A DISCOURSE OF THE EXCELLENCY OF THE SOUL AND THE Care every Christian ought to have of it IN A SERMON Preach'd in Spanish By Dr. Joseph de Barzia Zambrana Canon and Reader of Scripture in Granada Translated out of Spanish LONDON Printed for Matthew Turner near Turn-Stile in Holborn M DC LXXXV Note that the Quotations of Scripture are taken out of the Vulgar Edition A Discourse of the Excellency of the Soul and the Care every Christian ought to have of it Ecclesiasticus cap. 10. ver 31. Fili in mansuetudine serva Animam tuam da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Son in mildness keep thy Soul and give him honour according to his desert IT is no small Misery and Confusion that through our own Fault we know not our selves We see Men daily employ'd in finding out the Course of the Stars in discovering the Nature of Plants the Temper of humane Bodies and the Properties of all other living Creatures and this without the least care of understanding the Soul which gives them Life Ah what Industry complains the great St. Basil Bas ho. 10. in exam in making Anatomies in taking the Body in pieces to look into its most subtle and retired parts and leave nothing in it undiscern'd while there 's almost no Diligence in enquiring after the Souls Perfections but so universal a neglect of this kind that Men seem to live as if they had nothing more than Body since to this alone are directed all their Endeavours their Labours and their Studies This was the Case of the rich Man in the Gospel Lu. 12. who speaking to his Soul said Requiesce comede bibe epulare Take thy ease eat drink and be merry thou hast Goods laid up for many Years whose Folly was so great as St. Basil takes notice that he lived wholly unmindful of the Excellency of his Soul and was so altogether delivered up to the Appetites of his Flesh that those gross Provisions which he had hoarded up for his Body he design'd should serve for his Soul too Tam improvidus es erga bona Animae ut escas corporeas Animae Bas in Cat. D. Tho. Luc. 12 tribuas And what is the greatest Misery this blind Inconsiderateness we find every where even amongst Christians who tho' they have received from the liberal hand of their Maker a Soul so perfect yet they apply themselves not at all to understand this Honour but are content to live like Beasts which was lamented long ago by the Royal Prophet Homo cum in honore esset non Ps 49. intellexit comparatus est jumentis insipentibus similis factus est illis And what other Reason that men thus basely degenerate and become like Brutes but only because they neglect the knowledge of their Souls Of this we are inform'd from the Words of Christ threatning the Soul which is the Spouse She enquir'd of him in the Canticles Where was the place of his Repose Vbi cubes in meridie And he return'd her this Answer Si ignoras te O pulcherrima inter Mulieres egredere abi post vestigia gregum If thou know'st not thy self thou fairest among Women that is as Origen has it if thou know'st not O Soul thy own great Beauty thy own Excellency above all corporeal Beings if thou knowest not that I made thee for the enjoyment of my self Egredere abi Go forth and follow after the Steps of the Flocks Go forth and live like the Beasts for thou deservest not better Company if thou hast no esteem for thy own Perfection Nisi cognoveris te ipsam quae sis jubeo te exire in ultimis gregum vestigiis collocari O formidable Sentence Orig. expos 2. Can. ho. 2. Give Ear O Christian If thou know'st not thy self the holy Ghost says to thee Egredere Go out of my House that is be gone from my Protection and Government for they are no part of my care who understand not themselves Egredere depart from my Fold for he cannot be in my Flock who is ignorant of himself Egredere be gone from my Friendship for I have no Pleasure in any but such as know what they are and what they possess Egredere be gone even from thy self too for thou canst have no comfort in thy own Being if thou know'st not what thou art Egredere Go forth But this is not all whither must a Soul go that is a Stranger to it self Abi post vestigia gregum Go follow after the Steps Ber. ser 35. in Cant. of the Flocks Go behind the Beasts since like them thou livest without Knowledge And here 't is the remark of St. Bernard 't is not said Go forth keep Company with the Beasts but follow after go behind them which is yet to be more miserable than they for these with this Life end all their Miseries But that Soul which has liv'd in a stupid ignorance of the Greatness and Excellency of its own Being with Death is to expect yet greater Miseries in Punishment of its Neglect Abi post vestigia gregum So many Evils and yet more