Gospel Revelation, Treatise 3 · Sermon 4
The Fourth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
Matthew 16.26. For what is a man profited if hee ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul?
NOw for the ſecond Particular, Namely, wherein conſiſts the eternal loſs of the ſoul; it is this; when the ſoul in Hell is ſo poſſeſſed with ſin, as to bee contrary unto God eternally: I ſay the ſoul caſt away from God is poſſeſſed of all the evil of ſin, ſo as for ever to hate God, and to abhor him, and to blaſpheme him, that is one particular of the condition of a loſt ſoul.
As every ſoul here by nature is deprived of all that good in which it was created, and ſecondly, as it doth wander from, and is at enmity againſt God: ſo when the ſoul is loſt eternally, then it is perfectly againſt God, and doth hate and blaſpheme God for ever: Thou that art a wicked man, thou wilt ſin, but when God hath caſt thee away from him eternally, then, as I may ſay, thou ſhalt have thy belly full of ſin, thou then ſhalt bee fully given up unto ſin, Rev. 16.11. And they blaſphemed the God of Heaven, becauſe of their pains and ſorrows: Now that is ſpoken of the beaſt, of Antichriſt; but if men here blaſpheme God becauſe of pains, what ſhall they do that are damned in Hell? they that ſhall have the vials of Gods wrath poured out upon them? But you will ask, how doth it appear that for the wicked to bee given up to ſin is ſuch an evil unto them, whereas here it is their delight to commit ſin? To which I anſwer, though they love ſin, and though ſin bee their delight here, yet hereafter, when they are caſt off from God for ever, then they ſhall not finde that delight in ſin, as now they do: as to give you it in an example, put a fiſh into a pot of water, and the fiſh doth ſwim, and play, and delight therein, becauſe it is the proper element of the fiſh to bee in the water; but now, if you do but put fire under that pot of water wherein the fiſh doth play and take delight, why then that which was before the delight and element of the fiſh, thereby becomes its pain and torture: ſo, though ſin in this life is delightful unto wicked men, becauſe it is their proper element to bee in ſin in this life, yet hereafter ſin ſhall bee their pain, becauſe then there ſhall bee mixt with it the wrath of God, which will make it pain and torture. Again, the loſs of the ſoul conſiſts in this, when the ſoul is fully poſſeſſed of all the evils that are contrary to all the good it is capable of: Thus ſhall it be with the loſt ſoul eternally:
That as the Saints ſhall bee inlarged and made more capable of good, which they ſhall enjoy to all eternity: ſo, thoſe that are wicked and loſt ſouls, which ſhall bee oppoſite to God, ſhall bee inlarged in their capacities, and bee poſſeſſed, and made capable of all contrary evils.
Firſt, To bee caſt under the eternal curſe of God, I ſay, to bee eternally under the curſe of the Almighty.
Secondly, To have all the faculties of the ſoul to bee filled with the wrath of God, to have the underſtanding to bee filled with what may increaſe torment in that, and for the conſcience, to have the worm gnawing, which never dieth; and to have the thoughts employed, and running upon thoſe things that will bee ſo hideous unto them, and to have the will continually croſſed by God himſelf, and to have the heart ſinking under the wrath of the infinite God in deſpair for ever. Brethren, the ſoul of man, it is a very large veſſel, and becauſe wee know but little of the large extent of our ſouls, therefore it is that wee are ſo little ſenſible of the loſs of them, or of the pain and torment they are capable of, or liable unto: But as the ſoul is larger than the body to take in comfort; ſo is it larger than the body likewiſe to take in pain, miſery, and wrath: we ſhould bee ſenſible of ſuch an expreſſion as this; to have the body in all the members of it to bee filled with fire, ſo as to bee all on a hot fiery burning coale, and that to all eternity; this you would think could not but bee an extreme miſery: But the ſouls capacity is far larger than the bodies: And to have the ſoul filled in every faculty of it with the wrath of God, it is far greater pain, than to have the body in ſuch a condition, which is the condition of a loſt ſoul. Further, it doth conſiſt in having the power of God ſtretched forth to bring evil and wrath upon it, and that to the utmoſt, Rom. 9.22. What if God, willing to ſhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endureth with much long-ſuffering the veſſels of wrath fitted unto deſtruction? (As thus)
Firſt, The infinite power of God put forth in enlarging their natures, that they may bee the more capable of evil.
Secondly, The infinite power of God put forth to uphold their natures, that they bee not ſunk down with thoſe dreadful evils that God hath to put upon them.
