Gospel Revelation, Treatise 3 · Sermon 1
The Firſt SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
I Have endeavoured to ſhew ſomewhat unto you about the Excellency of the Name of God, and likewiſe the Excellency of Jeſus Chriſt, and what hee is, that ſo you might have right apprehenſions of God and Chriſt. Now in the third place, I ſhall deſire to ſhew you ſomewhat about the Excellency of your own Souls: And to that end attend to Matth. 16.26.
For what is a man profited if hee ſhall gain the whole world and loſe his own Soul?The Text. or what ſhall a man give in exchange for his Soul?
OUr Saviour going himſelf to ſuffer, tells his Diſciples what they muſt expect in the following of him,Verſ. 24. If any man will come after mee, let him deny himſelf, and take up his croſs and follow mee. Theſe are the tearms, ſaith Chriſt, upon which you muſt follow mee, you muſt bee willing to deny your ſelves, and to take up your croſs, to ſuffer hard things if you follow mee. Chriſt would have his Diſciples know the worſt at firſt, and not pleaſe themſelves in a fools Paradiſe, thinking that by following of him they ſhould get great matters to themſelves in the world; no, ſaith hee, expect no ſuch matter, but deny your ſelves, and take up my croſs. But this may ſeem to bee hard, it may bee our croſs may bee the loſs of all, the loſs of our lives, and muſt wee take up that? yes, ſaith Chriſt, in the verſe before my Text, bee not ſolicitous what your croſs is like to bee, onelyonly bee willing to take it up. And the truth is, the more willing you are to take it up, the better will it bee for you, and you will get nothing by ſeeking to ſhift for your ſelves, For whoſoever will ſave his life ſhall loſe it, and whoſoever will loſe his life for my ſake ſhall finde it. Verſ. 25.It may bee when you meet with ſufferings in the world, you will think to ſhift this way, or that way, but you will get nothing: If you would ſave your lives by forſaking the truth, it is the onelyonly way to loſe your lives: But if you bee willing to loſe your lives for my truth, you ſhall ſave them; or what if by forſaking mee and my truth, when you meet with ſuffering, you ſhould ſave your lives, and your eſtates, and live bravely in the world, do you think you are any gainers by this? you are infinitly miſtaken: If you caſt up the account, you will finde that you have gotten nothing all: For what is a man profited if hee ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? And thus you ſee how the words come in.
Theſe words that I have read unto you, are of exceeding ſerious conſideration: And indeed they ſhould bee as Thunder in every mans ears. Some Scripture that a Miniſter may preach on, may concern ſome particular perſon in a Congregation more than others: But here is a Text concerns every one that hath a ſoul, Man and woman, high and low, old and young, What ſhall it profit any one to gain the whole word, and to loſe their own ſoul? — I have read of one that gave counſel to John King of Portugal, that hee would repeat this Text to himſelf, and ſpend one quarter of an hour in the meditation of it, What ſhall it profit a man if hee gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? and that hee would make the words of this Text to bee the cloze of his prayer continually, What ſhall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? This was wholeſome counſel; and certainly the tight meditation and underſtanding of this Text would bee of admirable uſe to every ſoul. You have in the words theſe two things plainly hinted.
Firſt, That there is in every man a ſoul, a spiritual ſubſtance, beſides what is viſible and ſenſible.
And ſecondly, That this ſoul of man is more worth than all the world, it hath that excellency, that if a man gains all the world, and loſes that, when hee hath caſt up his account, hee may put his gains in his eye, hee ſhall finde himſelf a miſerable creature.
Wee might make more diviſions, or ſubdiviſions of the words, but I will content my ſelf onelyonly with thoſe two things, and ſpeak chiefly to the latter. Now to make way for that, I will ſpeak a little of the former, What is a man profited if he ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his ſoul? his Soul.