attend this one whence we may see how much it ought to be the concern of every one to know themselves Upon this Consideration it was that St. Augustin cry'd out What Profits it a Man to know the whole World if he know not himself And in another Place addressing himself to Man he says What is it you admire in beholding the Grandeur and Beauty of the Sun and Stars and the vast abysse of the Ocean What is it you admire Animi tui abyssum intra Call but your Thoughts in upon your self and ponder the Greatness and Excellency of Aug. l. 4. de Trin. thy Soul and thou wilt be soon convinc'd that none of these things are worth thy Admiration The like Advice gave St. Bernard to his Eugenius A te tua Consideratio incohet Let thy Consideration begin first with thy self Ber. l. 2. de Consid Behold and understand what thou art without this all other Knowledge is but vain Ne frustra extendaris ad alia te neglecto And for this reason the four living Creatures which Ezekiel saw the Symbol of Holy Men according to St. Gregory being moved by the force of the Spirit Went every one before his Face Coram Facie suâ ambulabat that is they were present to themselves It being proper to those who design towards Heaven to Ezek. c. 1. Ed. Vulg. make the Knowledge of themselves a great part of their Concern and this not only as to the Misery of the Body but also as to the Excellency of the Soul according to the Advice of St. Francis Sales And now since 't is my whole Design in these Sermons to excite all Faithful Christians to forsake the ways of Sin and to spend their whole Endeavours in the gaining eternal Life I 'll lay before you to day the great Beauty and Perfection of
first step into a Being they are perfect and compleat as to their Substance without any dependance of any free Operation or Choice of which they are incapable But Man though he comes like them thus compleat into the World yet he cannot be said to be perfect because his Perfection and last Accomplishment has a Dependance on his own free Will For if he will by the Grace of God he may be good and if he will through his own Malice he may become evil So that though at the first Instant of his Creation he was equally the Work of God with other Creatures yet having not exercis'd his Liberty in the choice of Good his Approbation is suspended till it appears to which side he apply himself making choice either of Good or Evil. Ideo homo non ante laudatur says St. Ambrose quia non in forensi pelle sed in interiore homine antè probandus Amb. de Inst Virg. c. 2. sic praedicandus est But let me clear this Point a little farther Amongst the ancient Romans 't was a Custom when they sent forth Souldiers to the War to deliver to every Pier. l. 42. one a white Buckler that hence they might understand that if at their Return they expected Rewards of the Senate they should so behave themselves in the War that with the description of their own Gests and Atchievements they might fill up the White of their Shields And for this Reason says Rabbanus they were call'd in Latine Scuta Scutum dictum quasi Sculptum quod in ipso Antiqui L. 20. de Vniv c. 12. sua facta signabant The Roman Souldier therefore must take care how he behaves himself in the War being to expect no greater Honour at his Return than he gains by his own Prowess and Valour he carries forth with him a white Shield to be blazon'd with his own Actions See now Christians the Soul of Man is call'd by the Philosopher a smooth and plain Table which has nothing painted or decipher'd on it When God puts it into this World he sends it to the War Militia est vita hominis super terram The Life of Man upon Earth is a Job c 7. Ed. Vulg. Warfare it carries with it a Free Will which is as it were a white Buckler that so by a true Christian Valour having won many Victories over Vice and the Devil they may be all engraven and displayed on it thus to gain Honour and Perfection and at the hour of Death to receive the Commendation of him who at its Creation sent it forth to Battel Look back now Faithful and see how long 't is since you came into this World for so long 't is since you enter'd the Campagne with your white Shields What is it that you have engraven on them How have you employ'd your free Will Have you made War against Vice or Vertue Have you follow'd the Colours of Satan or the Standard of Jesus Christ In what Condition are your Souls Are they defil'd with the Abominations of Sin O base and unworthy Choice How can you ever expect the Welcome and Approbation of your Maker 'T is a thing St. Augustin could never cease to admire That Man Ser. 12. de Ver. Dom. in Mat. should desire every thing that is for his service to be good about him except his