Gospel Revelation, Treatise 3 · Sermon 3
The Third SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
Matth. 16.26. For what is a man profited if hee ſhall gain the whole world and loſe his own Soul? or what ſhall a man give in exchange for his Soul?
I Shall ſpeak ſomething unto a Uſe that was mentioned the laſt day, and that was this,
If God hath given unto us ſuch precious ſouls, Oh then let not us diſhonour our ſouls: Diſhonour them, Why, how may a man diſhonour his ſoul?
1 Why firſt when hee lives idlely, and makes no uſe at all of it, any more than if hee had but the ſoul of a Brute. Pſal. 24.5. ſpeaking of him that had not lift up his ſoul unto vanity, I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it, Hee that hath received his ſoul in vain. And indeed moſt people do receive their ſouls from God in vain, or to no purpoſe, they make no more uſe of them than the Philoſopher ſaid of the Swine that had his ſoul onelyonly as ſalt to keep the fleſh from ſtinking; there is all the uſe many men make of their ſouls, onelyonly to keep their bodies from ſmelling, and from corruption.
Secondly, Wee diſhonour our ſouls when wee imploy them about low and mean things unworthy of them, and make them to bee the chief things that wee imploy them about; It is the miſery of man ſo to do, that I ſpake of before, and it is the ſin of man ſo to do: How many men that have ſuch precious immortal ſouls as theſe are, know no higher good to imploy them about, than to bee it may bee all day or night in ſhuffling a pair of Cards, or caſting of Dice, or at Tables? there is the higheſt good that they know how to imploy their ſouls about. What a poor mean low thing is this, what a diſhonour to ſuch a ſoul as this? If ſo bee any of you have ſervants that are of good breeding, good parentage, that are of excellent parts, that have lived long with you, that have skill in your Trade, if you ſhould ſet them to do nothing but pick ſtraws, they would account it a great diſhonour put upon them. Truly what do you with theſe precious immortal ſouls of yours that are ſo much worth, even more than the world, but imploy them in ſuch poor things, even to pick ſtraws as it were? if a man ſhould have pearls, that every one of them were worth a Kingdome, and hee ſhould know no other uſe to make of them than to ſtop holes in Mud walls, one would think it, as to bee great folly in him, ſo a great diſhonour put upon thoſe pearls that are of ſo much worth; why your ſouls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdomes in the world, and for you to do nothing elſe but ſpend the ſtrength of your ſouls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world, it is a great diſhonour to your ſouls.
Wee have a ſtory of Domitian that was a great Emperour, and yet hee had ſuch a low and mean ſpirit, as that hee would ſpend the greateſt part of his time in catching of Flies. This is recorded of him as an argument of the lowneſs and meanneſs of his ſpirit, unworthy a man of ſo great a dignity: Oh ſo our ſouls that God hath made ſo high and put ſuch glory upon, what are they buſied about in moſt people? I remember Gregory Nyſſen, hee tells of ſome, and among others of Origen, to bee of that opinion, that the ſouls of men were made altogether at the firſt Creation, and lived glorious ſpirits till they ſinned againſt God, and all thoſe that ſinned againſt God were thruſt into the bodies of men, as into a priſon, and thoſe that did not ſin, they …ive ſtill with God in glory. And Jerome, as I remember in his 32. Epiſt. ſpeaks of that opinion that did prevail; and wee finde Plato, though a heathen, hee ſpeaks of the ſouls of men, and thought that they were made altogether before their bodies, if not from eternity. Theſe men they thought the ſouls of men ſo precious, as that they could not come into the bodies of men but for their faults, as a puniſhment to them, becauſe they ſaw how meanly mens ſouls lived while they were in their bodies, and therefore thought it impoſſible for ſuch a precious ſoul as a man had, to come to live ſo meanly, were it not for Gods anger puniſhing the ſoul for ſome ſin or other: Oh do not diſhonour them by imploying of them about unworthy and low things.
