The Soul of Man, Part 8 · Doctrine · Proposition 3
PROP. III. The Separation of the Soul and Body makes a great and wonderful change upon both, but especially upon the Soul.
THere is a twofold change made upon man by death; one upon his Body, another upon his Soul. The change upon the Body is great, and visible to every eye. A living Body is changed into a dead carcase. A beautiful and comely Body, into a loathsome spectacle: that which lately was the object of delight and love, is hereby made an abhorrence to all flesh, Bury my dead out of my sight, Gen. 23.4.
What the Sun is to the greater, that the Soul is to the lesser World. When the Sun shines comfortably, how vegete and chearful do all things look! How well do they thrive and prosper! The Birds sing merrily, the Beasts play wantonly, the whole Creation enjoyeth a day of light and joy: but when it departs, what a night of horror followeth? How are all things wrapt up in the sable Mantle of darkness! Or if it but abate its heat, as in Winter; the Creatures are as it were buried in the winding-sheet of Winters frost and Snow: just so it is with the Body when the Soul shineth pleasantly upon it, or departs from it.
That Body which was fed so assiduously, cared for so anxiously, loved so passionately: is now tumbled into a pit, and left to the mercy of crawling Worms. The change which judgment made upon that great and flourishing City Nineveh, is a fit emblem… to …hadow forth that change which death makes upon humane Bodies. That great and renowned City, was once full of people which thronged the streets thereof: there you might have seen children playing upon the Thresholds, Beauties shewing themselves through the windows, Melody sounding in its Palaces. But what an alteration was made upon it, the Prophet Zephaniah describes, Chap. …. v. 14. Flocks shall lye down in the midst of her, all the Beasts of the Nations: both the Cormorant and the Bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it: their voice shall sing in the windows, desolation shall be in the thresholds, for he shall uncover the Cedar work.
Thus it is with the Body when death hath dislodged the Soul. Worms nestle in the holes where the beautiful eyes were once placed. Corruption and desolation is upon all parts of that stately structure. But this being a vulgar Theam, I shall leave the Body to the dust from whence it came, and follow the Soul▪ which is my proper subject, pointing at the changes which are made on it.
The essence of the Soul is not destroyed or changed by the Bodies ruine: It is substantially the self same Soul that it was when in the Body. The supposition of an essential change, would disorder the whole frame and model of Gods eternal design for the Redemption and glorification of it, Rom. 8.29, 30. but yet though it undergo no substantial change at death, yet divers great and remarkable alterations are made upon it by sundering it from the Body. As
1. It is not where it was. It was in a Body, immerst in matter, married unto flesh and blood; but now it is out of the Body, uncloathed, and stript naked out of its garments of flesh, like pure Gold melted out of the ore with which it was commixed; or as a Birdlet out of her Cage, into the open Fields and Woods. This makes a great and wonderful change upon it.
2. Being free from the Body, it is consequently discharged and freed from all those …ares, studies, fears and sorrows to which it was here enthralled and subjected upon the Bodies account. It puts off all those passions and burdens with it, never spends one thought more about Food, and Raiment, Health and Sickness, Wives, and Children, Riches or Poverty: but lives henceforth after the manner of Angels, Matth. 22.30. It is now unrelated to, and therefore unconcerned about all these things.
3. In the unbodied state it is perfectly freed from sin, both in the Acts and Habits: a mercy it never enjoyed since the first moment it dwelt in the Body. The cure of this disease was indeed begun in the Work of Sanctification, but is not perfected till the day of the Souls glorification. 'Tis now, and not till now, a Spirit made perfect; that is, a Soul enjoying its perfect health and rectitude. No more groans, tears, or lamentations upon the account of in-dwelling sin.
4. The way and manner of its converse with, and enjoyment of God is changed. There are two mediums by which Souls converse with God in the Body, viz
(1) One internal, sc Faith.
(2) The other external, sc. Ordinances.
(1) If a man walk with God on earth, it must be in the use and exercise of Faith, 2 Cor. 5.7. nor can there be any communion carried on betwixt God and the Soul without it, Heb. 11.6.
(2) The external mediums are the ordinances of God, or duties of Religion, both publick, and private, Psal. 63.2. Betwixt these two mediums of Communion with God, this remarkable difference is sound; the Soul may see and enjoy God by Faith, in the want or absence of Ordinances; but there is no seeing or conversing with God in the greatest plenty and purity of Ordinances, without Faith, Heb. 4.2.
But in the same moment the Soul is cut off from union with the Body, it is also cut off from both these ways of enjoying God, 1 Cor. 13.12 Isai. 38.11. But yet the Soul is no loser, nay, it is the greatest Gainer by this change. The Child is no loser by ceasing to derive its nourishment by the Navel, when it comes to receive it by the mouth; a more noble way, whereby it gets a new pleasure in tasting the variety of all delectable Food. Hezekiah bemoaned the loss of Ordinances upon his supposed death-bed, saying, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the Land of the living. q. d. Now farewel Temple and Ordinances; I shall never go any more into his Temple where my Soul hath been so often cheared and refresht with the displays of his grace and goodness. I shall never more join with the Assembly of his people on earth: And suppose he had not, sure he would have lost nothing, had he then exchanged the Temple at Ierusalem, for the Temple in Heaven, and Communion with sinful imperfect Saints on earth, for fellowship with Angels, and the Spirits of just men made perfect. By this change we lose no more than he loseth, who whilst he stands delightfully contemplating the image of his dearest friend in a glass, hath the glass snatcht away by his friend, whom he now seeth face to face.
Upon this change of the mediums of Communion it will follow, that the Communion betwixt God and the separate Soul, excells all the Communion it ever had with him on Earth,
in (1)
The Clearness.
in (2)
The Sweetness of it.
in (3)
The Constancy.
(1) Its Visions of God in the state of Separation, are more clear, distinct, and direct than they were on earth; Clouds and Shadows are now fled away. The Soul now seeth as it is seen, and knoweth as it is known, its apprehensions of God there differ from those it had here, as the crade and confused apprehensions of a Child, do from those we have in the manly state.
(2) They are also more sweet and ravishing. As our Visions are, so are our Pleasures: Perfect Visions produce perfect Pleasures. The faculties of the Soul now, and never till now, lie level to that rule, Matth. 22.37. The Visions of God command and call forth all the heart and soul, mind, and strength, into acts of love and delight. It was not so here, if the Spirit were willing, the Flesh was weak, but there the clog is off from the foot of the Will.
(3) More constant, fixed, and steddy. 'Tis one of the greatest difficulties in Religion, to fix the thoughts, and cure the wildness and roveings of the fancy. The heart is not steddy with God, and hence are its ups and downs, heatings and coolings; which are things unknown in the perfect state. By all which it appears, the change by Dissolution is great and marvelous both upon Body and Soul, but upon the Soul more especially.