Words Whereby We May Be Saved, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
II. THE ſecond words ſhall be to move you to endeavour after your Salvation.
The Motives to ſtir up you to endeavour your ſalvation may be drawn,
1. From the conſideration of your ſelves, Whom you ſhould endeavour the ſalvation of.
2. From the conſideration of the ſalvation which you ſhould endeavour to obtain.
3. From the conſideration of the Damnation of all ſuch as do not obtain ſalvation.
Motive 1. From the conſideration of your ſelves, whom you ſhould endeavour the ſalvation of: It is the ſalvation of your ſelves, which I would preſs you unto; It was the exhortation of the Apoſtle, Phil. 2. 12. Work out your own ſalvation with fear and trembling, and this is my exhortation of you this day, Labour after your own ſalvation: If I were to perſwade you to do ſome great kindneſs for another, were it a difficult thing and like to coſt you much labour and trouble, I ſhould not likely prevail; but when I am perſwading you to do a kindneſs for your ſelves, and the greateſt kindneſs in the World, even to endeavour after the ſalvation of your ſelves; methinks the natural Love which you bear to your ſelves ſhould induce you to hearken and do whatever is requiſite in order hereunto, though it cannot be done without difficulty and trouble. How far will carnal ſelf-love carry carnal men? what difficulties will they go thorow? what expences of time and pains and ſtrength will they be at? how will ſome riſe up early and ſit up late, deny themſelves food and reſt and many comforts of this life? how will others compaſs Sea and Land and hazzard life it ſelf, and all to get an eſtate in the world for themſelves? and ſhould not ſpiritual ſelf-love, which is the only reall ſelf-love, carry you thorow difficulties? ſhould you think much of exſpending time and pains that you may get ſalvation for your ſelves? carnal ſelf-love will bring deſtruction and miſery upon ſuch as are ſwayed by it, and in the iſſue will prove ſelf-hatred; as you really love your ſelves, as you would eſcape the moſt dreadful miſery, and obtain the chiefeſt happineſs for your ſelves, labour after ſalvation for your ſelves. Your ſelf, your Perſons do conſiſt of two parts, namely, Soul and Body; it is the ſalvation of both, which I exhort you unto.
1. Conſider, it is the ſalvation of your Souls which I would have you endeavour after, the ſalvation of your precious ſouls; your ſouls are more precious than your bodies, and they are more precious than the whole world.
1. Your ſouls are more precious than your bodies, they are by far your more excellent part: the original of your ſoul is more immediately from God: he formeth the ſpirit of man within him, Zach. 12. 1. they are beams, they are ſtreams that iſſue forth immediately from God; moreover they carry more of the impreſs and image of God upon them as they are inviſible, ſpiritual, rational, free, immortal; they have alſo more high and excellent operations than the body is capable of, as of the underſtanding, conſcience, memory, will, affections; and I may add that if there be any luſtre upon the body, it doth receive it from the ſoul, when the ſoul is gone, the beauty is gone; whatever motion or uſe there is in the body, it doth depend on the ſoul; when the ſoul is departed, the body can neither hear, nor ſpeak, nor ſee, nor walk, nor do any buſineſs; the body is a rotten ſtinking carkaſs without the ſoul; and whileſt the ſoul doth abide in it, the body is the inferiour part, the body is but the Cabinet, the ſoul is the Jewel; the body is but the houſe of clay, the ſoul is the living inhabitant; the body is as it were the beaſt (as one ſaith Corpus homini jumentum) which the ſoul doth make uſe of to carry it from one place to another; the body is the ſervant, it is the ſoul that rules, O labour then after the ſalvation of your ſouls, which are your moſt excellent part; what care do ſome take to preſerve their bodies? much more reaſon have you to endeavour the ſalvation of your ſouls: when London's Fire was burning the houſes, thoſe who could not ſave all their goods, took care to ſave thoſe which were the moſt precious, eſpecially their money and jewells; O whatever become of your bodies here, whatever ſickneſs or hardſhip they be expoſed unto, labour to ſave your jewels, your precious ſouls; the Cabinet will be ſpoilt, the clay and mudd-wall will be broken down, and the ſoul will ſurvive the body; O take heed that when your ſouls come forth of their houſes of clay, that they be not caſt into the deep and dark priſon of Hell.