Thirdly, Do not diſhonour them by defiling of them by caſting filth, and dirt upon them. Would not a Prince account himſelf diſhonoured, to have the filth and dirt of the ſtreet to bee caſt into his face? Certainly, when thou doeſt defile thy ſoul by ſin, when thou doeſt ſin, thou doeſt as vile an act as caſting dirt in the face of a Prince. There is no Princes body upon earth ſo excellent as the ſoul of the pooreſt and meaneſt man, no filth in the world ſo vile as the filth of ſin, and by thy ſin thou doeſt caſt this filth upon thy ſoul, and ſo doeſt all beſmear it, and defile it. You love to have clean and handſome bodies, and are loath to come into company all beſmeared and beſooted: Oh but how often do you go into the preſence of God moſt abominable and loathſome! Oh do not put that diſhonour upon your ſouls!
Fourthly, Do not diſhonour your ſouls by making them drudges to your bodies, by making them to bee Caters to provide for the body, and to ſatisfie the luſts of the fleſh; I have ſeen (ſaith Solomon) ſervants upon horſes, Eccleſ. 10 ….and Princes walking as ſervants upon the earth. This was an evil Solomon thought, but to ſee our baſe vile bodies to bee ſet up, and our ſouls to bee brought under, and ſervants and ſlaves to this body, Oh how vile is it! If you ſhould ſee a great Prince to bee made a ſlave to ſome Scullion-boy, you would account it a great leaving of his condition, and diſhonour put upon him, but while thou makeſt thy ſoul to bee a ſlave to thy body, it is worſe a great deal. Seneca, though hee were but a Heathen, yet hath this notable ſpeech, I am greater, and born to greater things, than that I ſhould bee a drudge to my body, and the ſlave of my body: A Heathen thought himſelf too great, and born to greater things than that ever hee ſhould bring that ſoul of his to bee a drudge and ſlave to his body. And indeed did wee know our ſouls, wee ſhould think ſo, and wee ſhould never make them drudges to our bodies, meerly to ſatisfie the luſts of the fleſh; and yet how many men and women are loath to dye, only upon this ground, becauſe that then they ſhall have no more ſatisfaction to the luſts of the fleſh? Oh what diſhonour is there put upon this precious and excellent ſoul in this? but much more diſhonour when thou makeſt it a drudge and ſlave to the Devil? it is an evil to have our ſouls to bee ſlaves to our bodies, but a greater evil to bee a ſlave and drudge to the Devil, that the Devil ſhould have command of them, and carry them up and down as hee pleaſes. I remember, it is reported of Theodoſius, and another Emperour that did uſe to call themſelves the vaſſals of Chriſt; but as for thoſe precious ſouls now to bee vaſſals to the Devil, Oh this is too great a diſhonour that is put upon them.
Fifthly, Again, you diſhonour your ſouls by grudging the time and coſt that is ſpent upon them; how many men and women think the time is loſt that is ſpent upon their ſouls more immediately! they muſt indeed ſometime pray, and ſometime hear the word, but the time, and all the charge they are at for their ſouls, they look upon it even almoſt as loſt, and ſo grudge it, and ſo would fain bee about ſome thing for their bodies; ſpeak to them about praying in their families, they have buſineſs, and what is all their buſineſs for, but onelyonly for their bodies? Indeed wee ſhould rather turn our plea the other way, and bee loath to ſpare time for our outward eſtate, rather than for our ſouls, thoſe immortal ſouls of ours; it is a wonder, how any one that knows the worth of his ſoul, can finde in his heart, but upon meer neceſſity, and out of duty, to ſpare time for his outward condition. The ſoul is diſhonoured when the time and coſt that is beſtowed about it is grudged, as if it were meerly loſt, and caſt away.
Sixthly, Again wee diſhonour our ſouls when as wee lay not up proviſion for them againſt an evil day, this is a diſhonour put upon them.
Seventhly, And laſtly, you diſhonour your ſouls, when as you think to ſatisfie them with any thing but God himſelf; if you ſhould have any of your friends that are of quality come to your houſe, if you ſhould ſet a bowl of ſwill before them, and think to ſatisfie their hunger that way, they would think it a great diſhonour to them. Now if you do think to ſatisfie your ſouls with any thing here but God himſelf, you do as it were bring bones to ſet before a Prince. It was a ſpeech unworthy of a man which wee read of in the Goſpel concerning rich Dives, Soul, Soul, take thine eaſe, thou haſt goods laid up for many years. Soul, Soul, eat, drink, and take thine eaſe; Why, what had that to do with eating and drinking? How unworthy was this, I ſay, of one that had an immortal ſoul thus to ſpeak: Oh this is a great diſhonour that is put upon the ſoul.
