similitude of 〈◊〉 Love I speak of what is revealed the secret thing belong to the Lord our God Now by all this iâ— manifest the Greatness of the Soul Men of greatnesâ— and honour if they have respect to their own glory will not chuse for their familiars the base and rasâ—â— Crue of this World but will single out for their fellows fellowship and communion those that are moâ—â— like themselves True the King has not an equalâ— yet he is for being familiar only with the Nobles oâ— the Land so God with him none can compare yeâ— since the Soul is by him singled out for his walking Mate and Companion 't is a sign it is the higheâ— born and that upon which the blessed Majesty looksâ— as upon that which is most meet to be singled out for communion with himself Should we see a Man familiar with the King we would even of our selves conclude he is one of the Nobles of the Land but this is not the Lot of every Soul some have fellowship with Devils yet not because they have a more base Original than those that lye in God's bosom but they through sin are degenerate and have chosen to be great with his Enemy but all these things shew the Greatness of the Soul 4. The Souls of Men are such as God countâ— worthy to be the Vessels to hold his Grace the Graces of the Spirit in The Graces of the Spirit what like them or where here are they to be found save in the Souls of Men only of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace received into what Into the hidden Parts as David calls it Hence the King's Daughter is said to be all glorious within because adorned and beautified with the Graces of the Spirit For that which David calls the hidden part is the inmost part of the Soul and it is therefore called the hidden Part because the Soul is invisible nor can any one living infallibly know what is in the Soul but God himself But I say the Soul is the Vessel into which this golden Oyl is poured and that which holds and is accounted worthy to exercise and improve the same Therefore the Soul is it which is said to love God Saw ye him whom my Soul loveth and therefore the Soul is that which exerciseth the Spirit of Prayer With my Soul have I desired thee in the night and with my Spirit within me will I seek thee early With the Soul also Men are said to believe and into the Soul God is said to put his Fear This is the Vessel into which the wise Virgins got Oyl and out of which their Lamps were supplied by the same But what a thing what a great thing therefore is the Soul that that above all things that God hath created should be the chosen Vessel to put his Grace in The Body is the Vessel for the Soul and the Soul is the Vessel for the Grace of God But 5. The Greatness of the Soul is manifest by the Greatness of the Price that Christ paid for it to make it an Heir of Glory and that was his procious Blood We do use to esteem of things according to the Price that is given for them especially when we are convinced that the purchase has not been made by the Estimation of a Fool. Now the Soul is purchased by a Price that the Son the wisdom of God thought fit to pay for the redemption thereof what a thing then is the Soul Judge of the Soul by the Price that is paid for it and you must needs confess unless you count the Blood that hath bought it an unholy thing that it cannot but be of great worth and value Suppose a Prince or some great Man should on a sudden descend from his Throne or Chair of State to take up that he might put in his bosome some thing that he had espyed lying trampled under the Feet of those that stand by would you think that he would do this for an old Horse-shooe or for so trivial a thing as a Pin or a Point nay would you not even of your selves conclude that that thing for which the Prince so great a Man should make such a stoop must needs be a thing of very great worth Why this is the case of Christ and the Soul Christ is the Prince his Throne was in Heaven and as he sat there he espied the Souls of Sinners trampled under the Foot of the Law and Death for sin now what doth he but comes down from his Throne stoops down to the Earth and there since he could not have the trodden-down Souls without price he lays down his Life and Blood for them But would he have done this for inconsiderable things no nor for the Soul of Sinners neither had he not valued them higher than he valued Heaven and Earth besides This therefore is another thing by which the Greatness of Soul is known 6. The Soul is immortal it will have a sensible Being for ever none can kill the Soul If all the Angels in Heaven and all the Men of Earth should lay all their strength together they cannot kill or annihilare one Soul no I will speak without fear â—f it may be said God cannot do what he will not do then he cannot annihilate the Soul but notwithstanding all his wrath and the vengeance that he will inflict on sinful Souls they yet shall abide with sensible Beings yet to indure yet to bear punishment If any thing could kill the Soul it would be death but death cannot do it neither first nor second The