Every man hath a ſoul, a rational ſpiritual ſubſtance beyond that that is viſible or ſenſible; in Job 32.8. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him underſtanding. There is a ſpirit in man beſides the bodily ſubſtance that you ſee, there is a ſpirit in man, ſuch a ſpirit as is capable of the inſpiration of the Almighty to give underſtanding, &c. And in Gen. 2.7. it is ſaid, That God formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his noſtrils the breath of life. Here is another manner of mans-creation,foreign than of other creatures; God did but ſay of other creatures let them bee, Let the earth bring forth creeping things &c. And it was ſo: But when hee comes to man, hee forms man out of the duſt of the earth, that is for his body, and for his ſpirit, hee breathes into his noſtrils the breath of life. I have read of a people that would not bee perſwaded that there was any difference between beaſts and them: And truly there is ſomewhat to do to perſwade carnal hearts of any great difference between a beaſt and them in relation to God, or to another life: But certainly there is a ſpirit in man, there is ſomewat beyond that body of thine that is viſible, which doth infinitely concern thee to look to.
For firſt, Wee ſee that there are actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all: And therefore ſurely there is a ſpirit in man, beſides what the body is; the higheſt actions of men are ſuch as do not concern the body, as thus, The knowledge of the heavens, the knowledge of Angels, of ſpirits, what hath the body to do with ſuch things? the knowledge of the myſteries of the Goſpel, and the converſing with them, they are abſtracted notions from all kinde of bodily ſubſtances; the knowledge of God and Chriſt, yea the very knowledge of Mathematical notions, many notions there are in Arts and Sciences that are abſtract from all bodily things; certainly then there is a ſpirit in man beyond that bodily ſubſtance that doth appear common with the brute beaſts.
Yet ſecondly, There is a power in man to curb his body, to deny himſelf of that which is moſt ſuitable to the body, ſaith Paul, foreign, Subactum ſeu dejectumpremo, in captivitatem reduco, vel, ut alii, contundo Prov. 23.1, 2.1 Cor. 9.27. I keep under my body, and bring it into ſubjection. Surely there is ſomewhat in man that is above the body, that hath ſo much command of the body, as it appears the ſpirit of man hath to beat down the body, If thou beeſt a man given to thine appetite, when thou ſitteſt at the table of a great man, put a knife to thy throat, a man is able, to curb his appetite; though the body hath never ſo ſtrong a deſire to ſuch and ſuch things, yet the ſoul of man is able to curb his body and deny it:Matth. 18.8, 9. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, or thy right eye offend thee, pl…ck it out. There is a power in man to deny the body that which it deſires never ſo much, which a beaſt cannot, that cannot deny that which is ſuitable to his ſenſe every way, except therebe ſome ſtronger ſenſitive thing to take him off: But man is able to deny his ſenſe, when there is no ſenſitive object before him to take him off: By that dominion that the ſoul of man hath over his body, hee is able to curb his body, and to deny his body, therefore ſurely there is a ſpirit in man.
3. Again, That which the Scripture makes the chief actions of man to conſiſt in, which have any reference to God, is ſuch things that are done by ſomewhat beyond the body. Whatſoever a man doth, if it bee but onelyonly the body that is exerciſed, and ſenſe, it is not acceptable to God.1. Tim 4.8. Bodily exerciſe profiteth little, ſaith the Scripture, and 1 Cor. 13.3. What if I give my body to bee burnt? A man may give his body to bee burnt: there all the ſenſes may concur in it, and yet if there bee not a ſpirit in man to act this upon any higher ends and grounds, than any thing that is bodily can reach unto, it is worth nothing, it is not regarded.
Fourthly, There is a spirit in man beyond this bodily ſubſtance: for when this bodily ſubſtance is decaying, mouldring away, there are many thoughts in a man about an eternal eſtate, and more freſh and lively ſometimes when the body is mouldring away, than ever there was before; there are no creatures but Angels and men that take any cognizance of an eternal eſtate, that take any thoughts about what is to come hereafter. Now we ſay, Nature doth nothing in vain,Deus & natura nihil agu…t fruſtra. ſurely God would not have put ſuch kinde of workings in man about another condition, after this body ſhall moulder away, but that there is ſomewhat that doth concern ſome other part of man beſides that bodily ſubſtance of his.