Now then learn wee in a right way to put honour upon our ſouls, and to love them, and make them our Darlings; and manifeſt your love to your ſouls,
Firſt, By having your thoughts often upon them; wee manifeſt our love to a friend by having our thoughts run upon him: Oh let your thoughts run much upon your ſouls, I am thus and thus in regard of my outward eſtate; in regard of my body, through Gods mercy I have all my limbs and ſenſes, and comfortable proviſion for it: Oh but my ſoul, how is it with thee? bee often conferring with your ſouls, as you know one friend loves to confer with another: Can you ſay you love ſuch a friend that is your next neighbour, and never ſpend any time in conference together, ſcarce ever ſpeak one with another? Certainly ſo it is with the ſouls of men, they think but little of the tearms that their ſouls are in with God, of what conditions their ſouls are in, whether good or bad, and the day is yet to come wherein many a man hath ſpent one half hour in conference with his ſoul, to know how tearms do ſtand between his ſoul and the Almighty God: Oh love your ſouls by thinking on them, and thinking often what ſhould become of them.
2. And further, love them by making them Empereſſes of your bodies, by keeping your bodies under them: Thoſe that the Scripture ſets out unto us which have had the moſt precious ſouls, they have ever more beat down their bodies, and kept them low: You know Paul that was one of the moſt precious ſpirited men that ever lived upon the face of the earth, yet ſaith hee, I beat down my body, I beat it black and blew, leſt after I have preached to others, I my ſelf become a Reprobate; hee did not think his happineſs to conſiſt in pampering his body, no, but hee beat it down, and therein hee ſhewed his love to his ſoul, in that hee made his ſoul to bee Empereſs as it were.
It is the ſpeech of a learned man upon thoſe words, Subdue the earth, that is thy body, and all earthly things, to that ſpiritual part of thine, thy ſoul. If one ſhould tell you what the ancient Martyrs, and worthy Inſtruments of God that were precious men in their time, how hardly they uſed their bodies, it would hardly bee beleeved by you; but this is certain, there was never any that knew the true worth of their ſouls, but they made them the Empereſſes of their bodies. Ambroſe ſaid of Valentinian, No man was ever ſuch a ſervant to his Maſter, as Valentinians body was to his ſoul; Bring your bodies down, and therein you will ſhew the greateſt love unto your ſouls.
3. And further, Adorn your ſouls, labour to put comelineſs and beauty upon them as much as you can, and therein you will ſhew love and reſpect to them: Adorn them with thoſe graces that may make them amiable and lovely in the eyes of God himſelf, in 1 Pet. 5.5. Bee cloathed with humility. Thoſe that underſtand the Greek language, know it to bee a word that ſignifies a dreſs that Gentlewomen uſe to have upon their heads with ribands, ſuch as they did uſe to wear in thoſe dayes, and ſo they thought themſelves very comely, and the Apoſtle alludes to thoſe kinde of dreſſes. Oh humility is the fineſt dreſs for a woman in the world, and ſo for men too. The fineſt cloaths that you can put upon you is the cloaths of humility; and ſo any grace of Gods Spirit it is the cloathing of the ſoul: Oh therefore ſhew your love unto your ſouls by labouring to deck and adorn them with ſuch cloathing as this is.
4. And ſhew your love to your ſouls by providing for them, while God affords means, labour to underſtand the want of your ſouls, and bee willing to bee at any charge and coſt for the good of them: If your head ake, or you have any little pain in any of your members, how do you ſeek out, and are willing to bee at a great deal of charge that you may have eaſe for your bodies? now ſeek out for your ſouls, the one is a ſign that you love your bodies well, and the other will bee a ſign that you love your ſouls as well.
