manu suspensi sunt He 's Lam. c. 5. deploring the Miseries which the People of Israel suffered in Babylon and he says that the Chaldeans had hang'd up their Princes and gave no Respect to the Ancients Facies senum non erubuerunt All was full of Sadness and Horror And how came this O Israelites What was it that drew upon you these Afflictions The Prophet had declar'd it just before Aegypto dedimus manum Assyrirs ut saturaremur pane We say the miserable Captives we deliver'd our selves to the Egyptians and the Assyrians and we became Slaves to our Slaves Servi dominati sunt nostri And this was the Origin of all their Misfortunes And you O Christian Souls who are over-rul'd by your Slaves by your carnal Appetites what Conclusion can you expect Death and eternal Torments wait for you Oh when will you resolve to regain the Dominion over your Body Will you put off and neglect till all Recovery is become impossible Stay a while and give ear to the Cries of those miserable Souls who are in Hell Flames there condemn'd to suffer for all Eternity hear what they say Ergo erravimus à via veritatis justitiae lumen non luxit nobis We Wis 5. therefore have erred is their common Voice O poor Wretches And now are you become sensible of it when you are past Remedy David was more circumspect who made this Reflection in time Erravi sicut ovis I have erred Ps 118. says David and We have erred is the Cry of the Damned David pronounc'd it in season it being in him the Voice of Repentance but they have neglected their time and in them 't is only the effect of Despair Ergo erravimus We have therefore erred say they A consequence indeed but very ill timed The Antecedent in this Life spent in Sensuality and Lust and the Consequence in Hell O! how this will conclude little before the Mercy-seat Do you see Christians how they lament and how now too late they understand their Error Reflect now a little and consider what it was and wherein their Error did consist But they declare it themselves Et justitiae lumen non luxit nobis We follow'd not the Directions of Justice Justice is that which gives to every one their own And here they begin to understand what was their Error That whereas they were bound to give to their Souls the Honour and Respect of a Lady and Empress and treat their Bodies like Servants they on the contrary gave the Honour to the Body which did not belong to it and abus'd their Souls like Slaves And this it is which they now fruitlesly lament in the middle of their Torments Justitiae lumen non luxit nobis and the same will be their Complaint without hopes of Remedy for a long Eternity Merito conqueruntur says a Learned Author in inferno Labat damnati se justitiae lumine caruisse quia verè mali nesciunt unicuique rei debitam aestimationem tribuere pluris enim corpus quam animam faciunt c. And you Christians who hear this till how long will you expect before you understand your Error till when there shall be no longer a Possibility of Remedy Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Ah! rather let your Souls now have the Honour which is due to them let them have the Precedency of your Body in all Respects 'T is base and unbeseeming a Christian to make his Body the whole Business of his Concern while his Soul shall lye neglected and be no part of his Care Who is there of you so unreasonable that if he should see his House on Fire his Servants in danger his Wife expos'd to the Flames would be first sollicitous in saving his Servants And yet you Sinners who have your Souls ready to be seiz'd on by hell-Hell-fire and your Flesh burning with Concupiscence to which do you run first with Assistance Do you seek for Plenty of Tears to secure your Soul from the Flames of Hell or the Water of vain Delights and unlawful Pleasures to extinguish or rather satisfie the fire of your own Lust O Misery to thrust your Souls more into the Flames that your Bodies may be at ease Da illi honorem Ah Christians look rather to secure your Souls tho' your Bodies perish The Body is attended by many Necessities the Soul is in want of the Divine Grace that the Body may be supplied how little is it to run over the whole World and to trample all Difficulties under foot and shall no Pains be taken that the Soul may have her Support Da illi honorem Is it the Soul of a Beast that you have within you that it seems so unworthy of your Care Who ever saw a Souldier receive the Dart in his Breast that he might preserve his Shield untouch'd The Serpent exposes his Body to the Blow to secure his Head wherein his Soul resides and is it beseeming a Christian to let his Soul lye open to all the Assaults of the Devil that his Body may be kept harmless No the Body was intended to receive the Blows and the Soul for Honour Da illi honorem And if thou can'st not comply so far as to let thy Soul be the chief part of thy care at least let it have an equal share with thy Body Take but notice says St. Chrysostom Ho. 14. in Mat. with how much Sollicitude thy Body is waited on if indispos'd and how careful thou art