Fifthly, and then laſtly, There is certainly a ſpirit in man beyond his bodily ſubſtance: for wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans ſpirit. The burdens of conſcience in the reflex act that a mans conſcience hath upon himſelf ſummoning of him to appear before the great God: Though a mans body be in never ſuch health, and hath all outward accommodations about him, as muſick, good cheer, friends, eſtate, yet there is that horror and torment in his ſpirit, ſometimes through the conſciouſneſs of the guilt of ſin, that hee is not able to bear: nay were there not ſomewhat beyond this bodily ſubſtance, certainly this could never bee; verily then there is a ſpirit in man, and hence therefore you ſee that there is ſomewhat doth concern you all beyond your preſent, outward, and bodily condition. Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himſelf, when hee hath provided mony, and houſe, and lands, and good chear, and cloaths, and ſuch kinde of things; do not think that thou art happy in that: for theſe are things that concern thy outward man, there is ſtill another ſubſtance in thee that thou art to look after, that takes little notice of ſuch things as theſe are.
Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children, when you have provided an eſtate, an inheritance, ſomewhat to leave them, know, that there is another ſubſtance in your children, beſides that outward bodily ſubſtance you look upon. Do you ſee a fine feature, comely parts, comely countenance, and your children finely cloathed? I but know there is a ſpirit in that childe beſides that bodily ſubſtance that you are to look to: Certainly man is very far fallen from God, that none ſcarce takes notice of his own ſpirit: We do not only naturally live without a God in the world, ſo as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the firſt being of all things; but wee live without the knowledge of our own ſpirits, of our own ſouls: Truly few men there are that know their own ſouls. As a man by his eye ſees things that are without him, but he doth not ſee his own eye; ſo by the ſoul wee come to underſtand many things without us, but yet how little do wee underſtand of our own ſouls? well might the Pſalmiſt therefore complain, and ſay, in Pſal. 49.20. Man that is in honour, and underſtandeth not, is like the beaſts that periſh. God did indeed make man at firſt in honour, but now hee is become like the very beaſts, hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beaſts themſelves, hee bleſſes himſelf if hee hath but content for the body for a while, as if there were nothing elſe concerned him; I appeal unto your conſciences in this thing, whether the uttermoſt ſphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compaſs of bodily content: If you ſhould come to a beaſt, and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour, and Arts and Sciences, and ſuch kind of things, why what is all this to a beaſt? Give a beaſt hay or corn, and ſuch kinde of things that are ſuitable to it, and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it; and truly thus it is with ſenſual men, even as the Atheiſt who ſaith in his heart, That there is no God; ſo a kinde of Atheiſm there is in their hearts to ſay they have no ſouls, that there is no difference between them and the brute-beaſts; hence it is that they ſavour ſpiritual things ſo little. Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God, Tell them of Jeſus Chriſt, how wonderful hee is, of the wonderful myſteries of the Goſpel, and of the things of eternal life, they are dry things to ſuch a one, hee ſavours them not: Tell him of money, and meat, and drink, and ſports, and cloaths, and ſuch kinde of things, they are ſuitable unto him, there is ſome ſavour in them; but for the great things of the Kingdome of God, and of eternal life, there is no ſavour at all in them; and thus far is man fallen from God, and lives for the moſt part, as if ſo bee hee were capable of no higher good, but meerly to eat and drink, and live for a while here like a beaſt: Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive moſt of us: Now my brethren, this is a work that I have undertaken, and it concerns as much the Miniſters of God to ſhew unto you what you are your ſelves, what God hath made you, as to ſhew you what God is, and what Chriſt is, that you may come to underſtand your ſelves; you can never come to know your reference unto God, untill you come to know what God hath made you; this is therefore my ſcope in this Scripture, to ſhew unto you what God hath made you, and that you have ſouls within you, and ſouls of exceeding great worth (I will not ſay infinite, for none is infinite but God himſelf) but more worth than all the world, than all the creatures that God hath made, except the Angels in heaven: The ſouls of the children of men are moſt excellent creatures; did but a man or woman conſider ſeriouſly that they have ſouls in them beyond their bodies, it would raiſe them up a little.