5. And then ſhew love to your ſouls in the excellency of them, in things that are ſuitable to them, in converſing with God and Jeſus Chriſt, with the myſteries of the Goſpel, and with heavenly things.
6. Shew your love to them in labouring to bring them to the attaining of that end that they were made for, the uttermoſt happineſs that they are capable of; then indeed you ſhew true love to your ſouls, when as your care is to bring them to the attainment of that end that God made them for: Certainly when God made a creature of ſo much excellency, hee did intend a glorious end for it: And let this now bee your great care, and manifeſt your love to your ſouls, I ſay, in this, by labouring to attain the end that God made them for. But this ſhall ſuffice for the firſt point, of the preciouſneſs and excellency of our ſouls.
Wee come now to the ſecond, and that is the main Point indeed in the Text, that is,
That the loſs of this ſoul is a moſt dreadful loſs. Doct 2
Skin for skin, yea all that a man hath will hee give for his life; Even the Devil himſelf could ſay ſo. The loſs of bodily life wee account a great evil, and therefore the Scripture calls Death by the name of the King of Terrours; and is it ſo great an evil to loſe a bodily life, to have the ſoul and body but ſeparated? Is the face of a bodily death ſo gaſtly? Oh how great an evil, and how gaſtly is the face of the eternal death, and the loſs of the immortal ſoul? This Point my brethren, is a Point of exceeding great concernment to underſtand; wee ſhall therefore,
Firſt, Inquire what wee mean by the loſs of the ſoul, or when may the ſoul bee ſaid to bee loſt?
The ſecond thing, Wherein doth the dreadfulneſs of the loſs of the ſoul conſiſt?
And then thirdly, I ſhall diſcover to you ſome aggravations of the evil of the loſs of the ſoul.
Fourthly, And then wee ſhall come to apply all together.
For the firſt then, What doth Chriſt mean when hee ſaith, What profiteth it a man, if hee gain the whole world, and loſe his ſoul?
Firſt, You are to know this, That wee are not ſaid to loſe our ſouls, becauſe they ſhall bee annihilated, and ceaſe to bee, the ceaſing of the ſoul to bee, that is not the loſs of the ſoul, the ceaſing indeed of our bodily lives is the loſs of our lives, but it is not ſo with the ſoul, for the ſoul of no man or woman ſhall bee loſt ſo.
Yea, and this would not bee the greateſt loſs for the ſoul to ceaſe to bee. There are two degrees of evil that are beyond the evil of ceaſing to bee; to bee miſerable, to bee in pain and torture, is worſe than not to bee, and to bee ſinful, is worſe than to bee in pain; and therefore the ceaſing to bee, is not the greateſt evil: What is the loſs of the ſoul then?
Firſt, The loſs of the ſoul it is firſt in the privation of it of all the good and excellency that the ſoul is capable of, the privation of the true good that the ſoul was made for.
Secondly, It conſiſts in its departing and wandring from God: As a ſheep is ſaid to bee a loſt ſheep that wanders up and down in the wilderneſs; ſo that is a loſt ſoul that wanders away from God the fountain of all good.
Thirdly, It conſiſts in the ſubjecting of it to that miſery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of.
And then fourthly, and laſtly, in the ſuccourleſs and helpleſs condition that it is brought into; wee uſe the phraſe of Loſt to all theſe things; when a man hath loſt his eſtate, wee account ſuch a man as a loſt man; and when a man is brought into a great deal of miſery, that heretofore was in a great deal of happineſs, wee account ſuch a man to bee a loſt man; but eſpecially when a man is ſuccourleſs and helpleſs, when hee hath no way to help and relieve himſelf, then hee is a loſt man indeed: And according to the degrees of theſe four things then a ſoul may bee ſaid to bee loſt. And here for the preſent every man and womans ſoul in the world by nature is a loſt ſoul.
Firſt, Every man and woman, as they come into the world are deprived of the glory and excellency that God did indow the ſouls of men withall in their firſt creation, wee are all deprived of the glory of God, ſaith the Scripture.
