THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOULE The Excellencie of CHRIST JESVS treated on Wherein the faithfull people of God may finde comfort for their Souls By T. H. Published according to Order LONDON Printed in the yeer 1645. THE IMMORTALITY OF The SOVLE What will it profit a man to win the whole world and to lose his own soule Mat. 16.26 saith our glorious Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus the soule of man is a spirituall immortall Psal 31.8 substance which did flow from God Eccles 22.7 and cannot die with the body but returne to God that gave it unlesse it rebell against his Father and Maker his laws and true Church and hath no true lively faith to save himselfe by applying Christs righteousnesse to himselfe by a lively faith then these souls must die the everliving death of torment but God made the soule of man righteous but he hath sought to himselfe many inventions the bodies of all men must turn to dust again untill the day of the Lord come and then shall the dead heare the voice of the Sonne of God Luke 23.43 and shall stand up in more strength and spirituall power and meet our Lord Jesus to be judged every one according to our faith and workes The body of man hath five senses seeing hearing smelling tasting and feeling the living and immortall soule hath in him understanding and knowledge the will and the remembrance imaginptions the affections and wisdome to rule the senses of the body and the evill lusts of the soule which joyne with the body to sinfull actions but let wisdome and grace and knowledge look hp to God for help and strength to withstand them and as the body hath hands and feet so hath the living soule in him many faculties Faith is a vertue of the soule unbeliefe is a vice humility as a vertue of the soule pride is a vice the love of God and his Saints a vertue of the soule hatred a vice zeal for Gods glory and true worship a vertue of the soule coldâ—esse a vice 〈◊〉 a vertue lying a vice there iâ— a vertue â—â—nely a vice 〈◊〉 a verâ—â—e of the soule envie a vice thankfulnesse a vertue of the soule unthankfulnesse a vice bounty and freenesse of minde of the gifts which we have received of God riches or knowledge are both of them a vertue of the soule covetousnesse and hiding Gods talems in the earth avice spealing honourably of God and of the word of God a vertue of the soule swearing cursing blasphemie and mocking of the word of God great vices of the soule wit policy valour sound judgement and discerning of spirits are Gods good gifts and should be used well thâ—s the soule the spirituall substance the immortall soule the holy Image of God before mans fall which God did breath into man and made him righteous and excellent in knowledge but now the children of wrath by Adams fall and originall sin but the soules of the faithfull are renewed by Jesus Christ our glorious Lord and Saviour and shall be made perfect in heaven for ever more For the soules of the Saints shall sodainly come from heaven again to the body in love and peace saying as it were Arise my loving friend and dear companion the day of Christ our King is come the darke winter of trouble and sorrow persecution sicknesse poverty and death it selfe is gons come see thy glorious Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus which redeemed thee with all his holy companion of Saints and Angels come lift up thy head and receive thy acquistance from all thy sins and live in glory for ever But ungodly faithlesse men which have done ill griefe the worme of conscience shall bite them saying who shall hide us from the wrath of the Judge but the godly redeemer shall comfort them saying Come yee blessed of my Father receive and eternall Kingdome and enter into jour Masters joy All Glory and thanks and prayse be unto God for all his free mercie and gifts both now and for ever more The excellencie of CHRIST JESVS THe soule of man is a noble spirituall creature created of God to obey him as was Adam and Evah in Paradice but the Devill by temptations quickly spoyled his innocent righteous soul defaced Gods Image and then his shining body became miserable and naked his perfect soul became miserable sinfull and ignorant then were their souls and bodies to dye the death naturall and eternall for ever but then the mercy and love of God appeared and promised that the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents head this was our glorious Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus which came in due time to restore Gods Image and to destroy the works of the Devill to suffer and satisfie Gods justice for the sins of all the believing world which lay hold on him by a lively faith to in graft them into himselfe to adopt and make them his beloved children and heires of the Kingdome of heaven for Christ Jesus our glorious Lord and Saviour is the only Son of God in whom alone he is well pleased he is the naturall son of God begotten begotten before the stars appeared