But this next Point that is the main and principal, Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their ſouls, it could not but raiſe them very high above thoſe poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while: Therefore there is in man not onelyonly a ſoul, but that that is more worth than all the world, that if it ſhould bee loſt, that man that gained the whole world, would bee a great loſer in his bargain.
Know therefore this, that there is not the pooreſt man or woman living, nay not the pooreſt childe that lyes begging a cruſt of bread at your door, but this childe hath a ſoul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth, this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags, I ſay, crying at your threſhold, and begging a peece of bread, it hath a ſoul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun, Moon, and Stars, than all the Heavens, than the Sea, than the Earth, put all the creatures in the world together, that are under Angels, the ſpirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it, than all theſe things, and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you.
Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life. I remember Auſtin ſaith of a Flye, becauſe it hath life, that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its ſelf, becauſe though the Sun bee a glorious creature, yet it hath no life in it; life in the meaneſt creature hath a greater excellency than any thing elſe that hath not life.
But now the ſoul hath the higheſt natural life that is, and capable of the higheſt happineſs that any creature is capable of, and therefore more excellent than all the world; But that wee ſhall come too in its order.
The excellency of the ſoul may bee diſcovered, firſt, In the relation it hath to God, The Excellency of the Soul diſcovered, 1 In its relation to God.God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the ſpirits of men; and therefore in Heb. 12.9. …od is called the Father of ſpirits, Shall wee not much rather bee in ſubjection to the F…ther of ſpirits and live? As if God did not ſo much look after, and regard your bodies, the outward man, but hee is the Father of ſpirits. And in Zeck. 12.1. There is likewiſe an expreſſion to the ſame purpoſe, That God did form the ſpirit of man within him: God accounts it a ſpecial part of his glory, that hee makes the ſpirits of men; hee is the Father of ſpirits: But now I ſhall not enter into that controverſie of the Generation of the ſoul; thus far theſe Scriptures with others do evidence, that God hath a more ſpecial hand in the producing of this ſpiritual ſubſtance, than hee hath in other Creatures.
2 And further, The ſoul is onelyonly under Gods command: No Creature can have power over the ſoul of a man, he may force his body, but his ſoul cannot bee forced by men or Angels.
3 Yea, And it is under the power of no Creature to inflict evil upon it: Fear not them, ſaith Chriſt, that can kill the body, and can do no more; there is all they can do,Mat. 10.28. Luk. 12.4, 5 they can but kill the body, fear not them, but fear him, who after hee hath killed the body, hath power to cast the ſoul into Hell, yea, I ſay unto you, fear him, ſaith Chriſt. So that it appears by the Text, that there is no Creature can do hurt to the ſoul; the Devils themſelves they cannot do it; they can propound objects before the ſoul, but except the ſoul do conſent, they cannot force it; it is onelyonly God that hath power over the ſoul, therefore ſaith Chriſt, fear him, that is, fear God that hath this power; all other creatures, this is all their do, as wee may ſay, they are able to kill the body.
4 But further, The excellency of the ſoul of man, in reference unto God, appears eſpecially in the large extent of capacity that it hath to receive the Image of God, and its ability to work according as God doth work himſelf, and to enjoy communion with God, and to receive the communication of thoſe choice excellencies that God hath to communicate; theſe things ſhew the excellency of the ſoul: the large extent I ſay of the ſoul in the capacity it hath of good (of divine good.)
As Firſt, It is that that is capable to have the Image of God ſtampt upon it; Whatſoever the body hath, it is but in way of reflection from the ſoul; wee know thoſe Princes that are great and rich Princes, except neceſſity compells them, do not uſe to ſtamp their Image upon Leather, or Braſs, or Copper, but upon the choiceſt metals, upon Gold and Silver: So when God would have a Creature upon which hee would ſtamp his Image, hee doth not chuſe a mean Creature, the brute beaſts, or any ſenſitive Creature, but hee chuſeth the moſt excellent of his Creatures, Angels, and the ſpirits of men, that are, one as Gold, and the other as Silver, and the great God ſtamps his Image upon theſe two, and onelyonly upon theſe two; theſe are the two Principal Metals, Gold and Silver, Angels and mens ſpirits, upon which God did ſtamp his Image in their firſt Creation.