Soul You desire says the Saint that the Fields should be good in which you sow that the Timber should be good which you purchase that the House should be good in which you live that the Horse should be good which you buy and that the Cloaths should be good which you wear solam Animam vis habere malam Only your Soul you don't care how ill it is Quid te offendisti complains the same holy Father Quid de te tu ipse meruisti What Injury has thy Soul done thee What is the Reason thou hast deserved so ill of thy self That being industrious to provide every thing that 's good thou hast Patience to see only one thing ill about thee and that 's thy Soul Praepone vitam tuam caligae tuae But that thou may'st see that thy Soul deserves not this Neglect from thy Hands the Holy Ghost says to you to day Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Give it Honour according to its desert And this it is that I intend you should consider now in what Esteem you ought to have your Soul how much it deserves being compar'd to the Body how much it deserves for being the Image of God what Respect is due to it for being redeem'd by the Blood of Jesus Christ and finally what Care you ought to have of it for that it is created for the Fruition of eternal Glory Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Give it Honour according to its Desert I begin now One of the principal Duties of a Christian is to esteem The Excellency of the Soul compar'd to the Body all things according to their Worth and Dignity giving to them the Place that is due to them either as to Love or Hatred And this the Holy Spouse in the Canticles reckons for one of the chief Presents she had receiv'd from the Divine Spirit to wit That he had plac'd in order her Love and Affections Ordinavit in me Charitatem So Cant. 2. that whosoever bears a Love to that which he ought to hate or gives the first Place in his Affections to what should only have the last does not only not do like a Christian but even not like a rational Creature When Aeneas fled from his Country now going into Ashes his Enemies gave him leave to take with him out of that common Ruine the thing which was most dear unto him and he immediately made choice of his Gods And this his Zeal was so well liked by the Grecians that upon this 't was permitted him to save something else then he took his Father A third time Liberty was given him and he nam'd his Relations and Friends preferring these before his Goods and Riches At which Order in his Affections they were so well satisfied that he had forthwith leave to redeem every thing that belong'd to him from those Flames Now see Christian God created the Soul he form'd the Body and gave a Being to all other things for the Service of Man but so that all was to be subordinate to the Soul Now the business of a Christian is to see that the Soul has the Precedency in all Occasions and that he has always a greater Esteem for it than for the Body or any other transient and sublunary thing so that whensoever any danger threatens his first care ought to be to secure his Soul altho' all the rest perish Let Life let Honour let Possessions let Friends and all go rather than for the saving of these to hazard the loss of his Soul For What can it profit a man according to our B. Redeemer's Words to gain the
whole World if he lose Mat. 26. his Soul Quid prodest homini Supposing therefore this Order according to the Worth of things let us proceed and see what Comparison there can be betwixt the Soul and Body as to the Esteem that is due to them And for the setting forth of this I 'll ask this one Question Seeing that the Soul of Man according to the Psalmist is a Spirit like to the Angels what can be the Reason that God should confine and shut up this so noble a Creature within the Limits of a Body so infirm and subject to so many Miseries If she had been exempt from this clog of Earth and liv'd alone as the Angels do she had been freed from the Treachery of her Companion the Flesh But no says the great Nazianzen this was not Orat. 2. post Pasc agreeable to the Divine Providence Ne sicut Angelus homo superbiret periret God made choice says he of this means so to secure her against the Temptation of her own Excellency He created the Angels noble and glorious Spirits but Lucifer with the third part of that celestial Host viewing their own Excellency and Beauty soon fell into Pride and so from Heaven God therefore to prevent the loss of the Soul enclos'd it within a Case of Earth thus to remove all Occasions and that Pride as in the Angels might not be her Ruine Ne sicut Angelus homo superbiret periret Such therefore O Christian is the Greatness of thy Soul that God thought fit