2. Your ſouls are more precious than the whole world; our Saviour eſteem'd them ſo, and he beſt knew the worth of ſouls, who knew the making of them, and made purchaſe of ſo many loſt ſouls, ſee Matth. 16. 26. What is a man profited, if he ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? or what ſhall a man give in exchange for his ſoul? Suppoſe that you had your hearts-deſire in the world, that your baggs ſhould throng in your Coffers, till there were no more room; your gold and ſilver ſhould encreaſe without number; ſuppoſe you had great poſſeſſions abroad, large revenues, ſtately houſes, fruitful gardens and orchards, pleaſant groves and walks, ſpacious fields and meadows, which as the Poet ſaith, would weary the wings of a Kite to fly over in a day; ſuppoſe that you had ſweet and beautiful wives at home, like loving Hindes and pleaſant Roes unto you, like fruitful Vines about your houſes; that you had towardly and hopeful Children like Olive-plants round about your Tables; that you had moſt kind and faithfull friends of moſt pleaſant converſation; that you had ſervants, horſes, chariots, coaches, doggs, hawks, and all ſorts of ſerviceable and delightful creatures, the beſt and in the greateſt number at your commands to attend your pleaſure: ſuppoſe you were cloathed with purple, wrapped in fine linnen, adorned with gold and ſilver, and pretious ſtones, and had the moſt rich and glorious Attire that the greateſt coſt and art could make for you: ſuppoſe that your food were moſt delicious, that Aire, Earth, and the Sea were ranſack'd to provide dainties for your Table; that your courſes were ſerved up with the moſt rich and generous Wine, the moſt ſweet and harmonious muſick: ſuppoſe that you were laden with titles of honour, and had all the Crowns and Scepters of the earth laid at your feet, and that the whole world had you in the higheſt eſteem, and were in willing ſubjection unto you; yet what would it profit you to gain all theſe things, or any thing elſe that the heart of man could deſire in the world, and loſe your ſouls, which are a thouſand fold more pretious: the gain of theſe things are but for the body, and but for a while; whereas the loſs of the ſoul is for ever; and when the ſoul is loſt, all is loſt; when the ſoul leaveth the body, a period is put to all earthly enjoyments; and the more you have of theſe things, the more grievous will it be to part with them; Think with your ſelves that you muſt dye certainly, and may dye ſuddenly, and then, if not before, you will acknowledge the worlds vanity and the preciouſneſs of your ſouls, which are of longer duration than the age of ten thouſand worlds put together, and what is the gain of the world which is ſo tranſitory and temporal, in compariſon with the loſs of the ſoul which is immortal, and whoſe loſs is irrepairable: a loſs in the eſtate may be recovered, Riches may fly away upon the wing, and ſometimes return upon the wing again, as in the caſe of Job; but the loſs of the ſoul can never be recovered; when once the ſoul hath taken wing and is fled into the lower regions, it will never find wings to return again to its former eſtate: O therefore whatever you loſe, take heed you do not loſe your ſouls, your ſouls are very precious, ſeek after their ſalvation.
2. It is the ſalvation alſo of your Bodies which I would have you endeavour after: I do not mean the ſalvation of your bodies from ſufferings, which Religion doth ſometimes call you unto; nor a ſalvation of your bodies from ſickneſs and temporal death, which Religion doth not exempt any from; but the ſalvation of your bodies from perpetual death and pain of Hell; you may pamper your fleſh for a while on Earth, which may make it a more fit bait for the Worms in the grave, and your bodies after death may be at reſt, and take a ſweet ſleep for many years in the duſt; but there is a morning approaching after the long night of death and many hours of darkneſs, in which the graves will be opened and the dead will be awakened, and then your bodies will come forth of the duſt; and they will be adjudged by Chriſt unto moſt horrid and endleſs torments in Hell, to burn for ever in unquencheable Fire, if you be found under the guilt of ſin: O therefore labour after the ſalvation of your Bodies; when your bodies now are ſick, you endeavour to get them cured, when they are full of pain, you uſe means to get the pain removed; and you will fly as faſt and as far as you can from natural Death, and you will do much to lengthen out and ſtrengthen the thred of your life, though do what you can, it will in time be cut aſunder, and death which hath you upon the chaſe will overtake and overcome you whatever reſiſtance be made; O labour to get deliverance from the pains of body which are prepared in Hell for the damned: Fly, O Fly from eternal Death and the ſtrokes of Gods wrath which will come upon the bodies of the wicked hereafter; if you would not have thoſe faces ſcorched, thoſe eyes and tongues and hands roſted, and that fleſh broiled and fearfully tormented in the flames of Hell fire, labour after ſalvation. As you love then your ſelves, your ſouls and bodies, ſeek after your ſalvation.