Secondly, Not onelyonly to have the Image of God upon them, but they are able to work as God himſelf works; No other Creature is able to do ſo, but Angels and mens ſpirits: And this is the principal thing that ſhews the excellency of the ſoul, it is able to underſtand the firſt beeing, God himſelf, and to make God to bee the laſt end of all things; what is Gods work, wherein the very happineſs, as I may ſo ſay, of God himſelf conſiſts, but in the underſtanding of himſelf, as the firſt beeing, and the working unto himſelf as the laſt end, and the enjoyment of himſelf? that is Gods own happineſs: Now of ſuch excellency is the ſoul of man (however by ſin it is depraved) that it is capable of the underſtanding of an infinite eternal firſt beeing; it is capable of working towards this firſt beeing, as the laſt good of all, which is the ſame way and kinde of working, as God himſelf doth work.
Thirdly, And it is capable of injoyment of the communion with God himſelf; What is Gods happineſs, but to enjoy himſelf as the onelyonly good? Now the ſoul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God, of having communion with the infinite firſt beeing of all things, and ſo hee is capable of living the ſame life that God himſelf lives; for ſo the Scripture ſaith,Epheſ. 4.18. Coloſ. 1.21. That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God; ſo that it appears then, that beleevers are not eſtranged from the life of God, but do live the life of God in the injoyment of communion with himſelf: For indeed there could bee no communion, except there were living the ſame kinde of life; as thus, A man and a beaſt cannot have communion together, why? becauſe they live not the ſame life one with another, their lives are of different kindes: ſo, were it not that the ſoul were capable of the ſame life that God lives, it could not bee capable of communion with God.
Fourthly, And further, The ſoul is of ſuch a nature, as it is capable of the communication of the choicest excellencies that ever God did, or will communicate unto any: Certainly there are very glorious excellencies in God, in the infinite fountain of all good, in the infinite firſt beeing of all things; and this God being an infinite good, doth take infinite delight in the communication of his goodneſs; Now I ſay, the ſouls of men are of ſuch a large extent, as they are ſome way capable of the enjoyment of any good that God hath to communicate, which hee hath revealed in his word; yea, and the truth is, when wee hear of Gods communicating of himſelf to his Son, that hath a humane ſoul as well as a body, wee cannot but conceive that a humane ſoul is of that large extent, as it is capable of the higheſt and excellenteſt good that God hath to communicate to any Creature. We cannot but think that the ſoul of Jeſus Chriſt hath as much of Gods goodneſs communicated to it, as ever creature had, or can have; now the ſoul of Jeſus Chriſt is of the ſame nature with our ſouls, as his body; hee took the ſame kinde of fleſh as wee have, onelyonly there was no ſin; and ſo the ſoul, it is the ſame kind of ſoul that wee have, onelyonly it was not ſinful, as ours are: Now, if the ſoul of Jeſus Chriſt bee capable of the higheſt good that God the infinite good hath to communicate to any creature, then the ſouls of men and women are alſo: howſoever you have look'd after your ſouls no further, but onelyonly to bee ſerviceable to your bodies, to get meat and drink, and bee as it were ſalt, Cujus anima eſt pro ſale.as the Philoſopher ſaith of the Epicure, that the ſoul ſerves for no other end to him, but to keep his body from ſtinking; yet know, whatſoever thou art, though now a ſinful wretched vile creature, and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy ſoul is capable of, yet that ſoul of thine that thou haſt, is capable of the higheſt good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate: Oh that God by your owning of this, would a little but raiſe your ſpirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while: this is the excellency now of your ſouls, in reference unto God.