And ſecondly, All our ſouls do now naturally wander away from God, continually depart, and wander from the infinite glorious firſt-being of all things; Thou that art an old man or woman that haſt lived many years, and God hath not revealed himſelf in working the true work of converſion in thee, to change thy eſtate, know, that thy ſoul hath been departing and wandring from the Lord all the dayes of thy life, to this very preſent, thou art like a loſt ſheep, wandring up and down in the wilderneſs, and in danger to bee deſtroyed every minute of an hour by ſome wilde beaſt or other; though it is true, thy ſoul is not made a prey to the Devil ſo as to deſtroy thee utterly, yet thou haſt been in danger all the while thou haſt been wandring from the Lord to bee made a prey upon by the Devil, and utterly to have been caſt away.
Yea, and thirdly, There is a great deal of miſery upon thy ſoul, if thou kneweſt it; as, contrary to that light that hee hath ſet up in thy underſtanding, there is blindneſs in thee, there is errour in thee; contrary to that holineſs that was at firſt in thy heart and ſoul, there is nothing but ſin and wickedneſs, all the ſpauns and ſeeds of all kinde of ſin is in thy heart; there is a great deal of that evil that is contrary to what thy ſoul was made withall at firſt, there is enmity in thy ſoul againſt God himſelf.
Yea, and fourthly, Thy ſoul is in a ſuccourleſs, helpleſs, ſhiftleſs condition in reſpect of what thou art able to do, or what all the creatures in heaven or earth are able to do for thee; let all the Angels in heaven, and men in the world, joyn together to ſeek to do good to thy ſoul, they are not able to deliver thy ſoul from that evil that now it is in, and that it is in further danger of. And this is the reaſon of that phraſe that you have in Luke 19.10. The Son of man is come to ſeek and to ſave that which was loſt. Wee are all loſt ſheep going aſtray, and Jeſus Chriſt came to ſeek and to ſave loſt ſouls; Souls deprived of the glory of God, Souls wandring away from God, Souls filled with evil, Souls ſuccourleſs, and helpleſs in regard of any power in any creature in heaven and earth to ſave them: Chriſt beholding how ſuch precious ſouls were every one of them loſt, if hee had not come to ſave them, hee was pleaſed to come from heaven to ſeek and to ſave ſouls thus loſt.
Now though ſouls bee for the preſent in a loſt condition, yet there is a further loſs of the ſoul than this; for if the ſoul be neglected here, it will bee loſt forever; there are many that are loſt now for the preſent, and yet afterwards Chriſt findes them, and there is joy in heaven at the finding of them; but there is a loſs that ſhall bee eternal, and that loſs is more dreadful than the former, yet the former hath the degree of it, but that the perfection of the former: Now the loſs of the ſoul in hell conſiſts in theſe three particulars.
Firſt, The full and perfect eternal rejection of the ſoul from God, and from all good in him together, with the fulneſs of all kinde of evil that the ſoul is capable of; this is the condition of a loſt ſoul that periſhes.
Secondly, And then in the next place it conſiſts in the making of this ſoul to bee perfectly ſenſible of the loſs of that good, and of all the evil it is poſſeſt withall, making of it perfectly ſenſible of it: Here men and women are in loſt conditions, but they know it not, they are not ſenſible of it: But God will bring the ſoul into ſuch a condition, as it ſhall bee made perfectly ſenſible of the loſs of all the good that it might have had, and of all the evil that is upon it.
Thirdly, And then laſtly, It ſhall bee in ſuch a condition, ſo ſuccourleſs, ſo helpleſs, as is not onelyonly beyond the power of Angels, and all men to help it; but I ſay, ſo ſuccourleſs, ſo loſt, as that Gods mercy, and all the good there is in Chriſt ſhall never ſave it, and as God hath ſet and ordered things, can never ſave it.
Now then theſe things being opened to you, you will underſtand what this Text means: When you read this Text you think there may bee truth in it, and in general you will …ſſent unto it, but if you come to underſtand but theſe things, then indeed you cannot but all ſubſcribe to it and acknowledge: Oh it is indeed a dreadful thing the loſs of the ſoul. But now becauſe it is a point of ſo great moment, I will not ſatisfie my ſelf meerly in telling you theſe things, but endeavour to open them unto you, what the evil of this loſs is, that if it might bee, by preſenting this before the ſouls of men, they may ſee more the danger that they are in, and how the Devil hath gulled and deceived them all this while: It may make many ſouls to bee at a ſtand, if they come to know what this loſs indeed doth mean. Now I ſhall endeavour the opening of this in the three laſt particulars that I named.