hee is the graven form of God the brightnesse of the glory the Image of the invisible God the first begotten Son of God begotten before all worlds God of Gods very God of very God eâ—eâ—uall with the Father with the holy Ghost he is the head of the Church and in him all fulnesse dwelleth thy sent a Christ endureth for ever the scepter of thy Kingdome doth mayâ—t am righteousnesse The Lord said unto my Lord sit on my right hand untill I make thy foes a stool whereon thy feet may stand Christ Jesus is the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah which overcame the roaring and devouring Lion the Devill He is the Lambe of God which was slain for our sins and taketh away the sins of the world hee is the mighty God the Prince of peace which trod the winepresse of the wrath of God alone and conquered death hell and the grave and the infernall spirits and hee arose and sustained himself by his own power and strength and sits at the right hand of the glory of God for ever Christ Jesus was promised to Adam and Evah to Abraham and to David he was prophesied by Enoch Jacob Moses Esay Jeremiah Daniell Zachariah by all the Prophets and hee was typed out by Isaak Samson Salomon Jonah and the brazen Serpent in the Wildernesse Christ Jesus out Lord and Saviour was wayted and looked for of all the faithfull from the beginning of the World and when he was come all his Apostles beare witnesse of him both in life death and writing the Angels from Heaven bring joyfull tydings and beare witnesse of him Christs wondrous works beare witnesse of him God the Father from Heaven beare witnesse of him his workes beare witnesse of him and shall judge men at the last day thousands of Martyrs have shed their deerest
in Christ Jesus the holy Trinity and blessed unity of God immortall and onely wise is well pleased and his justice satisfied for the sins of all the faithfull which love him with an upright heart and God will not give the glory of his spirituall worship of mankinde to Saints or Angels not yet the adoration of her bodies to dumb Images for God is a jealous God of his glory and true worship and will visit the sins of all idolaters without repentance with eternall death and punishment in hell fire But O England and all Reformed Churches which have the Word of God to read in which have faithfull Preachers to preach Christ and amendment of life unto us which have wholsome and 〈◊〉 Books to read in which have the Lords day kept and mayntayned amongst us which have the Sacraments the Seals of Christ Jesus love giving unto us which have godly and needfull Prayers Confâ—ssions and Thanksgivings appointed and set out in the name of Christ Jesus for to help the weak and confirme the strong which have had the example of many Martyrs in times of persecutions under Bishops and learned Doctours men and women of all conditions and estates which have had godly Kings and Queenes which have bin nursing Fathers and nursâ—ng Mothers unto Christ Jesus true Church milâ—â—â—nt hereupon earth and have defended the true faith with the Word of God with the sword of God and mayntayned true vertue and punished vice O England how mâ—rcifull is God unto us if we will embrace his mercy and know them 〈◊〉 times of his visitation and love unto us the name of the Lord God of Heaven and earth be praysed honoured and sanctified for evermore Which hath sent his mighty Word the glad tydings of his Gospell unto us and caused it to be made more playnly read and preached in our own language so that men and women need not sit in darknesse not walk in darknesse except they suffer their understanding to be blinded with the Devill and so become wilfull sinners worse than Turkes or Popish ignorant Christians and some wee have which are larger in their opinions then the Word of God or the Church of God teacheth them and so cause the Lord to chastize them with temporall punishment and sin are too curious and nice not contented with the wholsome and pure doctrine of Christ Jesus which is preached in most places but take offence at every trifle and somtime at that which is very good through their ignorance or else their pride and self-conceitednesse and so make more divisions and rents then need these our brethren cause the Lord God to chastize them with temporall punishment also and some doe what they can to serve the Lord God with an upright heart and to maintayn the true worship of God peaceably and so of weak and strong the Lord God be praysed we doubt not but that wee have hundred thousands of faithfull Christians in these Northwest parts of the World yea CHRIST JESUS lovingly calleth all men to his Marriage and Noble Banquet for ever to be betrothed to him in faith and love here in this world militant to obey him and to trust unto him and to receive all things needfull from him who knows our wants better then we and after this short life to be spiritually marryed to him in heaven for ever But alas unbelieving ungodly men and women have out