Fifthly, And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your ſouls have to God, and that is the contiguity, as I may ſo ſpeak, with God himſelf: that is, of all things that are here in this world, the ſoul of man it is that that is next unto God himſelf: Next to God, you will ſay, what do you mean when you ſay that the ſoul of man it is contiguous unto God? I mean this, that God hath made all creatures for himſelf, but hee hath made them all for himſelf to come to him by man; hee hath made all theſe inferiour things in the world for man, and man for himſelf, and ſo God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man, ſo that man is next unto God: God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world, but how? by man: ſaith God, All theſe things that I have made, I will have them bee in ſubjection to man, for ſo they were in their firſt Creation; and as I ſhall appear in all other of my works, ſo ſhall this creature honour mee, and fear mee, and admire mee, and magnifie mee, upon the taking notice of, and receiving in that good that there is in any creature: All the goodneſs there is in the creature, it comes to mee, but how ſhall I have the glory of it all? why, I will make a creature that ſhall bee as it were between mee and other creatures, that ſhall partake of the nature of other creatures, but ſo as hee ſhall have a certain kinde of divine Beam of my excellency, and ſhall bee able to take notice of mee and to receive in my goodneſs; what hee doth receive in of the ſweetneſs of the creature, hee ſhall receive it in as my ſweet, and my goodneſs; Incoms from mee; and ſo hee ſhall reflect it upon my face again; ſo that mans ſoul is like a Glaſs; as you ſee a Glaſs that takes the beams of the Sun that ſhines upon it, and caſts it toward the Sun again, as upon a wall; the beams of the Sun comes into the Glaſs, and then the Glaſs can reflect it this way, or that way: So the glory of God ſhines in the world, and mans ſoul is as the glaſs, and when it was in its firſt purity, was as a clear chryſtal glaſs, and received in all the beams of Gods glory, all the glory of God I ſay, that did ſhine in all his creatures, was received into mans ſoul, as the beams of the Sun into a glaſs, and now man was able to reflect the glory of theſe beams upon the face of God again, and to return all again to God; for as all things that are good come from him, ſo all good ſhould return again to him; but now, how comes the Lord to have an injoyment as it were of his goodneſs that hee lets out from himſelf? How comes hee to have it return back again to himſelf? Why, the way of his returning, it is by the Angels in heaven, and the ſpirits of men; theſe are the two excellent creatures that God doth make uſe of to fetch in all the glory that hee hath from all his creatures, that they in an active way ſhould reflect it all upon the face of God again; certainly the ſoul of man is of an excellent nature then, that is contiguous with God himſelf, next unto him; It is no matter whether a man bee rich or poor, learned or unlearned, yet hee hath a ſoul that is capable of this.
Yet further, For the excellency of the ſoul, The excellency of the ſoul diſcovered in its relation to Angels.as it is excellent in relation to God, ſo in relation to the Angels. It is of the ſame kinde of nature that they are of, they are ſpirits, and ſo is the ſoul of man, yea it hath the very ſame name with God himſelf, God is a Spirit, and ſo is the ſoul of man; it is of the very ſame nature with the Angels, and ſo is able to converſe with them as well as with God himſ…lf; but for the way and manner of converſe with thoſe ſpirits, that is little revealed in the word, and therefore wee can ſay litt…e of it.
And further, The excellency of mans ſoul, 3 The excellency of the ſoul in 1 Indowments of it.it will appear in the excellent endowments of it: Look upon the ſoul of man in his fallen eſtate, and what admirable endowments ſome men have, as in the excellent knowledge that ſome men have of Arts and Sciences, the knowledge of the heavens; it is a very g…orious thing that they are able to aſcend up in their underſtanding, and to know all the motions of the heavens, and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kinde of motions there will bee, as appears plainly by eclipſes: The arts of Navigation, that they can compaſs the world up and down that way: If it were but in theſe ſenſible things that wee ſee ſo much art in, as in theſe mighty buildings, which ſhows that a man out of a deal of rubbiſh can raiſe and erect ſuch a building as this is, this ſhows the excellency of mans ſoul; and if there bee ſo much excellency in it naturally, th…t it can do ſuch things, then what can it bee raiſed unto, and inabled unto by a divine power? What can it do when it is inlarged by grace, and made partaker of the Divine nature?
