The Wells of Salvation Opened, Section 15
SECT. XV.
II. THE second words shall be to move you to endeavour after your Salvation.
The Motives to stir up you to endeavour your salvation may be drawn,
1. From the consideration of your selves, Whom you should endeavour the salvation of.
2. From the consideration of the salvation which you should endeavour to obtain.
3. From the consideration of the Damnation of all such as do not obtain salvation.
Motive 1. From the consideration of your selves, whom you should endeavour the salvation of: It is the salvation of your selves, which I would press you unto; It was the exhortation of the Apostle, Phil. 2.12. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, and this is my exhortation of you this day, Labour after your own salvation: If I were to perswade you to do some great kindness for another, were it a difficult thing and like to cost you much labour and trouble, I should not likely prevail; but when I am perswading you to do a kindness for your selves, and the greatest kindness in the World, even to endeavour after the salvation of your selves; methinks the natural Love which you bear to your selves should induce you to hearken and do whatever is requisite in order hereunto, though it cannot be done without difficulty and trouble. How far will carnal self-love carry carnal men? what difficulties will they go thorow? what expences of time and pains and strength will they be at? how will some rise up early and sit up late, deny themselves food and rest and many comforts of this …? how will others comp…ss Sea and Land and hazzard life it self, and all to get an estate in the wo…d for themselves? and should not spiritual …, which is the only reall self-love, carry y… n…ow difficulties? should you think much of ex…nding time and pains that you may get salvation for your selves? carnal self-love will bring destruction and misery upon such as are swayed by it, and in the issue will prove self hatred; as you really love your selves, as you would escape the most dreadful misery, and obtain the chiefest happiness for your selves, labour after salvation for your selves. Your self, your Persons do consist of two parts, namely, Soul and Body; it is the salvation of both, which I exhort you unto.
1. Consider, it is the salvation of your Souls which I would have you endeavour after, the salvation of your precious souls; your souls are more precious than your bodies, and they are more precious than the whole world.
1. Your souls are more precious than your bodies, they are by far your more excellent part: the original of your soul is more immediately from God: he formeth the spirit of man within him, Zach. 12.1. they are beams, they are streams that issue forth immediately from God; moreover they carry more of the impress and image of God upon them as they are invisible, spiritual, rational, free, immortal; they have also more high and excellent operations than the body is capable of, as of the understanding, conscience, memory, will, affections; and I may add that if there be any lustre upon the body, it doth receive it from the soul, when the soul is gone, the beauty is gone; whatever motion or use there is in the body, it doth depend on the soul; when the soul is departed, the body can neither hear, nor speak, nor see, nor walk, nor do any business; the body is a rotten stinking carkass without the soul; and whilest the soul doth abide in it, the body is the inferiour part, the body is but the Cabinet, the soul is the Jewel; the body is but the house of clay, the soul is the living inhabitant; the body is as it were the beast (as one saith Corpus homini jumentum) which the soul doth make use of to carry it from one place to another; the body is the servant, it is the soul that rules, O labour then after the salvation of your souls, which are your most excellent part; what care do some take to preserve their bodies? much more reason have you to endeavour the salvation of your souls: when London's Fire was burning the houses, those who could not save all their goods, took care to save those which were the most precious, especially their money and jewells; O whatever become of your bodies here, whatever sickness or hardship they be exposed unto, labour to save your jewels, your precious souls; the Cabinet will be spoilt, the clay and mudd-wall will be broken down, and the soul will survive the body; O take heed that when your souls come forth of their houses of clay, that they be not cast into the deep and dark prison of Hell.
2. Your souls are more precious than the who…e world; our Saviour esteem'd them so, and he best knew the worth of souls, who knew the mak…ng of them, and made purchase of so many lost souls, see Matth. 16.26. What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Suppose that you had your hearts-desire in the world, that your baggs should throng in your Coffers, till there were no more room; your gold and silver should encrease without number; suppose you had great possessions abroad, large revenues, stately houses, fruitful gardens and orchards, pleasant groves and walks, spacious fields and meadows, which as the Poet saith, would weary the wings of a Kite to fly over in a day, suppose that you had sweet and beautiful wives at home, like loving Hindes and pleasant Roes unto you, like fruitful Vines about your houses, that you had towardly and hopeful Children like Olive-plants round about your Tables; that you had most kind and faithfull friends of most pleasant conversation; that you had servan…s, horses, chariots, coaches, doggs, hawks, and all sorts of serviceable and delightful creatures, the best and in the greatest number at your commands to attend your pleasure: suppose you were cloathed with purple, wrapped in fine linnen, adorned with gold and silver, and pretious stones, and had the most rich and glorious Attire that the greatest cost and art could make for you: suppose that your food were most delicious, that Aire, Earth, and the Sea were ransack'd to provide dainties for your Table; that your courses were served up with the most rich and generous Wine, the most sweet and harmonious musick: suppose that you were laden with titles of honour, and had all the Crowns and Scepters of the earth laid at your feet, and that the whole world had you in the highest esteem, and were in willing subjection unto you; yet what would it profit you to gain all these things, or any thing else that the heart of man could desire in the world, and lose your souls, which are a thousand fold more pretious: the gain of these things are but for the body, and but for a while; whereas the loss of the soul is for ever; and when the soul is lost, all is lost; when the soul leaveth the body, a period is put to all earthly enjoyments; and the more you have of these things, the more grievous will it be to part with them; Think with your selves that you must dye certainly, and may dye suddenly, and then, if not before, you will acknowledge the worlds vanity and the preciousness of your souls, which are of longer duration than the age of ten thousand worlds put together, and what is the gain of the world which is so transitory and temporal, in comparison with the loss of the soul which is immortal, and whose loss is irrepairable: a loss in the estate may be recovered, Riches may fly away upon the wing, and sometimes return upon the wing again, as in the case of Iob; but the loss of the soul can never be recovered; when once the soul hath taken wing and is fled into the lower regions, it will never find wings to return again to its former estate: O therefore whatever you lose, take heed you do not lose your souls, your souls are very precious, seek after their salvation.
2. It is the salvation also of your Bodies which I would have you endeavour after: I do not mean the salvation of your bodies from sufferings, which Religion doth sometimes call you unto; nor a salvation of your bodies from sickness and temporal death, which Religion doth not exempt any from; but the salvation of your bodies from perpetual death and pain of Hell; you may pamper your flesh for a while on Earth, which may make it a more fit bait for the Worms in the grave, and your bodies after death may be at rest, and take a sweet sleep for many years in the dust; but there is a morning approaching after the long night of death and many hours of darkness, in which the graves will be opened and the dead will be awakened, and then your bodies will come forth of the dust; and they will be adjudged by Christ unto most horrid and endless torments in Hell, to burn for ever in unquencheable Fire, if you be found under the guilt of sin: O therefore labour after the salvation of your Bodies; when your bodies now are sick, you endeavour to get them cured, when they are full of pain, you use means to get the pain removed; and you will fly as fast and as far as you can from natural Death, and you will do much to lengthen out and strengthen the thred of your life, though do what you can, it will in time be cut asunder, and death which hath you upon the chase will overtake and overcome you whatever resistance be made; O labour to get deliverance from the pains of body which are prepared in Hell for the damned: Fly, O Fly from eternal Death and the strokes of Gods wrath which will come upon the bodies of the wicked hereafter; if you would not have those faces scorched, those eyes and tongues and hands rosted, and that flesh broiled and fearfully tormented in the flames of Hell fire, labour after salvation. As you love then your selves, your souls and bodies, seek after your salvation.