to cast over it a gross and heavy Body that so it might be out of danger of losing it self in the Contemplation of its own Beauty and Perfection This is the Poise which Job says God made to the Winds c. 28. to wit the Souls of Men as St. Gregory expounds it L. 19. mor. c. 4. Qui fecit ventis pondus That as the little Bee grasping a Peeble secures it self from the Violence of a stormy Air so the Soul being check'd and kept down by a weight of Clay may remain steddy and fix'd and frustrate all the Attempts of Pride endeavouring to raise her above her self so much care has the Soul cost her Creator in providing means for her security And according to this Doctrine now What is the Body But only the Case of this Jewel the Slave of this Empress the Ballast of this Ship This is the Order they hold from the Appointment of God But how are they rank'd by the Inordinacy of thy Malice The Soul is the Lady and Empress Dominamini said God to Adam Subter te erit Appetitus tuus Gen. 1. he said to Cain Consequently she ought to be honour'd Gen. 4. and serv'd by the Body Da illi honorem cui honor competit Give that Deference to the Soul which is due to it as being the Chief Honor animae debitus est writes C. A. lapide ut illa quasi Regina imperet Corpori sensibus 10 Eccl. quasi subditis ancillis The Body with all its Senses ought to attend on and serve the Soul for the obtaining Life everlasting How unreasonable therefore is it that the Flesh design'd for nothing but to be a Servant and Slave should be caress'd and waited on and the Soul a Queen and Monarch should be made to drudge What a monstrous kind of Disorder is this says St. Bernard Could any Christian with Patience see L. Med. c. 3. this in his House Why then does he suffer and allow of that within himself which in his Family 't is not possible he should endure There are three things says Solomon Prov. 30. which disturb the Earth and the fourth it cannot sustain Per tria movetur terra quartum non potest sustinere The first is when a Servant reigns the second a Fool that is fill'd with Meat the third an odious Woman that is taken in Marriage these are the three things by which the Earth is mov'd But what is that which is insufferable and cannot be sustain'd Per ancillam cum fuerit haeres Dominae suae which the Septuagint read thus Serva cum Dominam suam ejecerit 'T is a Servant that commands and domineers over her Lady and turns her out of doors And hear now St. Antony of Padua expounding what this is 'T is the Flesh says he when 't is rais'd up and takes the Command in hand is in all things observ'd obey'd and waited on while the Soul being dethron'd is neglected scorn'd despis'd and made a Servant to her Slave this it is that is intolerable Domina est Ratio ancilla est sensualitas quam etiam terra sustinere non potest cum sibi ipsi dominationem usurpaverit Ser. Dom. 9. Pent. Rationis But I 'll come now to Particulars Come hither therefore first you Covetous Men you The Sinner makes his Soul a Slave who according to the Character of St. Ambrose water your Fields with the Tears of the Poor you who concluding your selves Lords and Sovereigns of all that God Am. Ser. 59. de Au. has lent you for your use shut your Ears to the Cries of the Needy and spend nothing but on Vice or your selves you who consume your whole Care in encreasing your Heaps and matter not how much you trample under Foot the Law of God and your injur'd Neighbour so you can but advance upon them your Wealth and Possessions Come hither I say and tell me does your Soul command or serve is she Mistress or Slave But let the Royal Prophet answer for you Dormierunt somnum suum nihil invenerunt omnes viri divitiarum in Ps 75. manibus suis They slept their sleep says he and all the men of Riches found nothing in their hands Where tho' the Words seem to import no more than that Riches cannot exempt their Owners from dying nor redeem them from Hell if they are condemn'd to those Flames yet St. Ambrose has found a Criticism in them a direct L. de Nabuc c. 15. Answer to our Question for he takes notice that Covetous Men are here call'd Viri divitiarum Men of Riches Bene viros divitiarum appellat non divitias virorum there being a great difference between the Riches of Men and Men of Riches We must see therefore which belongs to which Does the Master belong to his Servant or the Servant to his Master 'T is out of doubt the Servant is his Master's But by what are we to know which is the Servant This too is evident for Servants are labouring and toyling in their several Employments while the Master is taking his Ease or divertising himself in some Recreation Now let us look into the House of a Covetous Man and we shall be soon satisfied as to our Query there we shall behold his Bags his Treasure laid up and oh with how much Care and Sollicitude all still and quiet But he how busie how uneasie hard at work in