first cannot for when Dives was slain as to his Body by death his Soul was found aliâ—â— in Hell He lift up his Eyes in Hell being in torment The second death cannot do it because it is said their Worm never dies but is always torturing them with his gnawing but that could not be if time or lying in hell-Hell-fire for ever could annihilate the Soul Now this also shews the Greatness of the Soul that it is that which has an endless life and that will therefore have a Being endlesly O what a thing is the Soul The Soul then is immortal though not eternal That is eternal that has neither beginning nor end and therefore eternal is properly applicable to none but God hence he is called the eternal God Immortal is that which though it hath a Beginning yet hath no end it cannot dye nor cease to be and this is the state of the Soul It cannot cease to have a Being when it is once created I mean a living sensible Being For I mean by living only such a Being as distinguishes it from annihilation or uncapableness of sense and feeling Hence as the rich Man is after death said to lift up his Eyes in Hell so the Begger is said when he dyed to be carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosome And both these sayings must have respect to the
is a Death that has a Sting to hurt to twinge and wound the Sinner with even then when it has the utmost Mastery of him And this is the Death that the saved are delivered from not that which is natural for that is the end of them as of others but the second Death the Death in Hell for that is the Portion of the Damned and it is from that that the Saints have a Promise of deliverance He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second Death And again Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power It is this death then that hath the Chambers to hold each damned Soul in and Sin is the twining winding biting poysoning Sting of this Death or of these Chambers of Hell for Sinners to be stricken stung and pierced with The Sting of Death is Sin Sin in the general of it is the Sting of Hell for there would be no such thing as Torment even there were it not that Sin is there with Sinners for as I have hinted already the Fire of Hell the Indignation and Wrath of God can fasten and kindle upon nothing but for or because of Sin sin then as sin is the Sting and the Hell of Hells of the lowest and upmost Hells Sin I say in the Nature of it simply as it is concluded both by God and the Damned to be a breach of his Holy Law so it is the sting of the second Death which is the Worm of Hell But then as Sin is such a Sting in it self so it is heightned sharpned and made more keen and sharp by those Circumstances that as concomitants attend it in every act for there is not a Sin at any time committed by Man but there is some circumstance or other attends it that makes it when charged home by God's Law bigger and sharper and more venom and poysonous to the Soul than if it could be committed without them and this is the Sting of the Hornet the great Sting I sinned without a Cause to please a base Lust to gratify the Devil here is the Sting Again I preferred Sin before Holiness Death before Life Hell before Heaven the Devil before God and Damnation before a Saviour here is the Sting Again I preferred moments before everlastings temporals before eternals to be racked and always slaying before the Life that is blessed and endless here is the Sting Also this I did against light against Convictions against Conscience against perswasion of Friends Ministers and the godly Lives which I beheld in others here is the Sting Also this I did against warnings forewarnings yea though I saw others fall before my face by the mighty Hand of God for committing of the same here is the Sting Sinners would I could perswade you to hear me out A Man cannot commit a Sin but by the Commission of it he doth by some circumstance or other sharpen the Sting of Hell and that to pierce himself through and through and through with many sorrows Also the Sting of Hell to some will be that the Damnation of others stand upon their score for that by imitating of them by being deluded by them perswaded by them drawn in by them they perish in Hell for ever and hence it is That these principal Sinners must dye all these deaths in themselves that those damned ones that they have drawn into Hell are also to bear in their own Souls for ever And this God threatned to the Prince of Tyrus that capital Sinner because by his pride power practice and policy he cast down others into the Pit therefore saith God to him They shall bring thee down to the Pit and thou shalt die the Deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the Seas And again Thou shalt die the Deaths of the Vncircumcised by the Hand of Strangers for I have spoken it saith the Lord God Ah! this will be the Sting of them of those that are principal chief and as I may call them the Captain and Ring-leading Sinners Vipers will come out of other Mens â—â—e and flames and settle upon seize upon and for â—ver abide