Firſt, For the rejection of the ſoul from God ſo as to bee deprived of all the good there is in God, and that it is capable of; Now for the underſtanding of the evil of this, wee muſt inquire what is that good that the ſouls of men are capable of, or elſe wee cannot come to underſtand what an evil thing it is to loſe it.
Now for the good that the ſoul is capable of, I will but onelyonly name ſome heads unto you, for in a Treatiſe that ſome of you have in your hands, of Moſes looking to the recompenſe of reward, there are the principal heads of the good and excellency that the ſoul is capable of, and ſhall bee bleſſed in heaven eternally with: And the apprehending the loſs of theſe things, will diſcover much, The firſt part of the evil of the loſs of the ſoul. I will but in a very brief way preſent them unto you.
Why the Glory of God upon the ſoul, the Image of God, the Life of God, the Divine nature that the ſoul is capable of: Now for the ſoul never to live the Life of God, nor to have his Image, nor any of the Glory of Gold upon it, this is a fearful evil to thoſe that know the excellency of theſe things; of the bleſſed viſion of God in heaven, to ſee him that is the infinite firſt-being of all things, to ſee him as hee is, to ſee him that hath all excellency in him, and to ſee all the good there is in God, as the good of the ſoul. The ſoul is capable of the underſtanding of the minde of God, to have all the glorious Counſels of God about his works and wayes that hee hath had from all eternity to bee revealed unto, ſo far as concerns it, and as any way may make it happy: To live to ſee what the wayes of God have been from all eternity, and what they ſhall bee to all eternity, and that for the good of this ſoul, that it may bee for ever in his preſence, and to ſtand and look upon his face, and ſee him as the portion of it, Oh this muſt needs bee a glorious thing: Certainly if the preſence of God put ſuch a glory upon the heavens, it muſt needs put abundance of glory upon the ſoul that ſhall ſtand immediately alwayes in his preſence: To have eternal communion with God, that is, to have the imbracements of God, imbracing the ſoul, and delighting himſelf in it above all other his works, but onelyonly the Angels and his Son; delighting, I ſay, himſelf in the ſoul, and imbracing it, communicating and letting out himſelf in all his luſtre and glory when hee ſhall have inlarged the ſoul to bee able to the uttermoſt to receive in that glory that hee hath to communicate: And for him to converſe with the ſouls of men to all eternity in a familiar way, as one friend with another; and for the ſoul to bee letting out its ſelf again to God, for that is in communion, there is Gods letting out himſelf to it, and its letting out its ſelf again to God; now, I ſay, it is the greateſt delight to what God hath in himſelf, his Son, and Spirit, and Angels, the letting out of himſelf to the ſouls of men (thoſe that ſhall bee ſaved:) And on the other ſide, it muſt needs bee an infinite delight to the ſoul alwayes to bee letting out it ſelf upon God, as now, what delight do men take in eating and drinking? now if there bee ſuch delight from the humour in the palat meeting with a peece of meat in the mouth, becauſe of the ſuitableneſs between one object and another? Oh what delight muſt there needs bee when this immortal precious ſoul being inlarged to the uttermoſt with all exc…ency ſhall then meet with an infinite God, the infinite firſt-being of all things as the moſt ſuitable object to it, and ſo bee letting of its ſelf forth to God, and God letting of himſelf forth to it again.