Thirdly, The infinite power of God to let out upon the ſoul, what ever it can bear to make it miſerable, ſo as not to bee annihilated therewith, which it ſhall bear for ever. And further, A loſt ſoul is in this condition alſo, to be continually under the ſtroak of Gods juſtice, that when it ha…h lain under its pains thouſands of thouſands of years, ſaith divine Juſtice, I am not yet ſatisfied. Now that that is required, is, that the ſoul ſhould lye under the wrath of God, until ſuch time that God may have as much honour by puniſhing it, as hee hath had diſhonour by its ſinning againſt him, and that muſt bee for ever; becauſe God can never have ſo much honour by the puniſhing of it, as hee hath had diſhonour by its ſinning againſt him: (And then) As the ſoul ſhould have had eternal communion with God and Chriſt, &c. it being loſt, it muſt have communion inſtead thereof with the Devil and the damned ſpirits in Hell: And if this bee the condition of a loſt ſoul in Hell, as it is, then what ſhall a man gain in gaining the world, if hee loſe his ſoul? But further, to make this miſery appear to bee miſery indeed, There is required a perfect ſenſe of all theſe evils: for a man or woman may bee in a loſt condition, as many are now, but they do not underſtand it, and therefore are not ſenſible of it.
But that ſoul that is loſt eternally, the Lord ſhall ſo far enlighten its underſtanding, as may make it ſenſible of all its evil; certainly many this day are in ſuch a condition, as did they but underſtand the loſt condition they are in, it would make them tremble: But now, when the ſoul is eternally loſt, it ſhall then perfectly underſtand what its loſt condition is, and then the thoughts of its mind ſhall bee ſo buſied about its miſery, as that it ſhall not bee able to eaſe its ſelf one moment, but its thoughts ſhall be buſied about its condition, ſo far as may make it miſerable; And the Lord is able to make a creature as ſenſible of miſery as hee pleaſeth. For this is the propriety of God, to make a creature as ſenſible of all the evil that is upon him as hee pleaſeth; and if ſo, then when all theſe evils come upon the creature, and the Lord intends to make the creature fully ſenſible of it; then certainly it muſt needs bee miſerable indeed. Further, then this loſs of the ſoul conſiſts in this, That it muſt have nothing to ſupport it, when the burden of the wrath of the infinite God ſhall bee thus upon it; (as alſo) there ſhall bee no mixture of any good to bring relief or eaſe, nor any intermiſſion of time; it muſt not bee one moment of time out of this condition of miſery, but muſt bee in it continually to all eternity.
Further, In this doth its miſery conſiſt, becauſe God will keep all the faculties of the loſt ſoul in their utmoſt activity, whereas now it is not ſo with us; for if miſery and pain bee upon us here, after a while our activity and ſenſibleneſs of it is partly gone: But the Lord will make ſuch ſouls as are eternally loſt, as perfectly ſenſible of this its miſery every moment, as ever it was the very firſt moment that it went into that miſery. Then
Laſtly, In regard of the irrecoverableneſs of the loſtneſs of the ſoul when it is once loſt.
The ſoul, when it is departed from the body, and once loſt, then all the power of God can never help nor recover it; but then the ſtream of Gods wrath ſhall carry it with that mighty force, as that it ſhall not bee able to all eternity to have the leaſt actings of its ſelf towards its deliverance for ever.
Secondly, There ſhall bee no Mediatour between God and the loſt ſoul, none to mediate for it: Now, had not wee a Mediatour between God and us, wee were all certainly loſt; but now for the ſoul that is once loſt eternally, Jeſus Chriſt will never tender up any work of mediation for ſuch a ſoul; that is certainly gone and loſt irrecoverably. And then further, the gates of mercy will bee for ever ſhut againſt ſuch a ſoul.
Now for the further opening and ſetting forth the dreadfulneſs of the loſs of the ſoul, there are divers aggravations wherein the miſery of it doth further appear.
The firſt aggravation is this, If the ſoul bee thus loſt, then the body is, and will be loſt alſo: It will bring the body into the very ſame loſt condition of miſery that it is in its ſelf, ſo far as it is capable of miſery; and that upon theſe two grounds.
Firſt, Becauſe the body all the time a man doth live in this world, it was the onelyonly or moſt immediate inſtrument that the ſoul had to work and to ſin by: And certainly God muſt needs hate that body, and curſe it, that did belong to the ſoul, becauſe it was the onelyonly inſtrument of the ſoul to ſin by.