of their foolishnesse desired excuses they love this world and the vain things thereof of short continuance better then everlasting Christ Jesus full of all riches and glorious excellent dignity One hath marryed a wife and cannot come another hath bought a farme and cannot come another hath bought oxen and cannot come poor silly excuses all these things they have received of God for Jesus Christ his sake and they should be helps for them to trust in Christ who having received good things from him already but blinde foolish worldlings content themselves so they may have mammon and worldly vanities rather then they will obey Christ Iesus and trust to him for everlasting glorious possessions and so such foolish men and women shall never be married to Christ which will not believe his word and obey him here but they shall be divorced from him for ever and sent to eternall misery but yet the name of the Lord God of heaven and earth be praised and glorified for his own gracious promise who hath promised that many shall come from the East and from the West from the North and from the South and shall sit down in the Kingdome of heaven with Abraham Isaack and Iacob yea many thousands of men and women are very joyfull glad and willing to come and prepare themselves with faith and amendment of life for God hath chosen them and those whom CHRIST JESUS hath chosen and giving a lively faith which worketh by love in him there shall neither men nor devils be ever able to pull them out of Christ hands for as many as believed in him to them hee gave power to be the Sonnes of God and Christ Jesus will not lose one of them but will glorifie them all in their tentations and infirmities their slips and falls shall not pull them out of Christ Jesus his hands God the Father gave them to him and he is stranger then all and in this world he will make them willing to come to Christ Jesus by faith and repentance Of the Joyes of HEAVEN GOD will give an eternall Kingdome of glory in heaven for ever where there shall be rest love joy peace riches honour plenty and great knowledge health strength beauty and fulnesse of pleasure for evermore and God will wipe away all teares from their eyes and place them in blisfull plight in heavenly and glorious Mansions where we shall behold our glorious excellent and mighty God and Father and his eternall love in Iesus Christ shining upon us to our everlasting joy and comfort and there we shall behold thousand thousand millions of men women and children changed like Angels shining as bright as the Sun in their Fathers Kingdom all the good works and godly fruits all the Prayers Humiliations Fastings and Teares which which we have shed for our sins and for the sins of others and in prayers for grace for others in obedience to Christ Iesus Commandements shall be rewarded in Heaven with eternall crownes of glory all the good works of almesdeeds charity and love which wee have done in giving to the poore and in giving for the increase of Christ Iesus Kingdome of grace here upon earth by our good example shall be rewarded in Heaven with eternall crowns of glory all the contending and striving for Gods true worship and godly truth and studying for â—cuity mercy true justice and judgment in men that are called thereto Mal. 3.16 all the good works that men do through faith in obedience to Christ Iesus shall be rewarded in Heaven with eternall crowns of glory all that have
feare and repent and seeke for mercy while they are in this world before that fearfull day of judgement to come when there shall be no more mercy for them that would not seeke it in this life but the foolish worldlings of this world will not repent The foole hath said in his heart there is no God the fool hath said that the Al-seeing God doth not see all his bad works and the evill thoughts of his heart he will not repent the foole hath denied in his heart Gods power will and justice hee thinks God will not rayse up the dead bodies of mankind spiritually restored in more strength and nimblenesse the good and faithfull to be partakers of his mercy in Heaven for ever and the unfaithfull the fearfull the adulterers the slanderers the murderers the covetous the envious the Idolaters the unthankfull the carelesse people of Gods true worship and such like to be punished in hell torments for ever except they repent and amend their lives and râ—n to God for mercy in the name of Christ Iesus his well beloved Son and then will Christ Iesus gather them as the Hen gathereth her chickins under her wings and save them from the wrath of God and from the power and envy of the Devill and Christ Iesus will wash away their sins in his precious bloud and make them as white as snow and wooll beloved to God for ever bet if rugodly men will not repent their sins and returne to God for mercy and judge themselves worthy to dye for their sins then those wofull threatnings and cursinâ—s which are written in the word of God must needs fall upon them Go