to free thy Eye from any thing that molests it Animam autem tuam tantâ malorum congerie pressam negligis But thy Soul lying under a Complication of Distempers how little Concern for her Delivery Why is she thus neglected If thy House be in danger of falling thou do'st not let every Trifle divert thee from preventing the Ruine but that which is most considerable is certain of having thy first Assistance Why have the same care then for thy Soul as for thy House at least as thou hast for every Beast that goes along the High-way Cadit asinus is the Complaint of St. Bernard invenit qui se sublevet cadit anima non est qui Ser. 14. in Cant. manum apponat The Beast falls in the way says the Saint and there never want those who will help it up but the Soul falls into Sin and she 's left in the mire How unchristian is this Have the same care for it as thou hast for the Garment thou wearest as for the Shoes under thy Feet which thou hast not Patience to see out of order Let not thy Soul be in the Extremity of Wants disfigur'd nay almost devour'd by Sin and yet want Assistance Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum The Excellency of the Soul is yet made clearer to us from another Consideration in as much as it is The Excellency of the Soul in as much as 't is the Image of God the Work of God a work
fram'd after his own Image Upon which account a much greater Respect is yet due to it Da illi honorem For the laying open this make a short Reflection Christians how great an Esteem Men generally have for any Picture or Statue of the hand of any famous and excellent Artist We have a Relation in Pliny that King Demetrius having laid Siege to L. 35. c. 11. Rhodes and there being no prospect of his gaining the City but by opening a Breach in that part of the Wall where stood a Picture the Workmanship of the great Protogenes he not to injure the Piece immediately commanded the Siege to be rais'd chusing rather to omit the making himself Master of so considerable a Post than to prejudice the work of that great Master Parcentemque Picturae fugit occasio victoriae And was not this Piece of Protogenes highly valued by Demetrius And how much higher Value yet ought we to put upon our Souls for being the Work of God it being certain that whensoever our Vicious Appetites are drawing forth in opposition to the Divine Law and our wicked Desires are making an Attack on the City of God 't is impossible we should proceed in these Designs without defacing and even ruining our Souls made by the hand of that Divine Artist Manus tuae secerunt me Thy hands have made Ps 118. me Let us have therefore a respect for our Souls due to the Greatness of the Omnipotent hand that made us But if we consider a little farther we shall discover our Souls to be not only the Work of God but also his Image a yet more forcing Argument for our Respect There was in Athens a Statue of Minerva made by Phidias which was much celebrated among the Ancients and the reason was as Aristotle relates it because in the Shield of the Goddess the Author had so ingeniously wrought his own Image that 't was impossible to efface this without quite ruining the whole How much more have we to say for our selves Christians having Souls whose whole Substance is the very Image of their Creator Ad imaginem similitudinem nostram How much greater is our Priviledge bearing stamp'd in our Humane Being the Gen. 1. Pourtraiture of our God Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui Domine But 't will not be amiss now to hear from the Mouths of the Holy Fathers in what manner our Soul is made after God's own Image St. John Chrysostom says it consists in this that as God is far above all Creatures whatsoever so the Soul of Man Chr. ho. 10. in Gent. is superiour to all corporeal Beings in Dignity Command and Power St. Augustin says the Likeness consists chiefly in that the Soul is endow'd with an Vnderstanding Aug. li. 8. in 1. Joan. and that as God knows and loves himself so also does the Soul St. Ambrose because as God is whole in the whole Universe and whole in every part so also is the Am. l. dign cor hum Soul in respect of its Body and as God is one in Essence and three in Persons so is the Soul one in its Essence and three in its Powers the Will Memory and Understanding S. John Damascen that as God is free so likewise the Soul St. Thomas says 't is the Image of God because it Dam. l. 2. Fid. has a larger Portion of the Divine Perfections than any O. Th. 1. p. q. 93. ar 2. other Creature God has a Being he has Life and Vnderstanding the Heavens and Elements partake of his Being the Plants and Beasts of Life and Angels of his Vnderstanding But the Soul has a share of all together it is ennobled with a Being with Life and Vnderstanding all Excellencies of God himself O Soul did'st thou but know thy own Perfection what esteem would'st set upon thy self Agnosce O Christiane says St. Leo dignitatem tuam divinae consors factus naturae noli in veterem Ser. 1. de Nat. Do. vilitatem degeneri conversatione redire Vnderstand