifies an abundance and affluence of goods, with which God affects men. But in this place it indicates the greatest fecundity that was given to man, whereby, namely, the human race might be propagated more quickly and more numerously: which, at the beginning of the world, when only one man and one woman were created, was necessary; and for the same necessity, immediately after the flood (as we read in the ninth chapter of Genesis), God again blessed man and similarly said, “Increase and multiply.” That “Increase” does not signify an increase of the body in magnitude (for it is agreed that the first men were created perfect in bodily mass and magnitude), but signifies an increase of multitude: which is well declared by the two next-following words, “And multiply, and fill the earth.” For the word “Increase” there is a Hebrew word properly signifying “Bear fruit” — namely, the offspring of man stands as the fruit of a tree. And frequently divine Scripture, to signify human offspring, uses the word “fruit,” calling it the fruit of the womb: as is that, “Of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy throne”; Elizabeth said to the most blessed Virgin, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” A DISPUTA[TION...] [continues]²