4. The ſouls excellency demonſtrated from its immortality. Luke 12.4, 5.And further, The excellency of the ſoul appears in the immortality of it: Fear not them that can kill the body, and can do no more. Certainly if the ſoul were mortal, as the body is, then that man that kills the body, kills the ſoul too, and therefore wee may fear a man not onelyonly becauſe hee can kill the body, but becauſe hee can kill the ſoul; but ſaith Chriſt, Fear not them that can kill the body, and can do no more. The ſoul is as an Eagle, when a man dyes, that gets out of the Cage, and ſo it flyes away; ſaith Stephen, when hee was to dye,Act. 7.59. Lord Jeſus receive my ſpirit: Why, if ſo bee that his ſpirit had dyed with his body, he need not have ſaid, Lord Jeſus receive my ſpirit. Ph…l. 1.23.And ſo St. Paul, I am in a ſtreight, and know not what to do, whether to live or dye, but hee thought it was better for him to bee diſſolved, it was not to bee deſtroyed, it is but a diſſolution, hee rather deſired a diſſolution, that hee might bee with Chriſt, which is beſt of all: Certainly, it was this that made the ſtreight, If I dye, I ſhall bee with Chriſt immediately, and if I live, I ſhall injoy ſome communion with him, and likewiſe do a great deal of ſervice for him: If Paul had thought that his ſoul and body ſhould have dyed both together, certainly hee would have deſired to have lived, rather than to dye; for when hee did live, his ſoul did injoy communion with Jeſus Chriſt, and hee did do abundance of ſervice for him: Now is it poſſible to think that a man that did ſo much ſervice for Chriſt as ever man did, and that injoyed ſo much ſweet communion with Jeſus Chriſt, that ſuch a man ſhould bee willing to dye? Certainly no, but that hee knew that upon the diſſolution of his body, his ſoul ſhould injoy further communion with Jeſus Chriſt, than it could do here: It is an immortal ſubſtance, it runs parallel with eternity; of ſuch an excellent nature the ſoul of man is.
And then further, in this appears The excellency of it, that it is the meaſure of all other kinde of excellency. 5 The ſo…ls excellency ſhewed in being the meaſure of all other excellencies.The ſoul of man is the meaſure of all other kinde of excellencies, as thus, look how far any thing may bee ſubſervient for the good of the ſoul, ſo far that thing hath an excellency in it; and if it bee not ſubſervient for the good of the ſoul, it hath no worth and excellency in it; as thus, Suppoſe a man have a great eſtate in the world, great comings in, many friends, many places; now there is ſome excellency you will ſay in theſe things: but are theſe ſubſervient for the good of thy ſoul, that thy ſoul can injoy communion with God ſo much the better? then theſe things are good to thee; but if ſo bee that theſe things hinder the work of thy ſoul, and do not help it forward in the ſervice that it is moſt capable of, and made for, there is no excellency in theſe things. And indeed I know no one better ſign that a man doth underſtand the true worth of his ſoul than this: What doth hee account to bee the meaſure of the excellency of all the things of this world? Thou wouldeſt fain have an eſtate, and outward things in abundance, as other men have: Why thou ſayeſt they are the good creatures of God, I grant it, they are ſo; but now wherein doſt thou think the excellency of theſe creatures doth moſt conſiſt? Certainly if thou comeſt to know the true worth of thy ſoul, thou wilt ſay, God gives mee theſe outward things, and bleſſed bee his Name, by a more large portion of theſe things am I inabled to do more large ſervice for God; my ſoul is freed from incumbrances in the world, and they do help forward the work that my ſoul is ſpecially concerned in, viz. the ſervice of God, and therefore I account it a greater good to injoy theſe things, than to bee without them: now if thou comeſt to reaſon in this manner, it is a ſign that God hath ſhewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy ſoul is.