cost these Men the hazard of their Lives I 'll never let it be spent on a Gust of my own but I 'll offer it up to my God Libavit eam Domino Ah Christians Christians If David put so high a Value on a little Water for respect of the Danger these men underwent how ought you to esteem your Souls which have been purchas'd not only with Dangers and an uninterrupted toil of 33 Years but even with the Life and Blood of Jesus Christ Quanti quaeso says a Learned Author facienda est salus nostra non quidem hausta periculo Labat sanguinis vitae puri hominis sed sanguine ipso vita ipsa hominis dei nostri Thou hast cost O Soul not only the danger of Life but even Life it self and that not of Man but of thy Redeemer God and Man And this Soul which has been so dearly purchas'd thou basely deliverest into the hands of thy greatest Enemy And this as the Prophet has it Propter pugillum hordei fragmen Ez. 13. panis for a handful of Barley and a morsel of Bread for any of these little and inconsiderable Nothings of this World and how many times even for less how many times without Gain without Gust without Honour how many times hast thou laid it down before hand sinning to day on some design for the next Year and how many times without all Hopes of any advantage but rather with Discontents Poverty and publick Disgrace How often hast thou gone forth and like the Apostate-Disciple invited the Devils to take thy Soul at their own rate Quid vultis mihi dare ego eum vobis tradam What delight will you give in Exchange of my Soul O unreasonable Vileness of Sinners O monstrous Ingratitude What a Madness is this exclaims St. Bernard that a Christian should so disesteem his Soul and make less Account of it than the Devil does Satan offer'd to Christ for his all the Kingdoms in the World when as yet he did not know him to be the Son of God and the wicked Christian delivers his without any Agreement but standing wholly to the Devil's Courtesie Quis furor tam viles habere animas quas etiam Daemon pretiosas habet But tell me Sinner Ap. Hortig coron c. 9. §. 4. what would'st thou take to be a Slave under the inhumane Turks where thou art to expect nothing but a most cruel Usage Hunger Blows and Tyranny without Ease Rest or Sleep or any satisfaction whatsoever Is there any Price that can hire thee I believe not And yet of thy own Accord thou makest thy self one of the Devil's Slaves thou puttest thy self under him where thy Captivity shall be far more intollerable and without all hopes of Redemption since thou unworthily tramplest under foot the Blood of thy Redeemer Quare tibi tam vilis es qui tam pretiosus es Deo Why says St. Chrysologus art thou so base to thy self who art so highly esteem'd by the God Think of this with Shame and Confusion esteem thy Soul as God esteems it at least esteem it more than the Devil himself does Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum The Respect due to the Soul is rais'd yet one degree The Excellency of the Soul created for Glory higher inasmuch as the design of its first Creation was for the Enjoyment of an eternal Felicity being made capable of God himself and the Possession of the clear and beatifical Vision of its Maker in Glory Secundum meritum suum spe futurae mercedis says Rabbanus Give it its L. 3. in Eccl. c. 3. due says he on hope of a future Reward God did not create thy Soul Christian for the empty Vanities of this World no raise thy Thoughts higher Hearken to Holy Job Homo ad laborem nascitur avis ad volatum Man is born to Labour and the Bird to Flight which according to the Moral Gloss signifies that the Body was intended for Labour and Toil but that the Soul was created Gl. mor. in Job c. 5. for to take its Flight to Heaven and raise it self to God This Honour this Title to the Kingdom of Heaven was purchas'd for us by Jesus Christ who by his own most precious Blood did wipe out the Hand writing which the Devil held against us for our Exclusion from Glory Delens quod adversus nos erat chyrographum decreti O Soul and what an Honour is this that thou wert not made Colos 2. for Eating Cloathing and the little businesses of the Earth Thou hast a Right to an eternal Crown O how would'st thou esteem thy self if thou did'st but know what thou art Ochozias King of Juda being dead Athalia his Mother full of Cruelty and the Ambition of Ruling immediately slew all the King's Sons excepting only Joas who was snatch'd from the Slaughter by Josaba his Aunt who keeping him in Disguise six Years brought him up in the