Secondly, Miſerable muſt the body alſo bee, becauſe when ſuch a loſt ſoul ſhall bee united unto the body, the very extremity of the ſoul muſt needs bring miſery upon the body alſo; as thus, When Chriſt had the apprehenſions of his Fathers wrath and diſpleaſure in his ſoul, how did it work upon his body even ſo as to cauſe even clodders of blood to fall from him? Now, what cauſed this pain in his body, but the terrors of God in his ſoul? and if it was ſo with Jeſus Chriſt, that had but ſin imputed unto him, then certainly the body of a damned creature muſt needs bee in very great and dreadful torment, to which this ſoul is united. If a holy man cried out, Thy arrows ſtick faſt in mee, Pſal. 38.2.3and thy hand preſſeth mee ſore, there is no ſoundneſs in my fleſh, becauſe of thine anger, neither is there any rest in my bones, becauſe of my ſin. I ſay, if the anger of God cauſed this miſery unto Davids body for his ſin, what miſery will that bee when all the faculties of the ſoul ſhall bee filled with the wrath of God to their utmoſt capacity? O then, I ſay, what dreadful evil and pain will there bee unto the body united unto ſuch a ſoul!
The ſecond aggravation of the loſs of the ſoul, it is this, That when it comes to bee in this loſt condition, then it comes to bee in the deadfulleſt and moſt miſerable condition that any Creature is in, except the Devils themſelves. The Scripture tells us, it is an evil thing to have riches kept for a mans hurt: But O then what an evil is it, and will it bee, for a man to have an immortal ſoul for his hurt? this is the condition of a loſt ſoul.
The third aggravation of the loſs of the ſoul, is this, It will have none to pitty it, in that its miſerable loſt condition it is in.
If a man in this world ſhould loſe his eſtate, or any great loſs, hee would have many to pitty him: if a man loſe by fire, then hee may obtain a gathering, whereby his loſs may bee partly made up, or hee relieved; or if you loſe your children, you have your friends to pitty you, and to condole with you: But that man that ſhall have his ſoul loſt, hee ſhall bee in ſuch a condition, as that hee ſhall have none to pitty him.
True, wee are all loſt by nature, but in that our loſt condition wee have God pittying us, and Chriſt pittying us, and the Angels looking upon us with pitty, and Saints pittying us; But hereafter, if loſt, none ſhall pitty that ſoul in that condition, when its loſs is eternal. God ſhall not pitty it, but then the bleſſed God ſhall look upon it as an object of his eternal curſe: But no pitty ſhall hee have of ſouls in that their loſt condition; neither ſhall Jeſus Chriſt pitty them: True, Jeſus Chriſt came to ſeek and to ſave thoſe that were naturally loſt, but yee have done what in you lay to fruſtrate the ends of Chriſt his coming: and as Chriſt ſhall not pitty you, ſo mercy it ſelf ſhall not pitty you; but bee ſo far from pittying of you, as that it ſhall plead againſt you
And Angels they ſhall not pitty you, becauſe they ſhall bee taken up in bleſſing and praiſing of God for his works, and righteous judgements upon you:
Neither ſhall the Saints pitty you, though it bee thy Father, out of whoſe loins thou cameſt; or though it bee thy Mother, out of whoſe womb thou cameſt; yet they ſhall not pitty thee, though thou art loſt, and loſt eternally, but ſhall rejoyce at it, and bleſs God for his juſtice upon thee: therefore miſerable is the condition of a loſt ſoul.
The fourth aggravation of a loſt ſoul, is this, It will prove unto moſt that are loſt, an unexpected loſs: There are very few that have any apprehenſions of the loſs of their ſouls, but they think they may go on in ſin, and yet do well enough.
It may bee thou heareſt a Miniſter ſpeak of the loſs of the ſoul, but thou flattereſt thy ſelf, and thinkeſt thou ſhalt do well enough; but at length, before thou art aware, thy ſoul may bee loſt, and that unexpectedly; then it muſt needs bee dreadful, becauſe it is ſo great and unexpected: As (for example) if a Merchant ſhould hear that his ſtock at the Indies were there ſafe and well, and afterward upon an inſtant there doth come news unexpectedly that all is loſt and gone, Oh how doth it damp him! and O conſider how it will damp thee hereafter, though now thou doſt flatter thy ſelf, If thy ſoul ſhould bee loſt eternally? I ſay, it will bee a dreadful loſs in regard of the unexpectedneſs of it.
A fifth aggravation is this, It will prove to bee a dreadful loſs, becauſe the loſs of every ſoul that ſhall bee loſt, will prove to bee a wilful loſs: This is a great perplexity to a man in this world, when as hee doth ſee hee is undone, and that meerly through his own wilfulneſs; and this will bee the aggravation of the ſouls loſs, that one day it ſhall plainly appear unto them, that it was through their own wilfulneſs.