6 The price paid for ſouls proves its excellency.But that I might draw to a concluſion, This is that that above all things will demonſtrate the worth and excellency of the ſoul, The great price that was paid for it. That Jeſus Chriſt ſhould bee willing to lay down his life to purchaſe the pardon of the ſin of thy ſoul, to deliver thy ſoul from eternal miſery,1 Pet. 1.18. this ſhews the great worth of the ſoul; Wee are not redeemed by ſilver and gold, ſaith the Apoſtle Peter, by any of theſe corruptible things, Verſ. 19.but by the precious blood of Jeſus Chriſt. According to the price that is paid for one, you may know the worth of ſuch a one: Suppoſe there were divers men that were taken captives, one is but an ordinary Mariner, you will ſay perhaps forty pound will redeem ſuch a one; but ſuppoſe the other bee a Gentleman, or a Knight, a Noble-man, there muſt go five hundred, or two or three thouſand pounds for their redemption, according to the excellency of the man, ſo muſt bee the price of his ranſome: So my brethren, when wee conſider the price of mens ſouls, that were taken captive by ſin, what was paid for them, it was a price that was more worth than ten thouſand thouſand worlds; certainly the ſoul is of an excellent nature: Indeed it cannot bee imagined that Jeſus Chriſt would have taken mans nature upon him, and dyed an accurſed death to have ſaved the whole world from being diſſolved; Suppoſe it had lain upon this, that heaven and earth muſt have been diſſolved, except Jeſus Chriſt would take mans nature upon him, certainly Jeſus Chriſt would have ſuffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing, rather than to have done as he did: But when Jeſus Chriſt ſaw that theſe immortal ſouls by their ſin were brought into ſuch a condition, that they muſt periſh to all eternity, except hee come and take their nature upon him, and lay down his life, and dye an accurſed death, ſaith Jeſus Chriſt, rather than ſuch precious ſouls which my Father hath made capable of injoyment of ſo much good from him, and bringing glory to him, rather than theſe ſhould periſh, I am content to come and dye, and ſuffer the wrath of my Father; ſurely the price that was paid for ſouls, doth hold forth the great worth of them: In the death of Chriſt wee may read in large characters the worth of a ſoul.
And my brethren, Even the body its ſelf, 7 The exc…llency of the ſoul proved from the body.becauſe it is as the caſe of the ſoul, it is a very excellent thing. Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made, the body of man is the moſt excellent thing, therefore David in Pſal. 139. ſpeaking of his body, ſaith, verſe 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvellous are thy works, and that my ſoul knoweth right well. And then verſ. 15. My ſubſtance was not hid from thee, when I was made in ſecret, and curiouſly wrought in the loweſt part of the earth. When I was curiouſly wrought,From foreign the word in the Hebrew ſignifies Imbroydred; the body of man is Imbroydery; and hence in Gen. 2. it is ſaid there, that God formed man,ampigore. and here in Pſal. 139. God did imbroyder him: And therefore Gallen that was an Atheiſt a long time, when hee came to ſee the Anatomy of a mans body, hee cryed out, Now I adore the God of Nature. Now the Lord hath wrought the body ſo curiouſly, becauſe it is the caſe of the ſoul, and that being ſuch an excellent creature, muſt have a ſuitable caſe. As if you have a curious Watch, you will not put it into an ill-favou…ed dirty leather caſe, but will have a curious ſilver caſe for it. Now becauſe the Lord did make a curious peece, the ſoul of man, which was the maſter-peece of Gods creation, next to the Angels, therefore hee puts it into a very curious caſe; this ſhews the excellency of thoſe ſpirits that are within us; howſoever they are now defiled with ſin, yet thus they were made at firſt. When we are ſpeaking to men about their own excellency, one would think that then they ſhould attend.
I have ſpoken of God and Chriſts excellency, they may ſeem to bee things above you: But now I am ſpeaking of your own excellency, what you are, and what you are capable off. Oh remember this you poor people and others, for (as wee ſhall ſhew afterwards) you have ſouls as excellent as the greateſt men in the world. And there is nothing to the contrary, but you may have that ſpiritual ſubſtance of yours filled with ſo much good as is infinitely more worth than ten thouſand thouſand worlds, if you have hearts to look after it.