says he and acknowledge thy own Excellency and since God has rais'd thee to be Partaker of his own Being be not so base as by Sin to degrade thy self from this so great an Honour For this only reason Christian has God priviledg'd thy Soul above all other Creatures that thy Life may be answerable to thy Origin Nobilem says Eucherius vult esse vitam tuam qui tibi comisit imaginem suam He Ho. 2. de syms that has imprinted his own Likeness in thy very Being intends that thou should'st be also like him in thy way of living God's Life consists in his knowing and loving himself and it ought to be the Life of thy Soul to know and love God Dat unde ipsi quoque are the Words of St. Leo quod operatur operemur This is thy Being this thy Obligation But thou Sinner how hast thou comply'd Ser. 1. de 〈◊〉 10. man with this thy Duty O the Wickedness of Sin How often hast thou contemn'd and trodden upon this Dignity of thy Soul How often hast thou by thy Villanies defil'd nay quite defac'd this Image of thy God Denigrata est facies eorum super carbones Thou hast made thy Soul more black than the very Coals and at that time when thou did'st commit thy Iniquities thou didst wipe off from thy Soul that Likeness of the Blessed Trinity which till then it wore by the Grace of thy Maker Exhonorat animam said Rabbanus qui peccatis illam polluit L. 3. in Eccl. c. 3. He treats his Soul unworthily who pollutes it with Sin But hear now how it is that Sin strikes off from the Soul the Image of God The Soul of Man is as it were a Seal bearing on it the Image of the Blessed Trinity Tu signaculum similitudinis Ezek. 28. And 't is as Rupertus describes it as if the King with his Signet should imprint on Wax his Arms and Picture Tanquam cera sigilli Testatoris imagine signata For L. 2. in Gen. c. 2. just so has God stamp'd on the Soul of Man as in Wax the likeness of his own Divine Being But when a Sinner unmindful of his Duty offends against his Creator O what a sudden change how this likeness soon disappears David very sensible of this exactly lays before us the manner of it Sicut fluit cera à facie ignis sic pereant peccatores Ps 67. à facie Dei Let any one take into his hand a piece of Wax that has a Figure stamp'd on it of a Lamb a Dove c. let him hold it to the Fire the Wax soon dissolves and the Image it bore is utterly lost Sicut fluit cera à facie ignis In like manner does Sin quite destroy the Likeness of God imprinted on the Soul Sic pereant peccatores à facie Dei The Soul when 't is in Grace is nobly beautified with God's own Image but approaching to
the Fire of Concupiscence of Anger of Pride the Soul begins in a manner to melt away to be dissolv'd and the Image that it bore of its Maker is quite effac'd A facie ignis says Novarinus à sole ab aestu concupiscentiae sic perit in eis In Elect. efluit imago dei ut fluit cera à facie ignis Consider then Sinner what thou do'st when thou puttest thy self in occasion of offending God when thou follow'st ill Company givest ear to idle Discourse this is to hold the Wax out to the Fire 't is to wipe off the Likeness of God from thy Soul and exchange it for that of the Devil O if thou did'st but behold how foul and ugly thou art within at the very Instant thou consentest to any wicked Thought if thou did'st but see how horrid and deform'd thy Soul is rendred by every mortal Sin It may be call'd indeed the Image of its Creator but so abus'd and disfigur'd that there 's no Likeness left Stay therefore on this Consideration a little and tell me for the present what would'st thou say if thou should see in the middle of the Street some wicked Jew or any other profane Miscreant treading under his feet the Image of our Blessed Redeemer and full of Contempt and Spite defacing it with a thousand irreligious Blows What would'st thou say Christian in this case Would not thy Zeal put thee on to rescue it from such an unchristian Abuse and the Respect thou owest to him whom it represents oblige thee to place it some where with Decency out of the reach of such a hellish Malice Why look then Sinner see where thy Soul is it lies under the feet of the Devils Do'st thou know it Cujus est Mat. 22. Imago haec Whose is this Image Is it not the Image of thy God and of thy Maker and Redeemer See how 't is abus'd how disfigur'd how 't is without all Beauty and Grace Egressus est à filia Sion omnis decor ejus Why do'st not thou without delay redeem it from these Injuries How can'st thou have Patience to see it trampled on by these infernal Furies Ah! force it away snatch it up and by a sincere and hearty Repentance deliver it into the hands of thy God that he may cleanse it and restore it to its former Beauty Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum But as yet we have not seen the full worth of the Soul it deserves a yet higher esteem from us if we consider at The Excellency of the Soul redeem'd with the Blood of Jesus Ho. 2. de Symb. how great a rate it was held by Jesus Christ and how much he gave for it Quam pretiosus sis said Eucherius si