Again, the good that the ſoul is capable of with God, it is to have an union with God, for the ſoul to be made one with God, to be united ſo as to be made one with him: Hee that is joyned to the Lord, is one Spirit, ſaith the Apoſtle; and ſaith Chriſt, in Joh. 17. Father, I will that thoſe that thou haſt given mee, may bee one with mee, as thou and I are one. Spiritual things do moſt unite one to another; there may bee a thouſand beams of the Sun united, and almoſt into one point, becauſe it is of a more ſpiritual nature: ſo when the ſoul ſhall bee made one Spirit with God, it being a Spirit, and God likewiſe a Spirit, there will bee an exact union one with another: And ſo the more ſpiritual things are, the more they communicate one to another; as in nature, the more corporeal a thing is, the leſs it communicates its ſelf; the earth doth not communicate its ſelf with any creature; the water communicates its ſelf more than that, and the air more than that, and the fire more than that; the Sun, that is leſs corporeal than any of theſe elements that wee have here, and therefore that communicates its ſelf more than the element doth: Now God being a Spirit, and the ſouls of men ſpiritual, Oh what a communion will there bee of each to other!
And then further, the ſoul is capable of fruition of God; union, and communion, and fruition, what is that you will ſay? that is to have God not onelyonly to bee united to it, but to have a kind of poſſeſſion of him, to have the uſe of all that there is in God that can make mee happy, to have the full uſe of it when I will; then a man doth injoy a thing, when hee can have the uſe of ſuch a thing when hee will: Now the ſouls of the Saints ſhall enjoy God, that is, ſhall have the uſe of all that glory and good there is in God that can make them happy, when they will, & ſhall have as much uſe of God as they will; ſurely they muſt needs bee happy that ſhall thus enjoy God: If a man had the fruition of the world, that hee could have the uſe of all the good things in the world, when hee would, you would think him happy; but this is the happineſs of the ſouls of the Saints, that they ſhall have ſuch a fruition of God, that they ſhall have all the uſe of God that they will, and when they w…ll.
And further, Fruition hath this in it, it hath a reflect act; A man, though hee hath a great deal of riches given him, yet if hee doth not know this, or if ſo bee that hee doth know it, and yet have not the comfort of it, hee doth not enjoy it; ſuch a man, though hee bee born to a great deal, yet if hee have not the reflect act to know that hee hath it, hee doth not enjoy it: So wee enjoy but little of God now, becauſe God, though hee bee the portion of a gracious heart, yet the heart doth not know this fully: But knowledge, when it ſhall bee perfect, then the ſoul ſhall perfectly know what good there is in God, and how far my ſoul may and is happy in the enjoyment of this God; I ſhall know how to make uſe of God to the full, and ſhall have continually the comfort of all that good there is in God.
And yet further, the preſence and communion with Jeſus Chriſt that the ſoul ſhall have, beſides that of God the Father, it ſhall bee with him, where hee is: It is a bleſſed thing here to follow the Lamb whitherſoever hee goes, but to bee alwaies with him, to have alwaies fruition of him, and to have communion likewiſe with all the Saints and Angels, and all the bleſſed ſpirits, that is a bleſſed thing indeed. I remember I have read of Cato, when hee was about to dye, Oh bleſſed day, ſaith hee, for now I ſhall go to the ſouls of wiſe men, and Philoſophers; and ſo upon that ground he did account the day of his death a bleſſed day, becauſe hee ſhould go to have communion with the ſouls of Philoſophers and wiſe men: But how bleſſed is it then for our ſouls to have communion eternally with Angels and bleſſed ſpirits? You are come to an innumerable company of Angels, Heb. 12.22, 23and the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect. When a ſoul is converted, it comes to have ſome kind of communion with innumerable company of Angels, and with the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect: It hath the aſſurance of it here, and ſhall have the enjoyment fully and perfectly hereafter.
And then the continual exerciſe that the ſoul ſhall bee buſied in, to bee for ever bleſſing, and magnifying, and praiſing and worſhipping of God, and receiving in from God, and letting out its ſelf to God: The eternal Sabbath that it ſhall keep, and then the eternal reſt that the ſoul ſhall have, when it comes to God, it comes there to its Center, there it hath perfect peace and reſt, and can never have trouble further.