Yee will not come to mee, ſaith Chriſt,John 5.40. that you might have life; and yee will not indure to hear of the danger yee are in, of being loſt eternally: Oh how wilful muſt the loſs of thoſe ſouls bee, that will not give ear to hear of the danger their ſouls are in, of being thus loſt? And O how wilfully do you run on in wicked courſes, which God hath given command unto the contrary in his Word, and how do you wilfully caſt off the means that God hath appointed for your ſalvation? But know, yee periſh wilfully, if yee wilfully reject or neglect to improve the means that God hath given for the ſaving of your ſouls: I ſay, that man or woman that ſhall wilfully caſt off thoſe truths of God that ſhould ſave them, that man or woman doth wilfully periſh:
Well, but you will ſay, you do not ſin wilfully, but you are overtaken with ſin. To which I anſwer, that the ſin which a man doth do, which outward carnal motives would bee a prevailing means to him to perſwade him not to do; yet all that is in Gods Word given to perſwade to the contrary, doth not; hee ſins wilfully, and if hee periſh, hee will bee found to periſh wilfully.
It may bee you will further ſay, you are ignorant, and therefore if wee did know better, wee would do better; I anſwer, yet it is wilful, becauſe you are wilfully ignorant; and therefore your loſs is wilful.
The ſixth aggravation of the loſs of the ſoul, it is this, becauſe the eternal loſs of the ſoul will bee a great loſs for a little matter.
For a man to venture the loſs of his ſoul for the gaining of a Kingdome, hee would think it ſomething, but yet the Text tells us hee would bee a great loſer; but if ſo great a loſer to gain a Kingdome for his ſoul, O then how great an evil will it bee for a man or woman to loſe their ſouls for trifles! You do not got the world for your ſouls, but perhaps you do venture the loſs of your ſouls for the getting of a groat, or ſixpence, or twopence, or it may bee upon the fear of the diſpleaſure, or anger of your Maſter or Miſtreſs; you will venture the loſs of your ſouls in telling a lye to excuſe you, or it may bee for the ſatisfying of a baſe luſt one quarter of an hour, thou wilt venture the eternal loſs of a precious ſoul, more worth than ten thouſand worlds.
Did you never go into the place where condemned perſons were, and ask them what they are there for? why, it may bee ſome of them will ſay but for a ſmall matter, it may bee the undue gaining of two or three ſhillings, and now my life muſt go for it: So many loſe their ſouls, even for trifles, for nothing, for a baſe luſt, which is worſe than nothing; the conſideration of which will make it the more dreadful.
Seventhly, The loſs of the ſoul will bee very dreadful upon this conſideration, becauſe many will loſe their ſouls, that are very nigh to the ſaving of their ſouls: I ſay, the nearer a man or woman doth come to the ſaving their ſouls, and yet loſe them; the loſs of the ſoul upon that conſideration will bee the more dreadful to them; and it is thus with many that have many good workings in and upon their hearts, ſo that they are in a very good forwardneſs unto the everlaſting ſalvation of their ſouls, and yet there doth come ſome luſt that doth drive them back again: The loſs of the ſouls of hypocrites therefore will bee dreadful to conſider: I that was in ſo fair a way to ſalvation in the uſe of means, and content to leave ſo many evil waies, and yet that I ſhould have one that I would not leave, and for this have I loſt my ſoul; I that was contented to take up ſo many duties, and yet by my hearts embracing of one ſinful luſt, to loſe my ſoul; as Herod heard John Baptiſt gladly, and hee reformed many things, and yet hee had one ſin that hee would not part withall: Thoſe that are the neareſt the ſalvation of their ſouls, and yet loſt at laſt, this will bee a great aggravation of the miſery thereof.
An eighth aggravation of the loſs of the ſoul, is this, The conſideration that they have loſt their ſouls, and that ſo, as that they have nothing in lieu of them; they ſhall not onelyonly loſe their ſouls, but they ſhall even loſe the thing for which they did venture the loſs of their ſouls: As for example, if a man ſhould have his heart ſo ſet upon a trifle, as to loſe his whole eſtate for it, and after hee hath loſt his eſtate for it, hee ſhould loſe that thing for which hee loſt his eſtate too; this would aggravate the loſs of his eſtate much more: Juſt ſo, if you do loſs your ſouls for the world, or for pleaſure; if your ſouls periſh, I ſay yee ſhall both loſe your ſouls, and that thing, bee it what it will, for which you ventured and loſt your ſouls.