upon their Consciences and this will be the â—ting of Hell the great Sting of Hell to them I will yet add to all this How will the fairness of â—â—me for Heaven even the Thoughts of that Sting â—hem when they come to Hell It will not be so much â—heir fall into the Pit as from whence they fell inâ—o it that will be to them the buzzing noise and â—â—arpned sting of the great and terrible Hornet How â—t thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer there is the Sting thou that art exalted up to Heaven shalt â—â—e thrust down to Hell though thou hast made thy â—eâ—t among the Stars from thence will I fetch thee down there is a Sting To be pulled for and â—hrough love to some vain lust from the everlasting â—ates of Glory and caused to be swallowed up for 〈◊〉 in the Belly of Hell and made to lodge for ever in â—he dark some Chambers of death there is the pierâ—â—ing Sting But again as there is the Sting of Hell so there â—s the Strength of that Sting for a Sting though never so sharp or venom yet if it wanteth strength â—o force it to the designed Execution it doth but â—ittle hurt But this Sting has strength to cause it to pierce into the Soul The Sting of Death is Sin and the Strength of Sin is the Law here then is the â—trength of the Sting of Hell it is the Law in the perfect Penalty of it for without the Law Sin is dead Yea again he saith Where no Law is there is â—o Transgression The Law then followeth in the executive part of it the Soul into Hell and there strengthneth Sin that Sting in Hell to pierce by itâ— unutterable charging of it on the Conscience the Soul for ever and ever nor can the Soul justly murmur or repine at God or at his Law for that then thâ— sharply apprehensive Soul will well discern the justâ—â—ness righteousness reasonableness and goodness oâ— the Law and that nothing is done by the Law unto it but that which is just and equal This therefore will put great strength and force into Sin to sting the Soul and to strike it with the Lashes of a Scorpion Add yet to these the abiding Life of God the Judge and God of this Law will never die When Princes die the Law may be altered by the which at present Transgressors are bound in Chains But oh here is also that which will make this Sting so sharp and keen the God that executes it will never die It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God FINIS a Ezek. 3. 18 19. b Luke 10. 62. c 2 Thes. 3 â— d Luke 16. 22 23. e Psal. 49. 8. f Prov. 23. 26. Mat. 15. 19.
sin and sin only that hath made the Devils Devils and yet for this for this vile this abominable thing some Men yea most Men will venture the Loss of their Soul yea they will mortgage pawn and set their Souls to sale for it Is not this a great Waster doth not this Man deserve to be ranked among the extravagant ones What think you of him who when he tempted the Wench to uncleanness said to her If thou wilt venture thy Body I 'le venture my Soul was not here like to be a fine bargain think you or was not this Man like to be a gainer by so doing This is he that prizes sin at a higher rate than he doth his immortal Soul yea this is he that esteems a quarter of an hours pleasure more than he fears everlasting damnation What shall I say this Man is minded to give more to be damned than God requires he should give to be saved is not this an extravagant one Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid Yea let all the Angels stand amazed at the unaccountable prodigality of such an one Object 1. But some may say I cannot believe that God will be so severe as to cast away into Hell fire an immortal Soul for a little sin Answ. I know thou canst not believe it for if â—hou couldest thou wouldest sooner eat fire than â—â—n this hazzard and hence all they that go down â—o the Lake of Fire are called the Vnbelievers and the Lord shall cut thee that makest this Objection asunder and shall appoint thee thy portion with such except thou believe the Gospel and repent Object 2. But surely though God should be so angry at the beginning it cannot in time but grieve him to see and hear Souls roaring in Hell and that for a little sin Answer Whatsoever God doth it abideth for ever he doth nothing in a passion or in an angry â—it he procâ—edeth with Sinners by the most perfect Rules of Justice wherefore it would be injustice to deliver them whom the Law condemneth yea he â—ould falsify his word if after a time he should deliver them from Hell concerning whom he hath solemnly testified that they shall be there for ever Obj. 3. O but as he is just so he is merciful and mercy is pitiful and very compassionate to the afflicted Answ. O but mercy abused becomes most fearful in tormenting did you never read that the Lamb turned Lyon and that the World will tremble at the Wrath of the Lamb and be afflicted more at the thoughts of that than at thâ— thoughts of any thing that shall happen to them in the day when God shall call them to an account for their sins The time of mercy will be then past for now is that acceptable time behold now is the day of