Factorem forte non credis interroga Redemptorem If thou know'st not O Soul to set a value upon thy self for being the Image of thy Creator turn to thy Redeemer and learn of him how much thou art worth O how much St. Hilary after a thorough Consideration of this Point says that the Son of God gave so much for the Soul that it seems in some manner Ap. Eus hum 8. to be worth even God himself Tam copioso munere ipsa Redemptio agitur ut homo Deum valere videatur St. Augustin said it more expresly Sanguinem fudit Vnicus Filius in Ps 102. Dei pro nobis O Anima erige te tanti vales The only Son of God shed his Blood for us O Soul look up for so much art thou worth Yes Christian Soul have an esteem for thy self the Son of God gave his Blood for thee Thou art that Lost Sheep for whose Recovery the Heavenly Pastor undertook so laborious and chargeable a Journey Thou art that precious Drachm that was lost for the regaining of which that inaccessible Light the second Person in the Blessed Trinity was brought forth in our Humanity God being made Man for the Redemption of Man Thou art that precious Jewel for the purchasing of which the Divine Lapidary who knew well its Value gave all that he had he gave his Blood his Life his Honour he gave all he gave his whole self that he might have thee not thinking any price too high in such a Purchase See then Christian how much thou ought'st to prize thy Soul since Jesus Christ valued it at so high a rate that he did not only lay down his Life for thee but if 't were necessary would return and do it a second time O blessed be such Love blessed be such Goodness But thou Sinner tell me after all this to whom does thy Soul belong to whom hast thou deliver'd it Imagine with thy self that here comes in at present Jesus Christ on one side and the Devil on the other both with a Design to buy this Jewel thy Soul Christ offers thee for it all that thou hast already heard The Devil gives thee a little Smoak which he calls Honour a little Dross which he calls Interest a short Imagination which he calls Gust or Pleasure Now what hast thou accepted To which hast thou given thy Soul In iniquitatibus vestris venditi estis At the very Instant that thou consented'st to sin you made a sale of your Soul but to whom To Jesus Christ who gives so high for it or to the Devil who gives you nothing O vile Contract of a Sinner thou hast sold it to the Devil St. Augustin declares it to thee in plain terms Vnusquisque peccando Ep. ad Rom. prop. 42. animam suam diabolo vendit accepto tanquam precio dulcedine temporalis voluptatis Whosoever sins says he sells his Soul to the Devil at the price of some vain and fading Delight But stay Sinner what do'st thou do Do'st thou make a delivery of thy Soul to the Devil being a Jewel which cost the Son of God no less a price than his own Blood Give ear a little to David at that time when the Philistins had laid Siege to Bethlehem O siquis mihi daret potum aquae de cisterna quae est in Bethlehem O says 2 Kin. 23. he that some Man would give me drink of the Water of the Cistern that is in Bethlehem Which when some of his Captains had heard three of them broke through the Camp of the Enemies and having drawn Water out of the Cistern of Bethlehem they brought it to David But he noluit bihere he would not drink but offered it to our Lord. Libavit eam Domino And he gives the reason Num sanguinem hominum istorum animarum periculum bibam Shall I drink says he the Blood of these Men and the peril of their lives Water that cost so dear is not proper to be drunk but to be made a Sacrifice so that he seems to have reason'd thus with himself This Water I may now either give to my self in satisfaction of my Appetite or else to God to whom it is due But seeing in the procuring it
Fare or Apparel Now 't is beyond all doubt says a learned Modern that Causin if any one had come and assured him that he was not the Son of his reputed Country-Father but of a great Monarch that he was not born for the Harrow or Plow but to have the Command over Empires no doubt but he would immediately have rais'd his Thoughts above those rustick Concerns and follow'd such Designs as the nobleness of his Descent and the hopes of a Crown should have suggested to him Now give ear Christians to what the Royal Prophet speaks to you Filii hominum or as another Reading has it Filii viri inclyti ut quid diligitis vanitatem Christian Souls Children of God shut up within this poor Cottage of Clay and that have no other Knowledge than what is deriv'd to you by the Senses take notice that you were created for an Empire Let it not be always said to you that you are Dust and Ashes this is only meant of the Body But that you are of the Lineage of God Ipsius genus sumus Let it be said to Act. 17. you that you were born for an unchangeable Crown that these your mean Garments shall be chang'd into Imperial Robes and your Sweats and Toil into Ornaments of an everlasting Bliss Lift up your Eyes to Heaven behold the Sun the Moon the Stars Why you were created to be exalted above