Temple till at length he was crowned King Eratque cum 4 Kin. 11. ea sex annis clam in domo domini Now those that were not privy to the Secret and knew him not to have a Right to the Kingdom we may easily imagine gave him no other Respects than to other Youths to whom his Education made him a Companion while those few that were conscious of the whole Intrigue honour'd him as a Prince and serv'd him as their Sovereign knowing that in a short time he would come to be vested with his Imperial Robes and sway the Scepter of Judah tho' then he was but in a mean rank and reputed as ordinary Ab iis says the Eusebius Eus Nier ho. 8. sect 5. of our Age qui filium Regis noverant magno habebatur honore non quia regiis ornabatur insignibus sed quia ornandus erat O Christian Souls says the holy Evangelist St. John now while you are in this Life your great Dignity is known but by few you are as yet hid and in disguise and like young Joas without your princely Robes without the Ensigns of Bliss Nondum apparuit quid erimus but there 1 Jo. 3. 〈◊〉 will come a time when you shall be call'd to your Kingdom and crown'd with Glory Cum autem apparuerit similes ei erimus c. O admirable Greatness and is there any that knows how to respect you according to desert but have you Christian made any Reflection upon this Excellency of your Soul I wish the gross and foggy Delights of this transitory Life have not rais'd a Mist before your eyes and quite clouded your Understanding 'T is very remarkable what Lyra relates of the famous Nebuchodonozor Lyr. in Dan. c. 1. King of Babylon He says that he was no sooner born but expos'd in the Woods where he was brought up at the care of a wild Goat till at length a poor Country-man passing by took him and brought him up amongst his Children without any distinction of
your Soul that having considered this thoroughly ye may understand how base and unworthy a thing it is to blemish and defile it with Sin and how much reason you have to conceive high Thoughts of it proportion'd to its Excellency This Method I borrow from the Canticles where the Holy Ghost speaking to his Beloved the Soul in the beginning says thus to her Cant. 1. Ecce tu pulcra es amica mea ecce tu pulcra es Behold thou art fair my Love and then repeats it again Behold thou art fair And Origen gives the Reason Because the first thing he recommends to her is to understand her self that so being sensible of her own Perfection she may entertain such noble Thoughts of her self as never to yield and submit to Sin Primo sermone invitaevit Sponsus Sponsam ut agnosceret seipsam Come therefore Christians Orig. ho. 3. in Cant. raise your Thoughts for a while above all vain and terrene Objects that so your Minds may be wholly taken up in the Contemplation of that Greatness which you possess within ye And I hope that this Consideration will be a means that ye conceive a horror against all Sin and detest it especially if the Holy Ghost assists me with his divine Grace and enables me to do this as I ought Fili in Mansuetudine serva animam tuam da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Son in Mildness keep thy Soul and give him Honour according to his Desert Eccl. c. 10. v. 31. Before I propose to you the great worth of the Soul What the Soul is and how unreasonable it is to debase it with Sin I must ask one Question Christians do you know that you have rational Souls 'T is true the external Shape and Figure you bear speak you to be Men yet this falls short of concluding you to be so There were great Numbers in the Beginning of the World which carried this Argument in their Face and yet amongst those vast Multitudes there was only one whom the Holy Ghost stiles Man to wit Enos whose whole Employ was in the Service of God Enos says Eusebius Caesariensis L. 7. Praep. Eu. c. 3. verus homo interpretatur neminem enim putant esse verum hominem praeter eum qui verum Deum agnoscit piè colit This it is alone which makes a Man worthy of that Name Wherefore says St. Chrysostom speaking to Sinners if with these external Lineaments of Men I see the Actions and Customs of Beasts how can I reckon you amongst the Number of Men Qua ratione in hominum Ho. 23. in Gen. â—e possum numerum collocare Tell me therefore Sinner hast thou the Soul of a man But I fear thou hast not yet consider'd whether thou hast a Soul or no 't is the Misery of too many Sinners and that which a Holy Person sadly deplor'd Would it not be gross Mans 1. c. 1. Ignorance for one being asked Who he was not to know himself nor understand who was his Father or Mother or what Country he was born in If this then would be strange Brutishness incomparably greater is that which is found in us when we