you cursed into everlasting hell fire prepared for the Devill and his angels and take the unprofitable servant and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth And againe take the man which had not on the wedding garment of faith and repentance or the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus binde him hand and foot and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth It is better for thee to pull out thy right eye and to cast it from thee that is thy dearest darling and best belovedst sins that will offend and displease thee then having thy sins to be cast into hell fire where the worme dyeth not and the fire never goethout And again Tophet is prepared of old for ungodly faithlesse men the burning of it is great and the wrath â—f the Lord like a river of brimstone shall kindle it And again Hell beneath is moved to meet thee and the wicked people go down to Hell and all the people that forget God and God will wound the hoary scalpâ— of him that goeth on in his wickednesse and upon the ungodly God will rain snares of fire and brimstore storme and tempest this is their 〈◊〉 to drinke and tribulations horrour and anguish shall be upon the head of every one that doth evill Hell is a darke prison large and great and the wrath of the Lord doth afflict divers torments upon them besides the pain of losse whereof commeth the wâ—â—me of conscience which grief is as great as the other when they shall remember the losse of Heaven that large great and glorious place of pleasure and refreshing which they justly and madly have lost by their greedy sins and have sold their birth-right to Heaven for trifles if they world have trusted in Christ and have loved his laws and now they know all is gone because they loved lying vanities and loose behaviour now all hope is gone for ever too late repentance will doe them no good at this remembrance grief the worme of conscience will byte them and they will curse themselves and curse their wicked acquaintance which drew them on to sins in this world and wish that their torment might make an end of them but that is impossible they must lye in prison for ever Death gnaweth upon them for ever the second death of body and soul so strait was Dives in Hell that he asked but for a drop of water to coole his tongue and could not have it whose fare in this world was delicious and his drinke of the best wine also The Lord Iesus will come from Heaven in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that obey not his Gospell and another grief followeth to the damned God and his Angels and his Saints shall laugh them to scorne for in this world they grieved the good spirit of the holy ghost which put Gods thoughts in their hearts and they gave place to the Devill and his evill motions they grieved the good Angels with their sins in this world and they grieved and vexed the Saints in this world the godly Ministers that taught them the word of God wept and prayed for them they vexed their godly Neighbours and godly friends which gave them good counsell and mourned for them in this world but when the day of judgment came and when the Angell of the covenant hath sworne that that time shall be no more then the Saints and Angels shall all rejoyce at Gods righteous judgments For in Heaven is no mourning although they see their brothers sisters fathers sonnes and acquaintance sent to hell by Gods justice but they shall say Just and true are thy judgments ô Lord God King of Saints for their destruction is from themselves they have made themselves the children of the Devill but while time lasteth in this world wisdome stretcheth out her hand all the day long saying Turne yee from your evill ways Why will yee die Prov. 1.20 21 22 23. ô ye sons of men The Lord desires not the death of a sinner but that he should turn from his evill ways and lay fast hold on the promises of his Son Christ Jesus and if thou wilt turn away from thy evill works and love all Gods laws with an upright heart thou shalt surely live and have all thy sins forgiven thee for the Lord Iesus suffered most cruell torments and shed his most precious bloud for those people which are truly humbled before him and which do see their sins and confesse them to God and are weary of them and desire God for Jesus Christ sake his only son to forgive them all and pray to God for help and grace to stand in his feare and love to all those people the Lord Iesus our Seviour hath made most great and precious promises wherein stands our very life and comfort and an assured hope of eternall life and salvation if we take heed unto them then be not fearfull to obey Christ Jesus commandements ô doubtfull soul For he calleth all those that be weary and heavy laden with their sins and hee will refresh them and again Fear not little flock it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdome and again If the Son of God shall make you free you shall be free indeed and again The houre commeth when all that are in