And thou ſhalt have no more pleaſure nor I content than thoſe that did not venture the loſs of their ſouls for it.
The ninth aggravation of the loſs of the ſoul, is, The ſhame that ſhall bee put upon thoſe ſouls that ſhall be loſt, that periſh eternally: As when thy acquaintance, thy neighbours that dwelt next unto thee, that knew thee, that dwelt in the family with thee, that kept daies of faſt with thee, and went unto the meetings with thee, when they ſhall bee thoſe that ſhall be with God for ever eternally bleſſing & praiſing of him, and ſhall point thee out, as with the finger, before God, the Angels, and bleſſed Saints, and ſay, Behold, this is hee that was an hypocrite, that ſate under the ſame word, and that did partake of the ſame means and ordinances as I did,Pſal 52 7. and yet hee hath loſt his ſoul: Loe this is the man that made not God his stay. So all they that periſh ſhall ſtand before men and Angels, and bee pointed at by them, ſaying, Loe this is the man, and loe this is the woman, that made not God their ſtrength, but did ſo love their ſin, as that they would not by any means bee perſwaded to part with it, but would rather venture the loſs of their ſouls, to injoy their ſins, and fulfil their luſt, than part with their ſins to ſave their ſouls.
The tenth aggravation of the miſery of a loſt ſoul, is this, When they ſhall ſee others taken up into the Kingdome of Heaven, who were as unlikely to bee ſaved as themſelves, and they themſelves ſhut out, and eternally loſt: It may bee thou that art a carnal Maſter mayſt ſee thy poor ſervant taken up to God, and thou thy ſelf ſhut out; or it may bee the carnal Father or Mother may ſee their childe ſaved, and yet they themſelves loſt; Oh this will bee a ſad aggravation of their loſs. And thus you have heard the dreadful loſs of the ſoul, together with the aggravations thereof in theſe ten particulars. Now for the Uſe.
Is it ſo, that the loſs of the ſoul eternally is ſo dreadful a loſs, as you have heard it is? Oh then let every one here bleſs God for their ſouls, that their ſouls are not thus loſt. It might have been ſo long ere this time; when ſuch a kinſman of thine dyed, or thy fellow-ſervant, or when ſuch a neighbour or acquaintance of thine dyed, if thou hadſt but dyed when they dyed, thy ſoul, it may bee, had been eternally loſt.
This I can aſſure you, that naturally you are all loſt, and what makes the difference between thy ſoul, and the condition of a loſt ſoul, as you have heard, but onelyonly the meer mercy of God? Oh therefore now bleſs God for his mercy unto thee, that thy ſoul is not as yet a loſt ſoul, and think thus with thy ſelf, Lord, if theſe things bee true, and ſo dreadful to hear of, Oh then what would be my miſery if it ſhould prove that I ſhould bee the perſon made ſenſible thereof, by experiencing the miſery I hear of, to bee the miſerable condition of a loſt ſoul?
The Scripture doth ſay concerning the joy and happineſs of the Saints, That eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, 1 Cor. 2.9.neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what their happineſs ſhall bee, that ſhall bee ſaved. And the like may bee ſaid of the miſery of the ſouls that are eternally loſt; and the Scripture doth ſay, That if our Goſpel bee hid, 2 Cor. 4.3.it is hid to them that are loſt. I beſeech you therefore remember what hath been ſpoken concerning the condition of lo…t ſouls, and lay to heart what hath been ſpoken out of this Text, leſt within a little time you feel what hath been ſpoken to bee a truth, and ſo bee forced to cry out, True it is, I heard ſuch a day out of ſuch a text, what was the miſerable condition of a ſoul eternally loſt, but now I finde it by experience to bee true, and the one half I now feel, I could not then conceive: And know the reaſon, my Brethren, why we lay the miſery of loſt ſouls thus before you, it is to this end, that none of you might be thus loſt: And it is a bleſſed thing for you to hear theſe things; for how many are there that have loſt their ſouls, which till they were thus loſt, never ſo much as heard any thing about the loſs of their ſouls, which if they had, who knows what might have been done by them for the ſaving of their ſouls? Beloved, ſuch a ſubject as this cannot be ſpoken unto you without trembling; for certainly this ſubject will bee much adding to the prevention of the loſs, or elſe it will mightily aggravate the loſs of your ſouls, if ever they are eternally loſt; therefore all I have at preſent to counſel you to, is, to lay theſe things to your hearts ſeriouſly, as alſo to bleſs God for your ſouls, that as yet they are not in this dreadful eternally loſt condition.