salvation The Gate of mercy will then be shut and must not be opened again for now is that Gate open now it is open for a Door of hope The time of shewing pity and compassion will then be at an end for that as to acting towards Sinneâ—â— will last but till the Glass of the World is run anâ— when that day is past mark what God saith shall follow I will laugh at your calamity I will mâ—câ— when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh like a Whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you Mark you how many pinching expressions the Lord Jesus Christ doth threaten the refusing Sinner with refuseth him now I will laugh at him I will mock at him But when Lord wilt thou laugh at and mock at the impenitent The answer is I will laugh at their calamities and mock when their fear cometh when their fear cometh as desolation and their destruction like a Whirl-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon them Obj. 4. But if God Almighty be at this point and there be no moving of him to mercy at that day yet we can but lie in Hell till we art burnt out as the Log doth at the Back of the Fire Poor besotted Sinner is this thy last shift wilt thou comfort thy self with this are thy sins so dear so sweet so desirable so profitable to thee that thou wilt venture a burning in Hell Fire for them till thou art burnt out is there nothing else to be done but to make a covenant with Death and to maintain thy agreement with Hell is it not better to say now unto God do not condemn me and to say now Lord be merciful to me a Sinner would not tears and prayers and crys in this acceptable time to God for mercy yield thee more benefit in the next World than to lie and burn out in Hell will do But to come more close to thee Have not I told â—â—ee already that there is no such thing as a ceasing 〈◊〉 be that the damned shall never be burned out in Hell There shall be no more such death or cause of dissolution for ever This one thing well considered breaks not only the neck of that wild conceit on which thy foolish Objection is built but will break thy stubborn heart in pieces For then it follows that unless thou canst conquer God or with ease endure to conflict with his sin-revenging wrath thou wilt be made to mourn while under his everlasting wrath and indignation and to know that there is not such a thing as a burning out in Hell Fire Object 5. But if this must be my case I shall have more â—ellows I shall not go to Hell nor yet burn there alone Answ. What again Is there no breaking of the League that is betwixt Sin and thy Soul what resolved to be a self Murderer a Soul Murderer what resolved to murder thine own Soul but is there any comfort in being hanged with company in sinking into the bottom of the Sea with company or in going to Hell in burning in Hell and in enduring the everlasting pains of Hell with company O besotted wretch But I tell thee the more company the more sorrow the more fuel the more fire Hence the damned Man that we read of in Luk desired that his brethren might be so warned and prevailed with as to be kept out of that place of torment But to hasten I come now to the second Use. Vse 2. Is it so is the Soul such an excellent thing and the Loss thereof so unspeakably great Then here you may see who are the greatest Fools in the World to wit those who to get the World and its Preferments will neglect God till they lose their Souls The rich Man in the Gospel was one of these great Fools for that he was more concerned about what he should do with his Goods than hoâ— his Soul should be saved Some are for venturing their Souls for pleasures and some are for venturing their Souls for profits they that venture their Souls for pleasures have but little
the Kingdom of Heaven the things that thy Soul longeth for presseth after and cannot be content without As for thy making of a tryal of the succesfulness of thy endeavours upon things more inferior and base that is but a trick of the old deceiver God has refused to give his Children the great the brave and glorious things of this World a few only excepted because he has prepared some better thing for them wherefore faint not but let thy hand be strong for thy work shall be rewarded and since thy Soul is at work for Soul-things for divine and eternal things God will give them to thee thou art not of the number of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the Soul thou shalt receive the end of thy Faith the salvation of thy Soul Obj. 2. But all my discouragement doth not lie in this I see so much of the sinful vileness of my nature and feel â—ow ready it is to thrust it self forth at all occasions to the defiling of my whole Man and more now this added to the former adds to my discouragement greatly Answ. This should because of humiliation and of self-abasement but not of discouragement for the best of Saints have their weaknesses these their weaknesses the Ladies as well as she that grinds at the Mill know what doth attend that Sex and the Gyants in grace as well as the weak and shrubs are sensible