Yea, and it ſhall live in God; not onelyonly God live in it, but it ſhall, I ſay, live in God, as (though the ſimilitude comes ſhort of it) the fiſh ſwimming in the Sea; ſo the ſoul ſhall bee ſwimming in the infinite Ocean of the excellency of the great God. It is ſaid of John, Rev. 1.10. Col. 3.3that hee was in the Spirit on the Lords day; ſo the ſoul ſhall live in God: Our life is hid with Chriſt in God: But our life ſhall bee plain and apparent, not hidden, but apparent before Angels, and all the reſt of the bleſſed, and ſo our lives ſhall bee after another manner than now they are. Now to open every one of theſe things would bee very large, ſo that it ſuffices now onelyonly to preſent them to you, to ſhew in a ſhort view the good of the ſoul in the full enjoyment of God, and what it ſhall have from him, that ſo you may ſee what the loſs of the ſoul means. Now if theſe things bee true and real, Oh what a dreadful thing is it for a man to loſe his ſoul, for a man to come to loſe all this good, that others that have ſouls like unto him ſhall come to enjoy, and that hee might have enjoyed as well as others! If there were no more in the loſs of the ſoul but this, to bee caſt away from the good that it is capable of, it might ſhew unto us this loſs to bee very dreadful. It was a ſpeech of Auſtin long ſince ſpeaking of that place where Dives did deſire Lazarus to come with one drop of water to cool his tormented tongue, ſaith hee, If there ſhould bee but one drop of heavenly felicity let into Hell, it would quench all the fire of Hell preſently: And Chryſoſtome hath ſuch an expreſſion, that hee would rather ſuffer thouſands of years in pain and torment in Hell, than hee would loſe that good that hee might have in the enjoyment of God; hee accounted paena damni, the loſs of God to bee the greater, and it were a good ſign of a ſoul that did underſtand its own excellency, and what good it were capable of, to fear as well the loſs of God, and what good it might have in God, and to account that as great an evil to it, as pain, and horrour, and torment: Why, when wee come to expreſs the wrath of God to you, and the evil that ſin deſerves, we ſpeak of Hell fire, and ſo the Scripture doth; If wee would ſet out the great evil of puniſhment (when wee ſpeak to men and women that are lead by ſenſe) wee would tell them of their bodies being thouſands of years in ſcalding Lead, and kept alive there, and this would ſtartle and amaze them; but certainly the evil of the ſouls rejection from God, and being caſt off from the good that there is in God, it is as great, if not a greater evil; and a good ſign, I ſay it were, that God is going to ſhew what our ſouls are to us and the true excellency of them; If wee begin to bee affected with the loſs of God himſelf, and the good wee might have in God, not onelyonly afraid of Hell, becauſe of fire and torment there, but afraid of having our ſouls loſt, becauſe of being deprived of ſuch infinite good, as otherwiſe wee might come to enjoy with God: A gracious heart hath more thought about loſing the good that there is in God, than of the pain that hee ſhould feel in Hell.
To ſet it out a little but in this reſemblance, of the eye being deprived of light: An eye that hath beheld the glory of the Heavens, and of the Creatures, though it ſhould never have any pain, but onelyonly there ſhould bee ſuch an ill humour, ſo as to take away all light from it; why what hurt is here to the eye? it is but onelyonly the abſence of a good thing, the eye feels no pain; but what man in the world but would rather bee willing to have his eyes to ſee, and not to bee blinde all his life time, than to have the enjoyment of thouſands of gold and ſilver? Now if the bare abſence of the ſight of a mans eyes bee ſo great an evil, and hee would rather almoſt endure any pain, than to have his eyes deprived of the light, then certainly the abſence of God muſt needs bee a moſt dreadful evil to the ſoul: when the Sun ſhines in its luſtre, how beautiful is it?☜ and how pleaſant to that it is at midnight, when it is diſmal dark? why what is done? it is onelyonly the abſence of one Creature, one Creature is here now, and ſhines gloriouſly upon us, and at midnight the Creature is gone: ſo what a mighty change and alteration would there bee in the ſoul, if it ſhould bee deprived of the preſence of the Lord? if the Lord who is infinite in glory bee preſent with the ſoul, and ſhine upon it to all eternity, Oh how glorious will it bee but Gods withdrawing himſelf, fully and everlaſtingly from the ſoul, Oh what a diſmal night of darkneſs will there bee! and therefore it is a moſt dreadful thing for the ſoul of a man to bee loſt in regard of this firſt particular, in regard of the privation of that good that it is capable of.