endeavour not to know what we are but fix our Thoughts upon these Bodies and know not that we have Souls but only in gross in as much as we have heard it and because Faith tells us so but what Good this Soul comprises who lives within it or its great Value we seldom consider and so take but little Care to preserve its Beauty being wholly intent in polishing the Roughness of this Case and looking after the Walls of this Castle which are these Bodies Thus this devout Lady lamented the miserable Neglect of Men in not endeavouring to understand the Excellency of their Souls But let this Neglect Christians at length have an end You have all Souls and such as have any doubt in this Point St. Chrysostom invites to the Sight of a Corps Behold says he how foul it is how loathsome and full Hom. 12. in Gen. of Horror and without Motion and this because 't is left by that Soul which gave it Life Let any one move his Hand is it not the Soul that gives the motion You have a vegetative Life as in Trees you have a sensitive as in Animals and whence this but from the Soul But more than this you see that you remember things that are past you understand things and frame Discourses upon them you make Inferences deducing one thing from another You have a Propension to Good an Aversion to Evil why all this is from the Soul In fine the Soul is a rational intellectual and spiritual Substance created by God of nothing 'T is a Spirit like to the Angels immortal and eternal it had a Beginning but shall never have an end 't is whole in the whole Body and whole in every part And what is most admirable 't is so capacious that it can be satisfied and fill'd by none but God that made it 'T is dignified moreover with a free Will by which it has the Liberty of embracing either Vice or Vertue and so becomes worthy of Punishment or a Reward which was the thing intimated by God to Cain Nonne si bene egeris recipies Si autem malè statim in foribus peccatum tuum aderit This is Christian Gen. 4. that Queen which resides in that mean Palace of thy Body 't is a Pearl enclos'd in that rough Shell 't is the Lady and Mistress of that House 't is the Epitome of all created Perfections O blessed for ever be the Goodness of our Creator for the Excellency of this Work But stay here a little Christians and ponder seriously what it is that God has put into your own hands in manu consilii tui viz. the choice of Good or Evil of Vertue or Vice and that to work out your Salvation or Condemnation is left in some manner to the Determination of your own Free Will See this a little In the Creation of the World the Works of God had no sooner receiv'd their Being from his omnipotent Hand but they also receiv'd their Approbation of being good He made the Light and God saw the Light that it was good Vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona The same is repeated five times at the Birth of other Creatures But when Man comes to be made we don't read that God should say that he was good And what can be the Reason of this Is Man less deserving than the other Works of the Creation Shall they be welcom'd into the World with a Blessing and is there none for Man who contains the Perfections of them all Are the Beasts the Birds the Fishes more priviledg'd than Man who is their Lord and Sovereign No says St. Ambrose they are not And the reason why they at their coming into the World meet with an Approbation of being good and not man is Because at their
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
which is due to it Da illi honorem secundum meritum suum Come therefore Christian Miserere Animae tuae take Compassion on thy poor Soul Enter a while retire within thy self says St. Augustin and thou wilt find thy Soul necessitous and miserable asking thee an Alms begging for Relief Redi ad conscientiam tuam ibi Ser. 31. de verb. Dom. Isa 46. invenies egentem mendicantem animam tuam Look in and thou wilt behold the Mistress serving and the Slave commanding Look in and thou wilt see the Image of God under the feet of the Devil Look in and thou wilt see that which Jesus Christ bought at the Price of his own Blood sold and made over to Satan for a little Air for nothing Look in Sinner and thou wilt find that which was created for an everlasting Kingdom to be now obnoxious to an eternal Ignominy Look in and thou wilt behold thy poor Soul without God without Life Semiviva relicta waiting every Instant to be thrown into Hell Miserere animae tuae Take pity on thy Soul Behold her made a publick Mansion of Devils where they enter and dwell without any opposition by wicked Thoughts profane Words and worse Works Fac ergo eleemosynam animae tuae Bring therefore some Vbi sup Relief