all these to tread them under your feet And if so Vt quid diligitis vanitatem What do you make this World your whole Concern and busie your selves in its short-liv'd Vanities If we should behold a young Prince chusing Boys in the Street for his Companions and inclin'd to no other Education than what was to be had from their useless and unmanly sports would it be prudent to mind him that he was made of the same Earth with the rest or rather with a respectful Check to tell him that those common Toys were beneath his Quality and that he ought to remember he was born to a Crown Souls of Christians you are Heirs to a Kingdom Haeredes Rom. 8. quidem Dei Lay aside these vain concerns so much inferiour to your Greatness Vt quid diligitis vanitatem Why do you so disesteem and neglect that right to Glory which Jesus Christ has purchas'd for you The Title you have to any Temporal Estate to any Lordship or Principality you maintain with all diligence and industry imaginable And if any seek to injure you or deprive you of it you are not wont to sit still and behold your self wrong'd with Patience and Silence God Almighty by his Prophet puts to you this Question Si Abd. 1. Fures introissent ad te si latrones per noctem quomodo conticuisses If Thieves had gone into thee if Robbers by night how had'st thou held thy Peace 'T is certain you would have cry'd out for Assistance Why then since you see your selves spoil'd by Sin of all your Titles and Right to Glory why don't you cry out in an humble and hearty Confession Why don't you in penitent sighs call upon him who alone is able to relieve you And why instead of this do you disable your selves from laying any claim to Heaven and rashly invite in those whose business 't is to rob your Souls of that Inheritance Come there 's enough enough of this Folly have that Respect for your Souls which they deserve and maintain their Title to Bliss Da illi honorem secundùm meritum suum spe futurae mercedis Finally for the conclusion of this Discourse 't will contribute much to the imprinting this Doctrine in your Heart if you reflect on the words of my Text how that the Holy Ghost commanding you to honour your Soul says Da illi in the singular to mind us that we have but one 'T is one says the Spouse in the Canticles Vna est columba Cant. 6. Ps 21. mea 'T is only one says David De manu Canis Vnicam meam Christians we have but one Soul only one God has given us as discourses St. Chrysostom two Eyes two Ears two Hands and two Feet Orat. de an that if one be injur'd or lost we may have the comfort and assistance of the other Animam vero dedit unam nobis si hanc perdiderimus quânam vivamus But he has given us but one Soul and if this be lost have we any other for a Supply No certainly Why then should we be so inconsiderate as to hazard this every moment and to put it to the venture of a remediless Eternity of Miseries In Noblemens Houses 't is customary at night to have two or three Lights in their Presence that so if by any Accident one should fail they may not remain in Darkness but be supply'd by the other But Christians have but one Light one Soul within them and if this miscarry nothing is to be expected but an eternal Darkness subject to the just Indignation of their God You have read how full of Wrath David was when the Parable of the little Ewe was put to him by Nathan the Prophet He demanded Justice at the King's hands for that a Rich man in the City who abounded in Sheep and Oxen took away from a certain Poor man a little Ewe whose Stock went not beyond this one and of this made a Feast for the entertainment of a Stranger that came to his House Nihil habebat omnino praeter ovem unam parvulam At which David being fill'd with Indignation protested before the Lord Vivit Dominus that the Man that had done the thing should pay it fourfold At which the Prophet replying to the King said Thou art the Man against whom thou art so justly angry And I may turn to thee Sinner and say Thou art the Man For is not thy Soul that little Sheep which Christ bought at the price of his own Blood is it not that which God created redeem'd and has design'd for his Eternal Glory And this thou offerest to the Devil thy Guest thou makest of it a Banquet to entertain Lucifer being only one and which has cost thy God so dear And dost not thou in this provoke the omnipotent hand of God against thee Thou hast one only Jewel and this thou mortgagest every day more and more by thy Offences it will come one day to remain wholly in the power of thy Enemy to whom thou hast thus engag'd it Thou hast only one piece of Land and this thou neglectest to Till or Plant with good Works wilt not thou by this means come to perish eternally with Hunger Thou hast one only House and seeing this all in flames consuming with the Fire of Sin thou dost not at all bring Relief nor seek plenty of Tears to extinguish it and is not this the way to cast thy Soul into Hell as a Fewel for those never-ending Flames Ah rather seek to prevent these Mischless and give the Honour to the Soul