of the same things which thou layest in against thy exercising of hope or as matter of thy discouragement poor David says his Soul refused to be comforted upon this very account and Paul crys out under sense of this O wretched Man that I am and comes as it were to the borders of a doubt saying Who shall deliver me only he was quick at remembring that Christ was his righteousness and price of redemption and there he relieved himself Again This should drive us to faith in Christ for therefore are corruptions by divine permission still left in us to drive us to unbelief but to faith that is to look to the perfect righteousness of Christ for life And for further help consider that therefore Christ liveth in Heaven making intercession that thou mightest be saved by his life not by thine and by his intercessions not by thy perfections let not therefore thy weaknesses be thy discouragements only let them put thee upon the duties required of thee by the Gospel to wit faith hope repentance humility watchfulness diligence c. Obj. 3. But I find together with these things weakness and faintness as to my graces my faith my hope my love and desires to these and all other Christian Duties are weak I am like the Man in the Dream that would have run but could not that would have fought but could not and that would have fled but could not Answ. 1. Weak graces are graces weak graces may grow stronger but if the Iron be blunt put to the more strength 2. Christ seems to be most tender of the weak He shall gather his Lambs with his arm shall carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead them that are with young And again I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away and I will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick Only here will thy wisdom be manifested to wit that thou grow in grace and that thou use lawfully and diligently the means to do it I come in the next place to a Use of Terror and so I shall conclude Is it so Is the Soul such an excellent thing and is the Loss thereof so unspeakably great Then this sheweth the sad state of those that lose their Souls we use to count those in a deplorable Condition that by one only stroak are stript of their whole Estate the Fire swept away all that he had or all that he had was in such a Ship and that Ship sunk into the bottom of the Sea this is sad news this is heavy tidings this is bewailed of all especially if such were great in the World and were brought by their loss from a high to a low to a very low Condition but alas what is this to the Loss about which we have been speaking all this while The Loss of an Estate may be repaired or if not a Man may find Friends in his present deplorable condition to his support though not recovery But far will this be from him that shall lose his Soul Ah! he has lost his Soul and can never be recovered again unless Hell-fire can comfort him unless he can solace himself in the fiery Indignation of God terrors will be upon him anguish and sorrow will swallow him up because of present misery slighted and set at nâ—ught by God and his Angels he will also be in this his miserable state and this will add to sorrow sorrow and to his vexation of spirit howling To present you with Emblems of tormented Spirits or to draw before your eyes the Picture of Hell are things too light for so ponderous a Subject as this nor can any Man frame or invent words be they never so deep and profound sufficient to the Life to set out the Torments of Hell All those expressions of Fire Brimstone the Lake of Fire a fiery Furnace the bottomless Pit and a hundred more to boot are all too short to set forth the Miseries of those that shall be damned Souls Who knows the Power of God's Anger none at all and unless the Power of that can be known it must abide as unspeakable as the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge We hear it Thunder we see it Lighten yea Eclipses Comets and Blazing Stars are all subject to smite us with Terror the thought of a Ghost of the appearing of a dead Wife a dead Husband or the like how terrible are these things but alas what are these meer Flea-bitings nay not so bad when compared with the Torments of Hell Guilt and Despair what are they who understands them unto perfection the ireful looks of an infinite Majesty what Mortal in the Land of the living can tell us to the full how dismal and breaking to the Soul of a Man it is when it comes as from the Power of Anger and arises from the utmost Indignation Besides who knows of all the ways by which the Almighty will inflict his just revenges upon the Souls of damned Sinners When Paul was caught up to the third Heaven he heard words that were unspeakable and he that goes down to Hell shall hear groans that are unutterable Hear did I say they shall feel them they shall feel them burst from their wounded Spirits as Thunder-claps do from the Clouds Once I dreamed that I saw two whom I knew in Hell and methought I saw a continual dropping from Heaven as of great drops of fire lighting upon them to their