saith St. Augustin to thy Soul in this her extremity of wants give ear to her Petitions and be not deaf to her sad Complaints in these her Miseries And for the present be attentive to this Relation We read of a certain wretched Man who living unmindful of Tho. de Cantipr l. 2. apum c. 56. God and his Soul gave himself up wholly to Licentiousness and Debauchery On an occasion he was making merry with his Companions eating and drinking without measure and amongst other things they began a Discourse of What was to be after this Life Many things had been said when behold a Stranger comes in desiring to know the matter of their Dispute to whom this miserable man Here says he we are entertain'd with a pretty Debate of what is to become of our Souls when they have left the Body but for my part if I could find a Chapman I would sell my Soul and feast my Friends with the price of it At which the Stranger answer'd that he would buy it and forthwith the Bargain being agreed on paid the Money with which the other entertain'd the whole Company But night being come he that had made the Purchase said 'T is now time we should break up and therefore I declare to you all that I am the Devil this Wretch hath made a delivery to me of his Soul and I have Command of the Highest to carry him away both Soul and Body and immediately taking him into the Air he disappear'd and hurried him into the bottomless Pit of Hell where he is now consuming in those never-ending Flames and shall be as long as God shall be God without hopes of Ease or Relief See now Sinner what is the Conclusion of those who neglect their Soul the same miserable Fate attends thee if thou dost not amend thou hast yet time to prevent all by a serious and hearty Repentance at that time when thou didst sin against thy God thou mad'st over thy Soul to the Devil but the Contract may be yet broken off and made null by a true Sorrow and an hearty Contrition Come then make haste to revoke thy Word and undoe so unjust a Bargain Alledge that there was fraud in the Sale that the Purchaser has abus'd the Jewel and cheated the Owner Let the abundance of thy Tears cancel the Writings and the Intenseness of thy Repentance make void all the Obligations by which thou delivered'st thy self to the Power of Satan Christian there 's enough of Blindness You have only one God you have one Soul alone and but once can you expect to dye Why is it that you continue in Sin Your Soul in Possession of the Devil Your Soul in danger to be damn'd eternally Oh why don't you prostrate your selves at the feet of your merciful Redeemer of your Crucified Jesus See what he gave for your Soul he spilt his Blood once for you and would do it again a thousand times for your Salvation and will you still continue Slaves to Sin and the Devil Sons of my Blood he says to you Children of my Love for your Soul 's Good was I nail'd to the Cross and my Wounds yet fresh are crying aloud to you to forsake your evil ways and to follow me And what Answer do you return Christians to these Complaints of your Loving Redeemer Do you say you will not O never never let it be so but rather with a true sense of your Sins and a hearty sorrow for having liv'd so long in Blindness fall down at his Feet and say from the bottom of your Heart My Lord Jesus Christ my God my Father my Redeemer in whom I believe in whom I put my Trust and whom I love more than my own Life more than my Soul and above all things whatsoever it repents me Dear Lord it repents me from my heart that I have offended against thee O infinite Goodness O my Jesus O that I had never broken thy Commandments O that I had died a thousand Deaths rather than have sinn'd against thy Divine Majesty I am sorry for thy sake alone for being who thou art so infinitely holy so good so amiable I am sorry Dear Father that I have injur'd thee with my Offences And here I make a firm purpose by the assistance of thy Grace never more to sin I offer here a thousand Lives rather than return to my Iniquity and resolve to avoid all Occasions and Dangers of committing any Crime against thee I here intend to make a sincere Confession of all my Wickedness and to comply with all the Obligations that shall be laid on me and I trust that through the Merits and Passion of my loving Redeemer I shall obtain pardon of all my Offences I have sinned Lord I have sinned but thou my God have Mercy on me Mercy Blessed Saviour Mercy my Jesus I love thee above all things O my Jesus Let thy Love let thy Faith live and encrease and replenish us with thy Grace the Pledge of eternal Glory ad quam nos perducat Sancta individua Trinitas Pater Filius Spiritus Sanctus to which God of his infinite Mercy bring us Amen FINIS